Why no high end double action revolvers?

[Armed012002]

If you want a high end 1911, you can buy one from Ed Brown, Wilson Combat, Colt, and a bazillion others.

If you want a high end single action revolver, you can buy one from Freedom Arms, US Firearms, or Colt.

I find it odd you can buy a high end 1911 or single action revolver, but not a double action revolver.

The qualities of "high end" would be:

- Uniform finish with little to no machining marks.
- Well fitted parts and uniform clearances.
- Properly made forged or machined bar stock parts with close tolerances for reliability, durability, and appearance. By comparison, MIM or cast parts have "mold lines" and other imperfections that take away from the appearance of the part. Arguably, forged or machined bar stock parts are more durable. Close tolerances will increase reliability provided those parts are well fitted and have uniform clearances.
- Smooth trigger
- The list goes on...

The closest thing to high end, in my opinion, is the Performance Center from S&W. The selection is limited to "space age" looking revolvers for lack of better description. If you want a high end classic blued revolver, you're out of luck.

Maybe Colt will bring back their double action revolvers priced similarly to the Single Action Army and Special Combat Government models?

 

[MrBorland]

Yep - I'd love to see Freedom Arms or USFA, or even STI come out with a DA revolver. It's unlikely to happen, though - the tooling to build one would require an enormous capital investment, and while there are many who'd pay Ed Brown/Les Baer prices for a 1911, there aren't that many who'd do it for a revolver. And my bet is that the price of a FA DA revolver would be north of an Ed Brown, to boot. In the meantime, keep your eyes open for a Manurhin, or a Korth.

The closest thing to high end, in my opinion, is the Performance Center from S&W. The selection is limited to "space age" looking revolvers for lack of better description. If you want a high end classic blued revolver, you're out of luck.

Maybe so, but I've seen numerous examples of classic blued revolvers tuned and customized by top notch revolversmiths. Bowen, Cunningham, and Chicoine come to mind. Beyond classic blued revolvers, numerous revolver smiths (Lee, Glenn, Hartshorne, Tanaka, etc, etc) tune, accurize, and customize revolvers way beyond what S&W PC offers.

Maybe Colt will bring back their double action revolvers

This has been discussed here before, and the consensus is that it ain't gonna happen, as, IIRC, their equipment & tooling to make DA revos is long gone.

 

[KJS]

It doesn't seem like high-end SA revolvers are all that common. I've never even heard of US Firearms, for example. I think I might have seen one ad ever to mention a Colt SA revolver. I can identify Freedom Arms, though I never see ads for them.

1911s seem to be all over the place though. It would be hard to read many gun publications without finding ads for Ed Brown or Wilson Combat though or Les Baer and countless others that produce high-end 1911s.

I've only fired a 1911 once in my life, so it's not like I know much about this iconic gun. But isn't part of the reason there are so many custom 1911 makers is because they're all built to the same specs so it's relatively easier to make them as parts from any 1911 brand can be used in any other standard 1911 gun? Looking at an S&W catalog I noticed the tiny print on the bottom of an S&W 1911's mag said Wilson Combat, for example.

 

[StrawHat]

For a premium DA revovler get a S&W Registered Magnum or a Triplelock. Heck, the Outdoorsman was also premium as were the Heavy Duty revolvers. I consider my S&W M25-2 as a premium DA revolver, a great target revolver from the factory.

 

[Lawdawg45]

Unless I'm mistaken, S&W has a line of "performance" revolvers.........at a premium price.

LD45

 

[madcratebuilder]

For a premium DA revovler get a S&W Registered Magnum or a Triplelock. Heck, the Outdoorsman was also premium as were the Heavy Duty revolvers. I consider my S&W M25-2 as a premium DA revolver, a great target revovler from the factory.

+1

The Registered Combat Magnum comes to mind, along with several other S&W's. The Python from Colt

 

[hardluk1]

Don't forget Dan Wesson. You can buy a cz owned DW 715 revolver. Well maybe next year as they only made 500 this year.

 

[oneounceload]

Surprised no one has mentioned the Korth

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/double-action-revolvers/de/korth-e.html

 

[bushmaster1313]

The market is fairly saturated with high end used Smith's and Colts.
Search the online auctions for "27-2" Python" Pre-27" "29-2" "pre-29" .

For the price of a "high end 1911," about $1500, you can get a spectacular Colt or Smith.

 

[DM~]

If you want a high end 1911, you can buy one from Ed Brown, Wilson Combat, Colt, and a bazillion others.

If you want a high end single action revolver, you can buy one from Freedom Arms, US Firearms, or Colt.

I find it odd you can buy a high end 1911 or single action revolver, but not a double action revolver.

The qualities of "high end" would be:

- Uniform finish with little to no machining marks.
- Well fitted parts and uniform clearances.
- Properly made forged or machined bar stock parts with close tolerances for reliability, durability, and appearance. By comparison, MIM or cast parts have "mold lines" and other imperfections that take away from the appearance of the part. Arguably, forged or machined bar stock parts are more durable. Close tolerances will increase reliability provided those parts are well fitted and have uniform clearances.
- Smooth trigger
- The list goes on...

The closest thing to high end, in my opinion, is the Performance Center from S&W. The selection is limited to "space age" looking revolvers for lack of better description. If you want a high end classic blued revolver, you're out of luck.

Maybe Colt will bring back their double action revolvers priced similarly to the Single Action Army and Special Combat Government models?

Go buy an OLD S&W M-27 and you will all of the things on your list and more.

DM

 

[MrBorland]

Surprised no one has mentioned the Korth

ahem...

In the meantime, keep your eyes open for a Manurhin, or a Korth.

The Korth has a rep for it's fine craftsmanship, tight tolerances...and price tag. Most of us, myself included, have never handled one, and just assume that all this comes with exceptional performance. May not be so, though. I dunno. Maybe the tolerances are so tight, it's laser-accurate, but simple things like a smidge of dirt on the front of the cylinder or under the ejector star render it unreliable. Do parts break, and if/when they do, can they be replaced and by someone other than the factory? How are the ergonomics? How 'bout the controls? Are they easy to reach & manipulate?

This isn't a slam on Korth or any maker, but rather, be mindful that when we think of "high end", we think soley of craftsmanship & price tag, but design and real-world reliability & usability fare in the mix as well. To this end, I'd agree that classic S&W revolvers are "high end", though I've had no issues whatsoever with newer S&Ws as well, especially after some additional tuning to get the actions & sights to where I like them.

I got the impression the OP was also asking why there aren't more makers of good DA revolvers.

Here's a good read on the subject:
http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/8d725522754a885aa71cb6c84d0cba99-137.html

 

[Pilot]

Here's info on USFA, but again the make mostly SA revolvers and a few other high end pieces. Mostly Colt copies from the past. They are excellent, high quality firearms.

http://www.usfirearms.com/

If there were a demand for high end DA revolvers, someone would make them. They just don't seem to have the allure, beyond the used Python market.

 

[Guillermo]

Why no high end double action revolvers?

because the golden age of the revolver is far behind us.

the only people that care about quality DA revolvers buy used.

when that resource dries up, if the demand still exists, perhaps someone will produce a high quality DA revolver.

I am not going to hold my breath

 

[oldscout.308]

High end double

Yep, I have to go with the apparent consensus - get an older Smith. If nothing else, no integral tiny lock. Then again, there is the issue of finish, fit, built-in accuracy, of the older Smiths....

 

[Guillermo]

For the price of a "high end 1911," about $1500, you can get a spectacular Colt or Smith.

Bushmaster...a recent convert...has been bit by the revolver bug. And he has a bad case.

 

[O C]

To manufacture a "high end" revolver, the hand fitting just kills the marketability. First, the craftsmen are gone. You can make identical parts on CNC machines and get a pretty decent revolver, like Ruger, S&W, Charter, Taurus, ect. But to move to the next level you need skilled craftsmen. Custom gunsmiths fill the void, but are few compared to the market, thus increased volume equals higher prices for a limited resource. Bottom line is, it ain't gonna happen on a large scale.

 

[Old Fuff]

I have a revolver that offers everything on your list - and much more. It has features and workmanship most folks never knew and don't know about.

It's a plain ol' Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police revolver, made in or around 1918, and in "like new, probably unfired" condition I bought it off Gunbroker several years ago for under (well under in fact) $400.00

You can have what you want and not bust the budget - you just have to know what to look for, and where to look.

 

[Guillermo]

It's a plain ol' Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police revolver, made in or around 1918

You shoot "+Ps" out of it?

 

[Old Fuff]

You shoot "+Ps" out of it?

Ah, no...!!

But I do have some... ah... well... interesting .38/44 Hi Speed loading data in this old handbook...

 

[Guillermo]

I do have some... ah... well... interesting .38/44 Hi Speed loading data in this old handbook

you mean "+Ps" that would live up to the name...unlike the "+P's" of today that are weaker than the regular loads in that old handbook?

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Basically, not enough market for them. If you want a "high end" DA revover, take a good stock gun, and get the best of the 'smiths to customize it for you.

 

[918v]

The closest thing to high end, in my opinion, is the Performance Center from S&W. The selection is limited to "space age" looking revolvers for lack of better description. If you want a high end classic blued revolver, you're out of luck.

So buy a PC gun, a standard takeoff barrel, have it fitted, and send it off to get ionbonded.

 

[Magnumite]

I think there aren't very many upper end revolvers because so many of the "standard" line guns performed so well. I agree the early S&W registered, and even earlier nonregistered guns are works of the revolver makers art. Pythons are up there in somes eyes.

I know one guy who got to shoot a Korth. He said it was good, nice action, but nothing greater than the better US built guns could do.

 

[918v]

Except that Korth will outlast any S&W 3x over.

 

[Sam1911]

Except that Korth will outlast any S&W 3x over.

Neat-o, sounds like someone has proof! Can you post what you've found testing them side-by-side for durability? What parts are wearing on the Smith that are holding up better on the Korth? What are you running against your Korth as an example of "any S&W" by the way -- which frame size, I mean? 'Cause that might be skewing your results.