Is the black powder revolver industry dying out?

springfield art · Nov 25, 2023

Daveboone said:
I think the "old school" shooters are thinning out as they age. Those of us raised in the bicentennial era, and with the love of the old west/history, are fewer and farther between. Folks just dont get involved in stuff as much anymore. Centerfire shooting is more care free, and tends to appeal more to the younger shooter. There are fewer craftsmen and "do it yourselfers", which are the breed black powder appeals to. I certainly think the sport took a hit over the past several years with the scarcity of powder/primers, etc. The casual shooters who used to show up at our BP club now dont...saying they cant get thier stuff. They just werent as dedicated to keep digging, find substitutes, and went to thier other hobbies that were lower maintenance.

Good point. I was very active during the Bi-Cen, but as all us guys age, and youngsters are into cell phones & computers, things will change.

smoothshooter · Nov 26, 2023

Whitworth said:
Most folks blessed to live in rural areas still pass down hunting and shooting traditions, it may skip a generation now and then but many a grandfather or uncle has filled in for a non hunting or even just plinking Dad for interested youngsters The appeal of black powder's slow and deliberate pace came to me after a half century of other things. As todays young AR15/AK47/Wonder9 shooters get older their tastes will change too.

Rural property is rapidly becoming non-rural after being developed tor new houses, apartments, and businesses. It is happening at an astonishing rate where I live, and has been for over 20 years.

smoothshooter · Nov 26, 2023

smokepolehall said:
I also don't think they are dying away. Lots of people are buying them. I have had so much bidding against me at auctions i have yet to win one. I bought my Uberti 1860 from DGW's for less than used ones were going for.

People may be buying them, but very few ever fire more than 50 rounds through them.

stikshooter · Nov 26, 2023

SPQR70AD said:
the insatiable 70-80 year olds and some younger guys buying up all BP components to show how "smart" they are do not seem to understand they are suiciding the sport they say they love

Not so much ,just folks that plan ahead (LIKE next week) got nothing to do with age . It's folks that whine about not being in that group that cry and blame the other guy for being more observant of the world we live in Kind of like the DOE_DOE bird that didn't plan ahead !!! just sayin/ Ed

Whitworth · Nov 26, 2023

smoothshooter said:
People may be buying them, but very few ever fire more than 50 rounds through them.

That's because they can't find caps :horseback:

nick_1 · Nov 26, 2023

I think it's stronger than ever with More guns to choose from. Possibly a lot of the buyers are felons going straight for the cartridge conversion route to get a gun without a background check. The most obvious of these is the Uberti Cattleman. It's a 73 frame complete with cartridge loading port that comes with a percussion cylinder for no reason other than to circumvent the law. Throw away the percussion cylinder and huck in a regular 45lc cylinder and it,s a normally functioning SAA with no background check..

SPQR70AD · Nov 26, 2023

stikshooter said:
Not so much ,just folks that plan ahead (LIKE next week) got nothing to do with age . It's folks that whine about not being in that group that cry and blame the other guy for being more observant of the world we live in Kind of like the DOE_DOE bird that didn't plan ahead !!! just sayin/ Ed

older guys retired online all day buying everything that aint nailed down. it is all about age. insatiable boomers that have to fire thousands of rounds every month. young guys working dont have the time or money to do that.

stikshooter · Nov 26, 2023

SPQR70AD said:
older guys retired online all day buying everything that aint nailed down. it is all about age. insatiable boomers that have to fire thousands of rounds every month. young guys working dont have the time or money to do that.

I guess yours is a boring existence cause @ 74 there ain't enough hrs in the day !!! I consider 4AM sleeping in on a Sunday morning if not at the range /fishing or building long range loads for the 700 yd private range /practicing @ the short (190 yards private range) on the 1700 acre /2 (ponds) stocked of which I am a 1 of 62 share holders ,also live on grounds of said 1700 acres (1 of 16 ) living on site . IN spite of being a owner of a small corp when I retired so did my income , so no I don't hoard and buy everything nailed down . I did what lots of folks did in my age bracket did wife and I saved /raised kids /planned ahead and had the funds to buy what was needed . Live debt free/owe no body nothing except the wife from saving me from myself ( could have been like you describe ) but I guess I'm the lucky one . I feel sorry for those that couldn't/wouldn't /Ed

SPQR70AD · Nov 26, 2023

stikshooter said:
I guess yours is a boring existence cause @ 74 there ain't enough hrs in the day !!! I consider 4AM sleeping in on a Sunday morning if not at the range /fishing or building long range loads for the 700 yd private range /practicing @ the short (190 yards private range) on the 1700 acre /2 (ponds) stocked of which I am a 1 of 62 share holders ,also live on grounds of said 1700 acres (1 of 16 ) living on site . IN spite of being a owner of a small corp when I retired so did my income , so no I don't hoard and buy everything nailed down . I did what lots of folks did in my age bracket did wife and I saved /raised kids /planned ahead and had the funds to buy what was needed . Live debt free/owe no body nothing except the wife from saving me from myself ( could have been like you describe ) but I guess I'm the lucky one . I feel sorry for those that couldn't/wouldn't /Ed

yea yea yea. did you just climb mt everest naked at 74? wait dont tell me you delivered newspapers at 10 years old worked 200 hrs a week saved up and got a intergalatical company

William Lincoln · Nov 26, 2023

Handguns are always popular ,even the old school ones.
There are only a few quality makers which makes for a
tight supply. Then the cap shortage which appears aimed
at these loosely regulated guns. Vista sold to a European
group. Some American business man needs to step up and
replicate the Remington and CCI caps to a high quality. Both
CCI and REMINGTON are now foreign owned and no doubt
Globalist controlled. Cap and powder shortages are reducing
the growth of these cap and ball guns. Hopefully this will
change in the future.

45D · Nov 26, 2023

nick_1 said:
I think it's stronger than ever with More guns to choose from. Possibly a lot of the buyers are felons going straight for the cartridge conversion route to get a gun without a background check. The most obvious of these is the Uberti Cattleman. It's a 73 frame complete with cartridge loading port that comes with a percussion cylinder for no reason other than to circumvent the law. Throw away the percussion cylinder and huck in a regular 45lc cylinder and it,s a normally functioning SAA with no background check..

You can't just drop a cartridge cylinder in an Uberti '73 cap gun and have a cartridge shooter.

If a felon can't get his/her gun rights back, they can't assemble one either. It'd be easier/ cheaper to buy one black market ( no background check either) than spend 700 -800 to assemble one yourself.
I think posts like these raise flags more than offer any info.

Mike

William Lincoln · Nov 26, 2023

45 D is correct. Also, I do not think there is a conversion
cylinder for the percussion cattleman. A well loaded
percussion revolver might equal the cowboy loaded
45 LC that goes in the conversions. If a felon wants a
modern firearm he can buy it on the streets for cash.
There will always be folks that question the new and
embrace the old school ways.

SPQR70AD · Nov 26, 2023

you guys got to step up to a real pistol not those squirt guns you got. man up

stikshooter · Nov 26, 2023

SPQR70AD said:
yea yea yea. did you just climb mt everest naked at 74? wait dont tell me you delivered newspapers at 10 years old worked 200 hrs a week saved up and got a intergalatical company

Nope just stated facts and you keep spewing BS ,tells everyone here how (ducked UP ) you mind works / Ed

nick_1 · Nov 26, 2023

what is the point of the cattleman then? its a 73 frame with the cartridge port and a percussion cylinder. makes zero sense?? you telling me they don't make a cartridge cylinder for that thing?

Sam squanch · Nov 26, 2023

The 1873 cattleman is primarily marketed in countries that make it extremely difficult to get a cartridge revolver. The look of the cartridge 1873, but less paperwork and background checks.

Sam squanch · Nov 26, 2023

The frame and hammer alignment was made to be very difficult or impossible to convert to center fire cartridges

Whitworth · Nov 26, 2023

Sam squanch said:
The frame and hammer alignment was made to be very difficult or impossible to convert to center fire cartridges

NAA did the same on their percussion mini revolvers so you just can't swap cylinders. There is a .22 LR conversion cylinder that will fit the percussion Magnum model..

nick_1 · Nov 26, 2023

thats some weird stuff. . one of the most pointless guns I have seen. why not just buy an 1860 army or a 51 navy if you want a percussion colt?

Whitworth · Nov 26, 2023

nick_1 said:
thats some weird stuff. . one of the most pointless guns I have seen. why not just buy an 1860 army or a 51 navy if you want a percussion colt?

Hollywood made the SAA Colt famous around the world in Western movies, this one is more available to more people then cartridge SAA Colts and clones. YMMV

Is the black powder revolver industry dying out?

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