The future of revolvers

Revolvers are a mature design. They were more or less perfected. Most of the innovation we've seen of late has been to produce them with more consistent quality at a lower cost -- not so much to bring the price down or to increase profits, but because the methods of production used in the past have become impractically costly. This isn't unique to our time or to revolvers. Winchester stopped producing the Model 70 in 1963 because it had become too costly to make the way they had in the 30's and the quality by the early 60's had slipped badly. Ruger and S&W have found ways to make things better and more cost-effectively. CNC, MIM, separate barrels and shrouds -- even this stuff was only cutting-edge in the 70's and 80's. Chiappa innovated a modern revolver design but the market mostly rejected it. That didn't send a signal for Ruger, S&W, or even Taurus to try anything avant-garde. Instread, they tried traditional designs in some more exotic materials like Scandium/Aluminum alloys, Titanium, and we have a few novelties like polymer frame revolvers: the Smith Bodyguard and Ruger LCR. Consumers seem to buy the little pocket revolvers, especially the cheap ones, in the greatest quantities. A few competitors buy high-performance large frame revolvers, and Ruger did try to break into that market, dominated by S&W, with their Super GP100. Then there's the big-bore hunting revolver and brag gun market -- 500's and stuff. With no disrespect intended to handgun hunters, I think most of these guns sell to people who just want to show off or get a kick in the pants. Either way, I'm not sure chambering giant revolvers in 350 Legend and 22 Hornet counts for innovation. This segment brings up the single-actions as well. I'm not sure single-actions will be a forward-looking market space. It consists of cowboy-era nostalgia and those big bore guns I already mentioned. Ruger was always a leader in the modern big bore single action space, but Freedom Arms pretty much perfected them in the 80's. Magnum Research has more recently collaborated with Ruger's Pinetree Castings to deliver something closer to the FA at a much lower cost -- the kind of thing I mentioned in my opening.
 
NeroM said:
Like my M10 [and forebears], would like to try the Henry Revolver, however have not seen one in a shop.
Does anyone actually own one or shot one -
if so - objectively,
how is it ?
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I handled but not fired on. I like it, I’ll buy one and do a review… after my gun money comes back
 
RugRev said:
"1. A redesign of the hammer. There are a number of aftermarket hammers available which lower the inertia of the hammer, allowing for lighter springs. True, many of the guns which use these are uber-tuned "Federal only" gamer guns, but the principle is relevant - all else being equal, a hammer with less inertia travels faster and hits the primer with more power, so one could reduce the trigger pull weight further before reliability becomes an issue. Manufacturers could incorporate some of those design elements."

In the case of Rugers one could even design cast in bosses that could be filed so as to fit the hammer or trigger to the gun to eliminate rubbing instead of using shims. In the case of the Rugers perhaps a mainspring in a shroud like on the Korth revolvers could be offered. At one time a hammer strut was offered aftermarket that allowed adjusting mainspring tension that could be updated and incorporated into the improvements. The parts along with firing pins could also be offered in titanium albeit it would be expensive.
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Why not a powered firing pin? If the market isn't ready for electronic primers, standard ammunition could be fired with an electronically controlled firing pin -- no springs. In my limited imagination, I conceive of something like an electromagnetic solenoid or servo motor. The market has already accepted a dependency on batteries for a critical component (reflex sights). I don't believe there is that much risk in market perception so long as the product is proven to work. Of course there will be skeptics -- some people still scoff at the Glock. But at some point the market will accept that what works, works. Power-driven firing pins aren't limited to revolvers, but they would be just as applicable to them as any other gun type. The revolver could additionally have a power-driven cylinder. Trigger switches would make the gun "fire-by-wire." Then the trigger could be given whatever characteristics were desired -- the travel length, pull weight, linear, progressive (stacking) or digressive resistance, etc.
 
Let me start this reply with "I'm not predicting the following nor do I wish the following to come true". Just that the potential for the revolver market could be very strong if the current push to ban semiautomatic weapons is passed. 10 round cylinders could become the standard in a dystopian future that bans semiautomatic weapons. What innovations to revolvers would a semiautomatic ban force on an industry that could only sell a revolver if it wanted sell a self protection handgun?

Heck we could potentially see a modern day LeMat 7 shot 44 with a 20 gauge center barrel.
 
Every time one of these post comes up, I have to throw out an evolution of the Ruger Redhawk. I think there is a place for a GP/Super Redhawk inspired .44/.45 Colt Revolver. It would be the same size as the current Redhawk, but with the grip and action of the GP/Super Redhawk. I do love my Redhawk, but the other action is just smoother and easier for the layman to work on.

Other than that I would love to see the 1/2 lug evolve back into style.

I do think the revolver will be around for years to come.
 
ECVMatt said:
Every time one of these post comes up, I have to throw out an evolution of the Ruger Redhawk. I think there is a place for a GP/Super Redhawk inspired .44/.45 Colt Revolver. It would be the same size as the current Redhawk, but with the grip and action of the GP/Super Redhawk. I do love my Redhawk, but the other action is just smoother and easier for the layman to work on.

Other than that I would love to see the 1/2 lug evolve back into style.

I do think the revolver will be around for years to come.
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Bowen builds such a beast

The Real Super Redhawk
 
Revolvers seemed to make somewhat of a revival around 2015-2016. Kimber released the K6 in 2016, and has made multiple variations since. They announced a new version, the K6xs. It has an aluminum frame. Arms Corp introduced their first revolver, the 206 in late 2015. They have been importing Czech made revolvers since 2018-19 Colt announced that the Python was going back into production in 2019. A lot of companies sure are investing a lot so they can make those obsolete wheelguns.
 
You know what most people love about revolvers? They love their simplicity, reliability, and timeless looks. Sounds to me like many want to make revolvers more complicated, add more parts, and in the process make them less reliable. That would basically remove all of the take revolver's pros while still leaving the cons.

As far as innovation goes, we really haven't seen anything innovative since Glock's design came to market. Everything else since then has been a hosh posh of designs and technologies that already existed that have simply been mixed and matched into different platforms.

The one and only change I'd like to see is S&W and Ruger move towards user swappable barrels. There's no reason we should have to buy a completely new revolvers to simply have different barrel lengths other than these companies care more about selling more guns than they care about their customers. Last, but not least, S&W needs to remove the lock, OR at least offer lock and lockless offerings like to do with some of their J-frames.
 
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Jonesy814 said:
Revolvers seemed to make somewhat of a revival around 2015-2016. Kimber released the K6 in 2016, and has made multiple variations since. They announced a new version, the K6xs. It has an aluminum frame. Arms Corp introduced their first revolver, the 206 in late 2015. They have been importing Czech made revolvers since 2018-19 Colt announced that the Python was going back into production in 2019. A lot of companies sure are investing a lot so they can make those obsolete wheelguns.
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Don't forget Rossi came back recently too, and Taurus retired the model 85 for the model 856. In 2020 Taurus also released their model 942 (22lr). Around 2014/2015 S&W released the Combat Magnum M66 and M69. Colt introduced the 38spc only Cobra, then the King Cobra, then Python, and lastly the Anaconda. Colt also just released another iteration of their Python last week.

I am not sure where the narrative revolvers are dying, obsolete, and aren't selling well is coming from??? I believe more revolvers are being manufactured and sold today than in the past even though revolvers are less popular compared to semiautos. Revolvers sales been increasing.
 
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westernrover said:
Why not a powered firing pin? If the market isn't ready for electronic primers, standard ammunition could be fired with an electronically controlled firing pin -- no springs. In my limited imagination, I conceive of something like an electromagnetic solenoid or servo motor. The market has already accepted a dependency on batteries for a critical component (reflex sights). I don't believe there is that much risk in market perception so long as the product is proven to work. Of course there will be skeptics -- some people still scoff at the Glock. But at some point the market will accept that what works, works. Power-driven firing pins aren't limited to revolvers, but they would be just as applicable to them as any other gun type. The revolver could additionally have a power-driven cylinder. Trigger switches would make the gun "fire-by-wire." Then the trigger could be given whatever characteristics were desired -- the travel length, pull weight, linear, progressive (stacking) or digressive resistance, etc.
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I would not trust my life to anything battery operated. No thank you.
 
mcb said:
One of the problem with revolver is they are such an old establish technology, those that like them and buy them, for the most part don't want to see an evolution. Look at the resistance the Rhino got for simply putting the barrel at the bottom of the cylinder instead of the top. Look at the resistance many revolver users have to moonclips and rimless cartridges despite the advantages in social and competitive settings. Look at the push back Henry got for their very traditional double action revolver that simply combine ascetics and materials from a few different eras of revolvers. So on... You can't innovate if your market does not want it. Those that want to see new innovative designs and new technology in revolvers are a very VERY small fraction of the revolver market.
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Sort of like Harley. How do you attract new customers without alienating the old ones.
 
Styx said:
You know what most people love about revolvers? They love their simplicity, reliability, and timeless looks. Sounds to me like many want to make revolvers more complicated, add more parts, and in the process make them less reliable. That would basically remove all of the take revolver's pros while still leaving the cons.

As far as innovation goes, we really haven't seen anything innovative since Glock's design came to market. Everything else since then has been a hosh posh of designs and technologies that already existed that have simply been mixed and matched into different platforms.

The only and only change I'd like to see is S&W and Ruger move towards user swappable barrels. There's no reason we should have to buy a completely new revolvers to simply have different barrel lengths other than these companies care more about selling more guns than they care about their customers. Last but not least, S&W needs to remove the lock, OR at least offer lock and lockless offerings like to do with some of their J-frames.
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That’s a head scratcher to me. I’d understand their position if they didn’t make any guns without locks, but they obviously don’t have a complete aversion to producing lockless guns.
 
Barmcd said:
Sort of like Harley. How do you attract new customers without alienating the old ones.
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In theory if you keep making the old revolvers and make new innovative revolvers you would do both but in reality the "old ones" get offended at the new and innovative an quit buying the tradition products just because.
 
it would have to be fundamentally different to be a real change. if the cylinder was some kind of attached but, separate mechanical little chambers, where there are joints between the cylinders, the overall width of the cylinder could be much less, then you could push the grip forward more under the barrel, add some mechanism to seal the forcing cone area better so you don't torch your hand, and with some egineering, you have rounds that feed right down into the grip. you might even be able to design it, so - that it can just take a magazine when empty, and just keep running by pulling double action. and if you want to get fancy, just make it eject spent cases too, and then you have the opporunity for an extended glock mag upgrade and we've solved the revolver capacity issue once and for all.
 
johnjohn said:
I would not trust my life to anything battery operated. No thank you.
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We're talking about the future. Most people today already trust their lives to battery operated things. Increasingly, even the cars that hold their precious lives like little fragile eggs in a carton hurling towards other 8000-pound cartons at 132 fps (90 mph) are battery-operated. Even our aging population who would swear-off battery-operated anything will end up trusting their lives to pacemakers, glucose monitors, insulin injectors, oxygen concentrators, automatic external defibrillators....

Besides, not all revolvers have to be considered life-saving equipment. So what if the 500-Super-Magnum brag gun has a powered firing pin? Does it really matter if a 44 Magnum hunting revolver has one? Does that threaten our lives? What about the pretty beauty-gun like the future 6" Python 2? Are people really going to carry those for their protection? It might offend your taste (and mine), but I'm sure the future holds worst offenses to us than such things as new guns.

It is odd that people react to new ideas, innovation, and change with distrust based on the preservation of their lives, as if their very existence depended on it.
 
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