Why do folks like SA revolvers still?

[Fyrstyk]

In this day and age, many wonder why people still like any type of revolver, or any type of single-shot, or any type of double barrel.

The "low drag, high speed" crowd tend to think that if you can't mag dump 17 rounds in 4 seconds, or 30 rounds in 6 seconds, you are some kind of antique. However, some of us know better.

A quick story: My club has plate shoots once a month. Most of the guys shoot semi autos, and there are a few DA revolver guys too. The shooters compete against other shooters picked at random and against the clock. One night this new guy shows up with his Colt SA 45. All the guys wanted to be paired up against this guy cause they figured there was no way a SA could clear the 5 plates before a decent shooter with a semi auto. When the match came up, it was a guy with a 1911 45 against the SA guy. Side bets were being placed and no one bet on the SA guy. In this match loaded guns are set on a table in front of the shooters, and at the buzzer, the clock starts and the shooters grab their guns and try to clear the plates. At the buzzer, the SA guy grabs his gun and fans the hammer so fast that the 5 plates had fallen before the guy with the 1911 shot 2 plates. That guy was unbelievable, almost like Bill Mulden.

 

[cfullgraf]

My first single action revolver was a cap and ball revolver. Now, that is nostalgia.

Revolver wise, I have mostly double action revolvers but I have a few single action guns, all Rugers. I enjoy shooting them from time to time.

I have semi-autos and single shot handguns as well.

They all have their purpose.

 

[warnerwh]

Simple and reliable design. Also my Blackhawk is built like a tank.

 

[.38 Special]

Single actions point more naturally.

I don't really think that's true... much depends on the handgun grips and everyone's particular hand shape. Personally, I think the most natural pointing handgun... for me... is a 1911.

Ah, but you missed a part!

Of course, most of that is subjective and so not any sort of argument of superiority.

 

[DMW1116]

They’re different. Everyone has a Glock or similar on the range. Everyone I’ve let shoot mine liked it. In the ammogeddon times they don’t burn ammo like a semiautomatic.

I also like a certain level of old tech. I spent 4 or five years learning to make and use slings and once an atl atl.

 

[Rexster]

I'm not criticizing the choice, but just want to understand it better. I think I'm younger than the typical SA revolver aficionado. (45) With respect, maybe it's a generational thing?

To me, a DA revolver that has a SA option does the same thing, and more efficiently, while retaining the same fixed barrel accuracy:

• Faster lock time
• Faster reloading
• DA option

Is it a nostalgia thing, for folks who grew up watching cowboy shows, or is there something more to it? For example, I've read that SA revolvers with the traditional cowboy grip tend to rotate upwards in recoil rather than push back. From the few times I've shot one, that arch still gives a pretty good thump right in the palm of the hand.

Is it akin to choosing a lever action rifle over an automatic rifle, where a slower, more deliberate way of doing things can be more satisfying?

Well, to start with the generational thing, maybe so, in some cases. As for myself, I did not care much for SA revolvers, for my personal use, until some time in the mid-Nineties, and I bought my first one, a USFA, about 1997.

As for the “more efficiently” part, well, thumb-cocking an SAA-pattern sixgun is a more efficient movement that thumb-cocking many, if not most DA sixguns.

The faster lock time does tend to favor the DA revolver.

The reloading factor, though, is a bit more complex. Most DA revolvers are reloaded by swinging the whole cylinder assembly clear of the frame, which can be seen as partially disassembling the gun. An SAA-pattern sixgun can be fired, as needed, while the loading gate is open, so, is not totally out of action, as a weapon, during the reloading process.

The DA option can be seen as unnecessary, by folks to are accomplished SA sixgunners.

I saw some western shows, as a kid, but they did not make me fall in love with the Colt SAA. I grew up liking the 1911 Colt Government Model, and the DA sixguns used on police shows. For reference, I was born in 1961, and graduated from high school in 1980.

I grew up liking the M1 Garand, for the same reason I grew up liking the 1911. As an adult, I have accumulated autoloading, single shot, bolt-action, and lever-action rifles.

As for why I finally started liking the SA revolver, well, to make a long story short, I like the way an SAA-pattern revolver’s gripping area fits my left hand, and how comfortable it is to thumb-cock, with my left thumb, when shooting left-hand-only. My right hand is shaped a bit differently, and my right thumb is less-mobile. I reckon that I am a lefty with SAA-pattern revolvers, while being a right-hander with some other handguns/firearms. (I worked for a PD, for 33+ years, and practiced diligently to be ambidextrous with the DA revolvers I was required to use, early in my career.)

 

[gwpercle]

I don't know ... there was no all of the above button ...
My story ...it's 1970 I'm 21 years old and can now buy a handgun ... First Handgun - Ruger Blackhawk
357 Magnum ... I love to shoot it ...I start reloading , casting bullets to feed my habit .
Years go by , I own several handguns but in 2020 I feel the need for another 22 LR revolver ...
What do I buy ... Ruger Wrangler SA 22 LR ...50 years has passed and I'm buying another single action and Totally Love It ... it just the perfect little fun shooter ,
Just something about the fit , hand feel , the loading and unloading ...it's just right and good !
Gary

 

[P89DCSS]

It's like a beautiful woman. If I have to explain it to you, you're just not getting it. Those double action revolvers, "sure can cook!"

"… I saw your wife the other day!
Yeah? Yeah, an' she's ugly!
Yeah, she's ugly, but she sure can cook, baby!
Yeah, alright!…"

 

[Tallinar]

I learned a long time ago to curl my pinky under the grip, hold it relatively lightly, and allow the revolver to rotate up in recoil. Then bring it down and cock the hammer for the next shot.

Trust me on this.

A year or so ago, I started putting the pinky under the grip — probably from something I read from Driftwood on this forum. At the time, I was also reading Sixguns, and Keith mentioned something to the effect, “at all costs, don’t let the trigger finger bear the weight of the gun.”

It clicked with me immediately, and my shooting improved profoundly in an instant.

 

[Rexster]

As I think about it, I believe that I like SA and DA revolvers, without needing for either to be “favorite.” No longer being required to carry any handgun, for a living, I carry what I like. The DA revolvers that I carry are small and medium-frame, whereas I like large-frame, SAA-pattern single action sixguns, so there is no “conflict” to settle, in my mind.

One thing is certain: If I have to shoot, without my eyeglasses being properly aligned with my eyes, an SAA-pattern revolver POINTS well. Some heavy-barreled DA revolvers, such as my GP100, seen in my avatar image, point as well as SAA.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I'm not criticizing the choice, but just want to understand it better. I think I'm younger than the typical SA revolver aficionado. (45) With respect, maybe it's a generational thing?

Well, I am 46, love SA revolvers, and have been shooting them frequently since age 12. However, I also love DA revolvers and quality metal frame hammer-fired semi-autos, so I guess I am equal opportunity. As a civilian, I feel no less armed with a good SA revolver in almost all probable scenarios.

 

[AK2]

I’ve had one kind or another single action in my collection for 50 years, since I first started shooting. Big-time fun. This is my current favorite SA-

 

[Charlie98]

Ah, but you missed a part!

No, I didn’t… I was just using your quote as an example, you weren’t the only one that said that, although I’ll acknowledge your parting shot.

 

[eddiememphis]

Soul

In a world too full of look-alike polymer 9mm striker guns, a Colt SAA in .45 stands out.

 

[tinhorn]

I'm old, and it's been over three decades since I've owned or used firearms. My young bride is a brand new shooter. I want something simple. Semi-automatic handguns are involved in 17 times more accidental discharges than revolvers according to an old study I read. Revolvers it is, then.

But we need to practice, right? Do I want a firearm that we can blast away with until it gets so dirty it won't function anymore (SA), or do I want one that'll wear out our trigger finger before our hour at the range is up (DA)? My thinking is that we need to practice as much as possible, including dry firing. SA it is, then.

Single actions are simply the guns that have been most practical for these new and renewed shooters—the missus and me. .22 caliber so the new shooter can get comfortable with the whole process. (Plus it's cheap. Both shooters can dump a TON of lead down the tube without breaking the bank.) Add .22 magnum just 'cuz. Single Six and Bearcat at our house. Bigger bore SAs are likely on the horizon but they'll have similar sights and handling characteristics to what we're already used to.

I also like manual transmissions and rollup windows, and I tend to select cars, women, and guns by their attractiveness. Really, compare an NAA Earl (SA) to a Ruger LCR (DA). Sheesh.

 

[.308 Norma]

just want to understand it better.

Could you add "All of the above" to your poll?

 

[Armored farmer]

I grew up shooting but ammo was expensive.
Single-shots
Single actions
Muzzleloaders
They stretched the shooting time. Still do.
Oh, and single action triggers.

 

[J-Bar]

I also like manual transmissions and rollup windows, and I tend to select cars, women, and guns by their attractiveness. Really, compare an NAA Earl (SA) to a Ruger LCR (DA). Sheesh.

My brother from a different mother!

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

My 1st one is a single action. I have SA/DA ones too. I shoot them all SA. Just what im used to. My son he likes shooting in DA.

 

[IlikeSA]

I like the fact that SA's are cheaper on a whole than DA's, and lighter weight relative to the power. The action is simpler, although I'd much rather disassemble and work on a Redhawk than a Blackhawk, mainly because of lining up the handful of little screws in the grip frame, but it's enough to be annoying to me.

Accuracy is a moot point, as I can shoot both about the same. There is something to be said about a very good, crisp trigger in a single action. With a double action, unless you put in extra work, it is a few extra steps to have a good DA pull and good SA trigger. I am a bit of a trigger snob, so much so that I don't care for polymer pistols, and I like to optimize triggers to my liking using my own files/polishing compounds etc.

One thing that I have enjoyed doing is seeing the evolution of the mechanical parts for, say and 1858 Remington to a Ruger Blackhawk to...well, I don't have any "newer" revolvers, although I would be interested mechanically is disassembling/reassembling a Chiappa Rhino. I'd also like to mechanically see an older DA, like a Colt Lightning, to see the evolution there.

 

[drobs]

I own lots of guns. They don't all need to be "combat ready" or a defensive gun.
I'm 47.

 

[KansasTrapper77]

I like my Ruger revolvers because they’re strong, can usually shoot more than one cartridge, and I don’t have to chase brass to reload. I also like driving vehicles with manual transmissions. Doing things the deliberate mechanical way is fun.

I have a couple ARs and a couple striker fired semi-auto handguns. I have done my duty as an American to be armed. The rest are for fun and revolvers sure are fun!

 

[ontarget]

I'm not really able to articulate my preference for SA. I have lots of guns, and way more than my share of revolvers. Ammo is never a concern for any of my guns, but whenever I go out back to my range I seem to grab a SA. If I'm in the mood for a bottom feeder I nearly always grab a 1911, which of course is SA.
Yeah, I really can't explain why. That's just what draws me I guess.

 

[Bartojc]

I only own a few revolvers. They are all single action. If I were buying a different caliber revolver I would likely look at a single action first. Not opposed to double just single is what I've always preferred for what I want to do with them.

-Jeff

 

[jmr40]

I grew up watching Matt Dillon and John Wayne on TV. My 1st 2 handguns were Ruger Single actions in 22 and 41 magnum. From a performance standpoint I'll take a DA revolver or semi-auto every time. But I still like the idea of emulating my childhood hero's. For me it's purely nostalgia.