SA or DA

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

KaceCoyote

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2004
Messages
1,471
Location
St.Louis Missouri
So really, for non CCW carry like just woods walking and target shooting. Will a DA revolver do anything a "cowboy" style revolver wont? I mean this is not going to ever be a CCW peice, but it will be carried deep into the woods and shot every time I head to the range.
 
I have accually carried a SA 4 3/4 barrel for CCW a time or 2.There is an old saying that goes,be carefull of the man with one sixgun,he probably knows how to use it.Practice with it and enjoy.look back in history.People don't change,just the times do.It didn't slow down Wild Bill Hickock,or even Patten for that matter.
vicspank
 
DA - It will load and unload with ease in comparison to the SA. Maybe not a big deal, but since you asked .
 
SA usually fits my hands better. Reloading is really the only difference. I would say its a matter of fit and preference.
 
A SA would do everything I need it to do at the range or in the woods...but I hate the grips on SAs.

I own a GP-100 and Super Redhawk...will probably never own a SA.
Who knows, maybe I'll get a single six.
 
I love SAA styled guns (I'm a sucker for those classic lines), but there is an incredibly huge difference in the ejection and reload speed.

You get cornered by a couple aggressive 'yotes or an angry brown bear and 5 or 6 rounds of .357 or 44mag might not be enough unless you are a way better shot at moving targets than I am.
 
I prefer single actions in big calibers like .45 colt. I have DAs I carry in the woods, but my faves are Blackhawks for power and ease of shooting. The down side to my Blackhawks is weight, they're a bit heavy on the hip after a day of hiking. That's why I often take a 4" K frame .357 along instead.

You get cornered by a couple aggressive 'yotes or an angry brown bear and 5 or 6 rounds of .357 or 44mag might not be enough unless you are a way better shot at moving targets than I am.
Click to expand...

Cornered by coyotes???? ROFLMFAO! You're kiddin', right?

I think the nearest brown bear to Texas is about 3K miles, so I don't worry much about that, either. Only thing around here half way to worry about is feral dog packs. There are lots of hogs, but unless you're blood trailing a wounded one, they ain't gonna eat you.

For brown bears, though, I want a powerful caliber. If you ain't killed him by five, just save the last one for yourself. Bears are fast. I doubt you'd have time to get off a second shot in an attack.
 
cornered by a Coyote? I've been hunting Coyotes for five years now and I aint never been "cornered" by a Coyote, infact I've only seen one that didnt break and run when he realized I was there and thats because he sick.

We dont have brown bears here, just blacks and even then reguardless of the fact that rangers say they're here I aint never seen so much as a track of one that wasnt in a zoo.

Reload speed is a legit concern however, I sort've forgot theres a loading gate thing going on.
 
So far my experience has led me to believe that the SAA design has at least one situation where it is far superior to almost anything else.

Riding horseback.

Example one, you are riding and you have the pistol out for some reason. The horse bucks or moves and you grip the reins tighter. Your other hand clenches in sympathy. Uncocked SAA, no big deal. Semi-Auto or DA...BANG.

Example two, fairly active mountain trail ride. Arrive at camp to find that not only had my semi-auto somehow ejected the magazine without me noticing. Never did find the mag. An SAA pistol would never do that.

Example three, raced badk to camp after a fun day-ride. S&W 686 in a shoulder holster somehow became loose in holster AND the cyllender somehow came partway open. Lost two of six rounds. (really glad I didn't loose the gun...replaced the damned holster after that).

It has never ceased to amaze me how riding a horse tests equipment. Things get banged around, knocked out of allignment, stuffed with hair and grit, on and on and on. That's where the brick-simple SAA design really shines.
 
A single action also gives your horse an unmistakable heads up "click" that there is a loud bang coming next, may save you a sore backside and a walk home. Other than the inability to reload diff. power levels of ammo/shot quickly and all in one speedloader, I love SA's.
 
"KaceCoyote So really, for non CCW carry like just woods walking and target shooting. Will a DA revolver do anything a "cowboy" style revolver wont? I mean this is not going to ever be a CCW peice, but it will be carried deep into the woods and shot every time I head to the range."

I own, carry and use both single and double action revolvers. I can come up with a bunch of reasons to prefer one over the other but to answer the question you asked ...will a DA revolver do anything a 'cowboy' style revolver wont?"... Yes, out of the box, a double action revolver will be more accurate than a single action revolver of comparable cost.

For some reason that eludes me, most single action revolvers (I can only speak about Colt and italian clones) don't seem to be able to produce the accuracy I like with a lot of work. My double action revolvers (S&W) have never needed any gunsmithing beyond a good cleaning and some dry firing to smooth out the action.

Having said that, I often carry the single action when awake.
 
for non CCW carry like just woods walking and target shooting. Will a DA revolver do anything a "cowboy" style revolver wont?

Short answer: no.

Several posters have pointed out you can reload a DA faster, but how often are you going to empty a 6-shooter and need a quick reload in the woods?
 
Yes, out of the box, a double action revolver will be more accurate than a single action revolver of comparable cost.
Click to expand...

I'll challenge that statement, to an extent. Why? Because:

- if the SA has adjustable sites
- if the SA has a decent trigger
- if the SA isn't competing in a timed event
it should be able to hang with a DA. (Case in point: Ruger Blackhawks)

Why? What is a revolver other than a frame with a cylinder suspended in its middle, turned by the action that is cocked either by thumb (SA) or finger (DA). A properly timed SA should shoot VERY well, because it doesn't have a long, wobbly DA pull to roll through.

Now, I know that not every SA has excellent sites, a great trigger, and timed well. To that end, I'll also say that not every DA has a tight lock-up, great sights, or a good DA pull.

If one is hunting or plinking, a SA is PLENTY of gun, unless one is hunting stuff that bites back. :) Besides, if you're shooting hot handloads (or hot factory, i.e. Cor-Bon) it's alot easier to jack one stuck case out at a time than 6! Too, if you're hunting/plinking and take a shot or two, it's easier to dump out and reload two than hit the 6-cylinder extractor, fish out the empties, and reload 6 fresh ones. For self-defense, a SA is better than nothing, but a DA would probably be a better choice. However, the SA did this job for 70+ years in a most excellent fashion. Even thru WWII, a few Texas Rangers packed the good ol' Model P as sidearms.

Most of this is paraphrased from Skeeter Skelton, one of the great SA champions from the 50s thru the 70s.

Well...that's my 2 cents worth. Having said all of that, I own DAs, but if the opportunity presented itself for a nice SA, I would consider it.

Q
 
I'll match the accuracy of my .45 colt blackhawk to ANY DA revolver. I can't shoot the gun as accurate as the gun can shoot. If I had a Ransom Rest with proper inserts, I'm SURE it'd shoot better than the 1" 25 yard groups I get out of it at 25 yards. With irons, I can put 6 shots into 4-6" at 100 yards with my 6.5" .357 Blackhawk and use that gun for hunting. It's killed a couple of deer. I owned a Smith and Wesson M19 and a Ruger Security six that couldn't out shoot it. From what I understand, though they're a little out of my price range, Freedom Arms revolvers are about as accurate as wheel guns get. But, Blackhawks are plenty accurate enough for me.

Thing is, the single action is a far stronger design than the DA. It has no side plate and it has no cylinder crane. This also allows the SA in large calibers like .454 Casull or even .45 Colt +P strength guns (Blackhawks) to be lighter than a comparably chambered DA gun. The Raging Bull or a big Redhawk is a heavy 50 some odd ounce gun while a Blackhawk weighs around 40 ounces in 4 5/8". Now, that doesn't matter for hunting, but for general carry field it's a lot lighter on the hip and every ounce counts to a back packer.

The only time you might need a quick reload is if you stumble into a marijuana patch in the mountains guarded by an armed proprietor or 10. In that case I'd rather be carrying my high cap 9 or maybe better a shotgun or rifle. For any sort of animal defense (highly unlikely it'd ever be needed and I've done a lot of hiking unarmed in national parks) the single action is plenty. You won't need a quick reload and you won't need DA.

Down here and out where I hike and hunt in New Mexico, I don't need anything more than a DA medium frame .357 and that's what I've most often carried, though I have toted both of my blackhawks out west at one time or another. But, if I think I need more caliber, I'll default to my .45 Colt Blackhawk in a heartbeat. I carry it a lot as a back up when hog hunting. I've had to blood trail pigs before and have been charged by one. A BIG hog can take some killin' to put down. I got the Blackhawk when I was going out at night a lot with a guy hunting with dogs. It was security as we used knives to do the killin'. But, I wanted something light (chasing dogs can be strenuous) and powerful beyond .357 or .45ACP. The Colt is my favorite. I don't chase hogs anymore, but still tote the gun once in a while for back up.
 
Got to agree with MCgunner about the accuracy of the single action. I have both a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 and a Blackhawkhawk in .45 Colt that are both tack drivers if I do my part. The BH is easier to carry for long periods because it's lighter. To give the double action it's due though, I have a S&W 66 that's almost as good accuracy wise, plus it's the easiest of all to carry all day even with it's 6" barrel.
 
I, too, will challenge that statement and claim that my fixed sight .357 Vaquero will hold its own with any stock DA .357 revolver. I have 4 DAs (3 S&W, one Taurus) so I know from whence I speak.

I can believe that a Uberti type revolver isn't that accurate. They're marketed to people who are more concerned about looks, and being able to shoot targets 10' in front of them, than they are about being able to hit a bullseye at 50 yards. I've heard some Vaqueros aren't that accurate, or at least don't shoot to POA. I got lucky with mine.

But people who shoot big guns at big distances do very much care about accuracy, and a lot (most?) of those people are shooting SAs.

-- Sam
 
IF you understand how to handle recoil by way of the SA grip's "roll in the hand" trick, an SA revolver can handle more power for a given weight than a DA wheelgun.

The SA system doesn't get along with everybody but if it fits you and you're willing to learn it, what you get in return is reliability, accuracy and good "first shot speed".

---

My Ruger New Vaquero in 357 with modded sights will hold it's own in the accuracy department with any $600-and-under gun of any type, short of MAYBE some of the better target 22s. Certainly with anything centerfire. The best factory ammo I've found pulls 2" groups of six at 25yds.
 
I grew up on a Ruger Single Six and packed a Bisley around the woods for two years before giving up on single actions. Since you asked, my greatest objection to the single action is that they require a pretty solid grip and a degree of dexterity to cock. If you are in the middle of a wild animal attack you may well have to shoot the animal off the top of you. In this case, the DA trigger pull is more efficient and more goof-proof.
 
Vern- MCgunner stole my thunder with his too funny reply. But since you asked... never. I've never had anything bigger than an overeager Golden Retriever on top of me. In fact, in the wild I have had several bear (grizzly and black) and moose encounters and they have always ended with the greatest degree of civility.

However, if an attack happens, I expect it will be a sudden and terrible surprise. This idea that I may have to shoot a critter while it is actively mauling me is not something I pulled out of thin air. There is the apocryphal episode involving a Montana man (some kind of FWP warden or LEO) and a "problem" bear he was relocating. Long story short, the release went poorly, the bear jumped the man and began chewing on his head. The man fired six rounds from his revolver, killing the bear and ending the conflict.

Jeff Cooper in his Commentaries also mentioned a correspondent of his from Africa who had to shoot a lion while the creature was chewing on the man's left arm. He used a .38 Super, I believe.

So perhaps it is a rare circumstance, but not unimaginable. To me it's the one and only place where the double action has a clear edge. The rest of it- accuracy, reload speed- has lots to do with personal preference but little else.
 
I really think the problem of an animal on top of you is over-rated. I suggest a cocked revolver would be better than double-action in such a case, anyway -- too much chance of a wild shot too close to your own body.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

K
  • Locked
DA vs SA on a DA revolver.
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
Rexster
Rexster
D
  • Locked
SA vs. DA under $400
Replies
13
Views
2K
Jim March
J
Racinfan83
  • Locked
New Model Colt Cobra 38 Owners - Thoughts??
Replies
8
Views
884
SwampWolf
S
G
  • Locked
Who else shoots better DA than SA?
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
chris in va
C
T
  • Locked
Why hasn't a manufacturer combined the best of SA and DA revolvers?
Replies
9
Views
2K
WildeKurt
W
Back
Top