Revolver popularity is seemingly still on an uptick. Concealable small-frame DA wheelguns with “snub” barrels are popular for self-defense, while those with longer barrels are the choice for duty use, as a field companion, and in various shooting competitions. Single action revolvers are the favorites of cowboy action shooters and handgun hunters. Here are the new or new versions of the SA/DA and SA revolvers that I saw at the 2026 SHOT Show…
Top 20 Revolvers
Charter Arms Boomer Off Duty
First introduced about 10 years ago, the Boomer is built on the classic Bulldog frame, and at the time, had a bobbed hammer. The newest version of this round-gun in .44 Special, has a 5-shot cylinder, and a completely concealed hammer, ideal for pocket carry. A true “belly gun,” it is sans front sight and the 2-inch barrel is ported. For good rapid-fire control, it has compact black rubber grips, with texturing and finger grooves that fit high on the grip frame. The model shown has stainless-steel barrel, frame, and fluted cylinder which is clear-coat finished.
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Chiappa Rhino L Frame 60 DS
To date, there are 60 different versions of the Rhino DA revolver and for 2026, six more have been added in .44 Magnum. The version shown has a black finish, black rubber Hogue grips that are textured with finger grooves, and a 6-inch barrel. The barrel is what is unique on the Rhino as it and the frame are configured to fire the lowest chamber in the 6-shot cylinder. This gives the gun a lower bore-axis for better recoil management and muzzle flip control. With a 7075-T6 alloy frame and steel barrel and cylinder, it has an empty weight of 40 oz. The rear sight is adjustable and there’s a ramp front sight; both are fiber-optic. An accessory rail is built into the huge top barrel rib and in the rib on the bottom of the barrel. The thumb latch is large and scalloped and the hammer is skeletonized.
Colt Blued Anaconda .44 Magnum
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Along with the Python, this year Colt is offering its large frame Anaconda in .44 Magnum with a polished blue finish. The one shown has a 6-inch barrel, which gives it an O/A length of 13.0-in. and a height of 7.2-in., with an empty weight of 53 oz. It will also be available with 4.25 and 8.0-in barrels. It’s so new that it’s not even shown on the Colt website. Features include a red ramp front sight, adjustable rear sight, and the laminated wood stocks appear to be from Altamont, and have stylized checkering, plus a gold Colt medallion. The one that I shot an Industry Day at the Range had the same set-up, and with .44 Special JHP ammunition, it was easy to control, with a low level of felt recoil.
Colt Night Cobra Special
This latest rendition of the Night Cobra is constructed of stainless-steel, with a matte black finish, 2-inch barrel, brass bead front sight with fixed notch rear sight, and checkered walnut service-type stocks, with a gold Colt medallion (Altamont?). The barrel has an integral ejection rod shroud, there an exposed hammer with serrated spur, and it is chambered for .38 Special (+P rated) cartridges. O/A length is 7.20-in. and it has an empty weight of 25 oz. It is shipped in a Colt Blue plastic carrying case, with a safety padlock and owner’s manual. This D-frame six-shooter will make a great EDC.
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Diamondback Arms SDR Polished Stainless Bobbed Hammer
Diamondback Firearms is offering a new version of their popular SDR, 6-shot .357 Magnum revolver. The version shown has a 2-inch barrel, polished stainless-steel frame barrel and cylinder, and has a bobbed/spurless hammer with the action changed to DAO. This makes it great for pocket carry and you get .357/.38 +P firepower. Other features include fixed, low-profile fiber-optic sights, shrouded ejector rod, push-in cylinder release, chamfered cylinder chambers, and Hogue black rubber grips. The DAO trigger pull weight is 9-11.5 lbs. non-stacking, and I believe this as I’ve tested an SDR before.
Diamondback SDR-A
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Another new for 2026 Diamondback snub is the SDR-A. This lightweight, 6-shot snub rated for .38 Spl. +P, has a profile similar to the S&W model 38 Bodyguard, only its hammer is completely concealed, making it DAO. The trigger pull is smooth and consistent with a 9-11.5 lb. non-stacking pull. The 7075 T-6 forged aluminum frame and stainless-steel barrel and cylinder have a glass bead-blasted DBguard finish. Up front is a fixed fiberoptic orange sight and in the rear a fixed sight in a dovetail that’s low-profile with green fiber optic “dots” on either side of the sight notch. With a 2-inch barrel, the O/A length is 6.7-in., the height 4.92-in., and the empty weight a mere 15.6 oz. It comes standard with black rubber Hogue combat-style grips.
Henry Repeating Arms Big Boy Deadeye Revolver
This .357 Magnum sixgun was unveiled by Henry in 2023. Last year, I took a tour of the Henry factory and was asked what I’d like to see done. My answer was a Big Boy with an adjustable rear sight they are calling the “Deadeye.” Well, look what I saw at the Henry booth on Industry Day at the Range. Looks-wise, it reminds me of the rear sight on the 2020 Colt Python, and it’sfully adjustable for elevation and windage. I was disappointed to see a red fiber-optic front sight. I does show up well when shooting outdoors, but I’d like to see a brass bead option as it’sfastened to the barrel with a screw. Otherwise, it’s identical to its older sibling; with a deep blue finish, brass grip frame/trigger guard assembly, and square-butt Gunfighter or birdshead smooth walnut stocks.
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Henry Repeating Arms Golden Boy Deadeye Revolver
Introduced a year after the Big Boy sixgun, the Golden Boy Deadeye is a 10-shooter chambered in .22 RF and will take Short, Long or Long Rifle cartridges. The adjustable rear sight version is being debuted at the same time as the Big Boy adjustable sight model and has the same rear adjustable and fiber-optic front sight. It also has the same grip options, finish, and dimensions, except for the empty weight, which is 36 oz. A feature it shares with the Big Boy is a transfer barin the action that helps prevent an accidental discharge. Shown in the version with the birdshead stock. It makes a great companion for the Golden Boy .22 lever action rifle.
North American Arms Long Rifle Oval Ornate Belt Buckle
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These buckles were quite popular in the past and held one of tiny NAA mini-revolvers in .22 Short. A 50th Anniversary Buckle for is now available, but so is a tastefully ornate buckle that holds a NAA .22 LR mini-revolver. The buckle itself is about 3.75-inches in diameter and fits belts from 1-1.5-inches wide. A NAA -22LR mini-revolver with a 1.13-inch is included with the buckle and is the only size that will fit.
This little “pea-shooter” is a single action, with a 5-shot cylinder, 4.0-in. length, 2.38-in. height, a width of 0.88-in., and an empty weight of 4.6 oz. The buckle weighs more than the gun inside it. Features include all stainless-steel construction, a half-moon front sight, spur trigger, rosewood birdshead stocks, cut-outs in the rear of the cylinder to place the hammer nose and other cuts that show the cartridge rims. The buckle has a secure clip release for the little five-shooter.
North American Arms Recluse
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The Brown Recluse spider is small and has a nasty, venomous bite. The same attributes apply to the NAA Recluse mini-revolver. the Recluse with a 2” barrel. Named for the deadly Brown Recluse spider, it offers 5 rounds of .22 Magnum firepower. This little stainless-steel wheelgun is single action, with a spur trigger, and like the older Sidewinder has a swingout cylinder, but the ejector rod/cylinder release is a hybrid of the Pug with more easily manipulated square contours. Features include with XS sights; the front sight having a big white dot, and they’re drift adjustable for windage. Grips are oversized black rubber GMM-M type to help control muzzle flip and recoil. Overall length is 5.75,” height is 3.75,” and it has an empty weight of just 8.8 oz.
Pietta USA Blacktooth
In the revolver world, the big news is that Pietta, through EMF, is bringing back a true clone of the Colt Python. Not a copy of the 2020 CNC-made sixgun, but one that replicates the original action to the point that the parts will be interchangeable with those of vintage snake-guns. The one shown at the 2026 SHOT Show has a 6-inch barrel, polished blue finish and checkered walnut stock with an EMF medallion.
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I’d talked with Pietta reps about this several SHOT Shows ago, and after the 2020 Python was released, figured it was a dead issue, but no, it is already available in Italy, and will be shipping at some point in 2026. It has the vent-rib and full underlug barrel, adjustable rear sight and ramp font sight of the original, but there are no published specs on this wheelgun at present. The estimated MSRP is around $1,100.00, which is less than the Colt product.
Smith & Wesson Spec Series R Model 686
The folks at S&W have introduced a new version of the L-frame Model 686 Plus, 7-shot, .357 Magnum DA revolver. This special edition has as its biggest feature a factory-installed Aimpoint ACRO P-2 red dot reflex sight. A fully adjustable rear sight also comes with the gun, and it has a red ramp front sight. Constructed of stainless-steel, it has a 4.13-inch stainless-steel barrel (1:10 twist), with a full-length rib and underlug, plus a PowerPort at the muzzle.
The barrel and frame have a titanium color Cerakote finish, while the unfluted cylinder has a black PVD finish and is cut for moon-clips (10 included). It also has a black PVD finished extended cylinder release latch, checkered hammer spur, smooth-faced trigger, plus traditional checkered walnut target stocks. O/A length is 9.5-inches, height 7.0-in., with an empty weight of 42.4 oz. and there’s no internal lock. The Series R comes in a Savior Equipment pistol bag with a Series R folding knife, coin, and patch.
Spohr N643 Standard 6.0
The newest wheelgun from Spohr is built on their large frame and has an 8-shot cylinder (moon-clip cut) in .357 Magnum. All stainless-steel, with a satin finish, with a polished band around the cylinder at the locking slots, it has a 6-inch cold hammer-forged polygon-rifled barrel, wire eroded trigger system with smooth-faced trigger and adjustable stop, serrated hammer spur and over-sized cylinder release latch, fully adjustable LPA TXT rear sight, and patridge-type target front sight. The walnut stocks are checkered Nill Phil Hemphill match grips. The N643 comes delivered in a premium, hard-side gun case.
Special Distributor Exclusives
Talo Diamondback SDR Two-Tone
This Diamondback Arms SDR .357 Magnum DA revolver is a Talo Exclusive, and has a contrasting aspect with its stainless-steel barrel and frame finished in black nitride, while the cylinder is left with in satin finish, along with the hammer and trigger. It has a 3-inch barrel, six-shot cylinder, a fiber-optic orange front sight, and a fixed rear sight in a dovetail, with greenfiber-optic dots on either side of the square notch. O/A length is 6.53-inches, the empty weight is 21.20 oz., has black rubber Hogue Monogrips, and it comes in a plastic case.
Lipsey’s Exclusive S&W Nightguard Model 386
Back by popular demand is the Exclusive Nightguard from Lipsey’s. This version is built on the Model 686 Plus platform, but has a scandium frame and barrel shroud with stainless-steel barrel,and cylinder. A 7-shot .357 Magnum with a 3-inch barrel, it has an O/A length of 8.18-in., an empty weight of 24 oz., comes with Hogue black rubber grips, and all-over black finish. Other features include an XS front night sight, adjustable rear sight, and no internal lock.
Lipsey’s Exclusive S&W Nightguard Model 396
If you’re looking for a potent self-defense revolver with less blast and recoil than a .357 Magnum; the new Exclusive Nightguard in .44 Special might just fill the bill. Based on the medium-plus L-frame, it has a 5-shot cylinder, and like the 386, has a scandium frame and barrel shroud with stainless-steel barrel, and cylinder. It also sports an all-black finish, XS front night sight, adjustable rear sight, black rubber Hogue grips, and doesn’t have the pesky internal lock. Dimensions are slightly different than on the 386, with the O/L length at 8.18-in., and an empty weight of 23 oz.
RSR Exclusive Colt King Cobra Carry
This sixgun reminiscent of the Colt Magnum Carry that came out in 1999. As such, it has an all-stainless-steel construction that has been given a high polish. It has a 2-inch barrel with ejector rod shroud, black post front sight with a brass bead that can be easily replaced, a fixed notch rear sight, and black textured rubber combat-style grips. O/A length is 7.0-inches and it weighs 26 oz. unloaded; MSRP is listed at $1,119.00 and it ships in a Colt blue plastic carrying case.
RSR Exclusive Taurus USA 66 Combat
This new version of the medium-frame Taurus Model 66 revolver in .357 Magnum has an unfluted, 7-shot cylinder, bobbed hammer with Tuned Combat DAO trigger, and is constructed of stainless-steel, with a satin finish. It’s equipped with a 3-inch barrel with ejector rod shroud, full-length ejector rod, and green fiber-optic front sight. The rear sight is a fixed notch; the trough for this sight is also drilled and tapped to allow mounting a red dot reflex sight. On the right side of the ejector rod shroud is laser-engraved COMBAT and it wears black, textured Hogue Monogrips.
Sports South Ruger 0680 Blackhawk
For you single action (SA) aficionados, we have this Sports South Exclusive Ruger in .22LR with a 6-shot, unfluted cylinder, all-stainless-steel construction, and based on the Ruger Bisley platform. The barrel is 6.5-inches in length, O/A length of 12.38-in., and it has the Bisley-type hammer, grip frame, and smooth hardwood stocks with Ruger medallions. Other features are a brushed stainless finish, black ramp front sight, and adjustable rear sight, and it comes boxed with a safety padlock and owner’s manual.
Zanders Rock Island M206 Revolver
If you want to get down to basics and want a budget-priced sixgun for self/home defense, take a look at this offering from Zanders. This is their no-frills Rock Island Armory-made DA revolver in .38 Special. It has a bobbed hammer to make it easier to draw from concealment. It looks ‘S&Wish,” but has a Colt-type cylinder release latch, a ramp front sight on its 2-inch barrel, a fixed-notch rear sight, smooth-faced hammer, and shrouded ejector rod. Its checkered hardwood stocks extend below the bottom of the grip frame to give it a round-butt profile. The O/A length is 9.25-inches, the empty weight is 24 oz., and it has a transfer bar safety.
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