Single Action Skills?

[.455_Hunter]

My preference for rapid fire with a single-action revolver platform is to allow the weapon to roll in the hand during recoil, perfectly positioning the hammer for recocking by the primary thumb as barrel is brought back down to align the sights on target. I am not fan of using the support hand thumb for recocking, and the technique I describe can be done one handed, as necessary.

 

[Smaug]

And the title of this thread is Single Action skills . . . I guess the DA and the "bottom feeder" forums must be boring again.

Mike

Did you read the original post? The OP seems to be interested in whether it's possible to get his SA skills to a practical level with DA.

 

[.308 Norma]

If you're handgun hunting, single action could be viable (Super Blackhawk, Freedom Arms) but at that point, you're getting into the really high power cartridges,

A Super Blackhawk is just a 44 Magnum - available in quite a number of DA revolvers. And my own Freedom Arms revolver is just a 357 Magnum. As a matter of fact, my Freedom arms 357 Magnum is the only 357 Magnum I own. So what's this, "at that point, you're getting into the really high power cartridges" about?

so why not just go single shot? It's not like a coyote or deer or any animal is sticking around after that first shot. You either nailed 'im or he's gone.

You obviously haven't done a whole lot of hunting or you'd know that's not necessarily true. I've seen plenty of coyotes, and particularly deer stick around after the first shot - even if they weren't "nailed." Besides, if that statement was always true, it would be a good argument for hunters to only use
single-shot rifles or muzzle loaders. Yet there are millions upon millions of us that like to have a second shot readily available (even with relatively "slow" bolt actions) when we're hunting varmints or deer.

Some* say the single action revolver is inherently stronger,

* was it Freedom Arms?

Beats me. It might have been Freedom Arms that said that. It sounds like something a gun company (ANY gun company) would say to promote the firearms they build and sell.

 

[45 Dragoon]

Did you read the original post? The OP seems to be interested in whether it's possible to get his SA skills to a practical level with DA.

I certainly did and he didn't say anything about how technologically advanced semiautos were or how so antiquated the S.A. is . . . In fact one of the responses was about how much faster a S A. can put 5 shots on target than a semi so . . . something some of us have known for a long time . . .
Snotty remarks about being useful for games and possibly hunting are say more about the person posting such crap .

Mike

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Shoot a USPSA Match with a single action.

It is a fun experience and lots of learning occurs in a short amount of time.

-Stan

I've done this a couple of times. Well worth the experience.

IME the hardest part of the single action to get down (especially at a match against doubles and autos) is your reloading.

I have experimented a bit and came up with this (technically a comparison but you can see the reloading):


This video focused on reloading (with homemade speed loaders) at my last attempt at a uspsa style match:

 

[westernrover]

I like the speedloader tubes.

With respect to the Il Ling New video, she demonstrates unload-one/re-load-one with the rationale of having something in the gun after reloading one cartridge. This isn't advantageous in a USPSA match, but could be otherwise. She also demonstrates reloading up at chest-level rather than down by the waist to avoid loss of peripheral vision around your perimeter.

The thing she demonstrates that unnerves me is the scanning while pointing the gun -- at 2:11 in the video that was shared in this thread. This whole video is dedicated to it:



I guess that is something they teach at Gunsite. I've seen students that have been through there that do that in other classes. I think it's better not to sweep the muzzle all over the place. I know it's all down-range, but the purpose of it is instill a practice of scanning for other threats before you holster in a defensive situation. I would do this with the gun in the low-ready position or in the direction of the previously valid target, and wag my head around, but not the muzzle. Having the hammer cocked is a reasonable preparation in the case of a single-action. A 1911 shooter would also have their hammer cocked. But sweeping everything in the 170 with the muzzle seems ill-advised and bad practice. Sweeping bystanders with the muzzle could be construed as felony menacing, but more importantly whenever you're not on the range, it violates rule #1.

 

[Rexster]

I agree, that some of the things shown in the Gunsite video are something I would not agree with. On that square range, her scanning technique is safe, for that environment, and, I understand that showing that technique is meant to teach a valid point, but, true, when in a 360-degree real world, well, not so good.

Of course, my personally-preferred 360-degree real-world scan would get me thrown off a square range. (Averted muzzle*, and footwork that moves me in an arc, away from where I was standing. The more available space, the larger that arc. Learned in the real world of street policing.) At a formal range, one has to stay within their rules.

I disagree with the scan being done with a cocked hammer, as shown in the video. Personally, I see the cocking of the hammer as being analogous to the long DA part of a DA revolver’s trigger stroke. I will not cock the SA’s hammer unless I perceive a target/threat. Cock the hammer as the muzzle moves into alignment with the target/threat. The “dead” trigger, that exists when the SA’s hammer is down, is a most compelling safety feature.

I realize that I may be marching to my own, different drummer, here.

*My averted muzzle means that I can be surrounded by family, friends, colleagues, and other no-shoots, while I scan. Think SUL, or what I learned as an “Averted #2,” from SouthNarc. (SUL really hurts my aging wrist, so is used only for very brief moments.)

 

[shafter]

I love a good single action revolver and while I recognize that in the hands of someone truly proficient it is still a formidable weapon it is hard to take a professional trainer seriously when they're attempting to teach fighting tactics for a single action revolver. Do some force on force training with simmunitions while using a revolver and it will open your eyes. Technology aside, there is a psychological aspect of fighting and going into a fight with significant known handicaps is not in your favor.

For the cost of the class and the ammunition it would take to get proficient one could easily buy a proper fighting pistol. The only tactical advice I could give is to make the first six shots count because you aren't going to have a buffalo wallow to hide in for reloading.

When it comes to hunting, or needing the extra power for dangerous game, or plain old fun a single action still has its place but I'd never purposefully handicap myself with one.

 

[Dave T]

When ever I follow one of these discussions I 'm always reminded of the old adage, "Beware of the man with one gun. He probably knows how to use it."

If for some reason the gun you own, shoot, and carry the most is a single action revolver then you bloody well better know how to use it. In that context taking a class like the one offered by Gunsite might be of value, if you have the money and the time. I admit the kind of person I have in mind, like a farmer, rancher, packer, hunter or hunting guide, etc., would probably be too busy earning a living to spend a week being taught a bunch of stuff he/she might already know. Yea they could pick up a few pointers but they could do that watching the video.

YMMV,
Dave

 

[shafter]

When ever I follow one of these discussions I 'm always reminded of the old adage, "Beware of the man with one gun. He probably knows how to use it."
YMMV,
Dave

That adage tends to remind me of an old pistol stuck in a sock in a drawer, or a 22 rifle in the closet. I think most of the really capable shooters have a well rounded collection. Shooters acquire shooty things.

 

[Varminterror]

When ever I follow one of these discussions I 'm always reminded of the old adage, "Beware of the man with one gun.[…]

…He probably doesn’t actually like guns and has absolutely no idea how to use any gun…”

Masters surround themselves with their craft. Tourists have souvenirs.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I made up this little video of me unloading and loading a Colt a year or so ago.

I started out with the Colt lying on a table with 5 spent cases in the cylinder. The 45 Colt rounds on the table waiting to be loaded are dummies, without powder or primers.

I was surprised that I could do a reload in about 20 seconds.

You will notice I am only unloading and loading five rounds, CAS rules explicitly state that all revolvers are only loaded with five rounds with an empty chamber under the hammer. You will notice that when I load I do the classic load one, skip one, load four more, bring the hammer to full cock and lower the hammer. This leaves an empty chamber under the hammer.

Note: this is of course a simulated situation, has nothing to do with unloading and loading a Colt in the field.

However, let me add that in all my years of Cowboy Action Shooting, I have not experienced a reload on the clock in many years. It just is not done very often.

 

[Rexster]

IIRC, Clint Smith teaches to reload single-action revolvers, whenever there is an opportunity, during an encounter, rather than waiting until empty. He taught at Gunsite, for a while, so, seeing Il Ling New’s reloading lesson may well be how Cling Smith teaches that procedure, or, at least be similar. (This is just a best guess, as I have never seen a video of Clint Smith reloading an SAA. I read his long-ago article, written when he was really into the Single Action.)