The Modern Colt SAA and Safety

[vintage68]

I'm a newbie when it comes to revolvers of any type, and just recently purchased a Colt SAA.

I know "back in the day" it was common practice to load five rounds and keep one cylinder empty under the hammer for safety. Is this still a good idea even with the hammer cocked back one notch in the safety position?

 

[Baba Louie]

I think so, in that it is quite possible to fail the drop test when firing pin is hammer mounted. YMMV

But, then again, firearms are inherently dangerous when mishandled anyway, so it is that the "better safe than sorry" mindset has become prevalent today.
Even then... I'm not certain about "defective", but please read the following "duster" test...

http://www.casperstartribune.net/ar.../wyoming/9590f74f4d2ce532872572ed0081ff36.txt

 

[ArmedBear]

Is this still a good idea even with the hammer cocked back one notch in the safety position?

The sear (the little thing that engages the hammer and holds it when it's cocked) is a tiny, thin piece of hardened steel.

It can break, especially the very end of it which is all that's engaged when the gun is in the 1/4 cock position.

The Single Action Army was a step backward in safe design, even in 1873 when it came out. The black powder Colts and Remingtons used before and during the Civil War allowed the hammer to be rested relatively safely on notches or holes in the back of the cylinder between chambers. The SAA did away with that.

These days, you can get single action revolvers with modern transfer bar safeties. Ruger, Beretta and Taurus are the three best-known manufacturers. For modern field use, Rugers make the most sense to me.

Even if you load 5, with the traditional action you have to make sure you put the hammer down on the empty chamber, and while letting it down you still have to pull the trigger. This does make it possible for you to fire the gun unintentionally, if the cylinder goes past where you want it to be, and locks.

With the Ruger New Model, you don't touch the hammer at all when loading. You just open the loading gate and the cylinder will unlock so you can turn it and unload/load each chamber.

I have some old style guns, too. I like them. However, for use in the field, the Rugers are hands-down safer, no question about it.

 

[fineredmist]

Colt SAA pistols DO NOT have "safety notches". The ONLY safe way to carry a Colt SAA is with the hammer on a open (unloaded) chamber. The pistol can fire if the hammer is in the "safety notch" and is dropped.
Modern replicas (Rugar etc) have redesigned hammer/ triggers that will permit carry with all chambers loaded.

 

[ArmedBear]

BTW it is called the "safety notch", but AFAIK that meant that it would catch the hammer if it was released when cocked, but not by a finger, say by dropping a cocked revolver -- pretty dubious, actually.

It was never even intended to provide drop safety for an uncocked gun, nor to provide any safety at all when the gun is dropped on the hammer. Of course, the way a SAA balances, it tends to land on the hammer spur.

I prefer the other term, "1/4 cock" for the notch.

I have used it at the range if I'm loading 6 at the line, on a bench, just so I'm not actually resting the hammer on a primer -- however, this is only when I have my target ready, the range is hot, and I plan to shoot the gun immediately.

The SAA was thrown together in haste, when the Army rejected the 1872 "Open Top" for a military contract. It balances well, but it's not without its shortcomings.

 

[Oro]

Colt SAA pistols DO NOT have "safety notches".

Yes, they do. It is the first cocking position. It's just not trusted.

If you have a true Colt SAA or authentic clone, then you CAN do this, but it is widely debated as to its safety:

1) Other guns with a hammer-mounted firing pin, like a modern S&W DA revolver, have a hammer-block safety. If the trigger is not depressed, a failure of the sear won't discharge the gun.

2) Other designs, like a 1911, have an inertial firing pin that won't fire unless the hammer falls from a cocked position - a simple blow to the hammer won't let the fp touch the primer.

A true SAA design has no back-up beyond the thin sear and hammer notch contact. A blow/drop could break one of those and discharge the weapon. It requires a very certain alignment of force and angle of drop, but the bottom line is there's no back-up if it does happen, unlike in most other modern centefire handguns.