2025 SHOT Show Roundup

Another SHOT Show is in the books, and it was a good one for RevolverGuys!

Unfortunately, my time at the show was abbreviated this year. I missed the Media Day on Monday, and didn’t get to shoot any of the new guns, but I did manage to spend some time on the show floor and hunt down the guns and gear that would interest you.

With my limited time, I had to remain disciplined and not allow myself to get distracted by other attractions. I checked out a few shotguns and a few autopistols that caught my eye, but didn’t get blown off course too far—I was on a RevolverGuy mission, plain and simple!

Most of the new revolvers of note appeared under two banners this year–Lipsey’s, and Smith & Wesson.  It was a relatively quiet year for many of the big players in the revolver sphere, but it was anything but quiet at the Lipsey’s and Smith & Wesson booths, where some real revolver history was being made. In fact, a RevolverGuy could have restricted his visit to those two players, and not missed out on a whole lot.

Still, some great new guns and gear were introduced by other makers, and I’ve done my best to capture all of them for you, here. If I missed anything, please understand it was not an intentional slight, just a function of limited time and energy.

The Biggest Story

Before we dive into all the hardware, I simply MUST start our tour at the Lipsey’s booth, because I think the biggest revolver story of 2025 is how the center of gravity has shifted in our industry.

For the last thirty years or so, RevolverGuys have been trapped in a frustrating cycle where manufacturers called the shots without listening much (sometimes, at all) to the consumers. The manufacturers determined which direction the technology would go, and which products would be made and promoted (or, conversely, which products would NOT be made or promoted), and if that happened to intersect with consumer desires, it was probably more incidental than intentional, most of the time.¹

This situation improved dramatically when friend Jason Cloessner, with the financial backing of one of the nation’s largest distributors–Lipsey’s–began making requests of the manufacturers.

Those requests came in the form of lucrative contracts for Lipsey’s Exclusives. When manufacturers weren’t making the guns that Jason and his customers wanted, he contracted for made-to-order products, with a guaranteed buy powering the deal. Much like Wolf & Klar in the early 20^th Century, and Lew Horton in the latter 20^th Century, Jason and Lipsey’s began to extract the guns we knew industry was capable of making, yet disappointingly refused to, at times.

And they sold.

Very well.

The great success of the Lipsey’s Exclusives led to more of the same, and by 2022 the stage was set for a real upset in the revolver world, when Smith & Wesson hired Andrew Gore as their Handgun Product Manager, and he began to collaborate with Jason on the Lipsey’s Ultimate Carry J-Frame project.

The two men hit it off right away, and understood what needed to happen to create the “Ultimate” snub revolvers. Jason assembled a team of experts to advise on the project, and to serve as a test and evaluation team. Andrew enlisted the support of S&W President Mark Smith, and rallied his own team of experts in engineering and manufacturing. The combined Lipsey’s-Smith & Wesson effort resulted in the first substantial redesign of the J-Frame in several decades, and the first revolvers from S&W in over a generation that were specifically driven by customer input.

They were the smash hit of the 2024 SHOT Show, the guns that created the greatest “buzz” on the show floor. Much to the industry’s confusion, eager crowds bypassed booths full of engraved, walnut-stocked collectibles, the latest semiautomatic, optics-equipped technology, and all the black and green “tactical” stuff, to seek out a couple of .32 and .38 caliber pocket guns with iron sights.

The resounding success of the Ultimate Carry J-Frames in 2024 opened the door for additional collaboration between Lipsey’s and Smith & Wesson, and also reinvigorated Lipsey’s projects with other makers. As a result, Lipsey’s finds itself very much in the driver’s seat as we enter 2025. They’ve got the attention of the people who make revolvers, and they also have their trust. The relationships Jason and Lipsey’s have cultivated with the industry’s gun makers are bearing fruit, and changing “business as usual.”

As a case in point, I present to you the 2025 Lipsey’s Exclusive Smith & Wesson Mountain Guns.

The new Model 629 and 686 Mountain Guns (which we’ll get a closer look at, in a moment) are exciting for a variety of reasons. It’s been two decades since we’ve seen these guns in the S&W catalog, and there’s been no suitable substitute since they were discontinued. The old ones have become so desirable and collectible that they command a significant premium on the rare occasion someone is willing to part with them.

A RevolverGuy could be forgiven if he was so wowed by the Mountain Gun mystique, and so excited by their return, that he failed to recognize their greater import—notably, that they’re the first L-Frame and N-Frame revolvers to be made without the dreaded internal lock in nearly a quarter of a century.

This is a major development! RevolverGuys have been waiting for Smith & Wesson to ditch the locks from the moment they first defiled the guns, but the company stubbornly refused to for several decades, even though it cost them a lot of goodwill, and a lot of sales from previously loyal customers.

Yet, the combined Lipsey’s – Smith & Wesson team made it happen in 2024, and they’ve done it again in 2025. Frankly, I think this is a bigger story than the guns themselves, because it shows how Smith & Wesson is evolving under the leadership of men like Mark Smith and Andrew Gore, and how Lipsey’s has grown to wield tremendous influence in the industry. Just a handful of years ago, few people in the industry would have expected Smith & Wesson to reverse course on twenty-plus years of the internal lock, but the balance of power has shifted, and the customer’s voice is now being heard.

Smith & Wesson, the 800-pound gorilla in the revolver business, is now making the guns the customer is asking for, with the features they want.

From this writer’s perspective, it’s the greatest story of SHOT Show 2025, and a clear indicator that, “the times, they are a-changin,” as Bob Dylan once told us.

The Lipsey’s Guns

Lipsey’s has a full menu of exclusive revolvers for us in 2025, but there can be no doubt that the new Mountain Guns are the King of the hill.

The 629 Mountain Gun is S&W’s first no-lock N-Frame in decades, and it’s quite a package. Weighing in at 39 ounces, this .44 Magnum wears a tapered 4″ barrel with a pinned-in, gold bead, serrated front sight. The cylinder has a “black powder”-style bevel on its front edge, and both the trigger and hammer are narrow, flash-chromed parts (no misplaced Target parts, no ugly MIM gray!). The guns wear a set of handsome, custom walnut stocks from Bobby Tyler–licensed copies of Deacon Deason’s Bear Hug design, which feel as good as they look.

The .44 Magnum is joined by a .357 Magnum version that’s just as exciting. The 686 Mountain Gun clocks in at 35 ounces and also wears a 4″ tapered American barrel (no metric Canadian barrels on these Mountain Guns!) with a pinned-in, gold bead front sight.  The 7-shot cylinder is also beveled, and its yoke is secured with a frame-mounted, ball detent lock that replaces the lockup on the tip of the ejector rod. This new system is more secure, and allows S&W the space necessary to increase the forcing cone dimension for added strength. The gun shares the same flash-chromed parts and Bobby Tyler Bear Hug grips of its bigger brother.

The Ultimate Carry J-Frame gets an update for 2025 as well, with a set of 432 UC and 632 UC models that are equipped with a Titanium cylinder, to shed some weight. The new Titanium UCs will be shipped with two sets of grips–the OEM S&W rubber boot grip, and a new sintered grip from Hamre Forge, that was designed in conjunction with our friends at American Fighting Revolver. The Hamre Forge AFR Undercover grip is a closed-back boot grip that helps to improve the fit of the gun in medium-to-large hands, and I thought it was the best J-Frame grip I’d held in a long time. The AFR Undercover grip that ships with the 432/632 Titanium UCs will have a standard profile right side panel, but each gun will also come with a special offer for a panel equipped with the Hamre Hook, for those who’d like to add that feature. With the S&W OEM grip installed, the new Titanium UCs will weigh 12.7 ounces, and with the Hamre Forge AFR grip, they’ll weigh 13.3 ounces–that’s around three ounces less than the UCs with the steel cylinders.

An additional UC exclusive is the special run of 432 UC and 442 UC revolvers that are being made for the Special Operations Association (SOA). The SOA UCs will bear the SOA crest on the right sideplate, and will sport an XS Sights gold bead front sight, and a special set of olive/black G10 grips from VZ Grips. These are handsome revolvers, and I was particularly impressed with the XS Sights gold bead front sight, which really “popped” as I peered through the black U-notch sight in the rear.

Single action fans haven’t been neglected by Lipsey’s this year, either. A Ruger Vaquero in .357 Magnum graces the catalog, with its 7.5″ barrel giving you quite a sight radius, and allowing you to harness all the potential of the cartridge. This Lipsey’s 7.5″ Vaquero is offered in both stainless and blued versions, and they’re both real attention grabbers, with those long tubes!

At the opposite end of the scale, Lipsey’s also had an exclusive .22 Magnum mini revolver from North American Arms, fitted with a special grip from Ryan Hamre at Hamre Forge. The Rule 1 .22 Magnum has a 1-5/8″ barrel that’s topped with an XS Sights green dot up front, and a five round capacity. The Hamre Forge Mini Hook Grip has a removable and reversible pocket clip, and a shape that gives you surprisingly good control over the diminutive gun. The Rule 1 .22 Magnum is designed for ease of carry, and to ensure you always comply with Rule 1 of a gunfight: Have a gun (h/t Mark Moritz).

A new Lipsey’s Exclusive that’s particularly exciting to me is the Ruger Bisley Flattop, chambered in .41 Magnum, which was announced just prior to the holidays. This is the first chambering of the .41 Magnum in the mid-size, flattop Blackhawk frame, and it’s quite a combination! The cylinder holds six rounds of .41 goodness, and the 5.5″ barrel wears a pinned, black, ramp front sight. The Bisley grip frame wears a handsome set of rosewood stocks, and the Bisley hammer spur will make for an easier reach with the shooting hand thumb, without spoiling your grip on the gun. This lighter Magnum weighs in at 46 ounces, and will be much easier to carry in the field than the large (.44 caliber) frame guns that normally house the Middle Magnum. Both a blued and a stainless model will be offered, and you’d be hard pressed to decide which is more beautiful.

The other single action that turned heads in the Lipsey’s booth was the John Taffin Perfect Packin’ Pistol (PPP), a mid-size, Bisley flattop chambered in .45 Colt, with an additional .45 ACP cylinder included. The PPP wears a beautiful set of Bobby Tyler custom walnut grips, and sports either a 4-5/8″ or 5.5″ barrel, topped with a pinned ramp front sight. The PPP has a unique “JT”-prefixed serial number and comes with commemorative literature recognizing Taffin and his accomplishments. You can buy your PPP in either blued or stainless, and you can also purchase a matching commemorative holster from acclaimed maker Mike “Doc” Barranti (Doc will even stamp yours with your gun’s special serial number). This is a wonderful sixgun which pays tribute to a wonderful man, and I know Lipsey’s will see a lot of demand for them.

One last revolver that deserves attention is the Lipsey’s Exclusive Ruger LCR in .32 H&R Magnum, which I had the chance to shoot at the 2024 Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup. The Lipsey’s .32 H&R LCR has a bronze-colored frame that makes the gun look quite handsome, and the cartridge is a real pleasure to shoot in this sixgun. Jason has been a driving force behind the .32 caliber wave of the last few years, and the addition of an LCR in this caliber will help to cement its place in the world of compact, self-defense revolvers.

Smith & Wesson

While I’ve given the Lipsey’s – Smith & Wesson Mountain Gun and UC collaborations a lot of attention already, that’s really only half of the story, because Smith & Wesson had some exciting news of their own for us. If the Lipsey’s booth was the North Pole of the SHOT Show, then the Smith & Wesson booth was the South Pole that completed the magnetic field that pulled everyone into the two booths at the show.

The big news under the S&W tent was the release of a trio of No-Lock Classics that left a lot of RevolverGuy jaws dropping. The No-Lock Lipsey’s Exclusives were definitely big news at the show, but they had to share the spotlight with a new Model 10, Model 36, and Model 19 (All Rise!) that transported us back to the early days of Smith & Wesson.

Ironically, these guns from the company’s past are also symbols of a bright future at Smith & Wesson. There’s a renewed commitment that begins with President Mark Smith, and works its way down the chain, to building the guns the customer is hungry for, with the features they want. We’ve discussed the “Revolver Renaissance” that we’ve been experiencing in the gun culture for several years, and the No-Lock Classics are a clear sign of related changes that are happening within Smith & Wesson, itself. It’s as if this great American company has rediscovered its own heritage, and freshly understands that its revolver catalog deserves greater attention, because there’s a growing customer base that demands it.

If the Lipsey’s Exclusives had been one-offs, a RevolverGuy could be led to believe that the missing locks were just a welcome exception to the rule, but with the release of three No-Lock Classics in 2025, it’s clear that Smith & Wesson is ready to leave the controversial lock behind. The lock certainly won’t disappear overnight, but I don’t think we’ll see it included in any future projects, and I think the legacy SKUs will eventually be cleansed of it. We’ve turned the corner, and a legion of RevolverGuys are grateful to Mark Smith, Andrew Gore, and the employees of Smith & Wesson for making it happen.

The first of the No-Lock Classics to grab the crowd’s attention was the Model 10, which incorporated styling and features that harken back to the pre-war M&Ps that defined the Smith & Wesson brand. Up front, you’ll find a four-inch, one-piece, pencil barrel topped with a half-round front sight that’s wide enough to present a good sight picture through the fixed rear notch. The extractor rod under the barrel is capped with a rounded button that gives a classic vibe and will make your hand happy when you slap it for a reload.

The trigger and hammer have been finished to give an appearance similar to the old case-hardened parts, and the thumb piece is also patterned after the period-correct part (which you may not have noticed, because your attention was drawn to the “missing” lock hole, above it). A set of attractive square butt grips from Bobby Tyler grace the square butt (yes, an honest square butt K-Frame!) frame of the gun. The smooth Magnas are made of walnut and do a nice job of complimenting the gun’s black oxide finish.

Fittingly, the Model 10 is joined by its little brother, the Model 36. As with the K-Frame gun, the Model 36 sports a one-piece barrel topped with a half round sight, a classic-style thumb piece, and a trigger and hammer that evoke memories of the old case-hardened parts. A set of round butt, checkered stocks with the Smith & Wesson medallion and a diamond center help to complete the classic look of the snub that virtually defines the genre. This gun may have you reaching for your fedora, but don’t let the looks fool you—it’s ready for carry duties.

The Model 10 and Model 36 stars shined so brightly that they captivated most of the folks that came through the Smith & Wesson booth (including the gun press), but the gun lurking in their shadows was the one that made this RevolverGuy’s heart skip a beat.

Could it be?

Were my eyes deceiving me?

Dear Lord, they weren’t! There, before me, was an honest-to-goodness Combat Magnum.

Truth be told, you’re more likely to find my mitts wrapped around a no-dash Model 640 than any other revolver these days, but if you asked me what my favorite revolver model is, you wouldn’t even get halfway through the question before I emphatically declared the Combat Magnum as the top of the heap.

And Smith & Wesson has given us one worthy of the name, in this No-Lock Classic. The accuracy-enhancing, two-piece barrel carries an unnecessary quarter-inch for the Canucks (who I pray will be liberated soon), but looks balanced and helps to ensure the red ramp front sight (thank you for this improvement over the old guns, gents!) is parked at top-dead-center.

Hiding out of sight is a frame-mounted yoke lock that provides a stronger lockup than the old extractor rod tip system, and allows the barrel extension to remain intact, without the 6 O’ Clock yoke clearance cut that doomed the originals to crack when fed a steady diet of Magnums. These two improvements eliminate the Achilles’ Heel of the older guns, and I’ll eat my hat if this new Combat Magnum isn’t stronger than the 686 that was designed to remedy the old K-Frame Magnum problem.

The gun wears a classic thumb piece because it would have been sacrilege to put an angled one on it, and also sports a set of medallioned, checkered, square butt Targets that hug the Magnum’s black oxide, round butt frame.

There have been some imposters with holes in the side wearing the Combat Magnum crown in recent years, but this blued, No-Lock Classic has arrived to reclaim its throne, and I’m already excited at the prospect of a future snub version (maybe a 2.75″ that will support full-length extraction?).

I don’t think Smith & Wesson Handgun Product Manager Andrew Gore added the Model 19 to the No-Lock Classic lineup as a favor to me, but I’m going to pretend he did, anyhow. Thanks mate! It’s great to have this one back, stronger than ever!

CCI

Rimfire King CCI has a new .22 WMR load that will interest RevolverGuys. The Uppercut .22 WMR features a 40 grain jacketed hollowpoint with nose skiving that’s designed to encourage full and reliable expansion. Those of you packing S&W 351 Cs or PDs, or Ruger LCRs in .22 Magnum should check this one out.

Charter Arms

Charter Arms enters 2025 with two new revolvers in their catalog.

The first is the Mag Pug Combo, which is part of their “Double Dog” series. The Mag Pug Combo represents a cross between the Mag Pug and Pit Bull revolvers, and is a 5-shot, stainless steel, small frame revolver with a 2.2” (or 4.2”) ported barrel and fixed sights. The Mag Pug Combo comes with two cylinder assemblies—one chambered in .357 Magnum, and another chambered in 9mm. The 9mm cylinder is patterned after the one on the Pit Bull, and has a dual coil spring assembly in the extractor which captures the rimless 9mm cartridges and allows the gun to be fired and emptied without the use of moon clips.

The Mag Pug Combo will be offered in two finish levels–A stainless finish, and a Black Passivate finish. The 2.2” models will feature “Classic” walnut grips, and the 4.2” models will feature “Professional Backpacker” walnut grips.

The .380 Coyote is the other new product for Charter. It’s an anodized aluminum-framed snub with a 5-shot capacity in .380 ACP. Moon clips are required for the operation of the Coyote, which promises to be a mild shooting gun, with its ported barrel and underlug. The Coyote features a stainless barrel and cylinder, and the base model is available in three frame finish options:  Matte anodized, pink anodized, and lavender anodized. All base models come with rosewood grips.

Charter will also offer an “Off Duty” model of the Coyote, that comes with compact rubber grips, a concealed hammer, and a HiVis Lite Pipe front sight.

Colt

It’s a rather light year for Colt introductions, but one item turning heads was their new RMSc optics plate, offered for both the King Cobra and Python revolvers with adjustable sights. The RMSc optics plate replaces the rear sight, and allows the user to mount an RMSc-pattern optic directly to the mount (other optics can be mounted using adapter plates for the different footprint). Colt had samples of the  4.25” barreled King Cobra Target, the King Cobra Target .22, the 3″ Python, and the Colt Combat Elite Python on display with the optics plate mounted, and they were getting a lot of attention from visitors to the booth.

The RMSc optics footprint is found on a number of popular sights, and its pairs of recoil lugs in the Fore and Aft help the optic to better withstand punishing recoil forces. The Colt literature indicates their optics plate will also be compatible with the similar, but different, Holosun K footprint, which is also very popular with many Red Dot shooters.

The RMSc optics plate will be sold via the Shop.Colt.com website, as well as Brownell’s and Midway USA. Colt expects it to be available around the April timeframe, which will be good news to RevolverGuys who want to (or need to!) go over to the Red Dot Side.

Diamondback

Diamondback Firearms is launching two new variants of their SDR Revolver for 2025.

The first is a 3” barreled version of their .357 Magnum SDR, fitted with a full length, black Hogue Monogrip. The gun features low profile, fiber optic sights (offering a three-dot sight picture with an orange dot up front, and a pair of green ones in the rear) and chamfered cylinder chambers like its 2” predecessor. It also features a push-button release for the yoke and cylinder assembly, making disassembly for cleaning very simple.

The second Diamondback is a 9mm+P version of the 2” SDR, mounted with a black Hogue Bantam (Boot-style) grip. This 6-shot 9mm is fed with moon clips from our pals at TK Custom (three are included with the gun).

I spent a lot of time consulting with the Engineering staff at Diamondback during the development of the SDR in 2024, and I was impressed with their attention to detail. While I haven’t been able to shoot any of the production guns yet, I expect to be impressed by them when I do, based on my interaction with Diamondback and the appearance of the samples I handled in their booth. I’m very happy to see the product line expanding with the addition of these interesting models, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an enclosed hammer, Centennial-style option down the road.

Federal

Our friends at Federal have been busy crafting new loads for our favorite revolvers. I was able to spend an uninterrupted hour with friend and Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager Chris Laack at the show, and he walked me through the whole collection of exciting new products for 2025.

First up is a new Hydra-Shok Deep load in .32 H&R Magnum, which is tailored to provide an excellent balance between expansion and penetration depth. Chris told me the 85 grain bullet in this load clocks 1,025 fps from a 4” vented test barrel, and produces an honest 1,012 fps from the 1.875” barrel of the Smith & Wesson UC revolver used during their tests. In bare, calibrated ordnance gelatin, the bullet penetrates to 14” with an average expanded diameter of 0.481”. In calibrated ordnance gelatin covered with FBI Heavy Clothing, the bullet penetrates deeper, going 14.5” deep, with a recovered diameter of 0.479”.

Frankly, this is stunning performance from the little .32, and illustrates what Chris meant when he said the 0.312” bullets have a certain “magic” to them, as the result of a near-perfect sectional density that encourages penetration, even after significant expansion. This new Hydra-Shok Deep is going to be an excellent bullet for the crop of .32 H&R Magnums that have become so popular in the last year, and I can’t wait to get my hands on some of it!

Federal will also load an 85 gr JSP in .32 H&R Magnum in its American Eagle line, which will clock around 975 fps out of the 4” vented test barrel, and just a hair less from the real guns. It will be an excellent ballistic match for the Hydra-Shok Deep, hitting to the same point of aim, and will serve as an excellent and economical training load.

You big bore shooters will be glad to hear about the 230 grain, .44 Magnum HST that Federal is releasing, as well. This is a medium-energy load (for caliber) that’s been optimized for control in self-defense situations, rather than a hard-kicking, full power load for the hunting fields. Don’t let that “medium energy” label fool you though, because this is still a .44 Mag, and there’s plenty of horsepower to get work done. The .44 Magnum HST develops 1,085 fps from a 4” vented test barrel, and penetrates 15” in bare, calibrated ordnance gelatin, after opening to an impressive 0.872” diameter! In calibrated ordnance gelatin covered with FBI Heavy Clothing, the .44 Magnum HST drives 17” deep and expands to 0.748”.  Could you ask for anything more than that from a self-defense load? What a perfect match this is going to be for the new Lipsey’s Exclusive 629 Mountain Gun!

The .45 Colt gets some needed love from Federal this year, as well. The .45 Colt Hydra-Shok Deep will give the grand old caliber a modern defensive load that we’ve been lacking, and will generate 913 fps in a 4” revolver and 1,130 fps from the longer barrel of a lever action rifle. When fired from a revolver into bare, calibrated ordnance gelatin, the .45 Colt Hydra-Shok Deep will penetrate 16” after opening to 0.678” expanded diameter (19” and 0.657” from a rifle). When fired from a revolver into calibrated ordnance gelatin covered with FBI Heavy Clothing, the .45 Colt load will penetrate to 18” and expand to 0.672” diameter (20” and 0.655” from a rifle). Again, what more could we ask for in a big bore defensive (or light game) load?

Finally, for you contrarians who like shooting autopistol calibers in your revolvers (I’m watching you, Fokker!) there’s a new 10mm Auto Power-Shok load topped with a 200 grain JHP that should be great medicine out in the field. This should be just the trick for those S&W 610s and Ruger GP100 Match Champions.

Federal is definitely interested in being your “partner in protection,” and giving you the best possible cartridge for the job, no matter which caliber you choose to carry. I think it’s exciting to see Federal doing so much with revolver cartridges, and appreciate their efforts to allow RevolverGuys to keep pace with the ballistic advancements we’ve seen in the autopistol calibers. I look forward to getting samples of all of these great new cartridges to our writers so they can tell you more about how they perform.

Hornady

Our pals at Hornady have been busy making new revolver ammo as well. Their 2025 efforts are focused on the Backcountry Defense product line, which features the Dangerous Game Handgun (DGH) bullet.

The DGH is designed for maximum penetration and no deflection. It has a copper jacket which is curled over the mouth of the hollowpoint cavity, to help lock the lead core and copper jacket together (which preserves the mass necessary for penetration). The jacket will also eliminate the lead smoke produced by hard cast bullets. Although it’s a JHP design, the DGH is not designed to expand (see the video at 12:30)—it’s designed to track straight and deep, and expansion would only frustrate that effort.

You’ll find Backcountry Defense in a variety of revolver calibers, to include a 165 grain .357 Magnum, a 240 grain .44 Magnum, a 300 grain .454 Casull, a 300 grain .460 S&W Magnum, and a 500 grain (!) .500 S&W Magnum. It will also be available in a few autopistol calibers—a 138 grain 9mm, and a 200 grain 10mm.

lubriplate

I was pleased to catch up with friend Grant Cunningham (a talented revolver ‘smith, firearms trainer, and Author, and the founder of the Revolver Liberation Alliance) and have him give me a tour of the latest gun care products from the good folks at Lubriplate.

First in the lineup is Lubriplate’s new Bore Cleaner, a special formula that took over two years and thirteen attempts to perfect. Grant tells me the Lubriplate Bore Cleaner is “unlike anything you’ve ever used,” and will remove copper deposits and leading in one pass.

When applied to a dirty bore, the chemicals in the cleaner will initiate a continuous catalytic reaction with the copper and turn it into a black sludge. Simultaneously, the cleaner will begin to oxidize the lead and turn it into a brownish-yellowish material that looks like microscopic glitter under the right light.

When you run dry patches through the bore after letting the cleaner sit and work for a while, you’ll see the black copper sludge and lead glitter come right out, leaving the bore clean right down to the steel. Grant reports that a single pass removed a severe buildup of copper in a rifle barrel that he cleaned with the product. In another test, the cleaner removed 98% of the lead from a heavily-fouled revolver barrel in one pass, with the next pass getting the rest and leaving nothing behind but a slight oil film (because the bore cleaner is oil based), with a viscosity similar to kerosene.

The Lubriplate Bore Cleaner is non-toxic and safe for blued steel finishes, plastics, and common stock finishes, but (like most cleaners) care must be used to avoid getting it on wood with hand rubbed oil finishes (so remove your custom stocks before you clean with it).

Another new product from Lubriplate is their RFX (Rapid Fire Extended Duty) Oil, a low viscosity oil developed for the military, to reduce carbon fouling, friction, and heat in their belt-fed automatic weapons.

The RFX Oil has a higher heat range than Lubriplate’s excellent FMO Gun Oil, and has an additive that dissolves carbon fouling and pulls it into the oil, where it’s held in suspension. The carbon remains in the oil and is not redeposited elsewhere in the gun. The suspended carbon actually aids the anti-wear properties of the oil.

Grant says the RFX Oil is particularly useful in rimfire guns, which are known for being very dirty and accumulating lots of carbon deposits, very quickly. Any of you who have tried to fire a few hundred rounds of .22 LR through a revolver know how quickly these guns can get bogged down, and will appreciate an oil that can keep them running.

I’ll be getting some samples of these products for testing, and will let you know how they work. Based on the outstanding performance of Lubriplate FMO Gun Oil and SFL Gun Grease in my own experience, I fully expect the Bore Cleaner and RFX Oil to be excellent products.

Navy Arms

Friend Dave Biggers grabbed me and brought me over to the Navy Arms booth to show off the crop of revolvers they’ve imported this year. Navy Arms is one of the most established and storied importers of surplus arms in our industry, and they’ve always got neat stuff in the catalog.

This year’s goodies include surplus Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers from France, in 10-7 skinny barrel, 10-8 heavy barrel, and 10-10 heavy barrel configurations. All of these guns wear wood grips and 4″ barrels. There’s also a selection of 4″ 10-10 revolvers and some 4″ Model 64-5 revolvers too, both with rubber grips. Retail price for the Model 10s will be $450, and the Model 64s will run $500. I thought these were very clean guns, and suspect the French park rangers who formerly carried them didn’t use them much, if at all.

Even more interestingly, Navy Arms has imported some 4″ Manurhin MR88 revolvers in Very Good and Excellent grades. I was impressed with how clean these surplus French police guns were, and suspect some of them were previously unissued. The MR88s were built on surplus Ruger Six-Series machinery, and the receivers look just like those favorite old guns, but the barrel profiles are quite distinct, and the frames incorporate a unique recoil lug on the yoke that was not present on the Rugers.  These fantastic guns will retail from $995 to $1,250, depending on grade, and I think they’ll disappear quickly.

Remington

Remington has a light year for revolver ammo in 2025, with a Performance Wheelgun load in .22 Long Rifle being their main focus. The Performance Wheelgun .22 LR features a lead, truncated-cone bullet, and is designed for reduced noise signature.

Another quiet rimfire is the .22 Short, which Remington will reintroduce in two flavors in 2025: A copper-washed hollowpoint, and; A copper-washed round nose.

RevIndustries

A new startup called RevIndustries displayed a unique speedloader design at the show, which stacked three sets of .357 Magnum cartridges in a long, tubular loader. The RevIndustries loader functions much like a Safariland Comp, with a central post release that drops the cartridges when it’s depressed against the center pin/ratchet on the back of the cylinder.

The makers of the product explained that they designed the release to function after a short amount of travel, which allows the loader to work reliably with a wider variety of grip profiles–you don’t have to get a perfect alignment with the face of the loader for it to release the cartridges.  As a result, RevIndustries claims the loader is compatible with a wide variety of guns and grips.

I wasn’t sure if I had a use for this multi-loader in my world, but was intrigued that the loader could be disassembled and converted into a smaller unit that held a single payload of cartridges. I think that would be a more useful product for my purposes, but the makers felt the larger multi-loader would be popular for range use, bug out bags, and other roles.

Loading the RevIndustries loader was easy, and it discharged cleanly using the test cylinder they provided. It’s a creative product, and I’ll be interested to work with the promised sample, and report on my experience with it in these pages, later on.

Taurus

Taurus did a soft launch of the Centennial-style, .357 Magnum Model 650 earlier last Fall, and I was thrilled to see it enter the catalog. I got the chance to shoot a sample at the Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup in November, and walked away impressed with this steel, 5-shot, small frame blaster, which seemed like an excellent bargain.

However, I did catch myself wishing for a .38 Special-only version of this gun. Since I have no interest in shooting .357 Magnum out of a small frame snub (even a steel one), I’d rather have a gun with a shorter, .38 Special cylinder and a reduced overall length, like my beloved no-dash, S&W Model 640 (which has the shorter, non-Magnum frame—same dimensions as the aluminum-framed 642).

Imagine my pleasant surprise then, to see Taurus launch the Model 850 at SHOT Show—a .38 Special companion to the Model 650.  While the 850’s overall length is the same as the 650’s (because it makes sense to use the same frame, from a manufacturing standpoint), the 850 weighs a hair less by virtue of its shortened cylinder. The Model 850 will be offered in both 2” and 3” versions (hallelujah!), with either alloy steel (black finish) or stainless steel (stainless finish) frames, cylinders and barrels.

Like the Magnum 650, the .38 Special Model 850 has a pinned front sight that can be easily replaced with a high visibility sight from Ameriglo or XS Sights, and it also shares the yoke-mounted lockup of the Magnum gun, to secure the cylinder. All versions of the gun will wear Taurus-branded rubber grips that secure with a pin at the bottom of the grip.

Smith & Wesson no longer catalogues the all-steel, .38 Special Centennial that I favor, so I’m overjoyed that I now have an option from Taurus in this category. I’ll be trying to get one of these to put through its paces, so standby for more in these pages, later this year.

Taurus will also introduce the Model 608 Competition in 2025, a gun that’s aimed at the competitive shooting market. The 608 Competition is a medium frame revolver with an 8-shot cylinder chambered for .357 Magnum. The cylinder profile is reduced forward of the cylinder stop notches, the chambers are chamfered, and the cylinder is machined to accommodate moon clips.

A 6” barrel with a full underlug is fitted to the 608 Competition, which weighs in around 51 ounces total weight. The rear sight is click adjustable for windage and elevation, and the front sight is a green Hi-Viz fiber optic. The trigger on the 608 Competition is user-adjustable as well (more accurately, from what the manual indicates, the mainspring tension is adjustable).

This looks like it’s going to be a dandy revolver for competition shooters!

Viridian

Viridian Weapon Technologies has introduced the first rechargeable grip laser for 2025. The Viridian grip laser is specifically designed for the Taurus Judge and Tracker series of revolvers, and allows users to recharge the internal LiPo battery without removing the grips from the gun, via a magnetic connection. Viridian will include their SafeCharge power bank with each grip laser, to allow convenient recharges.

The laser in the grip is a high-output green (optionally, red) laser, which is activated by a push button that’s located in the sinus area of the grip (your middle finger will activate it, when it closes on the grip). The grip has an LED battery indicator which can be used to judge the battery life (Green indicates 50% – 100% charge, Amber indicates 25% – 50%, and Red indicates less than 25%). Viridian claims the rechargeable LiPo battery lasts over five hours on a full charge.

The rubber overmolded grip has finger grooves and a flare at the web to help control and cushion recoil. The laser’s windage and elevation can be adjusted via external screws.

XS Sights

Our friends at XS Sights announced some line extensions in the Fall, which will constitute their new product lineup for 2025.  The big news is XS Sights is now offering pre-drilled front sights for many popular guns, which will simplify installation for the average guy, and they’re also offering brass beads.

The following revolver sight options have been added to the catalog:

S&W J-Frame:  XS Standard Dot with pre-drilled brass and orange dual-illuminated glow dot front sight.  XS Big Dot with pre-drilled, dual illuminated front sights available in orange, yellow, and white;

S&W K-Frame (.38/.357) / L-Frame (.38/.357 and .44):  XS Minimalist sights with pre-drilled brass front sight;

Colt Cobra / King Cobra:  XS Standard Dot with pre-drilled brass front sight;

Colt Viper:  XS Standard Dot with pre-drilled brass front sight, also available in dual illuminated green and orange;

Taurus 856 / 605: XS Standard Dot with pre-drilled brass front sight.

A gREAT year

With the election of a gun-friendly President (who was inaugurated during SHOT Media Day), this year promised to be a good one for us, long before we even saw the new guns and gear at SHOT Show. But after examining 2025’s crop of exciting new products, I’m convinced this is going to be a great year–not just good, but great–for RevolverGuys!

We’ll be getting our hands on many of these products in the months to come, and will be excited to let you know what we think of them, so stay tuned for more coverage!

*****

Endnotes

1.) In fairness, it wasn’t all bad. Ruger generally did a better job of listening to the consumer than the others, and Kimber was trying to be responsive to consumers with the launch of their K6s. Colt obviously heard the demand for a new Python.  The “new Taurus” has been working hard to make their customers happy, the last several years.

Still, even when they got some of it right, the industry often dropped the ball on the finer details, because they weren’t fully listening. As a result, we got stuck with bad sights, bad grips, mediocre actions, bad controls (narrow, square triggers, with grooves where they shouldn’t be, cylinder latches that cut you up, sharp ejector rod tips, etc.), recycled names, and often, the wrong SKUs.

As a whole, the industry just wasn’t very responsive to the revolver consumer, particularly from the 1990s through the 2010s. The feedback loop was mostly broken. A few magazine writers or editors might have had a bit of influence on occasion, but the manufacturers (who seemed increasingly unfamiliar with their own revolver products, as the years wore on) basically plotted the course without much external input. They prepared the meal they wanted to make, and the consumer had two choices—eat it, or go hungry.

The situation has definitely been improving over the last ten years, but for a long time, RevolverGuys just weren’t getting the attention they deserved as consumers. I’m so pleased we’re leaving those days behind us!