I have posted this rambling idea here once before. Don't take it too serious...
How about this? I want a revolver that reloads fast, has enough power to hunt with but not so over-powered as to be abusive on my wrists or ears. It needs to throw fat heavy bullets. It has to work with or without moonclips. It’s got to be fun and easy.
This is not a concealed carry revolver. With a shorter barrel it might have served as a good service/duty revolver in a bygone and less civilized era but it would be for open carry in the woods, on the tractor, or punching big holes in cardboard and scaring all the old guys at an IDPA match. It needs to blend the features of Webley into the classic lines of a 6XX N-frame. It needs to be big but not wholly unwieldy.
So first we need a new cartridge. 12x24mm GRD (Grumpy Revolver Dude). 12x24mm GRD is short and fat for quick reliable loading and ejecting from a revolver. It launches big bore 12mm bullets (.475-inch diameter for you imperial bastards). Max pressure would be a moderate 24,000 psi with a goal of 600-800 ft-lbs of muzzle energy depending on bullet weight. The moderate pressure would keep it easy on your ears, especially when hunting with no ear-pro. Heavy bullets (~400gr) would be sub-sonic at 800-850 fps. Light bullets in the 275 gr range, would approach 1200fps. Case length would be 24mm and would be semi-rimless (yes I said semi-rimless, pay attention!). The case would use large pistol primers (Why not?). A large extractor groove to allow the use of very thick (.040-.050 inch thick) robust moonclips (MOONCLIPS RULE!!!) in the large extractor groove. Semi-rimless (<- see it was important ->) would also allow the cartridges to head space on the cartridge rim in the absence of moonclips. The Cylinder would be cut much as a cylinder for an rimmed cartridge is cut for moonclips
Now the Revolver: It would be a top break revolver with a locking mechanism similar to the old Webley Mark VI (why? because top break revolvers need to make a comeback). Don’t worry with the moderate pressure of 12x24mm GRD and modern metallurgy we can keep a top break revolver from doing a grenade impersonation. It would have a thumb lever to break down the revolver on both sides making it completely ambidextrous. Auto ejection on opening (Duh!). It would have a full under-lug barrel like a S&W N-frame (it looks good and sucks up the recoil). It would come in 3, 4, 5, and 6.5 inch barrels. Slip-in replaceable front sights like many of the new S&W revolvers (Not sure why this is not on more revolvers). The rear sight would be fixed (fixed sights are fixed and that is good), machined into the top break latch like a Webley. Though the frame would be drilled and tapped for a scope mount or adjustable rear sight. The adjustable rear sights would require a sight-less low-profile top break latch to be installed. The cylinder would be a 6-shot cylinder that would be slightly larger in diameter than an N-frame (1.56-inch) but not nearly as big as an X-frame (1.875-inch). Approximately 1.625-1.7 inch in diameter, just enough material to safely contain our moderately powerful 12x24mm GRD cartridge. The cylinder would be short, ~1.5 inch which is shorter than a K-frame. The fire control would be a traditional double/single action with a light-weight short-spur hammer to encourage double action shooting (double action is what real men use for all but super long range shots). The grip frame would be a round butt. The OEM grips would be round butt, rubber, without finger grooves. Square butt conversion grips would be available for you heathens. (Finger grooves would void the warranty.) The cylinder would be fluted, non-fluted cylinders would not be made or allowed (too damn ugly and no class). It would come in brushed or bead blasted stainless steel or for the Mall Ninjas a tough PVD flat-black finish would be available.(no damn shiny, chrome, or polished blued finish this ain’t no damn safe queen)
Now that would be a damn near perfect revolver!