Gaps in the Firearms Market

Not many pump action rifles being made today. I like something different than the normal off the shelf things. Heck, a while back someone posted a pump action AR and I must admit, I’m waiting for them to actually get produced.

Factory ambidextrous controls on modern semiautos pistols. With any weapon specifically designed for defensive use ambi safeties and slide locks should be standard. Ten percent of the population is left handed and most basic pistol classes at least touch on off hand shooting. It's better now than ten years ago but there's still room for improvement.

Ruger GP100 in 44spl, 9mm, 22lr and 327.
Ruger SP101 in 9mm, 22lr and 327.
Ruger LCR/LCRx in 9mm with 3" barrel.

These would be easy for Ruger to make. If sales are declining what not make some of the old models again?

Savage30L said:

Well, I see a HUGE gap---the lack of left-handed double-action revolvers. It's a PITA having to keep switching hands to reload.

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I'll tell you the same thing I tell my Dad:

Perhaps you should learn to shoot correctly, rather than all goofy-handed...

The biggest gap I see is in rifles and handguns to hunt small game and varmints from jackrabbits to peccary/small pig size . Something along the lines of 25-20 , 32-20 .what I would like to see is something like 30 carbine necked to .257 , and rifled to shoot up to 100 grain bullets . Imagine a slide action carbine , with an integral silenced barrel , magazine fed weighing about 6 1/2-7 pounds. And a 85 grain bullet at 1800 fps , or a 100 grain flatpoint at 1050 fps , out looking for jackrabbits ,rock chucks ,armadillos ,'coons, etc. Or Javelina , smallish deer and pigs .Naturally , it could also be chambered in 5.7 spitfire and 30 carbine also .

I'd also think something like a 7 inch , long slide chambered in a 10MM necked to .308 -.311 would be a good small game /varmint getter .

codytrucker said:

The biggest gap I see is in rifles and handguns to hunt small game and varmints from jackrabbits to peccary/small pig size . Something along the lines of 25-20 , 32-20 .what I would like to see is something like 30 carbine necked to .257 , and rifled to shoot up to 100 grain bullets . Imagine a slide action carbine , with an integral silenced barrel , magazine fed weighing about 6 1/2-7 pounds. And a 85 grain bullet at 1800 fps , or a 100 grain flatpoint at 1050 fps , out looking for jackrabbits ,rock chucks ,armadillos ,'coons, etc. Or Javelina , smallish deer and pigs .Naturally , it could also be chambered in 5.7 spitfire and 30 carbine also .

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Remember the .256 Winchester? It pushed a 60-grain bullet at 2350 fps and filled that niche. It was offered in the Marlin Levermatic, and some pistols such as the Ruger Hawkeye and TC Contender. You might be able to find one of these floating around, but ammo is hard to source now.

I would love to see more 300 win mag AR platforms. To my knowledge..only one company makes, or made one.

Insane? Yep...but boy oh boy! Fun!

whoops

Savage30L said:

Remember the .256 Winchester? It pushed a 60-grain bullet at 2350 fps and filled that niche. It was offered in the Marlin Levermatic, and some pistols such as the Ruger Hawkeye and TC Contender. You might be able to find one of these floating around, but ammo is hard to source now.

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Exactly ,that round needs to make a comeback , in timberwolf pumps , rossi m92's and ruger 77/257 !

Semi autos in 44 mag, 41 mag, and 357 besides desert eagle.

Id just like to have Remington or Winchester make a big run of 25-20 ammo. But also it be cool to have an affordable AR in big full size cartridges.

Mars5l said:

Id just like to have Remington or Winchester make a big run of 25-20 ammo. But also it be cool to have an affordable AR in big full size cartridges.

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Or at least Starline make 25-20 cases , I know you can neck down 32-20 ,and I do , but I lose a lot .

Savage30L said:

Well, I see a HUGE gap---the lack of left-handed double-action revolvers. It's a PITA having to keep switching hands to reload.

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I am 100% left-handed, but the "standard" set-up works well for me using my homegrown technique developed as a teenager. I own a Lebel, plus have handled the Charter Arms Southpaws, and they just seem awkward.

Winchester 1886 clones in more of the original cartridges.

The 1873, 1876, 1892 and 1894 have been cloned in ALL of the original chamberings, plus extras. The 1886 is only done in .45-70 and the occasional.45-90. How about .33 Winchester? How about .38-56? How about .50-110?

Why a 1876 in .40-60 got a green light for production, but a 1886 in .40-82 is not commercially viable is beyond me. Not everybody interested in these type of guns is a CAS gun gamer.

A major company produces an AR action rifle without the pistol grip but a regular rifle stock, non threaded barrel to look like a real sporting rifle. There are some fringe versions which are iffy. There are the Mini-14s but their action is unique to them.

Affordable double rifles
Single shot rifles
Bolt action pistol cal carbines
Affordable Not-AR semiauto rifles
50bmg pistols
22 short X frame and BFR
25 acp needs a magnum facelift.

Some of these gaps are somewhat ludicrous, but less ludicrous than some things that have been produced in recent memory (usfa zip, Altor 9mm, Heizer pocket AR, thunderstruck revolver)

KKJ13 said:

Not many pump action rifles being made today. I like something different than the normal off the shelf things. Heck, a while back someone posted a pump action AR and I must admit, I’m waiting for them to actually get produced.

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I've been watching Rem 7600s and 760s for a while now on Gunbroker looking for a decent deal for a project rifle. They're easily going for over $1000 used, more often than not around $1500 or so:

https://www.gunbroker.com/Guns-Firearms/search?Keywords=Remington 7600, 760

I'm hoping someday Remarms will start making them.

There's always the crazy things that would be fun like a center-fire LeMat or a straight walled 50bmg ( call it the 751 Squirrel Annihilator ) but for real things that are easy?

I'd like to see more 327 lever actions, an n framed 327( which I think would be a great tool for someone who isn't really a gun person), and an affordable BAR( the WW2 one)

Why cant somebody bring back some of the rimfire rounds? And make rifles for them.? The .25 Rimfire was a wonderful small game cartridge. So was the .32 Rimfire. One glance at Cartridges of the world will reveal that there used to be a wide range of rimfire rounds, some powerful enough to hunt deer with.

Savage30L said:

Remember the .256 Winchester? It pushed a 60-grain bullet at 2350 fps and filled that niche. It was offered in the Marlin Levermatic, and some pistols such as the Ruger Hawkeye and TC Contender. You might be able to find one of these floating around, but ammo is hard to source now.

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I have one. That rifle is surprisingly versatile. The factory ammo is all but dried up but the 60gr JHP was dynamite on game. Literally. It would go in a couple inches and there would be a wad of hamburger starting at the rib cage and roughly the size of a grapefruit. Just downright nasty on white tails, even decently sized bucks. I have always thought that the round needed revamped as a rimless round with a slight taper and it would be a huge success in any number of box fed repeaters. The vertical stack 4 round box on the model 62 was its only drawback.

Speaking of gaps in the market… a .257 bullet 60gr weight with a slightly rounded nose. The bullet was discontinued. I have bought every one of that bullet I have found for the past 10 years and I think that’s been maybe 200 bullets. Never a full box, and I have paid way up for partials.

There aren't nearly as many 20mm offerings such as the Lahti L39 and the Solothurn S18 as there used to be back in the day.

KKJ13 said:

Not many pump action rifles being made today. I like something different than the normal off the shelf things. Heck, a while back someone posted a pump action AR and I must admit, I’m waiting for them to actually get produced.

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Troy has been making the PAR for a number of years. A bit expensive for what they are, but if you want a pump action rifle with ARish pattern, this is one way to get it.

@drk1 Lahti is not cheap or easy. A former coworker has one. It’s fully functional but when he offered to let me shoot it if I bought ammo I was out. If I were able to take out a junk Chevy then by all means I would have been on it, but taking out plywood just seems like a waste.

More polystriker 9mm handguns!