Best Single Action Revolvers...

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Sprice, I shoot cowboy (Single Action Shooters Society, SASS). I see a variety of single actions, with the Ruger Vaquero and the New Vaquero being the most common. I shoot Cimarron colt clones. I love my 1872 Open Tops, and like my Cimarron Model Ps only slightly less. If you are going into cowboy action shooting, and want an Italian clone, (I paid $900.00 for a pair in California) take a look at Taylor and Company's "Smoke Wagon" or Cimarrons " Evil Roy". They have wider front sights, and a wider notch at the rear sight. I am happy with my italian clones, but you can not go wrong with the Rugers.
 
Well, Ruger is only the second best .357 magnum single action extant. I will bow to the Freedom Arms revolvers. I own a Blackhawk, though. I own 7 Rugers total, two Blackhawks and an Old Army. I own the Blackhawks because, well, I like 'em, but they're the best that I can afford. I could do a whole lot worse IMHO. My .357 is a "new model" Blackhawk, but not the new small frame Vaq. I prefer adjustable sights on working guns. My guns ain't for playing games or lookin' at, they're for killin' things and outdoor carry.
 
My guns ain't for playing games or lookin' at
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At least one of 'em's pretty nice to look at.:)

Got a line on a guy from Montana who does that kind of work. When we sell our old home, I think I'll have something engraved.

The question is... What?:D
 
I've been thinking of having a Mark II Target done up, sort of a tongue-in-cheek idea, but I wonder how it would look. Half the people shooting at the club where I shoot pistol league after work have the things. It would be fun to have the "different" one.

A 629 might work, too. The local Elmer Keith museum gave me that idea, along with the recent post here "Skelton tribute". Keith's 29s were blue, of course, but he didn't seem to care for ANY guns unless they were engraved. He may not have been wealthy, but he had his priorities straight.:D
 
Dollar for dollar a New model Blackhawk is the best single action revolver today. It is bullet strong and probably the safest revolver on the market. A Freedom arms is nice but unless your shooting for competition I can not justify the cost.

That my take,
roaddog28
 
Well, i gotta admit, my Blackhawk shoots better'n I do. It will put 6 rounds into an inch off the bags at 25 yards with either of my loads, 300 grain XTP at 1120 fps or 255 Lee flat nose at about 950 fps. I know that I can't do better than that with iron sights, so the gun might actually be more accurate than that. That FA didn't shoot any better in that gunblast test I posted on the .45 thread that is current with this one. The Ruger isn't line bored, perhaps not as good a quality control, but at least MY gun is as good a shooter as was that test gun. My .357 shoots about as good as does the .45, too.
 
Being relatively new to single actions, might the OP be referring to the lock at the bottom of the mainspring assembly of the recent New Models? If so, just leave it unlocked and forget its there.

As stated, the Rugers are the most durable, accurate and reliable guns in the price range you are looking at. They are brutally strong, especially in 357 caliber. A 4.5" and 6.5" barrel is available so you can choose for a balance of power, weight and sight radius. The Colt clones typically have fixed sights and not very good ones, this is frustrating, especially when starting out shooting handgun. The adjustable sights on the Blackhawks will allow you sight in your revolver for that shooter.

I'd even put my neck out and say you won't find another single action near that good for money. My second handgun was (is) a Ruger Super Blackhawk, 7.5" blue New Model. I bought it new. It is highly accurate, you can't hurt it, put a sweet action job on it and I've been shooting it for almost 30 years. I've won trophies with it and every year we go looking for deer. This is one handgun I would really consider as an only handgun if it ever came to that.

OP, I know you said you didn't want the safeties, but for the performance, you can't get a better gun that's a better trainer, keeper and hunting companion.
 
.357 Ruger

So whats wrong with having your Old Model Ruger BlackHawk .357 modified it's free it improves safety not to mention you can safely carry 6 rounds instead of 5 all original parts are sent back to if you ever want to convert it it back to the original condition
 
no doubt in my minde a ruger blackhawk ive got 3 of them one in 22 lr/22mag,30 carbine and 44 mag one day a 357 mag and the transfer bar no problems with mine all work fine. and you can find them with a 9mm cylinder.
 
The fact is that the half-cock notch was considered an adequate safety by none other than John Browning,
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But the fact is, the safety notch & sear on a 1911 is about a 1/4" wide, and very heavy duty.

The same set-up on a Colt single-action is, as I said earlier, about the size of a flat toothpick.

BIG difference in impact resistance and likelihood of breakage.

rc
 
roaddog28 said:
Dollar for dollar a New model Blackhawk is the best single action revolver today. It is bullet strong and probably the safest revolver on the market. A Freedom arms is nice but unless your shooting for competition I can not justify the cost.

That my take,
roaddog28
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I have been thinking about getting a New Model Blackhawk convertible 9mm/357 in a 4 5/8 barrel. That gives me three choices in ammo. I am not a reloader and have to depend on whats availiable. One of the most availiable rounds is the 9mm luger. With the Blackhawk I would have the best of all worlds. Thats one of the reasons I think the Blackhawk is the best SA revolver.

roaddog28
 
I am with Roaddog28, I do not reload and for me the Ruger 357/9mm is so far the only single action I own.
 
Quote:
The fact is that the half-cock notch was considered an adequate safety by none other than John Browning,
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That is a "safety catch" on the Browning, not intended as a way to carry. If you wanna carry a 1911 condition 2, you can just lower the hammer all the way down on the firing pin. The firing pin will not protrude to the primer. The messiah...JMB... designed it to rebound. The hammer hits it and it hits the primer, then retracts back into the slide with the hammer down unless the firing pin return spring breaks. And, on a series 80, the firing pin is LOCKED unless the trigger is retracted.

Similarly, the hammer safety notch on a Colt SAA is there to catch the hammer should the thumb slip off upon cocking, not intended as a carry notch and since the firing pin is ON the hammer, protrudes with the hammer down, the ONLY safe way (I repeat, the ONLY) is to carry with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Don't be a Plaxico Burris know it all, be safe. As stated, the RUGER and some other single actions with transfer bar triggers can be carried with 6. I think the Beretta Stampede is one of those single actions, Colt look alike with a transfer bar action.
 
Smith and Wesson, Colt, Ruger, Uberti maybe, Puma maybe, Rossi and Taurus are good too. I owned a Rossi, my dad owns it now. It shoots extremely well. I shot clay birds on the ground with it at 60 yards. He shot it at paper and got 2" six shot groups.
 
Hard to beat Ruger in single action guns. Just a very solid platform . Can't guess how many I've shot, no problems that I can recall.
 
What the hell is the big hang up on the transfer bar safety like the one on my Vaquero (Older Model 44 Mag)? I've shot tons of rounds through it of just about any variety I've come across. Zero problems, period. I would always rather have the capacity of carrying more ammunition in my pistol than not, especially if it was designed to hold 6. It's safe. So are seat belts. So are airbags. These things help idiot-proof our life and the transfer bar safety is no different. Why should you have to learn special safety practices? I wouldn't trade my transfer bar equipped Vaquero for any other revolver without one. Why does it not make sense to make something as potentially dangerous as a heavy-caliber handgun as safe as possible? What do you do with your wheelguns that a transfer bar impedes? Let's not forget the part that having the transfer bar prevents that firing pin on your old school SAA from getting broken off rendering your pistol useless at that moment. The transfer bar has proven itself to be safe, reliable, and functional. What's wrong with that. Maybe I'm naive, maybe I'm ill-informed, and maybe I'm flat out wrong. I'd hate to be out teaching someone what little bit I know about shooting and have that hammer slip out from under their thumb with a SAA or clone in their hand.
 
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roaddog28, get that convertible and you will likely begin reloading. Makes nothing but sense when you put it all together. I'd like to get one of those too, now that you mention it.
 
I still say, after many SA Rugers, that the best SA trigger is in a S&W K, L, & N-frame. Very safe - with 5, 6, 7, or eight - whatever their capacity - hammer down (They all got a drop-safe hammer block after WWII.). My 63, my only SA-capable J-frame, isn't too shabby, either. The added benefit of going bang when you just pull the trigger - without cocking that hammer manually - can't be ignored, either.

Now, if you have to have a SA-only - and you like the SAA - don't overlook the USFA offerings. If you don't mind a pedestrian finish, that Rodeo is a bargain. Made where the old Colts were - but with modern equipment - they are all super performers.

If you want a calibration standard for the worst trigger available, get a re-arsenalled Russian 1895 Nagant. DA or SA, you'll hear your finger's ligaments/muscles stretching long before it goes bang. Ruger SA's are somewhere between a S&W in SA and a Nagant.

If I ever get another SA, it will likely be a USFA revolver.

Stainz
 
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