Revolvers

If there’s any handgun more fun, more versatile, more handy and cheaper to shoot than a .22 kit gun or pocket gun, I have yet to see it.

Introduced in 1953 as the Military & Police Airweight, renamed the Model 12 in 1957, the lightweight version of Smith & Wesson’s super-popular six-shot...

In 2020 Heritage Firearms introduced their Barkeep .22-caliber revolver. Heritage produces all those bargain-basement utilitarian Western-style rimfire...

In 1955, Bill Ruger went from his .22 Single-Six single-action revolver to a full-sized single-action with his .357 Blackhawk.

In this First Look, Nic Lenze takes his first shots with the all-new Taurus Executive Grade 856 .38 Special revolver.

The shooting community welcomes all of the over eight million first-time gun owners that we gained over the last two years. How should you welcome a new...

Special Projects Editor Roy Huntington takes another look at the Taurus Judge, a five-shot .410/.45 Colt revolver. Is it the ultimate defensive option?

Keith desired an accurate, reliable sixgun capable of shooting heavy handloads accurately and the #5 fit the bill perfectly. Elmer set the stage for people...

In late 1961, Colt introduced its New Frontier model in honor of President John F. Kennedy’s ringing declaration, “We stand at the edge of a New...

Both the Colt and the Smith .45 ACP revolvers are called the 1917, and while I dearly love old Colts, the Smith makes the more persuasive argument.

Tyler Gun Works is noted for their action jobs and the Vaqueros are a living, shooting example. The revolvers received Tyler’s Revolver Accuracy Package...

We know the 250-grain “Keith” slug traveling at 1,400 FPS is as good as it gets. Or do we? As a bullet caster, it’s easier keeping track of alloy used...

After previously unsuccessful U.S. Army Trials, Colt was sent back to the drawing board and William Mason came up with what became the Colt Single Action...

The Uberti Hombre is the cowboy pistol for the Working Man.

It is one of our most important revolver cartridges not only for what it was, but also for what it would become.

Which guns were instrumental in making the west safe for settlers? Mike "Duke" Venturino counts two as co-winners with two others as second-placers.

One thing sixgunners agree on is the value of a good .357 Magnum revolver so it's no surprise it's the most popular of all the Magnums.

Realizing shooters wanted a single action that would be inexpensive to shoot, Ruger introduced a .22 single action sixgun in 1953.

Sam Colt was a genius, however, just as those of us who are not, he also had flaws in his character.

We have Civil War reenactors, Italian movie producers and Cowboy Action shooters to thank for creating a market for replica revolvers, rifles and shotguns.

Before carrying a percussion pistol afield there are several things that can be done to make sure it is as totally reliable as possible.

FMG's Roy Huntington takes a First Look at Armscor's M200 & M206 revolver series, ideal for self defense and concealed carry. Chambered in .38 Special,...

They were critical additions to the sidearm shortage of WWI and any soldier in desperate need of a handgun would most likely have been grateful as heck for...

Tiger McKee is a world-recognized authority on defensive shooting. He earned his fame with two classic guns of his generation, the 1911 .45 pistol and the...

Local gun shops are great places to find Big Bore Belly Guns and two worth looking for are the out-of-production Smith & Wesson L-Frame .44 Specials

Special Assignments Editor Roy Huntington looks at Ruger's new Wrangler revolver chambered in .22LR.

I don't collect .22LR revolvers, but they worked great for teaching students.

A scant 1" barrel makes this Barkeep .22 caliber the ultimate concealable revolver.

The chamber holding the cartridge is part of the barrel for rifles, shotguns and handguns aside from revolvers. Revolvers separate the chamber and the...

A Big Bore Belly Gun I yearned after for a long time was a Fitz Special. The last time I saw the late Col. Rex Applegate, I was accorded the rare privilege...

What did Doc Holiday, Billy the Kid, Pat Garret, Pearl Hart and John Wesley Hardin have in common? The Colt M1877 Revolver

The first successful repeating lever-action rifle was the 1860 Henry. B. Tyler Henry was Oliver Winchester’s shop foreman at New Haven Arms and the Henry...

Honest wear doesn’t bother me so long as guns’ bores are bright and mechanical function is correct. Damage from neglect is a different matter. I always...

Cimarron Firearms Rooster Shooter is a faithful replica of the original complete with yellowed “ivory” grips with three finger grooves on the left grip...

The Blackhawk .357 Magnum was a wonderful sixgun and in fact was my first new centerfire single action.

Today they are most often known as pocket revolvers or sometimes snub-guns. However, several eons ago in the pre-politically correct days when I was a...

This Candado Triple from Spain is worth much more than the price of admission to me.

For several years Brazilian gun maker Taurus has been offering a variety of revolvers for shooters and hunters alike. Their Raging Hunter series has been...

Sometimes parts are purchased simply for the reason they are bargains, even though it’s impossible to see any use for them at the time.

While the whole world seems obsessed with semi-auto pistols, there is still a large group of people who cling tightly to revolvers. I count myself among them.

A breakthrough in revolver design with a beautiful and efficient system.

The revolver was from a beloved mutual friend who was curator of the NRA Whittington Center’s Museum — Robbie Roberts. Knowing he died this spring, I...

I enjoy hunting hogs and have taken them in North America, South America, Australia and Africa.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Smith and Wesson’s flagship K-Frame became big news and big business for the Springfield firm. Innumerable Spanish...

I have been loading for the .38 Special since 1956/57. In those early years my sixguns were a Ruger .357 Blackhawk 4-5/8" Flat-Top and a Smith & Wesson .357...

In the summer of 1973 after having saved up a wad of cash for the purchase of a .357 Magnum revolver, I encountered a handsome, deeply blued Model 19 Smith...

Simple and easy to use, Special Assignments Editor Roy Huntington shows how to clean the leading out of your gun with an old stand by of his - The Lewis...

Eddie Janis of Peacemaker Specialists was long well known for producing exquisitely tuned in-time Colt Single Actions as well as beautiful restorations....

If ever a cartridge were worthy of Magna Cum Laude status, the 500 S&W Magnum would hold those prestigious honors!

When I heard the news Ruger was offering the Vaquero, I was excited as a western history buff could be. Even the name was western!

The .41 Remington Magnum is in many ways the handgun equivalent of the .280 Remington and 16 gauge, a cartridge regarded by a relatively few True Believers...

In 1856 Smith & Wesson entered into an agreement with Rollin White who held the patent on revolvers with bored-through cylinders.

The life, exploits and intrigue of Dr. Alexander LeMat would take a TV mini-series to tell.

We have looked at 4" Smith & Wesson double-action sixguns and now we finish up with a look at some other revolvers worthy of the title of Perfect Packin’...

Although all the Colt “Snakes” were gone by 2006 it seems they were simply in a long hibernation.

Steve McQueen carried one in “Bullitt” and used it to shoot a bad guy dead in the final scenes of that classic film.

The modern era of the 2" revolvers/pocket pistol/snub gun/belly gun began in 1926 when Colt introduced the Detective Special by trimming the barrel of their...

Sitting near the ridge top, I see her nervously step out from the quakes. My left thumb cocks the Bisley Hunter before gripping the walking stick with that...

We continue our look at the Personification of the Perfect Packin’ Pistol using these words from the Taffin Dictionary of Sixgunning:

Those in my age group who grew up on B-Western Saturday matinee movies in the 1940s, followed by a long list of TV Westerns in the 1950s,

My wife refuses to watch westerns with me. Why? I pick apart details in the show. If John Wayne is shooting a Winchester ’92 and the story is set in 1866,...

If the eyes are the windows of our very soul, the gun we carry is an extension of our defensive cognition.

Taurus's new revolver is the next-generation, big-bore revolver that's built to last! Special Assignments Editor Roy Huntington shows how fun it is to shoot...

The Heritage Firearms Barkeep is a rimfire rendition of the classic short-barreled Colt Sheriff’s Model Peacemaker.

I have often said the best part of my job of being a gun writer for nearly 55 years is not all the guns I get to test but the many interesting people I meet.

Smith & Wesson’s N-Frame double-action revolvers are some of the most respected handguns ever made. This is especially true for the exquisite pre-World...

As I get older, I’ve discovered the increasing importance of size, shape and diameter when it comes to shooting big bore sixguns.

Bill Ruger’s Standard Model pistol (1949) and the Single-Six revolver (1953) pretty much set the rimfire handgun market on its ear.

“Understudy gun” was a term first heard in these pages and is now more relevant than ever.

Hands down, the .45 Colt is my favorite handgun cartridge. You know this! Sure, I love other cartridges too, fickle as I am, but .45 caliber cartridges just...

Northern Precision now offers Bullets for the 405 Winchester. They come in a variety of standard and custom weights. These start at 225 grains and include a...

Phil Sharpe is the main person responsible for the .357 Magnum. To come up with the .357 Magnum case, he simply lengthened the standard .38 Special from...

Are you a fan of the small-frame revolver, aka "Snubby?"  If so, today's episode is for you as we talk to Roy Huntington about his love of — passion for,...

I am not sure what passes for required reading in high schools these days, however in my time many of the classics were required reading.

In the time of the smallest good 9mms and the best pocket-size .380s ever, the smallest-frame short barrel double-action revolver still thrives — Smith &...

The fourth cartridge in this series is from Smith & Wesson, chambered in a swing-out cylinder double-action revolver — the .45 Auto Rim.

Roy Huntington turned loose on Ruger's .380 “Anniversary” LCP.

I saw the two green points shining back at me in the beam of the headlamp I’d just turned on — but it wasn’t until I made out the dark bulk behind...

As an aficionado of the revolver, I own several and among them are at least a half-dozen single-action Ruger sixguns.

While I have long been fascinated with N-Frame Smith & Wesson revolvers, I came to the party only after seeing the movie “Dirty Harry.”

The origin of the .45 Colt goes back to the early 1870s. When the military called for tests to select a new sidearm, Colt produced the 1871-72 Open Top.

Quick … “The first big bore, cartridge-firing center-fire sixgun in the old West.” What gun would you think of? Why, the Colt Single Action of course.

Well into the last century, when my preferred carry guns were revolvers and I used them in local competitions, there were always spare rounds within easy reach

In the last days of 1955 Remington and Smith & Wesson unveiled the most powerful of handgun cartridges for its day — the .44 Remington Magnum.

Back in 1957, thanks to the considerable influence and input of legendary wheelgunner Bill Jordan, Smith & Wesson created the template for the medium-frame...

We continue our look at the Personification of the Perfect Packin’ Pistol by concentrating on 4" double-action Smith & Wesson sixguns by remembering these...

This year, there’s a new revolver from Uberti added to the company’s “Outlaws & Lawmen” series and it’s pure eye candy.

We all love our Rugers, no matter the model we have. They’re a true value, being ruggedly and strongly built.

Serving military, law enforcement and civilian markets for 185 years, Colt firearms have become classic designs. Seen in this retro ad, Colt knew just how...

Being a fan of single-action wheelguns, my tastes have tilted toward Rugers and I own a couple of Blackhawks in .41 Magnum

I could happily end my shooting days with the .45 Colt cartridge and never feel cheated. With handloads, the .45 Colt offers a versatility many cartridges lack.

From the Taffin Dictionary of Sixgunning — “Perfect Packin’ Pistol is a title given to a sixgun or semi-automatic with a barrel not less than 4", nor...

Would you trust your life to a 120-year-old revolver? Special Assignments Editor Roy Huntington shoots his Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless revolvers and...

Jim Martin is legendary. He has won countless fast-draw awards, holds shooting records, has advised movie stars on gun-handling and stood in during...

Long before cops shifted to auto-pistols, there was a time — a fairly long time — when the LE market was dominated by the humble .38 caliber...

“It’s adorable,” were the enthusiastic words out of my daughter’s mouth spying the Heritage Barkeep during a designated .22 day at the range.

Twice a year gun writer Dick Williams organizes a three-day theme shoot and I recently attended one of these events at Gunsite.

Introduced in 2017 as an offering to IPSC/ICORE shooters featuring a 6” barrel, tuned hammer and lightened trigger, Chiappa has released an upgraded...

Special Assignments Editor Roy Huntington explains how to safely load a single-action revolver for field carry — known as The Gunfighter Load — in this...

Inspired by the short-barrel Colt Single Action Army “Storekeeper,” the new Heritage Mfg. Barkeep is a pint-sized revolver with Old West flair available...

At the dawn of the 20th century America Smith & Wesson introduced the New Century revolver.

Sometimes the urge to break away from the norm is overwhelming. We want something different —

I’ve been mentoring a grandson and a couple of his friends in shooting, gun cleaning, reloading and DIY gunsmithing.

Like so many readers of my age I grew up on Skeeter Skelton’s great articles. One that has influenced me unto this day came out in the late ’60s or...

Years ago I worked with a single young woman who once confided that she carried a handgun in her purse because, well, “just because.”

Sweat slowly slithered down my back as I squinted in the sun. Heat waves shimmered in the distant tallgrass prairie.

Bill Ruger apparently always looked back into history to find inspiration for many of his projects.

I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Bill Ruger and his sons Tom and Bill Ruger at the legendary Ruger parties at the SHOT Show in years past.

Special Assignments Editor Roy Huntington has a First Look at the Nighthawk Custom/Korth Mongoose that combines engineering excellence and artistic style to...

We look at some of the custom firearms produced in the last four years in honor of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

Standard Manufacturing shouldered its way into the single-action revolver market a few years ago and has been romancing the shooting world ever since.

Roy Huntington goes classic on us with this First Look at his custom, cut-down Smith & Wesson Model 1917 he made 35 years ago!

Today we have a large choice when it comes to .44-40 (.44 WCF) leverguns. Replicas are available patterned after the Model’s 1860, 1866, 1873 and 1892.

People sometimes ask, “What’s your favorite gun?” Or sometimes it’s, “What’s your favorite cartridge?” I always reply, “You mean today? I...

Admittedly, it was John Taffin (JT) who roped me into reading American Handgunner and GUNS Magazine so many years ago.

A modern version of a tried and true gun/load combination, Elmer Keith's .41 Magnum scratches the nostalgic itch we all get from time to time and is as...

I was still a junior in high school when GUNS Magazine first appeared in January 1955. The printed page had a major effect on me, especially some of the...

Birthed in Germany and offered on this side of the pond by the fine folks at Nighthawk Custom, the NXR .44 Magnum represents the absolute pinnacle of...

First Lieutenant Theophilus Millhouse was most thoroughly miserable. He had been born and raised in Connecticut where the world was cool and brisk.

In 1870 the United States Military purchased 1,000 Smith & Wesson .44 American revolvers. However, they were not satisfied with this first cartridge-firing...

Recently on an Internet website a fellow asked the following question — “I bought a Colt single-action.

Continued from last month — Life is full of trade-offs and while the Walker and Dragoon revolvers had plenty of power, their 4-lb. plus weight made most...

The .38 Special has been one of America’s darlings for over a century. Most Smith & Wesson .38/.357 reviews focus on the .357 Magnums or snubby .38s. But...

Round-butted snubbies are the stuff dreams are made of, especially for nostalgic old Coppers. Compact, they have a comforting, familiar heft when loaded...

In my humble opinion a life should contain quests, or in more modern parlance, “bucket list” items. Mine have been rather humble.

Mention “.44” today and most people immediately think of the .44 Magnum. However, the .44 Magnum did not just suddenly appear on the scene.

In the final moments of 2019, Colt proudly announced they would add the archetypal Python back into their stable of revolvers —

When countries can’t supply the number of weapons needed by their armed forces for the wars in which they engage, most must resort to buying them from...

Barrel reboring is one of those obscure but vital services to the gun trade that gives life to all manner of restoration, repair and custom gunmaking...

Barrel reboring is one of those obscure but vital services to the gun trade that gives life to all manner of restoration, repair and custom gunmaking...

Looking back over my 50-plus years of shooting sixguns, I saw a long list of heavy-duty cartridges introduced: the .44 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .454 Casull, .475...

I recently received a call from my friend Jim Martin. Jim is an even older guy than I am, an expert in fast draw and gun spinning, a top-notch tunesmith...

The decline in manufacturing in America has put many a man out of work, but in a few instances has initiated a second career in the firearms...

Much of my high school class time was spent dreaming over gun catalogs. Anyone from that era will remember the breathtaking pictures of custom rifles in the...

I have carried a handgun in one form or another for 40 years and—without reservation—95 percent has been for protection either in the military or as a...

In building my shooting collection of World War II firearms I’ve accumulated most of the handguns considered “standard issue” by the major combatant...

William Mason, chief engineer at Colt, came up with one of the grandest sixguns of all time, the 1873 Single Action Army.

As part of the continuing program of resurrecting older and popular models of Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Model 58 .41 Magnum has been brought back into...

Our latest Magnum sixgun cartridge is another example of not really realizing what is possible.

More shooters handload the .38 Special and .357 Magnum than any other handgun cartridges, despite the .38 being 108 years old.

The Model 625 S&W, a stainless steel 6-shot N-frame, an exceptional evolution of the 1917 military revolvers designed to use rimless .45 ACP cartridges

Most of the CCW stuff I read is great for off-duty cops and wannabes, but pretty irrelevant for us working stiffs. It just doesn’t apply to the real world...

How are your Somedays coming along? Someday I am going to go there; Someday I am going to do this. Most of us spend much of our lives contemplating Somedays.

If anything, today’s firearms have become less and less aesthetically pleasing and especially so to women shooters. We certainly can’t fault currently...

The year was 1955. The first advisers are sent to Vietnam, Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and a bomb explodes on Flight 629...

Starting in 1976 I have been to Gunsite more times than I can remember. Besides meeting life-long friends, one of the best things is the networking always...

Let’s think outside the box here. Pocket revolvers are swell — you bet. Most are five- or six-shot and we’ve always thought of that as “enough.”...

For many, 2015 became a colossal year when Ruger relented, finally releasing the long awaited 5-shot, single-action Bisley.

“Humanity is divided among sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs,” I wrote in the mid-1980s. The great Col. David Grossman popularized it but philosophers said...

In my gun’riting career I’ve tried to experience all of the Old West sixguns and their most noteworthy cartridges.

If the truth be told, I would not be afraid to bet there are more .44 Magnums sold than all the rest of the more powerful sixguns combined.

Almost simultaneous with the appearance of metallic cartridges there came a firearms genre popular to this day — the pistol cartridge carbine.

The advertising people at Colt must have known just exactly how much I could stand. In 1956, I was straight out of high school and a Colt Python and the...

Ask Colt revolver fans to list as many D-Frame models as they can and chances are the results will include fairly well-known names — many decidedly snaky.

My old friend John Bianchi, the master holster-maker, quantified Bianchi’s Law — same gun, same holster, same place, all the time.

A few weeks ago I received a packet of information from one of our readers. As so often happens, this proved to be a gold mine of information.

It has been 50 years since the movie The Wild Bunch hit the silver screen.

In Mary Shelley’s timeless novel, Dr. Frankenstein created his eponymous monster from body parts stolen from the grave and reanimated.

To come up with a better revolver for city, county and state police officers, Smith & Wesson took their 3rd Model Hand Ejector .44 Special and chambered it...

That wonderful year was 1959. Ike was in the White House, Hawaii and Alaska became states, and Charlton Heston won Best Actor for Ben Hur, which was also...