What's The Next Most Popular Brand Of Revolver After S&w?

[Matt Griffin]

I love SW as well, but good grief, I couldn't find a single reference to another brand in five pages of posts!

H.

[AZ38super]

Depends on the application....when it comes to competition Smith & Wesson rules.

[Matt Griffin]

That's what I'm wondering about, is anybody else represented in competition?

H.

[Delta Mike]

#1 is Smith and Wesson

#2 is also Smith and Wesson

[pskys2]

I shoot with a guy who uses a Ruger .357 Mag at local & area club matches. He uses speedloaders and is pretty salty with it.

So, I guess #3 would be Ruger.

Check out the article in Front Sight a few issues back on the "Sunflower Classic".

I think there was even a "Colt" at the Iowa Revolver Championships in October.

Edited December 7, 2006 by pskys2

[Viggen]

I know of Rugers and Colts being used but not more than a couple.

I suppose if someone were to tinker around a bit and was able to shoot toward the top of the game then folks would pay attention if something other than a Smith was used.

The real hopefuls are Ruger and Taurus but we are a small market in the greater scheme of things. And so Taurus puts ports on just about everything and Ruger, although it makes a fine 357, isn't around our sport as far as I know.

[MarkS_A18138]

is there another revo company out there?

[Carlos]

I know of Rugers and Colts being used but not more than a couple.

I suppose if someone were to tinker around a bit and was able to shoot toward the top of the game then folks would pay attention if something other than a Smith was used.

The real hopefuls are Ruger and Taurus but we are a small market in the greater scheme of things. And so Taurus puts ports on just about everything and Ruger, although it makes a fine 357, isn't around our sport as far as I know.

That almost gets there:

-problem is that the only other current maker of a .45 ACP revolver is Taurus and they port almost everything.

I would like to see Dan Wesson, Taurus, and Ruger all market a .40 or .45 non-ported gun. How many guys would give revolver a try from time to time if they could use the same .40 ammo they use in L-10 or L? Brand competition would be a good thing IMHO.

[Matt Griffin]

I know of Rugers and Colts being used but not more than a couple.

I suppose if someone were to tinker around a bit and was able to shoot toward the top of the game then folks would pay attention if something other than a Smith was used.

The real hopefuls are Ruger and Taurus but we are a small market in the greater scheme of things. And so Taurus puts ports on just about everything and Ruger, although it makes a fine 357, isn't around our sport as far as I know.

That almost gets there:

-problem is that the only other current maker of a .45 ACP revolver is Taurus and they port almost everything.

I would like to see Dan Wesson, Taurus, and Ruger all market a .40 or .45 non-ported gun. How many guys would give revolver a try from time to time if they could use the same .40 ammo they use in L-10 or L? Brand competition would be a good thing IMHO.

I agree, I'd like to find a 610 to play around in revolver so that I don't have to invest in new dies, casefeed, etc. And I see your point now that I've browsed around, nobody seems to make anything but .357 and .44. You'd think they would be able to turn out a .45 or .40 on a limited basis, just to test the waters.

H.

[lynn jones]

them cowboy folks love the ruger.

lynn

[Matt Griffin]

No doubt, but I think the reload would be a bit rough against Jerry. :-)

H.

[Viggen]

them cowboy folks love the ruger.

lynn

They make a couple of fine guns well suited for CAS.

[Allgoodhits]

The S&W's are most popular for a variety of reasons.

1) Available support gear such as holsters, loaders, scope mounts etc

2) Cylinder latch on S&W is the fasted as it is within thumb reach and it is pushed forward to release the cylinder. Colt is pulled toward rear i.e. very slow. Dan Wesson is on yoke. Ruger is OK.

3) S&W are easiest to work on, most available parts

4) Jerry shoots a S&W

5) repeat 1-4

MJ

[Carmoney]

I'd like to see a .45 ACP Ruger Redhawk set up to accept the same moonclips we all use in our S&Ws. Might not be quite as refined, but you could pound the living crap out of it forever and never have to do a timing job or fix peened cylinder notches.

Taurus? Depends on whether they've improved their metallurgy.

[Viggen]

Yep, if the Taurus metallurgy has improved that would be promising.

I know that one of the guys on the board shot Taurus some years back but at the time durability was a problem.

A moonclipped Redhawk would be durable - if a bit large and the 6" .44 is something like 53 oz. A 45ACP would bring a little bit off that - but enough?

[Steve Moneypenny]

If revolver competition were more prevelent more companies would put guns in.

As for comeptition numbers.. there is S&W, S&W followed by a healthy dose of S&W.. why.. who else makes a 10mm/40 or 45ACP moon clipped gun?

in current sales. Ruger does OK but i think taurus is beating them. Both companies are attacking the whole revolver scene pretty handliy.

[cmzneb]

I have a few Ruger revolvers, they are great guns and reasonably priced.

I recently purchased a 625 to start shooting Revo in USPSA, but if Ruger made a moon clipped 45ACP revo I would have purchased that instead because of my positive experience with the other Rugers.

[Hog Sniper]

I agree on the Ruger and Dan Wessons.

Rugers are built like tanks....Should last forever. I'm not sure how the aftermarket support Ruger with speed holsters, moon clips, holders etc. Never really looked into it.

Dan Wessons are fine guns but there is no one left at Dan Wesson from the old Dan Wesson days..You know, the guys who actually built the revolvers....I talked to one of the origianl Dan Wesson gun-Revolver smiths about a year ago..He was very helpful and described how he had of boxes of parts (Frames, Barrels, cylinders etc.) for various older guns that were being stored in the custom assembly area. He even offered to build a gun from those parts if I wanted. About $1000 though. I tried to contact him last month to inquire about an "Action Cup" pistol that Dan Wesson made back in the 80's and found out that he is no longer employed there. The "Manager" that I talked to could provide no information about the older Dan Wesson special editions, or other specific historical information on Pre-CZ Dan Wessons.

Revolver smithing may be a lost art in the manufacturing world today...If it cant be done via computers and machinery it wont get done.

[Northern Xtreme]

If revolver competition were more prevelent more companies would put guns in.

True everybody and their brother is making a 1911 now. I even saw a new Taurus 1911 at a gun shop today.

[revchuck]

It seems to be a vicious cycle, just like the prevalence of Glunks and 1911s among bottomfeeders. People buy S&W revolvers because the support (holsters, parts, gunsmithing) is available, and the support is available because most shooters buy S&Ws. Also, the vast majority of shooters who use revolvers in competition do so in sports where moonclip guns are a decisive advantage. AFAIK, IDPA SSR and PPC are the last refuges of speedloader guns, and the same logic in terms of support applies to them as to moonclip guns.

I confess to having shot my 4" Colt Official Police in IDPA, but usually stick with my S&Ws. The gun is nicely accurate and has a smooth action and that lovely Colt blue from the 60s, but I'm afraid that if I break it I'll have an historically interesting paperweight.

[Service Desk]

People buy S&W revolvers because the support (holsters, parts, gunsmithing) is available, and the support is available because most shooters buy S&Ws.

The Manhurin revolvers share a lot with the S&W's, holsters and speedloaders especially.

Straight from the box the actions are like a tuned S&W, they are VERY accurate, have good sights and an excellent metallurgical pedigree - but they are expensive and parts can be a bitch to get.

For me.... S&W rules in the revolver stakes. Fashion can go out of style but quality never does.

[Double Action]

When my son started competing this year, I gave him a 4" GP100 and some Comp IIIs. It got to be a real pain switching the loader around to load his .38s and my .45s, so I started shooting with a 6" GP. With some minor adjustments to springs and trigger parts, I find these guns to be very shootable. It has been a real pleasure shooting minor loads for awhile, and my scores have been improving. I find the push-button cylinder release to be faster than the Smith, and the factory large grip is the best on the market for my hand. The factory small grip fits my son very well, too.

Ruger has not shown much interest in USPSA or ICORE, but with new blood at the helm, they may. It would be nice to see a Redhawk in .45 acp, but because of the dual springs and grips, I'd rather have a Super Redhawk in .45 acp.

[Carlos]

Ruger has not shown much interest in USPSA or ICORE, but with new blood at the helm, they may. It would be nice to see a Redhawk in .45 acp, but because of the dual springs and grips, I'd rather have a Super Redhawk in .45 acp.

I guess if someone could point out to them the $$ benefits they reap from SASS shooting then maybe they would take another look at potential $$ from USPSA and IDPA (though we are, sadly, a fraction of the size of the SASS crowd).

Had a Red Hawk .44 years ago and it was a great firearm that performed very very well while I owned it. Would love to see a 5" .45 ACP version (on a diet of course). Politics aside, nothing wrong w. a ruger 6-shooter.

[AZ38super]

When I first started I shot ICORE and some USPSA with a Ruger SuperRedhawk 44 and at 9-1/2" in front of the cylinder it took a bit to clear the holster. The only speed loaders were HK's.

My light loads were a 200 pf load but I had fun...guys gave me a hard time about being able to touch the close targets.

[Viggen]

[q

Politics aside, nothing wrong w. a ruger 6-shooter.

If we can stomach the history of S&W, we can easily love Ruger.

A Redhawk Lite in 45ACP would be just about bomb proof. And if they got with some interesting Scandium/Titanium/unobtanium type material would be very useful to IPSC/USPSA/IDPA/etc AND also have the ultra-cool factor for overall market. Think of the 45ACP articles the gun mag writers could put out. Besides with a 45ACP an owner could shoot more than a box of ammo without either breaking the bank(check big bore ammo prices) or getting arthritus in the wrists and elbows.

Hello Ruger - are you out there???