Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns No S&W revolvers on the shelves at local Academy stores.

Not even j-frames, first time ever I can recall that happening.

I was told Academy can’t find any.

I just checked a major distributor's website and they had literally thousands of regular M&Ps and Shields in stock but only ONE 642. That was the extant of their revolvers.

Manufacturers are focusing on what sells the best with smallest sale price/production cost ratio. This is domain for tiny subcompact high capacity pistols almost everyone is buying now. They all want smallest 9x19 pistols possible with greatest capacity magazine (basically striker fired KelTeks P11s) . I simply choose G26, because little more plastic for extra rigidity and durability is good. Revolver sales are much smaller market. These are mostly carried by many women plus Boomers and latter want older stuff claiming older always better, even if plastic was used in construction.

LMAO, well this boomer is traveling to the big city today. I will be slumming a G26 because,
If I do have to use it I am only out 500 bucks and cheap plastic can easily be replaced when confiscated.
This is not true of my 1911’s or revolvers that I bought in my early boomer years.

Also look at the private sale adds not to often wheel guns are seen other than a Ruger single action........

I’m probably wrong on this, but, perhaps with the population buying firearms like there is no tomorrow and likely the highest demand being for semi-autos.....S&W is switching manufacturing efforts to where the largest demand is! memtb

I’d say you’re probably right on that. I also suspect revolver production/manufacturing maybe a slower and more labor intensive process. Put it all together…

I guess when you can get a 7 round Ruger EC-9 for $260, at least $100 cheaper than a j-frame, a j-frame is a hard sell, especially for a new shooter.

The small plastic framed pistols have considerably larger sale price/cost of manufacture ratio, therefore, most manufacturers will focus on those.

None here at Academy either.
But my LGS has several in stock.

That’d be my guess too. New buyers or first time buyers want the latest “Wonder 9” and aren’t very interested in old school 38 sp revolvers.

Kinda like Ammo Mfgs. I’m sure 9mm ammo production and .556 ammo production is probably their top priority right now.

I’ve been thinking of picking up another J-frame in 38 sp.

Two out of three gunshops I visited last Saturday had no revolvers on the shelf.

Try Cedar Ridge Range in Bulverde.

Better get it sooner rather than later, if this keeps up the prices are gonna go way up.

“Nobody buys revolvers anymore! They’re all sold out”
-Yogi Berra

LOL. Yep. "Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore ... It's too crowded."

I do have some notifications set up with a couple of online retailers. They do have some wheel guns coming in on a regular basis, but they don’t last long.

That's because nobody likes revolvers anymore.

The same fundamental reasoning that drove my decision to take my Glock 20 gator hunting instead of the Smith 657 I’d originally planned to use…a lot less painful to see the Glock fall in the river during an 0 dark 30 rodeo than the Smith