Revolvers are the oldest style of “repeating” handgun, predating semi-automatic designs by several decades. Wheelguns have been around for such a long time that they even pre-date metallic cartridge ammunition. And yet, in 2025, we still saw several new revolvers announced on the SHOT Show floor. This year was arguably dominated by Smith & Wesson (Lipsey’s gets major credit here too). They released a trove of models, including a new run of No-Lock classic models. At this rate, the industry will be launching revolvers right until energy weapons make handguns obsolete.
Taurus 850, .38 Special +P
For SHOT Show 2025, Taurus brought back the five-shot .38 Special +P 850 compact frame revolver. This compact revolver has a “Centennial” style frame completely eliminating exposed hammers seen across Taurus 856 models. When it comes to defensive revolvers, hammers remain a liability that can snag on garments and fumble the draw during a critical moment.
The Taurus 850 isn’t technically a “new” model. It is a product relaunch as Taurus used to offer the “850 CIA” models several years ago. The new Taurus 850 was formally announced on Tuesday at SHOT Show week, which is always the event’s official opening day, and is available with 2 or 3-inch barrels.
The Taurus 850’s launch comes only weeks after Taurus also announced the Model 650. It is another 5-shot model with a “Centennial” style hammerless frame whose cylinder holds five rounds of .357 Magnum.
Visit TaurusUSA.com.
Smith & Wesson Classic No-Lock Revolvers, Models 19, 10, and 36, .357 Magnum / .38 Special
The theme for 2025’s revolvers seems to zero in on the classics and their traditions. You’ll notice that the rest of this list also includes Lipsey’s Mountain Guns, and there’s the continued resurgence of .32 H&R Magnum compact carry revolvers. But most importantly (ok, I’m biased; I love their history), Smith & Wesson is finally selling new-production double-action revolvers that have done away with the infamous internal lock.
At this year’s show, Smith & Wesson showcased a “retro” Model 10, Model 19 and Model 36. Of course, none of these models are anything new. For one, the K-Frame .38 Special Model 10 is quite literally the cornerstone of Smith & Wesson double-action service revolver legacy dating back to 1899.
The same could be said for both the Model 19 and Model 36, both of which had been part of Smith’s catalog before they switched to the numbering system. In the past, these guns were known as the Combat Magnum and Chief’s Special, respectively.
That Smith & Wesson is now selling “retro” versions of these revolvers with a faithful attempt at capturing the accents and details of yesteryear while eliminating the much-protested internal frame locks (notice the tapered barrel and half-moon sight that was part and parcel of old-school Model 10s), is rather neat.
Visit Smith-Wesson.com.
Smith & Wesson/Lipsey’s 432/632 Ultimate Carry Titanium, .32 H&R Mag
At SHOT Show 2024, one of the head turners was the Lipsey’s/Smith & Wesson Ultimate Carry J-frame snubs. These guns were not only outfitted with usable sights but sensible stocks from VZ Grips. They were chambered for .38 Special and .32 H&R Magnum. Arguably, the .32-caliber Ultimate Carry snubs helped reignite the newfound interest in this ancient but useful defensive revolver caliber.
For SHOT Show 2025, Lipsey’s launched an even lighter titanium frame version of the hit Ultimate Carry available both with a black or matte stainless finish. Their overall weight comes in at only 13 ounces.
Smith & Wesson/Lipsey’s 629 and 686-Plus Mountain Guns, .44 and .357 Magnum
In the world of Smith & Wesson revolvers, “Mountain Gun” refers to a concept conjured by diehard revolver fans back in the 1980s. Prior to 1950, N-frame/Hand-Ejector Smith & Wesson revolvers were all equipped with tapered, lighter contoured barrels, which gave them wonderful handling attributes.
With the advent of .44 Remington Magnum revolvers proper during the mid-century, Smith & Wesson drifted away and began barreling all of its .44 Rem Mag revolvers with thicker, front-heavy bull-barrels. While they helped with recoil management, these mid-century N-frames lost that easy-handling ability from years past.
The original Mountain Guns were responsible for preserving the trend of marrying a large-frame revolver to a thinner barrel for better handling and weight distribution. This revolver configuration has a rich history, and for 2025, Smith & Wesson and Lipsey’s unveiled two brand new Mountain Gun models—a .44 Rem Mag Model 629 and a .357 Magnum Model 686 Plus.
It’s worth pointing out that neither of these new Lipsey’s Exclusive revolvers uses the controversial S&W internal frame lock.
Ruger/Lipsey’s LCR, .32 H&R Mag
Smith & Wesson’s recent .32 H&R Magnum offerings aren’t the only revolvers basking in the glory of .32-caliber carry revolvers. This year, Lipsey’s also announced an exclusive run of 6-shot capacity Ruger LCR snub-nosed revolvers chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum cartridge.
Since its original launch, Ruger has done very well with the sales of its modern designed Light Carry Revolver, whose mission lies directly in the name. LCRs are offered in various calibers ranging from .22 LR, 9mm Luger, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .327 Federal Magnum. However, this new Lipsey’s exclusive LCR is the only model that specifically fires .32 H&R ammunition.
To distinguish this exclusive model from other Ruger LCR versions, its frame wears a distinctive FDE Cerakote finish.
Visit Lipseys.com.
Charter Arms Coyote .380
Charter Arms announced the new .380 ACP Coyote snub-nosed revolver right before Christmas ahead of SHOT Show proper. The gist of this compact and lightweight revolver is to offer defensive revolver carriers a light-recoil gun with a cartridge that’s still viable for personal protection.
The majority of .380 ACP projectiles weigh between 80 to 95 grains. At their typical muzzle velocities out of two-inch revolver barrels, they will not produce the same jumpy felt-recoil that even shooting 148-grain .38 Special wadcutters from a similar snub revolver will.
To further aid in recoil mitigation, all Charter Arms Coyote revolvers include two small ports on either side of the front sight (similar in layout to those found on the .44-caliber Charter Arms Boomer). The end product is a revolver that weighs less than one pound fully loaded and still has a very pleasant recoil impulse.
Charter Arms Double-Dog
In addition to the easy-carrying Coyote .380, Charter Arms also launched the Double-Dog revolver this year. The Charter Arms Double-Dog capitalizes on the fact that both 9mm Luger and .357 Magnum share the same nominal diameter of .35-inch. As such, the Charter Arms Double-Dog ships with two cylinders, one chambered for 9mm and the other chambered for .357 Magnum—both are fitted to their respective frame.
Even though most revolvers that shoot 9mm Luger do so with the aid of moon clips, Charter Arms designed the Double-Dog’s cylinder to fire without them. This adds another level of convenience for the shooter. In the same vein, instead of moon clips, the Double-Dog relies on small claw-like protrusions that grab the rim of the case. Double-Dog revolvers are available with different barrel lengths and finishes.
Visit CharterFirearms.com.
Colt Kodiak
What happens when you mix the venerable .44 Remington Magnum big-bore revolver cartridge with a modernized 2020-era Colt Python? You get the new Colt Kodiak. (Actually, in 1993, Colt produced a very small run of Kodiaks, with numbers totaling about 2,000 units).
The new 2025 version is equipped with a 4.25-inch barrel and is marketed as a strong-side hip carry field gun for backcountry personal protection against dangerous predators. The Colt Kodiak shares the same basic frame as the .44 Rem Mag Colt Anaconda, but it includes the classic Python-esque barrel ribbing.
Also adding some visual pop (and a little extra mass) is the new Colt Kodiak’s unfluted cylinder. More importantly, this big-bore wheel gun also has a factory-ported barrel to mitigate muzzle flip when shooting powerful .44 Magnum cartridges.
Visit Colt.com.
