In 1970 I sent in a memo requesting a bullseye gun kit from my agency. It was to have included a .22, a .38 and a .45 along with a shooting box and scope.
The kit included an Officer’s Model Match .38 special with a six inch barrel. When I picked it up and tried the SA it broke nicely at about 3#, but when I pulled the trigger DA the cylinder rotated, but the hammer remained in place. In other words, “No Bang.”
I was at a loss as to why anyone would remove the double action from a revolver. Then it finally dawned on me. If one “miss thumbed” the hammer during timed or rapid fire all they had to do was pull the trigger five times rapidly, re-cock the revolver and then continue the string of fire.
You see, if one’s semi-auto malfunctioned during timed or rapid fire bullseye all they had to do was raise their hand to receive a “alibi,” but if one was shooting a revolver there were no alibis.
If you have read this far you are probably thinking, ‘Where is he going with this? No one shoots bullseye with revolvers any more.’
Well, I’m writing because there really are some benefits to SAO (Single Action Only) handguns, that is, handguns that were both double and single action and have been converted to SAO.
Some Examples:
Field Use - In the southwest it is not uncommon for folks in the field to carry two snake loads, followed by a couple .38 wadcutters and then two .357 full-charge magnum rounds. Consider the benefit of being able to instantly index from one chamber another without having to pull the hammer back. For this application SAO is both quicker and safer.
Handgun Improvement - There are two instances when SAO can make a difference in the usefulness of a wheelgun. The first is when a revolver is (or is on the verge of) timing up late double action. Usually, it will need to have an oversize hand installed by a competent gunsmith and whatever cost, but if it is converted to SAO the DA timing is no longer a concern since bringing the hammer back in SA to full cock causes the cylinder to rotate farther than it does for DA. The second is when one has the misfortune of owning / acquiring a wheel gun with a poor DA trigger pull. Again the services of a competent gunsmith would be required at a considerable cost unless it is covered by a warranty, but if the DA is removed the issue no longer exists.
Defense / Home Defense: Imagine some troll acquiring your SAO revolver with the intent of doing you or your family harm. He brandishes the weapon without cocking the hammer. You know that you can take immediate action to neutralize him since his response to any action you take will be to point the weapon at you and pull the trigger - double action. The result will be the same as the one I had when I first tried, no bang.
Safety: Also, for someone who finds it necessary to have a loaded gun available anyone, young or old who picks up your loaded SAO revolver and pulls the trigger will have the same result, no bang. Indeed they could follow up by cocking the weapon SA, but at least it is 50% safer.
I have taught both my grand daughters to shoot as soon as they were able and found that they could fire the revolver easier DA than SA. They could put both trigger fingers on the trigger to fire DA, but had a significantly greater difficulty trying to get the hammer back to full cock in SA. Foolproof? Nope.
If your response to the above is, “Bah-Humbug,” then you can stop here, but if not, please read on. I haven’t been inside a new S&W or GP-100, but in the day when we converted DA/SA revolvers* to SAO all that had to be done was to remove one pin from the hammer and then remove the DA sear (fly) and spring. That’s it. (I would recommend saving the parts.) (* S&W and Colt I Frame)
The above was not written to provoke controversy by any means, especially in regards to home safety, but it was written rather to pass along information that could benefit those who want increased flexibility or improve the usefulness of their DA/SA revolver(s).
Respectfully,
kent
The kit included an Officer’s Model Match .38 special with a six inch barrel. When I picked it up and tried the SA it broke nicely at about 3#, but when I pulled the trigger DA the cylinder rotated, but the hammer remained in place. In other words, “No Bang.”
I was at a loss as to why anyone would remove the double action from a revolver. Then it finally dawned on me. If one “miss thumbed” the hammer during timed or rapid fire all they had to do was pull the trigger five times rapidly, re-cock the revolver and then continue the string of fire.
You see, if one’s semi-auto malfunctioned during timed or rapid fire bullseye all they had to do was raise their hand to receive a “alibi,” but if one was shooting a revolver there were no alibis.
If you have read this far you are probably thinking, ‘Where is he going with this? No one shoots bullseye with revolvers any more.’
Well, I’m writing because there really are some benefits to SAO (Single Action Only) handguns, that is, handguns that were both double and single action and have been converted to SAO.
Some Examples:
Field Use - In the southwest it is not uncommon for folks in the field to carry two snake loads, followed by a couple .38 wadcutters and then two .357 full-charge magnum rounds. Consider the benefit of being able to instantly index from one chamber another without having to pull the hammer back. For this application SAO is both quicker and safer.
Handgun Improvement - There are two instances when SAO can make a difference in the usefulness of a wheelgun. The first is when a revolver is (or is on the verge of) timing up late double action. Usually, it will need to have an oversize hand installed by a competent gunsmith and whatever cost, but if it is converted to SAO the DA timing is no longer a concern since bringing the hammer back in SA to full cock causes the cylinder to rotate farther than it does for DA. The second is when one has the misfortune of owning / acquiring a wheel gun with a poor DA trigger pull. Again the services of a competent gunsmith would be required at a considerable cost unless it is covered by a warranty, but if the DA is removed the issue no longer exists.
Defense / Home Defense: Imagine some troll acquiring your SAO revolver with the intent of doing you or your family harm. He brandishes the weapon without cocking the hammer. You know that you can take immediate action to neutralize him since his response to any action you take will be to point the weapon at you and pull the trigger - double action. The result will be the same as the one I had when I first tried, no bang.
Safety: Also, for someone who finds it necessary to have a loaded gun available anyone, young or old who picks up your loaded SAO revolver and pulls the trigger will have the same result, no bang. Indeed they could follow up by cocking the weapon SA, but at least it is 50% safer.
I have taught both my grand daughters to shoot as soon as they were able and found that they could fire the revolver easier DA than SA. They could put both trigger fingers on the trigger to fire DA, but had a significantly greater difficulty trying to get the hammer back to full cock in SA. Foolproof? Nope.
If your response to the above is, “Bah-Humbug,” then you can stop here, but if not, please read on. I haven’t been inside a new S&W or GP-100, but in the day when we converted DA/SA revolvers* to SAO all that had to be done was to remove one pin from the hammer and then remove the DA sear (fly) and spring. That’s it. (I would recommend saving the parts.) (* S&W and Colt I Frame)
The above was not written to provoke controversy by any means, especially in regards to home safety, but it was written rather to pass along information that could benefit those who want increased flexibility or improve the usefulness of their DA/SA revolver(s).
Respectfully,
kent
