Widely carried by American law enforcement for much of the 20th century, revolvers have been all but replaced in professional circles by semi-automatic pistols in recent decades. Law enforcement’s transition to semi-automatics is attributable to several advantages pistols have over their wheel-gun counterparts, which generally include greater magazine capacity, faster reload times, and slimmer profiles.

Many of the same factors that make semi-automatics the preferred sidearm for law enforcement have also made pistols popular with the general public. As recently as the mid-1980s, over 760,000 revolvers were manufactured in the United States, eclipsing the number of domestically manufactured pistols by nearly 100,000. But as of 2022, U.S. pistol production topped 6.1 million, more than seven times the number of revolvers made the same year. (These are the gunmakers behind the best-selling 9mm pistols.)

While many American gun owners may reasonably assume that law enforcement’s demonstrable preference for pistols indicates the platform’s superiority over more antiquated designs, the revolver still offers some clear advantages to modern semi-automatics in several key areas. And many of these advantages make the revolver an ideal choice for civilian gun owners.

Relative to semi-automatic pistols, revolvers are mechanically simpler. This simplicity makes them easier to operate with minimal training, while also improving reliability by having fewer potential failure points. Revolvers are also low-maintenance firearms and have a well-deserved reputation for functioning consistently, even after years of neglect.

Even though semi-automatic pistols have surged in popularity in recent decades, consumer demand for revolvers has remained relatively steady. Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives shows that over 800,000 revolvers were manufactured in the United States in 2023. While the largest share of these firearms were chambered for .22 caliber ammunition, a round commonly used for plinking or target shooting, by far the most popular revolver caliber well-suited to hunting and defensive use is the .357 Magnum.

According to the ATF, more than one in every four revolvers manufactured domestically in 2023 were chambered for .357 ammunition. The popularity of .357 revolvers is due in no small part to the weapon’s versatility. The .357 Magnum is a powerful round, popular for self-defense and hunting mid- to large-size game at close range — but it can also deliver recoil that may be uncomfortable for many shooters. However, modern .357 revolvers can also safely fire .38 Special ammunition, which, while less powerful, is still a capable self-defense round in its own right, and generally has lighter recoil. As a result, a .357 revolver can serve multiple purposes, while accommodating a wide range of shooters.

Even though there are thousands of federally licensed gunmakers operating in the United States, the market for .357 Magnum revolvers is dominated by just a small handful of companies. ATF data shows that just two gunmakers accounted for nearly two-thirds of all domestically manufactured .357 Magnum revolvers in 2023.

Using data from the ATF, 24/7 Wall St. identified the companies behind the best-selling .357 Magnum revolvers in the United States. We reviewed domestic manufacturing figures for thousands of federally licensed gunmakers and ranked them on .357 revolver production volume in 2023. Data on the location of each company’s production facilities and total firearm manufacturing output in 2023 are also from the ATF. Firearms made outside of the United States, including those made by the companies on this list, were not included in this ranking.

Each company on this list manufactured more than 100 .357 revolvers in the U.S. in 2023. Combined, these 12 companies produced nearly 227,750 .357 revolvers domestically, accounting for over 99% of all American-made .357 revolvers in 2023. (These are the companies making the best-selling .22 caliber revolvers.)

These are the companies behind the best-selling, American-made .357 Magnum revolvers.

Why It Matters

Arms and ammunition is a more than $90 billion industry in the United States, and the industry is fueled in part by demand for revolvers — particularly those chambered for .357 Magnum ammunition. While the U.S. is home to the manufacturing operations of thousands of gunmakers — including many of the largest in the world — a small handful of companies dominate the market for .357 revolvers.

12. Magnum Research Inc

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 128 units (0.1% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Magnum Research’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 19,602 units (0.7% .357 revolvers)
• Magnum Research’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Pillager, MN
• .357 revolver models include: BFR

11. Currey Consulting LLC

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 131 units (0.1% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Currey Consulting’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 3,595 units (3.6% .357 revolvers)
• Currey Consulting’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Orem, UT
• .357 revolver models include: N/A

10. Heritage Manufacturing, Inc

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 151 units (0.1% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Heritage’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 199,500 units (0.1% .357 revolvers)
• Heritage’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Bainbridge, GA
• .357 revolver models include: N/A

9. Outpost Armory 2 LLC

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 185 units (0.1% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Outpost Armory’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 8,770 units (2.1% .357 revolvers)
• Outpost Armory’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Murfreesboro, TN
• .357 revolver models include: N/A

8. Nighthawk Custom LLC

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 949 units (0.4% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Nighthawk’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 5,154 units (18.4% .357 revolvers)
• Nighthawk’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Berryville, AR
• .357 revolver models include: Ranger, NXA, Super Sport, Korth Classic, Mongoose

7. Armscor Precision International

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 1,296 units (0.6% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Armscor’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 28,098 units (4.6% .357 revolvers)
• Armscor’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Pahrump, NV
• .357 revolver models include: AL3.1

6. Automated Finishing Company Inc

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 3,180 units (1.4% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Automated Finishing’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 15,022 units (21.2% .357 revolvers)
• Automated Finishing’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Attleboro, MA
• .357 revolver models include: N/A

5. Henry Repeating Arms Company Holding Corp

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 5,223 units (2.3% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Henry RAC’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 411,786 units (1.3% .357 revolvers)
• Henry RAC’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Rice Lake, WI, Bayonne, NJ
• .357 revolver models include: Big Boy Revolver

4. Kimber Mfg. Inc

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 14,109 units (6.2% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Kimber’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 143,726 units (9.8% .357 revolvers)
• Kimber’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Troy, AL
• .357 revolver models include: K6S, DASA, DCR

3. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 52,311 units (22.8% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Ruger’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 1,305,615 units (4.0% .357 revolvers)
• Ruger’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Newport, NH
• .357 revolver models include: GP100, SP101, Redhawk, Vaquero, Single-Seven

2. Smith & Wesson Inc

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 67,888 units (29.6% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Smith & Wesson’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 991,847 units (6.8% .357 revolvers)
• Smith & Wesson’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): Columbia, MO, Maryville, TN, Springfield, MA
• .357 revolver models include: Model 19, Model 327, Model 640, Model 60

1. Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC

• Domestic .357 revolver manufacturing output in 2023: 82,194 units (35.9% of all domestically made .357 revolvers)
• Colt’s total domestic firearm production in 2023: 193,057 units (42.6% .357 revolvers)
• Colt’s domestic .357 revolver manufacturing location(s): West Hartford, CT
• .357 revolver models include: Python, Viper, King Cobra

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