Do younger shooters buy revolvers?

[maxxhavoc]

I think that Spats hit the nail on the head. When new shooters young and old go to get a gun, the default is what the Police use. So semiautomatic. If they ask the guy at the counter what to get, 90% of the time it's Glock.

If the purchase turns into a hobby, they are more likely to try revolvers. If they start reloading, it is likely to turn into a lot of revolvers since "multi" chambers like .357 and 454 are a reloaders playground. And you don't have to chase brass. And you can shoot any shape bullet, and....

 

[Sistema1927]

Depends on which war it's post of.

Smith & Wesson DA model 4 made around 1903. So post-Spanish American War.

The SAAs are the J. P. Sauer made Hawes Import Western Marshall model. They are likely 1960s made.

I have a feeling that you knew that I was referring to WWII but thanks for playing.

 

[jar]

I have a feeling that you knew that I was referring to WWII but thanks for playing.

Figured, but my point was that even relatively old handguns, revolvers and semi-automatics can still be both functional and enjoyable today if we understand the limitations involved in each instance.

I do not feel under-protected even when carrying something as limited as my 115 year old Smith, but I do also understand its limitations.

The connection to this thread and the topic related to younger shooters is somewhat illustrated in this case. I feel comfortable if armed with the old Smith and a couple 5 round speed loaders in my pocket but I don't know if a much younger person would feel the same. Also I would likely consider buying an old revolver or old semi-automatic before and in preference to any new revolver or semi-automatic. That also applies to caliber choices since I'd be far more likely to choose a 25 or 32/7.65 or even 22 rather than a 40 or 10mm or any +p cartridge.

If I were a handgun manufacturer today I would expect that my volume profit items would be high capacity striker fired semi-automatics with places to add on all kinds of stuff and "designer" wheel guns that are caricatures or homages of past models as even higher profit lower volume products.

And that's seems to mirror what I see today in the real world.

From my point of view though there are almost no newer current offering handguns of interest out there. There just ain't much on the new handguns scene I would buy.

Looking over my own accumulation of handguns and in what most often gets carried I find a definite pattern of older guns over newer guns in general rotation and revolvers carried more often than semi-automatics but about an equal split between pre-WWII and post-WWII in the overall accumulation yet even there not many of my handguns seem to reflect modern trends. None of my handguns have places to attach accessories, no laser pointers, no lights, no fancy sights, no extended mags, no interesting colors and only a few stainless steel. There is one striker fired semi but it's been long enough since I last shot it that the night sights have expired.

So since I'm definitely not the demographic the makers are targeting then it's likely younger folk since most of the folk older than me are already dead and no longer buying much. (in some places they do still vote it seems)

 

[thomas15]

I'm 60 and have been around firearms for over 50 years, owned and shot a variety of rifles and shotguns and competed in a smattering of things. However it wasn't until about 5 years ago that I started shooting handguns.

Started out with auto loaders, not because anyone told me to but rather because I decided that that was what I wanted to do. My club has pistol night on Thursday so once I had gathered enough hardware I started to attend. The format of the evening is we set up a scenario in one of the various action pistol discliplines (IDPA, ICORE, USPSA) and so forth. We use a timer, record scores and post them but it's just for fun. It's also instructional, sometimes we just do drill exercises, IMO better than just plowing away at paper targets from a horse stall.

Most of the shooters and may I say there are shooters that range from pre-teen to in their 80s, on ICORE night some actually use revolvers, this was my intro to competition revolver shooting. I have to say that at first I wasn't impressed but one of the top revo shooters in the country is a member and watching him shoot and especially seeing his reloads slowly change my mind. So I decided that my next handgun would be a revolver and that is what happened and that is what I shoot now 90% of the time.

Anyone can shoot a revolver but to be competitive is a long steep learning curve and requires a major layout of cash. This is the problem as I see it, shooting revolvers on the clock is a real challenge and a different mind set. It just doesn't have that modern fascination that auto loaders have. I think I live in an geographical area that happens to have a bunch of good solid revolver shooters but in my opinion the main reason we are in the minority is that shooters just that don't have an exposure to revolvers.

Not helping matters is the fact that both S&W and Ruger do a better job marketing their auto loaders, I think there is a better profit in them and even those revolvers intended for competition are not competition ready at the point of sale and require 3 or 4 hundred dollars of after sale work to give the shooter and fighting chance. They, revolvers, are fun to shoot but they do require a lot more work to gain skills.

Speaking for me and others that shoot revolvers, we are willing to help spread the word but when someone new tries one of my revolvers it is sort of my duty to inform them that if interested there will be significant amounts of dollars leaving their wallet. You can buy a Glock 17 and all the associated entry level competition tackle for less than $1000 which is less than the cost of a S&W 929 alone. To get a 929 ready to compete will be another $400 or so plus holsters, belts, moon clips ability to handload and so forth, no one wants to do this.

 

[brutus51]

I'm 67 and have been shooting since I was 6 ( .22 rifles on Daddy's knee). I have 11 semi's and 5 revolvers. Have always been enamored with 1911's because that's what pop brought home from the war. All guns are tools, you pick the right tool for the job.
Wouldn't take a .44 mag squirrel hunting nor would I carry a .22 in bear country.
In my old age I too am gravitating back to revolvers just so I don't have to work so hard to retrieve the brass.

 

[BearBrimstone]

I am 33 years old currently. I want to say that I am in the field that actively buys and shoots revolvers, but in all honesty I have never been able to shoot them well. The only revolver that I currently own is a Ruger SP101 and it hasn't been fired in probably two years. I have bought a few others over the past few years but they have all ended up sold pretty quickly. I have only kept the Ruger because it was a gift from my wife. Semi-autos are just so much easier to pick up and shoot than a DA revolver that I have stuck with them. Yeah I can shoot revolvers fine SA but learning to consistently shoot DA would take a lot of time and ammunition when I can buy a random semi-auto and be good with the trigger in less than a box of ammo.

 

[mjsdwash]

when I first started shooting you could buy 38spl for $8.00/box, and 357 for $12 locally (2005), and 44Mag for around $24. Those were the only revolver rounds any really used in high numbers. 45 Colt was still $50/box. 9MM was around $10, 45ACP was $12. Then the Iraq/Afghan wars really picked up, Russian ammo (wolf was 10c/round) doubled, then commodity copper trippled, and 9mm was the only one that stayed cheap. Now 38spl is $18, 357 is $28, 44mag is $28, 45Colt is lower at $28, due to increased popularity. 45acp is $24. 9mm is $9. So for a first shooter, the best centerfires are 38spl or 9mm. Given that 9 costs half as much, and is much easier to find, that alone is the reason I recommend against revolvers. Simple fact is, that while a revolver may be a better choice for many of those people, they won't shoot ammo at $18/box. They will shoot 9mm. I invite people to go on range trips, and tell them they can shoot whatever they want, but need to bring the ammo. No one has ever decided that anything other than 9mm was worth is, even just one time. .

 

[Al-jim19]

I have one good gun buddy and a second acquaintance who owns guns too. The three of us are 27-28.

I own 0 revolvers out of all the guns I own. A snubby for my pocket is next on the buy list though. I bought guns I thought would be most useful, or could potentially be banned. I have the evil autos and black rifles I “need” at this point, so I’m on to a revolver.

My good friend got into guns maybe 2-3 years ago, bought a sigma and promptly sold it. He replaced it with an LCR 357. He owns a Glock but had purchased a few guns, all outside the semi auto realm, before he got it.

My acquaintance is into guns, though it seems his only interest is in the guns he uses for duty as a police officer. He only owns 3 pistols, all MnP variety. The only long guns he has ever fired, to my knowledge, are ones I brought to the range when we’ve gone together. He’s also got garbage muzzle discipline. I no longer host him for gun things.

 

[Barry loyd]

Yes we do. As a young lad in the early 90’s the husband of my mother’s friend took me to the range one day. Out of the case came a beautiful nickel revolver with a six inch barrel. He allowed me to shoot it to my hearts content. When I noticed the headstamp read 38spl I asked to shoot a .357 mag. He obliged and my eyes lit with joy and I was hooked ever since. If you’re wondering what that nickel plated beauty was, the name on the side read “Colt Python.” No autoloader has ever given me that giddy feeling like a wheel gun has. My everyday carry is a 4in GP100. I may never be able to buy my own Python but I can and do recapture that feeling from many years ago every time I pull the trigger back and watch the hammer fall.

 

[Dave T]

...every time I pull the trigger back and watch the hammer fall.

You're supposed to be watching the front sight, not the hammer falling. Stick to the front sight and your groups will shrink! (smile)

As to the general subject, I play with revolvers and carry semi autos. Carried one model or other (Government or Commander) of Colt 1911 45 ACP for all but the first 6 months of my LEO career. Now I carry a Glock 30S. For fun I mostly shoot single action revolvers chambered for the venerable 45 Colt cartridge. I have a couple S&W N-frames to play with too.

Dave

 

[Barry loyd]

You're supposed to be watching the front sight, not the hammer falling. Stick to the front sight and your groups will shrink! (smile)

As to the general subject, I play with revolvers and carry semi autos. Carried one model or other (Government or Commander) of Colt 1911 45 ACP for all but the first 6 months of my LEO career. Now I carry a Glock 30S. For fun I mostly shoot single action revolvers chambered for the venerable 45 Colt cartridge. I have a couple S&W N-frames to play with too.

Dave

Is that what that doohickey at the end of the barrel is for ? LOL.​

 

[bersaguy]

I'm 39, I didn't buy my 1st pistol until I was 30. When I was choosing my 1st handgun I rented everything I could get my hands on. The few revolvers I had access to were some throughly beat up 4 and 6 inch s&w's. Got it I'm my head that I didn't like revolvers, plus I was looking for a carry gun, and the ranges around here dont rent j frames. So, my 1st pistol was a Bersa Thunder 380. Fast forward 10 years and i just bought my 1st revolver, 4" Ruger Security Six. I may not like revolvers, but i love MY revolver

 

[Browning]

I grew up with revolvers and I like revolvers. Some of the first handguns that I ever bought on my own when I turned 21 in 1993 when was a 4" inch S&W Model 10 .38 Special and a 4" S&W Model 19 .357 Mag without a speck of bluing on it.

A lot of rds got put through that S&W 19. I eventually traded it for a CZ-75, but I wish I'd saved up and I still had the thing.

I bought a 4" S&W 66 in 1998 for $200 to replace the 19. It was sold 15 years later to trade for a Saga 12 ga. Shotgun. This one ...


Then I bought this 4" S&W 66 for $500 or thereabouts to replace that one. It too got sold to finance a custom BHP. This one ...


One of these days I'll manage to hang onto a revolver.

 

[TTv2]

I'm not even 30, but I own (including 4 black powder percussion revolvers) 10 revolvers.

I've always been unique tho.

 

[Spats McGee]

I do believe every gun guy should have one SA revolver just for fun but the snubbies and DA duty guns really don’t have a place in today’s world.

I don't know about the DA duty guns (I really haven't thought about it much), but I gotta disagree that "snubbies . . . . really don't have a place in today's world."

 

[jar]

I don't know about the DA duty guns (I really haven't thought about it much), but I gotta disagree that "snubbies . . . . really don't have a place in today's world."

And yet they are selling (and new models even being introduced) and being carried in today's world. Quite often my primary (and often sole) carry handgun is a Colt or Smith & Wesson snubby and by choice over quite a few very nice semi-automatics.

 

[huntsman]

I don't know about the DA duty guns (I really haven't thought about it much), but I gotta disagree that "snubbies . . . . really don't have a place in today's world."

the plastic pocket pistol allows for deep concealment with quick reloads at a weight that doesn’t feel like a roll of quarters banging against one’s leg.

The LCR is an exception to this issue as it’s only slightly more bulky/ heavy than an LCP.

Hang your snubbie on the belt? Well then you’re competing against the likes of sub compact plastic guns that offer superior capacity.

 

[kidneyboy]

"snubbies . . . . really don't have a place in today's world."

"snubbies . . . . really don't have a place in my world."
I fixed that for you......

 

[chicharrones]

Depends on which war it's post of.

Smith & Wesson DA model 4 made around 1903. So post-Spanish American War.

The SAAs are the J. P. Sauer made Hawes Import Western Marshall model. They are likely 1960s made.

Lol. Post War in the USA almost always refers to the point the USA became a superpower, which is WWII.

 

[chicharrones]

I'm lead edge Gen X. That used to seem like a cool and trendy generation to be part of, but now it's just middle aged. Lol.

I love revolvers. My first handgun was/is a revolver that I got when I was 28. The Wonder Nines were everywhere, but the AWB and mag capacity limits were nearly upon us and I had limited funds. So, a revolver got the calling for several reasons.

Personally, I haven't seen many Gen Y or Gen Z own revolvers. However, I did come across a "young" cop (25 to 30 y.o.) at the local indoor range several months ago. He was proud to be breaking in his new .357 magnum SA/DA 4" barreled revolver. He even let me fire a cylinder full through it. His revolver wasn't his duty gun, but he sure liked it.

 

[paulsj]

I'm old, 71, but still good looking and grew up on westerns and the old gangster movies where the revolver was the gun used. Unless it was a war movie you didn't see many auto pistols. I know the revolver is regarded by many as over the hill and an antique that has out lived it's effectiveness as a defensive firearm but for me there is just something about a good revolver. Seems like when I go to the pistol range all the younger shooters are shooting auto pistols, just older guys like me that shoot revolvers. I have a number of autos and enjoy shooting them but other than the 1911 they just don't have the personality of a nice revolver. Once we oldsters are gone will there be enough interest in revolvers or will they be just overlooked and forgotten and become valueless?

 

[huntsman]

"snubbies . . . . really don't have a place in today's world."

"snubbies . . . . really don't have a place in my world."
I fixed that for you......

That’s true but don’t forget the OP was referenced to young shooers so all my responses were with that in mind.

I don’t doubt a grizzled old man can and does use a snubbie proficiently, it’s just not what I believe a newbie needs when there are other lighter weight options that take less dedication to learn.

 

[paulsj]

I'm old, 71, but still good looking and grew up on westerns and the old gangster movies where the revolver was the gun used. Unless it was a war movie you didn't see many auto pistols. I know the revolver is regarded by many as over the hill and an antique that has out lived it's effectiveness as a defensive firearm but for me there is just something about a good revolver. Seems like when I go to the pistol range all the younger shooters are shooting auto pistols, just older guys like me that shoot revolvers. I have a number of autos and enjoy shooting them but other than the 1911 they just don't have the personality of a nice revolver. Once we oldsters are gone will there be enough interest in revolvers or will they be just overlooked and forgotten and become valueless?

Don't worry unlike side by side shotgun the revolver will not be overlooked and forgoten.

 

[TTv2]

the plastic pocket pistol allows for deep concealment with quick reloads at a weight that doesn’t feel like a roll of quarters banging against one’s leg.

The LCR is an exception to this issue as it’s only slightly more bulky/ heavy than an LCP.

Maybe in .22 or .38, but the steel frame LCR's weigh double than the LCP, but with the .327 LCR you have a revolver that shoots heavier bullets than .380 can and holds just one less round.

If capacity is of utmost concern, but lightweight and small is also critical, I don't even recommend the LCP to people anymore, I've found it's difficult to shoot and even reload... for the non LCPII that locks open.

 

[DannyLandrum]

I work in a gun store and I mention both; pros and cons, when I get an open ended question. .44 mag revs are still very popular here in Brownie country.