What Is A Revolver?

Revolvers are repeating handguns with revolving cylinders and multiple chambers for firing.

Several chambers inside a cylinder rotate inside while the gun is fired through a single barrel. Many revolving chamber designs were created and tested in their early years, however, Samuel Colt was the first to successfully patent and mass-produce the design.

Since then, all major firearm producers have created their own selection of revolvers to satisfy the popular demand.

Most revolvers have a five- or six-shot chamber capacity. Some, however, have up to a 10-round capacity. Regardless of capacity, revolvers have a rather simple design.

This level of simplicity makes these firearms reliable overall. Because of this, revolvers are a common choice for personal protection use and hunting purposes.

What Is A Shotgun?

A standard shotgun is a long-barreled firearm that is designed to shoot shotshells. In comparison to rifles, a shotgun is a close-range weapon.

Shotguns are typically used when shooting targets that move through the air. A variety of actions are available when choosing a shotgun. The most common include break, pump, and semi-automatic.

Break-action shotguns are hinged like a door and open to load ammunition. They can be a great option for beginners because of their simplicity and ease of operation.

Pump-action shotguns are manually operated by sliding the gun’s handguard back and forward to load a new cartridge into the chamber. This style of shotgun is a classic choice for home defense, and is typically more affordable.

The more modern take on the shotgun involves a semi-automatic action. These shotguns are capable of automatically chambering a new shell after each firing. Each pull of the trigger signals the gun to fire.

What is a Revolver Shotgun?

The world of firearms brings a lot of options to the table. A mix of technology and creativity is constantly evolving the market–enter, the “revolver shotgun.”

Revolver shotguns are exactly what they sound like– a mechanism combining a revolver and a shotgun. These firearms always bear a revolving cylinder, and can be found with both short and long barrels.

Firearm producers have experimented with a variety of gauges and ammunition opportunities with this style of guns. They may seem like a collector’s item, but can serve as a reliable and realistic firearm to have in your collection.

Though this design seems like a modern innovation, the revolver shotgun was first created by Frenchman Jean LeMat in 1856. This firearm was a state-of-the-art design of its time, offering a nine-round cylinder and double barrel.

The LeMat model gained the nickname “The Grape Shot Revolver”. Following the production of this revolver shotgun, around 2,400 of them were smuggled into Confederate Army hands and used by their cavalry units.

Past and Present Revolver Shotguns

Since the birth of this pre-Civil War model, many other gunmakers have endeavored to create their own version of this “franken-firearm”.

The modern-day “Grape Shot Revolver” gained popularity in the 1990s after MIL launched the Thunder 5 revolver. This handgun could shoot both .410 shotshells and .45 handgun rounds. Though this wasn’t an entirely original idea by MIL, other companies were intrigued by the model and decided to try their hand at reinventing the concept.

The Brazilian gunmaker Taurus soon released The Judge. This revolver was very similar in size and design to the MIL Thunder 5, and fired the same ammunition.

It was the Russian MTs255, however, that took a more shotgun-like appearance. This firearm was designed in 1993, but didn’t begin mass-production until 2000. A long barrel and five round cylinder resulted in a rather unique design that set it apart from other revolver shotguns.

The MTs255 came in varying models such as: 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, 32 gauge, and .410 shotshells. This firearm had its share of appearances in a variety of video games, shows, and films.

The design of the Russian revolver shotgun is rather simple and to-the-point: the trigger mechanism can be easily taken apart, which makes for easy maintenance. Additionally, there are no small parts that can be easily misplaced.

One of the more modern approaches to the revolver shotgun is the SRM 1216. This semi-automatic shotgun utilizes a 16-round detachable revolver magazine. This firearm is light, short, and can be used for fast home defense or law enforcement. This firearm takes 12 gauge ammunition, either 2 ¾” or 3” shells.

Other companies, such as Charter Arms have released their own versions of the revolver shotgun, but didn’t gain quite the popularity of the ones above. Nonetheless, the revolver shotgun remains a rather iconic and quirky creation in firearms history.

Revolver Shotgun: To Buy or Not to Buy?

Revolver shotguns come in a rather wide array of styles, sizes, and ammunition types. This offers a prospective buyer many options when choosing which design to purchase.

Purposes such as hunting, protection, or range shooting can all be served by the variety of revolver shotgun styles. Regardless of what purpose it serves, if you decide to acquire a revolver shotgun, it is likely to be one of the most unique firearms in your safe.