What are you supposed to do with a cocked SAA?

Assuming that since the deer is down you are done hunting for the day, return the gun to half cock and unload it before moving. If it's too dark to see in the loading gate, run the ejecting rod through at least eight chambers to ensure all the rounds are out. If you are in questionable territory and might need the gun for self defense, reload it to safe carry standard..

Lower the hammer carefully all the way down so it can engage the bolt, draw it to half cock, turn the cylinder counting five clicks and disengage the hammer from half cock thus lowering it on an empty chamber. This is how I imagine it.

...return the gun to half cock and unload it before moving...

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The bolt will be engaged in the cylinder's bolt slot and will not allow you to turn it.

Best,
Boris

Mizar said:

The bolt will be engaged in the cylinder's bolt slot and will not allow you to turn it.

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You are quite correct and I should have been more clear in my message as I intended exactly what you wrote. The hammer must be lowered then returned to half cock.

RX-79G said:

So people in gunfights back in the day were kind of screwed by a break in the action, eh?

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Well, a couple of things to consider: 1)I highly doubt they had to deal with game wardens that tended to ask questions about having loaded firearms when not actively hunting. 2) I also doubt there were many hunter safety courses back in the age of single action revolvers talking about the evils of hiking in with a loaded gun. 3) See above about reloading to safe carry standard if needed 4) I suspect that people experiencing a "break in the action" back in the old days acted much like soldiers these days do and took the time to get as much ammo in a ready state as possible.... which isn't really applicable to your original question unless you expect zombie bambie to put up an unholy struggle.

You have a gun you carry that you don't know how to operate safely?? Are you serious??

Read your manual, find an instructor to teach you gun safety, don't carry or use until you are safe and competent with your firearm.


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No you asked how to 'safe' your revolver. You should know that before you take it out of the house.

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I lower the hammer down carefully, then bring it back to half cock, either eject and reload the empty chambers, or just rotate it 5 clicks and let the hammer down. I seem to be considered a heretic for not caring if theres a turn line or for letting the hammer down from half cock, but I don't really care if others think that. My guns have always functioned fine when so operated, so its a cosmetic concern, not a "This is the ONLY proper way and the world is going to end!" as far as function goes.

If operating the gun without counting clicks, skipping chambers and such, you can simply look at the side/rear of the cylinder and see the chamber thats empty and index it up. Not preferred for if theres a couple empty shells coming up, though you could index a couple rounds past the empty chamber to get back in order for the next round available to fire.

This is something that comes up semi-regularly when hunting with old type single actions. I used to hunt bunnies and squirrels with mine fairly regularly.

RX-79G said:

http://stevespages.com/pdf/colt_single_action_army.pdf

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OMG(osh), COLT doesn't know how to operate their guns!!!! Somebody should call them right away and tell them they are doing it wrong and to correct their manuals so there wont be a turn line and the guns wont self destruct!

RX-79G said:

That's an excellent point about the spent shells and looking for being able to see the empty chamber. It sounds like counting 5 clicks would be the gunfighter way to go.

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I think its probably good to have more than one way to know how to do it. It will make one a more well rounded operator of the pistol.


...and I do actually know the method most often proposed about cocking from half cock etc, with concern for making a turn line, it just isn't my preferred way.

I only carry 5 in my six gun so I would just lower the hammer on a live round, put on half cock, reload, rotate so that the next up is empty, cock, lower, done.

ETA: you can look at the back (left side) of the cylinder and see if the rim of a cartridge is coming up.

I also have not done a reload in conditions dark enough to not be able to see the rims of the cartridges in the cylinder.

I also carry a flashlight and would expect a hunter who just shot a deer at dark to have a flashlight on him as well. (otherwise, how would he find said deer?)

RX-79G said:

What do you mean? The instructions are clear, the execution is clumsy.

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I mean, when someone mentions lowering the hammer directly from half cock, theres a vocal following of the theory that the ONLY right way to operate a Colt single action is to pull the hammer all the way back instead of simply clearing the half cock and lowering it. The theory runs something like, they are deeply offended if theres evidence of a turn line, and anything that may contribute to a turn line must be wrong, and will probably ruin the gun. I think a turn line qualifies as ruining the gun and lowering the value to a fraction of its normal value if operated correctly. I'm exaggerating slightly, but not much.

Um... So you took two shots at a deer, but it's not light enough for you to see your skip chamber through the side of the revolver? Not light enough to see the empty chamber by opening the loading gate? And too loud to count 5 cock and decock cycles OR half cock and count clicks, full cock and decock again?

Generally when I shoot deer, I can see well enough to see my skip chamber through the side.