Anyone carry a Single Action Revolver?

[355sigfan]

I would assume people in general would be more receptive to open carry of a SA revolver then say an evil looking Glock 7 in a thigh holster.

END QUOTE

It has been my experience that people who don't like guns, don't like any guns from a simple 22 chipmunk to the latest tactical black AR15.

Please don't talke this personally that means anyone. But I feel its idiotic to carry a single action revolver as a selfprotection piece. They are fun to shoot and play with but they are obsolete and thats not even open to debate.

They so slow to reload your screwed if you need more than 6 rounds. And despite what a lot of armchair optimist say people do need more than 6 rounds from time to time. Most people are slow at firing single actions.

Thats my 2 cents.
Pat

 

[Wedge]

They so slow to reload your screwed if you need more than 6 rounds.

But loading an empty magazine is so much faster

 

[Majic]

They are fun to shoot and play with but they are obsolete and thats not even open to debate.

For something that is obsolete they sure are used daily by a lot of people not playing or having fun, but actually working.

 

[Kurt S.]

EAA "Bounty Hunter" in .45 Colt has been my hunting sidearm for several years now. It's lighter and holsters better than either one of my S&W .44 magnums.

When I lived in Florida I had a .357 Ruger Blackhawk for a truck gun (pre-CCW days, circa mid '70s).

 

[355sigfan]

But loading an empty magazine is so much faster
END

Actually it is because you don't have to empty the magazine of spent casings. Secondly only an idiot carries loose spare ammo for a auto loader instead of a spare mag. This is a non issue.

QUOTE
For something that is obsolete they sure are used daily by a lot of people not playing or having fun, but actually working.
END

Working in what capacity. As a train gun or as a ranch gun maybe. But I see no serious people carring them for self defense. Might as well carry a flintlock.
Pat

 

[azrael]

a flintlock?? now that is just silly...

I dont deny that there are better weapons to use for ccw, however I still think that they are a viable weapon to use when camping and hiking..

Single action=lighter weight than a standard double action

 

[popbang]

azrael, there is really no use of debating with 355sigfan. He views revolvers in general as obsolete. And the thought of anybody carrying a single action revolver must drive him crazy.

I don’t believe anybody has said that a single action revolver was the best concealed carry weapon out there. The thread began by asking if anybody did carry one. If a person practices diligently with their chosen carry piece I have no problem with what they carry. Practice with the style gun you carry and recognize its shortcomings. Every platform has shortcomings that need to be addressed, and on the other side, all have virtues. The virtues of a single action are its reliability, recoil handling, pointability, and familiarity to name a few. At least these are the reasons I carry a Vaquero.

 

[Wedge]

Speed loaders for single actions work just fine...tube o' bullets.

 

[seeker_two]

They so slow to reload your screwed if you need more than 6 rounds. And despite what a lot of armchair optimist say people do need more than 6 rounds from time to time.

Just how much are you planning to miss?....

If you practice w/ it & use good tactics, a good SA revolver will serve you in a SD situation just as well as any other firearm. Reloads are slow, but that's when you go to your second gun--if necessary.

Speed loaders for single actions work just fine...tube o' bullets.

If you have a SA that uses autopistol cartridges, you can load from magazines too. And I often use SKS stripper clips for my .38/.357 sixguns (same rim diameter).

Any gun will do if YOU will do....

 

[azrael]

8mm mauser stripper clips will work for 45 acp and .45 colt IIRC...

 

[355sigfan]

a flintlock?? now that is just silly...
END

So is carrying a single action revolver. For outdoor use I don't have a problem with them other than if you run across an armed human predator then your at a disadvantage.
Pat

 

[azrael]

355sigfan,
You have a point about an "armed" human opponent..

however, most of us are talking about carrying a singleaction for less than "social occasion"...

where I live the chances of me being harrased by a "human" are next to none...The chances of me being accosted by an animal are much higher...So I plan for animals...Sometimes BIG animals..and that means a single action..

If I have to shoot a person (God forbid) My "animal" loads are prolly not going to tickle him..

 

[Majic]

For outdoor use I don't have a problem with them other than if you run across an armed human predator then your at a disadvantage.

You really shouldn't underestimate a firearm or the person using it. There are people in the world who can surprise you at what they can do with a single action revolver. If you haven't seen them don't mean they don't exisits.

 

[sitkablacktail]

I carry my 41mag Blackhawk all the time I live in the woods. But I'm thinking of switching to a double action 45 Colt.

 

[355sigfan]

You really shouldn't underestimate a firearm or the person using it.
END

There are some gifted people but the average joe is far better off with an auto or a good da revolver. I can reload faster with my autos or da revolvers than Bob Mundan can with a SAS.
Pat

 

[Majic]

A lot of people get along just fine with only 5 or 6 shots carried on them. If anyone chooses to carry a large supply of ammo with them all day everyday then that's just fine, but for those of us who just carry what the revolver will hold then reloading becomes a moot point.

 

[355sigfan]

but for those of us who just carry what the revolver will hold then reloading becomes a moot point.
END QUOTE

With respect to you and your views. If your carring a revolver or auto with no spare ammo you need to rethink what your doing. Yes the average gun fight may be over before 5 or 6 rounds are expended. But I will tell you something, there is nothing average about a gunfight. I recomend people carry at least one full reload for whatever they are carring. No one has died wishing he had less ammo.
Pat

 

[seeker_two]

I can reload faster with my autos or da revolvers than Bob Mundan can with a SAS.

I've seen how accurately Bob Munden shoots. I doubt he'd even NEED to reload...

 

[BluesBear]

I used to carry a 3" Colt Sheriff's Model in .44 Special. If I needed more than 5 rounds there was always that S&W M40 on my ankle.

In the winter, when carrying my Commander or my Model 58 I often carried the Colt as a coat pocket gun.

 

[FPrice]

Thefumegator...

"Anybody carry one? Know anybody that does?"

No to both questions.

However (I didn't see this mentioned by anyone else) Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch fame, IIRC, experimented with carrying a SA revolver for "social purposes" several years ago. He also held several classes with Cowboy-style shooters using Old West firearms. You may want to see if his results and findings are archived anywhere. My memory is hazy on most of this subject but I think that he found that it could work if you practised diligently, but it was not recommended as a replacement for modern firearms.

 

[Oracle]

Why do we feel the need to tell others what they "should be doing"? I mean, seriously, if a person feels comfortable using a single-action as their carry gun, or carry a revolver (or any gun, for that matter) without a reload, what business do I have telling them that they "need to rethink what they are doing"?

You can state that you disagree, and what your opinions are, but that's all they are, opinions. Each of us will have to make do with what we have if we are in a situation in which we need it. And if someone is likely to carry a single-action more often than they would a more "modern" firearm, I'd say that they were better off carrying that single-action, because they'd be more likely to have it when they need it. Truthfully, the likelihood of you needing a firearm at all is rather low, and needing more than 6 shots to resolve the situation is even lower. That doesn't mean that I advocate not carrying a firearm, but it does mean that I tend not to look down my nose at other people's choices of what they carry, if I have a different opinion, I may state that, but I leave it at that. Different people have different needs,wants, and aptitudes; and all the "tactical wisdom" in the world won't override that.

 

[BluesBear]

Well said Oracle.

Sadly, there will always be some persons who, upon hearing an opinion differing from theirs, will persist in attempting to indoctrinate, er, um, I mean educate, the rest of us into submission.

The theory that "one size fits all" sounds nice but in reality never seems to be true.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Dad does. 44 SBH everywhere except in town. Why?
Because he's more proficient with that than any other handgun he owns.
He's a big man(6'1" and 260lbs.) and handles it's recoil extremely well. If he can't do what's needed with it, it was a situation that really needed a rifle to begin with.

In town it's a 3" security six loaded with winchester 38+p+ 147gr hp. These chrono out at 950 in the security six, and POI matches POA. He practices with it regularly, but he's still handles the SBH better due to years more practice with it. The only reason for carrying this instead of the 44 is it's concealability vs. the 7.5" barrel on the SBH.

 

[WheelMan]

I don't think carrying a single action for defense is silly at all. Presupposing a basic level of skill I'd say the percentages are in your favor (chance of needing to present your weapon, chance of needing to discharge your weapon, chance of needing more than 6 rounds). Would you be more prepared if you had a gun that held more rounds or could be reloaded faster? Yes, but you'd also be more prepared if your car was bullet proofed and you wore a vest and helmet everywhere you went. It's all about what "percentage" you're comfortable with.

I also don't see why some people would advise a single action for woods carry but not street carry. The only difference I see is that bigger things might attack you in the woods. A mountain lion jumping onto your back worse than any surprise mugging. All the same factors apply.

Lastly, There's one situation where I could see a single action as being actually advantageous. That is if you're an avid (and skillful) CASS shooter. If that's what you practice with and are good with by all means carry it. I'd rather a .45 Colt that I've drawn and fired a million times than an Uzi I just picked up, to make an extreme example. And woe to that bad guy if you're tops in the gunfighter class, 10 .45s are not going to do him any good.

 

[Hatchett]

When hunting, I've carried a Super Blackhawk more than a few times. That's about it.