When SA revolvers were in their heyday, and even up to the 1960's, anyone who carried one would cary it with a empty chamber under the hammer. Period!
The safety notch on the hammer isn't really a safety at all. It will shear off very easily, and if there is a round under the hammer it can fire.
Then idiots began forgetting that a firing pin resting against a primer was a disaster waiting to happen.
This is why Ruger designed the New Model Action. And why several of the clone makers use the Ruger Conversion action in their copies.
Anyone who knows what they are doing will still cary an OLD style SA with an empty chamber under the hammer. I do, I have for 30 years.
Other than for the paranoid kind, transfer bars aren't really necessary at all. Just learn the proper way to use and handle your SA and you will be fine.
A NM Ruger may have a small advantage of being able to safely cary 6 rounds, but it looses this advantage with a more clumsy loading and unloading method, IE no half cock (loading) notch on the hammer. When you flip open the loading gate the cylinder does not line up with the loading gate. You have to manually index each chamber and hold it there. On the old style SA with the hammer at half cock, the cylinder automaticly indexes with the loading gate.
The Colt Cowboy retains the half cock notch (loading) as well as has the transfer bar. Like converted Rugers.
An old style SA goes: click, click, clack, click.
Safety notch......not really a safty at all
Half cock notch
Bolt popping up
Full cock notch
A NM Ruger goes: clack, click.
Bolt popping up
Full cock notch
Actually a NM Ruger sounds like a double action revolver being cocked.
Yes Single Action revovers using the original actions sound neet.
Disclaimer: I hope my attitude of dislike for the NM SA's doesn't offend you or anybody. It is just my likes and dislikes based on over 30 years of shooting experiance.
Oh, one more thing. In this over 30 years of shooting experiance, I have never had an ND with an OM SA. But I did have one with a NM Ruger. So much for the transfer bar action being safer. Safty is a function of the person using the gun, not the gadgets inside.
