Younger shooters and revolvers

[Moonclip]

There seems to me to be a general trend among younger people not liking revolvers, low capacity and general uncoolness usually the stated reasons. I like most handguns, I'm in my late 20's but I think revolvers, esp. S&W's are my usual favorite guns to shoot though.

Today I met a friend at the range, he works with an 18 year old African American fellow who lives in a inner city area and he mentioned he was going to bring him along as he had shot guns before with a couple of relatives one time and he was interested in going again.

I don't usually like being used as a gun library for my friends but I usually get talked in to it and I'm always willing to help bring younger shooters, women, minorties in to the hobby.

My friend only brought his Ruger MKII 5.5" bull barrel, I had brought a new P97DC, a S&W 17 6" 22lr, and a Ruger stainless Security Six 2 3/4 in barrel 357mag.

To my surprise, the 18yo expressed the favorite gun of the session was the 357mag revolver, he especally liked the flash and blast with the very hot 357mag Armscor ammo we had and he did not do too bad with it, actually hit the small bullseye on a target we had before I did much to my embarassment!

And they both had to admit my S&W 17 22lr revolver was superior in accuracy to the Ruger MKII at least in my hands. So maybe there is hope for the youth of today and for the old revolver yet!

 

[Derby FALs]

I shot my new 1861 Navy Colt (Uberti) for the first time, yesterday. Shot it with a friend that had never shot BP. He loved it. Me too! Anyone that doesn't like revolvers is missing out...

 

[Dave Dembinski]

I'm 24, and my only auto is a Browning Buckmark. My first centerfire handgun was actually an auto - a Glock 30 - but I ended up selling it about a month after I bought it. There wasn't anything wrong with it, of course; I just didn't grow attached to it.

The instant I fired the first .357 Magnum out of my 686, though, I knew I wasn't letting it go without a very good reason. Once I learned more about how revolvers worked and discovered how much more satisfying they were to me, I all but gave up on autos. I'd still like a BHP, but it's not a priority and there's revos I put ahead of it on the list.

So, maybe the .357 is the key to the youth of today?

 

[pauli]

getting my model 13 was quite the eye opener - it weighs a metric ton, and that makes it a LOT more fun to shoot. and the 357s are addictive! i wanted one for my own benefit and for introducing new shooters (i figure, 22 in revolver and semi, 9mm, and 357 makes for a good set), and now i'm hopelessly addicted to what i've bought.

it's a lot more gentle, even with magnums (though i have no idea how hot the ones i tried actually were), than any 9mm i've tried, and that seems to go over well with new shooters.

 

[SnubbyMan]

I'm on the young side and my collection is primarily revolvers...mostly Smiths. However, that doesn't prevent me from enjoying other proven designs like the 1911s OR AR15s OR various full-cap 9s, etc...I just don't have a gazillion examples of each of those. I seem to breed snubs though. I seem to want to collect all the different finishes and barrel lengths. Adjustable sights, fixed sights, 5-shot, 6-shot, 7-shot, .32 H&R Mag, .38 Spl, .44 Spl...all desired in my book. I think all guns have their place. For typical SD scenarios, I would choose the revolver if given the choice.

 

[Imaginos]

Hope For The Future

My 3 year old daughter is used to seeing me wear a handgun, and recognizes revolvers and autos with no problem as "guns".

The only one she has ever asked to handle was my Ruger Super Blakhawk, so I unloaded it, and handed it to her. She immediately thumbs back the hammer, looks at me a says "Just like The Duke!" Then she asks, "When I get older you're going to teach me, right?"

That was one of my proudest moments as a father.

 

[Luchtaine]

As a young shooter I have to say I absolutely love my 686, well my Dad's.... but I claimed it as mine since I can't actually own a pistol being only 20 have to drag dad along. hes got a security six, so he quiet obviously can spare the 686 to me by my reasoning .

 

[pauli]

imaginos: i'm trying to picture that... does your daughter have, um, uniquely sized hands for a three year old?

 

[dasmi]

I'm 23. My first gun was a Ruger Security Six. I bought it because I like revolvers.

 

[thebucket]

I like revolvers too. And I'm 22. In fact, today I'm going to pay off the rest of my Taurus 605 Stainless in 357 Magnum! My first centerfire revolver! I'm very happy.

 

[foghornl]

My first personally owned center-fire revolver was a 6-1/2" barrel .357 Blackhawk. Always had a soft spot*** for the old west revolvers.




***OK, guys, no comments about if the soft spot is in my head

 

[Krag]

I ALWAYS start new shooters with a DA revolver - usually my S&W M17 or M13 (with light .38 loads). I believe it is the best handgun to begin with.

Once you've learned to handle a DA revolver, everything else comes easily.

 

[Ridge]

I never will forget buying my Model-10 "Smitty" from a family friend (I was 14 and paid 160 bucks for it). I have to say that old 38. has been my most trusted companion from that day on.

 

[22-rimfire]

I would love to see sales numbers for the different manufactures. It seems to me based on my visits to the gun shops and so forth that revolvers are making a come back. The comeback seems to be incremental with a slow increases in sales.

The autos really started taking over back in the 1980's after Glock came out with their "new" design at that time. Police departments moved away from revolvers to the higher capacity auto pistols. First it was the 9mm; then the 40 S&W arrived. Then many of the sheriff's departments started moving back to the 1911 design and the 45 ACP. It is a mix now. But, revolvers have not moved back into the law enforcement ranks. Pistols are more concealable in general than revolvers.

I would take a revolver almost any time over a semi-auto pistol and I'm glad to see that many younger shooters are seeing the the revolver as desirable. My suspicion is that younger shooters are seeing the 357 mag caliber as being desireable over many of the pistol calibers and revolvers are being built to handle the larger bore calibers now that are simply not available or practical in pistols. I like the trend!

 

[Fatelvis]

I agree with ya Moon. At work, Im known as the "Gun Guy", and anytime someone wants to get into shooting, they come to me for advice/tips. Its usually a younger guy, and they almost always have thier hearts set on an auto.

 

[Majic]

More than anything the media (TV and movies) is what promotes the semi-auto and also we can't forget the video games. With all that exposure I guess it's hard not for the young to not admire the semi-auto. Fortunately there are quite a few who have a well rounded education and do consider the revolver. Many of those when they do get a chance to shoot one actually enjoy them. It will take them to spread the word among their age group that the revolver has a lot more going for it than they are lead to believe.

 

[trickyasafox]

im 21, and one of the first handguns i plan to buy when i get my permit is a gp100 4in in stainless. reasons?
1: i hate chasing brass and i reload
2: it so versital, from deer to target without breaking a sweat!
3: regardless of what anyone says, revolvers are amazingly cool
4: anyone can blast away with a wonder 9 and not turn a head, but if your ripping some barn-burning max load 357 mag rounds down range, your gonna turn a few heads

 

[Imaginos]

Big Kid

Hi Pauli,

My girl is big for her age, but she does not have outsized hands. Her methodology was amazingly sound for her first time handling a gun.

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor when I handed her the SBH butt first. She grabbed the grip with both hands, set it across one leg, took her left hand off the grip, and used the entire hand to cock the gun while supporting the gun with her right hand and knee. Then she put her left hand back on the grip, and lifted the SBH back into shooting position.

I should mention that she has been exposed to a steady diet of John Wayne movies along with the normal animated classic children's fare. I don't like her to watch recent films because I do not care for most of the negative social/socialist messages in them.

I hate watching TV shows, advertisments, and movies where men are protrayed a stupid, lazy, wimpy, idiots that must be strictly controlled by their women folk. I prefer she see masculine images like John Wayne who are respectful and courteous to women, honest in their dealings, determined to stand up for what's right, and intolerant of people who whine and make excuses.

I also want her to grow up with strong positive female images too, so I make sure to include movies with Maureen O'Hara (WooHoo!), Kate Hepburn, and other actresses who played roles with grace and power without losing their feminine dignity.

We watch movies like Hatari, The Quiet Man, McClintock, and True Grit, Rob Roy (a distant relative), and other similar films with classic imagery and virtues.

Sorry for the rant, but this is one of my BIG hot buttons.