Why Revolvers Faded from U.S. Military

In the U.S. military, revolvers were once standard sidearms, but they didn’t

disappear because of a single ban they were replaced by better technology. Semi-automatic pistols

like the Colt M1911, adopted in 1911 offered higher ammo capacity, faster reloads,

and better combat effectiveness than revolvers. Detachable magazines held 7+ rounds compared

to a revolver’s usual six. Revolvers still appeared in limited roles for decades

even into the 1980s and the U.S. Air Force used .38-caliber revolvers until the early 1990s.

But by the end of the Cold War, the military fully transitioned to semi-automatics

like the Beretta M9 and today’s M17/M18, mainly for logistics, training simplicity, and battlefield