THE "holy grail" revolver!

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UncleEd

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Just think about it, had Colt, S&W et. al. in the
beginning produced swing-out cylinder
DA revolvers mostly in 3-inch and 5-inch barrels,
a great premium would exist for 4-inch and
6-inch revolvers.

And had S&W with the advice of Elmer Keith
first produced the .41 S&W Magnum, some
odd ducks today would be wishing for more
.44 Magnums
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Not sure I get the OP's point on this thread
Click to expand...
Me either.

That the barrel lengths and rounds aren't as popular if they were more rare?

These rounds and lengths are more or less common due to the buyer and sales of said product.
 
UncleEd said:
Just think about it, had Colt, S&W et. al. in the
beginning produced swing-out cylinder
DA revolvers mostly in 3-inch and 5-inch barrels,
a great premium would exist for 4-inch and
6-inch revolvers.
Click to expand...

.38 Special said:
And the perceived value of rarity.
Click to expand...

A case in point is the 6" vs. the 6-1/2" barreled M29. Up to 1979, the M29's standard length was 6-1/2", but a 6" could be ordered (among the other lengths offered). The 6-1/2" barrel was discontinued in 1979. For collectability, the 6-1/2" seems the more desired length/higher premium, but overall, the 6" barrel is more rare.

It all comes down to what the owner/shopper wants and what they can find, and their reason for searching. My personal "Grail" revolver is a S&W M520. My collection is all S&W magnum revolvers between 1967-1982 (I look for 1954-1982). The M520 was only produced during one year (1980) as a special order that was refused, and was then sold on the open market, and only 3000 exist.
 
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If Colt's William Mason had listened to Philip Webley and William Davies, the 1877 Colt Lightning would have been a robust beast of a top-break in a .41Colt cartridge much more like today's .41Special. The top-break revolver might have held its place as the premier quick-reload action rather than the swing-out cylinder. But he didn't so it wasn't and they aren't. :)
 
This is a hard one for me. Back when I was carrying a handgun daily I did find that the 5.5" barrel worked best for me. I need it more for daily tasks than CCW or self defense. We were out in the middle of nowhere so the gun had to work for putting down livestock, hunting, target shooting, opening locks, removing varmints and whatever else needed to be done. At first I toted my beloved 7.5 inch Redhawk but it seemed to get in the way of everything. Then I went to a 4" Smith and Wesson of some flavor they had on the ranch. It worked good and was handy. Finally I found a Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt with a 5.5" barrel. It rode nicely on the hip, had a good sight radius, and was in a versatile caliber. I carried that one the most. Now I have all different kinds of barrel lengths and find a use for them all. I guess that I am glad to have choices and I won't even get into calibers that go with the barrel lengths.
 
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