Single Action....?

[Stuart C.]

Hi,
Does ANYONE still use or rely on the single action for concealed carry/woods gun/home defense, or is the sa now just considered a dinosaur for cowboy action only??

I like the simplicity of the sa (and the trigger of course), but I wonder how they sell vs. da/sa and the semi autos. I would guess about 10%. If that's true it would be odd because most shooters I see RARELY shoot their da/sa in da anyway.

I thinking of buying a sa for the 'gotta be different' factor. Opinions?

 

[shu]

what different? everybody should own one.

 

[Matt Almeda]

For many years I carried a 4 5/8 .44 Mag Ruger in the woods.
I felt very comfortable with it. I traded over to a 3 inch 629 about a year ago. I was very happy with both guns.

Have a great day!

 

[YosemiteSam357]

I think you'll find that this forum, as well as a few others, have a multitude of single action shooters. Some are into CAS/SASS ("cowboy shooting"), but many of us aren't.

Personally, I like the guns, the grip, the trigger, the kick in the larger calibers, and the pace of fire. I'm not out there to see how many rounds I can pump downrange, just to see how accurate I can be.

I do own and shoot other types of guns, but the SAs have a special place in my heart.

-- Sam

 

[Gunfixr]

I prefer an SA for a woods gun, and wouldn't feel undergunned by using one for CCW, either. Since most civilian disputes are settled with only a few rounds, it would be fine. Imagine a 4 3/4" Ruger Vaquero (safe to carry with six) in .45LC stoked with Cor-Bon's 200 gr. JHCs travelling at about 1100 fps. How many of those would you want to soak up?

 

[tinygnat219]

I have 3 SA guns, 2 Taurus Gauchos in .357 Magnum, and a Ruger Blackhawk in .44 Magnum. I use these for Cowboy Action Shooting, and handgun hunting. For anything else, I wouldn't touch them. For Self-Defense, I use a semi-auto. They are just as reliable, carry more rounds, and are MUCH faster to reload if needed.

It's essentially a personal choice.

 

[mavracer]

I have been known to take my 3 7/8 birds head vaquero for walks around the block lately stoked with 250 grn gold dots they go about 900fps and it is very accurate.I feel warm and fuzzy safe with it.

 

[JesseL]

I just bought a 4-5/8" Blackhawk in .41 Mag for my woods gun.

 

[MCgunner]

Carry one in the woods, fast, powerful, and rugged. Little big for concealed carry, though, except for the NAA mini I always have on me. I've got a 6.5" .357 Blackhawk and a 4 5/8" stainless .45 Colt Blackhawk not including cap and ball which I've also carried afield at times.

 

[Wedge]

My .45 Colt is my woods/hunting/making noise gun.

Ruger Blackhawk.

Grip, trigger, looks. It has it all...well that and weight. NOT the most comfortable for a CCW, but man does it point naturally.

 

[Imaginos]

I carried a 4 5/8" Ruger Super Blackhawk as my everything gun for a long time. Still do sometimes.

If you are comfortable with the SA and can hit your target, then relax and enjoy yourself. I have seen what some of the lower-end CAS shooters can do with a SA pistol and it is enough to convince me that the SA is still more than viable for 99% of the things you need a handgun for. IF YOU PRACTICE!!

 

[rdaines]

The SA is probably a little large for CCW though some would have no problem just like some carry a full sized 1911. When I get my SA it will be a woods/hiking piece.

 

[Jim March]

I carry my New Vaq 357 as often as I can.

I do feel that a transfer bar is a good thing in a street-carried SA.

 

[461]

I'm not a ccw guy but the SA is a main choice of mine, I have more SA's than DA's and autos and see no change of this in the future. The SA will do anything I need a gun to do barring some sort of civil breakdown.

 

[Rexster]

I wear a badge, and my chief wants me to be armed at all times, within the state, with autoloaders or DA revolvers. When I retire in a few years, however, I may very well carry an SA sixgun concealed; I already have a Milt Sparks Summer Special made for an SAA, which is a comfortable fit, and not difficult to conceal whatsoever, compared to the mid-frame .357 DA sixguns and SIG I regularly conceal now. If I manage to get out to AZ this summer, where I will be in private citizen mode, I will almost certainly open-carry an SA sixgun at least some of the time while out in the boonies. I would not, however, carry an SA just to "be different." It would be because I am already very comfortable with them, and find they shoot very accurately for me, while causing less damage to my bad wrist. Another reason is that I like the .45 Colt cartridge, and DA sixguns chambered in .45 Colt are too large for me, so I don't shoot them very well.

 

[Colt46]

Fantastic tools they are

Rugged, reliable, accurate, handy, etc, etc.
I don't think it would be my choice for SD in a sustained gun battle because of the slow reload time associated with the design. It ought to cover most SD type scenarios well enought to justify learning to use one effectively. As an outdoors type companion they are great. I'd stick with the large bore versions as the .38/.357 calibers make for handier double action carry.

 

[P. Plainsman]

most shooters I see RARELY shoot their da/sa [revolvers] in da anyway.

I see the same thing at the range. It must be said: anyone serious about revolvers shoots his or her DA revolvers double action. A lot. Like at least 50% of the time; more is better.

Not immediately cocking the hammer when handed a DA sixgun to shoot is one of the classic signals that says "I know what I'm doing."

 

[gunman42782]

I almost always pack a single action revolver when woods bumming.

 

[greener]

I'm one of those at the range who shoots DA/SA mostly in SA. Much sweeter triggers in SA on mine. However, I do practice enough in DA to shoot about as well as I do in SA.

 

[rdaines]

I shoot my GP100 in SA just to get better sight pictures and feel good about accuracy and then try to get close to that in DA.

 

[Baba Louie]

I can not imagine NOT owning at least one single action revolver having grown up watching westerns on the tube and movies.

You can get to be pretty quick with one as well, tho' reloading will slow ya down every time (if CCW is contemplated).

A short barreled .38/.357 or .45Colt carrying 6 rounds would mean a transfer bar system for moi, so I'd be looking for a Ruger which is never a bad choice in the world of single action revolvers.

 

[wcwhitey]

Woods and Hunting, surely. Target shooting and plinking, absolutely! Even a house gun but CCW only if it was the only gun I had. They are a great design, good shooters in powerful calibers but there are just so many other viable options that make better choices for CC.

 

[TallPine]

The biggest downside that I can see to (modern) single action revolvers is the lack of readily available holsters suitable for everyday carry.

For instance, I have yet to find a thumb break belt holster for a single action.

So you're stuck with flap holsters, outside snap holsters, and "cowboy" holsters.

 

[Alphazulu6]

Maybe....as a plinker or competition gun. But not as a CCW. Woods sure**** Camping Great! Good luck!

 

[Imaginos]

Tall Pine, Look at El Paso Saddlery, They will make almost any of their products to fit the SA. You can also look at Mernickle Custom. They offer an OWB model called SA6, and an IWB version for the SA.