The single action revolver in the modern world

Heh. Maybe this wouldn't be the best time to point out that I have never actually touched a gun?

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Awfully strange thread to be started by someone who hasn't even touched a gun.

I often carry a Ruger Vaquero Sheriff's model in .45 Colt with short barrel and bird's head grips for "woods walking". Powerful caliber, compact package, and it fits the bill.

I can't think of a single day in the last 35-40 years when I haven't handled a gun of some type, and have access to just about anything that I want, but the SA is the weapon of choice for some applications. Additionally, if it was the only thing available if the SHTF, I wouldn't feel undergunned.

I have a plowhandle double action. It's an old H&R .22LR/.22WMR revolver, though, so I can't say how it would work with recoil. It's a thicker grip than a Colt SAA. I think that a DA revolver could work well with a plowhandle like a Ruger (also bigger and thicker than an old hogleg). It might take a little longer to get back on target than a typical DA grip, but with the right design it might work well.

One thing has become clear because of SASS competition: you can make a grip that gets back on target without the DA hump, by carefully designing thicker sections near the top of the grip, as well as carefully tweaking some other angles and curves. These grips fit on a Colt frame, and some swear by them.

Another option is the old Colt Lightning design, a bird's head grip with a flat top.

Heh. Maybe this wouldn't be the best time to point out that I have never actually touched a gun?

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May I ask why not? Are you interested in trying out the shooting sports?

*curious*

StrikeEagle

I often carry a Ruger Vaquero Sheriff's model in .45 Colt with short barrel and bird's head grips for "woods walking". Powerful caliber, compact package, and it fits the bill.

Nice choice ...

Didn't Ruger once offer a similar model chambered in .44 Magnum, with the highly polished stainless finish?

Arethusa...


Here is an interesting article (click here) I found on the internet on SA guns.

"Bit slow when it comes to reloading, though. "

For me, that's the main problem with using an SA as a self-defense gun. For nostalgia, at the range, for hunting animals that don't shoot back, it's fine.

"Bit slow when it comes to reloading, though. "

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That's why you have TWO!

Try SASS Shooting

I'm a hankerin' to do SASS shooting, but I'm short a few guns and the cash to buy them.

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ArmedBear, I shoot Cowboy Action (SASS) I and 99% of the Cowboy shooter crowd would be honored to have you at a shoot. Just log on to the SASS Club-Finder tool, Click your state and find a Club near you, Go to the shoot, Trust me on this. Cowboys are, by nature, nice people and I am sure you will be well taken care of. My first match I showed up with litteraly nothing. No guns, no leather, no ammo, and no clue. One fella lent me his spare gunbelt, someone else lent me a pair of sixguns (one buntline and one lightning, i called them the odd couple), and a 3rd pard lent me a shotgun and a rifle to use for the day. I had so much fun that later that day I bought my first sixgun, An EAA Bounty Hunter (not a good choice by the way).


That led up to where I am today, having the time of my life twice a month.

If you want to go to a SASS shoot in the ohio or missouri area let me know and I will be glad to lend ya my spare rig so you can have fun too.

The monthly club matches generaly charge a $15-$20 range fee and most provide a meal of some sort after the shoot

Dalton

I don't usually post to threads with these type of questions - always looking for that hidden motive

But - I'm at the office & don't feel like earning my pay yet so what the heck

FWIW, I think "shooting fun" is a practical use for a firearm & the SA revolver is well suited to it. Having to pull back the hammer to fire, opening the gate to load/unload 1 round at a time, etc. is just plain fun.

Aside from that, I believe that the SA trigger is a more simple design that that of a DA/SA trigger & is also very strong. For hunting I think it is ideal.

However, for SD I'll take a DA/SA or DAO revolver, or SA, DA/SA, or DAO semi-auto. A single action revolver will have to either be cocked to fire or held on a BG with the hammer cocked Too easy to have a ND that way in my book. With a a singe action semi-auto you'll have a safety to swipe off before firing; the others have the long & heavier DA trigger pull. I'll opt for any of those over the SA revolver.

For CCW, I carry either a J frame or preferably my compact 9mm DAO. Never said the SA was the chitzen for concealed carry. But, afield, when I'm out hiking or hunting, I normally carry a single action .45 Colt. I don't have to carry it IWB in the field, carried on the belt. It's powerful, unlike .38 or 9mm, for BIG stuff like bears if you're in bear country. Nope, it don't reload fast, you don't need to reload fast in the woods or mountains outdoors. It's quick on the draw, something that's good to have, and it points naturally from the hip up real close.

Every gun has its niche. The question was does the SA have a place in the modern world. Well, of course it does. Its place is the outdoors, though, not CCW. I will keep carrying my 9mm or my .38 daily for concealed carry, of course. That don't mean I wouldn't feel well armed against a human attacker with my Blackhawk, though, far from it! If I was afield and lets just say a guy decides to engage me at 50 to 100 yards. I wouldn't be very well armed with my 9mm, but I can actually make hits at extended range with my .45 Colt using my hot loads. It's not just useful at 3 yards shooting from leather, it's also very accurate at extended ranges. I'd actually rather have it for defense than a small or service size auto afield for that reason if nothing else. If I was all that worried about a shootout afield, lets say there was drug activity where I was hiking or something, I could always carry my 14 ounce 9mm as a backup. But, I never have anything more'n my .22 NAA extra with me when I'm hiking. Don't wanna carry a lot of hardware because of the weight, but I'll carry the Blackhawk because I want something that hits hard if I need it.

OK, your original question was concerning an instance where a SA would be preferable to an autoloader or double action. I don't know that that's been answered yet, but I'll give you one.

My brother is a 22 year old self employed plumber and parttime rancher. He does not have a concealed carry permit and probably won't ever get one, but that's beside the point. He carries a Ruger Vaquero in .45LC on his hip in a holster whenever he's out on the ranch, or whenever he goes out to a job in an unfamiliar place and is unsure of any dogs or people that might be around. If a customer or someone else inquires, "What'cha got there?" he just says "It's just an old cowboy gun." Folks let it go at that. In the truck, he takes it off and throws it over in the passenger seat in plain sight. I have been with him twice at license checks. He had it laying right where the officer could see it, in the holster. He told the officers that it was "just an old cowboy gun" and neither of them asked to see it or asked about any permit. The deal with carrying a single action is that, especially here in the south, it's "just an old cowboy gun," and it doesn't seem threatening to folks.

Yet, that old cowboy gun is the real deal when you need it. So far, my brother has kiled over 20 wild dogs and coyotes with it at the ranch. It came in handy one time on a two-legged varmint, too. We had just gotten back to the farm one day and were still sitting in the pickup truck when a guy rode up that owed my brother some money and had argued about paying it. The guy stepped out of his truck about 20 feet from us and started getting mouthy about what he oughta do to my brother for charging him so much and on and on. My brother opened up the truck door, stepped out with the Vaquero on his hip without saying a word. That guy shut up, pulled out his checkbook, and got going without any more trouble.

Go to a range with rental guns and try out as many as you can. You can't and shouldn't write about what you don't know.

Hey, he can write. It's a free country. No big deal. He has questions, ask away! First ammendment, ya know?

I carry a single action revolver regularly, either a Colt SAA in .357 Magnum (often loaded with .38 Specials) or a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt. Now admittedly I carry them in the woods, not while walking around town -- for that, I carry an M1911A1 and sometimes a Colt Detective Special.

Given a choice, I would not pick an SAA for self-defense -- too bulky, too slow to get off a second round, and too slow to reload. However, I would not feel helpless if that was all I had.

The day of my 21st birthday I walked into the gunstore and bought a New Model Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum. I'd spent so many years shooting my father's Ruger .44's, .45's, .357's, a .41 magnum & .30 Carbine ... as well as the Blackhawk .357 Magnum/9mm Convertible he'd previously given me ... that I decided the first revolver I bought for myself would be a .44 Magnum.

Of course, I also already owned a lightweight Commander, too.

The SA revolver is a bit of American history, and I suspect that many of us who grew up watching the TV and Drive-In Movie Westerns of the late 50's & early 60's were strongly influenced by them when it came to enjoying shooting sports. That, and my father's interest in them, were a rather strong influence on me.

The SA revolver is a viable hunting handgun.

Some folks may choose one for personal defense, or personal protection around their property, but the handling, manipulation, and unloading/loading requirements make the design a less than ideal choice when compared to more moden designs, especially when it comes to a cocked hammer over a live round. A cocked revolver (SA or DA) ... or even a cocked semiauto pistol, for that matter ... probably isn't the best choice for anyone not thoroughly trained in the safe handling of a cocked handgun, including the safe decocking of a cocked SA handgun. Lots of horror stories involving the unintentional (negligent) discharge of a cocked handgun where someone was seriously hurt or killed. There's certainly something to be said for DAO revolvers and pistols for actual defensive application.

Still lots a of enthusiasts of the venerable SA revolver, though ...

Archeologists at the Little Big Horn found few Colt .45 cases, and concluded that few soldiers actually used their SAAs, despite much indian (and survivor) testimony to the contrary.

Finally someone pointed out that lack of .45 cases doesn't mean the SAA was not used -- it only means that few men survived the reloading process.

The SAA was probably envisioned as more of an offensive weapon when issued to cavalry. Cavalry was a fast-attack force, and they weren't really equipped to hold positions. Their Colt issue pistol had a 7.5" barrel and was carried in a flap holster. Reloading and carrying extra ammo were, of course, quicker and easier than with its immediate predecessors like the Colt Dragoon, 1860 Army and Remington New Model Army. Little Big Horn wasn't exactly an offense, so the downsides of the design showed themselves.

As a defensive firearm, people who didn't have to deal with whatever the Army issued them had various preferences. Civilian options included top-break S&W revolvers, which loaded and ejected a lot like a modern S&W, as well as the practice of carrying several guns, usually smaller than the issue SAA.

As a defensive firearm, people who didn't have to deal with whatever the Army issued them had various preferences. Civilian options included top-break S&W revolvers, which loaded and ejected a lot like a modern S&W

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The Army did adopt the Smith & Wesson, the Schoefield version with the latch developed by Major Schoefield, 8th Cavalry. They bought 5,000 and issued them on the same basis as the Colt (but not mixing models within units.) Because the S&W cylinder was not as long as the Colt, a shortened .45 cartridge was developed -- which could be used in both Colts and S&Ws.

The Army withdrew the S&Ws from service after a few years and sold them as surplus (many of them to Wells, Fargo, which shorteded the barrels to 5 1/2" and stamped them as company property.)

The troops liked the shorter, reduced power cartridge, though, and it was standard as long as the SAA was in service.

For me, the single action just draws faster and shoots more instinctively 'from the hip' for when I don't have time, or take the time, to line the sights (snakes, gophers and whatnot in the pasture or on the trail....). The center of gravity riding lower also makes it a little more comfortable to wear while doing chores.

The center of gravity riding lower also makes it a little more comfortable to wear while doing chores.

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True. When I am mopping the kitchen floor, or doing the dishes, a SAA is the perfect carry gun.

Tonight I'm carrying concealed a Ruger Birdshead Vaquero .45 "by God" Colt.
Six shots available. Comfortable under an Orvis vest with khakis; also prefered sidearm on my motorcycle (chaps assist retention).

When just wearing khakis, I will carry the Taurus 85 in my pocket. Only five shots.

While bicycling, I will carry under my Orvis vest a Glock 27 (9 shots) due to the holster retention strap.

I will almost never have additional cartridges/magazines with me (which may be foolish), and therefore there is not significant difference between 6 & 9 shots. If I know I will need more than 6, I may need to rexamine where I'm going..


My guess is, for the bad guy, that looking down a barrel of a .45 colt is a little more intimidating than down the barrel of a chromed glock or baby blue taurus.

For some reason, the birdshead still makes me smile...

Does the single action revolver have a place in the modern world? Absolutely! As a firearm, SA wheelguns are exceptionally accurate. This is typically due to long sight radi and single action triggers. Also, they are chambered in powerful cartridges and they work as well as any other weapon out there.

Granted, there maybe some concern about reloading time or limited capacity, but overall, there is no reason to discount the single action revolver from being a viable weapon. I'm willing to bet no one here wants to be shot by a man wielding a single action revolver, but then again I bet none of us want to be shot by ANY firearm.

Plus, the sound of a single action's hammer being cocked sounds SO COOL!

-Rob

I've shot a few rnds before. I have a few handguns. But if I had to shoot "the" shot, I would want my Ruger Vaquero .45. One handed, one time, bang it's over.
kid