I agree with Saxon Pig, there are better choices. After 15 or so years of carrying semi auto's I am slowly going back to double action revolvers. My new carry piece is a S&W model 69 44 magnum. I just sent the cylinder in to be cut for moon clips. I shoot that almost as well as my 3" model 13.
A Single Action Six Gun for a carry gun??
- Thread starter g.willikers
- Start date
Must have been about 30 years ago I was at a LE firearms training class and one guy had a single action revolver. In the one section, you had to shoot like 12 shots in 20 seconds for score and I was wondering how he could make the time. The guy comes out of the holster and shoots the first 6 QUICK, starts knocking the empties out and then he had what looked like a clear plastic tube with his rounds in it. He set the tube on the loading gate, rotated the cylinder, the rounds dropped in as the empty chamber passed, and he was loaded. He shot the remaining six and made the time. Never seen that before and it worked. I know I can't do it but I was not about to say that guy was under gunned. Seeing how some folks shoot with accuracy lacking using modern firearms, I don't see them any better armed than he was. YMMV
bedbugbilly
New member
First off . . . I have no problem with a person carrying what they want to . . it's up to them. If they're comfortable with a SAA, then fine .. . more power to 'em.
I've shot SA for 50 years and I truly do love a good SAA style revolver. Personally, though, I doubt very much if I'll ever carry one for SD. I am a
revolver guy" and do carry a DA Smith 36 but if I'm not carrying that, I'm carrying a 9mm semi-auto.
Perhaps it depends on "where" you are carrying . . . in AZ we're only 40 miles north of the border. Gangbangers and "coyotes" are often "well armed" and certainly not wit SAA revolvers. In those areas, I want something that has capacity and the option of extra magazines . . . especially if we are traveling out in the "boonies".
That said . . . A most SD situations begin and end in a matter of seconds. If you're good enough to get 3 shots off with a SA in several seconds . . more power to you. If I'm carrying a DA . . such as my Smith 36 or even a larger Model 10. . . I know I can get fast shots off with the DA. The last thing I want to happen is to have a "brain freeze" in regards to cocking a SA hammer.
Like I said . . . what a person wants to carry is their business and I'm not about to say otherwise. I love my SA revolvers . . . but I'm to going to let the "romance" and "history" of a SAA get in the way of common sense. 99.9% of SD scenarios where you are faced with having to use your weapon to defend yourself against another individual who is armed . . . they are going to have a DA revolver or semi-auto hand gun or worse. A person may "think" they can easily handle such a situation with a SAA . . and perhaps there are a few who can . . . but don't mistake your results when shooting at the range with a SD situation where you have a nano-second to respond and you are under extreme stress . . . The chances are great that if you shoot DA revolvers or semi-autos, you may respond by pulling your weapon and pulling the trigger expecting it to shoot . . . and by the time you realize you need to cock the hammer . . . it will be too late.
Anyone who has been in a situation such as a SD scenario or who has experienced being shot at will realize just how stressed you instantly become . . and each time, you may react in different manners. In the end, it's not about the "romance" of the handgun or the "fantasy" you've laid out in your mind as to how you "think" you would react or "plan" to react, it's about being "able" to react and making sure you have the best tool to react.
I've shot SA for 50 years and I truly do love a good SAA style revolver. Personally, though, I doubt very much if I'll ever carry one for SD. I am a
revolver guy" and do carry a DA Smith 36 but if I'm not carrying that, I'm carrying a 9mm semi-auto.
Perhaps it depends on "where" you are carrying . . . in AZ we're only 40 miles north of the border. Gangbangers and "coyotes" are often "well armed" and certainly not wit SAA revolvers. In those areas, I want something that has capacity and the option of extra magazines . . . especially if we are traveling out in the "boonies".
That said . . . A most SD situations begin and end in a matter of seconds. If you're good enough to get 3 shots off with a SA in several seconds . . more power to you. If I'm carrying a DA . . such as my Smith 36 or even a larger Model 10. . . I know I can get fast shots off with the DA. The last thing I want to happen is to have a "brain freeze" in regards to cocking a SA hammer.
Like I said . . . what a person wants to carry is their business and I'm not about to say otherwise. I love my SA revolvers . . . but I'm to going to let the "romance" and "history" of a SAA get in the way of common sense. 99.9% of SD scenarios where you are faced with having to use your weapon to defend yourself against another individual who is armed . . . they are going to have a DA revolver or semi-auto hand gun or worse. A person may "think" they can easily handle such a situation with a SAA . . and perhaps there are a few who can . . . but don't mistake your results when shooting at the range with a SD situation where you have a nano-second to respond and you are under extreme stress . . . The chances are great that if you shoot DA revolvers or semi-autos, you may respond by pulling your weapon and pulling the trigger expecting it to shoot . . . and by the time you realize you need to cock the hammer . . . it will be too late.
Anyone who has been in a situation such as a SD scenario or who has experienced being shot at will realize just how stressed you instantly become . . and each time, you may react in different manners. In the end, it's not about the "romance" of the handgun or the "fantasy" you've laid out in your mind as to how you "think" you would react or "plan" to react, it's about being "able" to react and making sure you have the best tool to react.
"I knew guy who did- a nickeled 1st gen Colt SAA in .44-40. He even carried original black powder ammo that he had found at gun shows.
He was no poser either- he'd been there"
He'd been where, exactly? I shoot full house blackpowder loads out of my 44 Ruger Vaqueros. If I was to carry one of them or my 45 Colt USFA Rodeo, I certainly wouldn't be loading them with old original black powder ammunition that I picked up at gun shows. I load my own blackpowder rounds with 200 gr in the 44's and 250 gr in the 45. I carry a 1911. Mark
He was no poser either- he'd been there"
He'd been where, exactly? I shoot full house blackpowder loads out of my 44 Ruger Vaqueros. If I was to carry one of them or my 45 Colt USFA Rodeo, I certainly wouldn't be loading them with old original black powder ammunition that I picked up at gun shows. I load my own blackpowder rounds with 200 gr in the 44's and 250 gr in the 45. I carry a 1911. Mark
45 Dragoon
New member
See, thats how I feel! I have to think about shooting DA !! Even when I pick up a DA, I automatically draw back the hammer. But, my second pick would be a DA. Last thing I want in my hand at a time like that is a semi. It's just me . . . . .
www.goonsgunworks.com
www.goonsgunworks.com
Hunter Customs
New member
I actually considered carrying the SA in the picture, I was going to carry it "Mexican style" no holster for ease of concealment.
I did some test runs with it shooting a USPSA target at different distances.
As much as I love shooting my SA 45s I'm just not confident enough with it nor can I shoot as fast accurately as I can with my 45 commander.
To those that are confident enough with the SA to carry I certainly see nothing wrong with it.
From first hand experience I can say being on the business end of one once and seeing those big 45 slugs in the cylinder and a bore that looks as big as a stove pipe is sure intimidating.
Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
Magnum Wheel Man
New member
I do sometimes...
I shoot CAS, & have my own range... & am a bit of a collector, so I'm pretty confident with most forms... I carry concealed, some times requires custom holsters & guns... CAS shooting & practice is tactical training if you are carrying a single action...
I actually built this gun to carry... safe for six 45 Colt stainless snubbie
& actually last time I re-qualified for my CCW, I used an antique top break single action 38 S&W & bettered 3/4 of the class of mostly newbies with their bottom feeders... the RO was really amazed ( I even had a case go under the extractor, & it didn't faze me...
that said... when I'm at work, I have a cheap Taurus TCP in 380 on my belt... because it functions, cost nothing, & is durable & easily replaceable...
I honestly don't think someone can make a blanket statement, that one style of gun is "better" than another for everyone out there... there are guys ( & gals ) that practice daily with their cowboy guns for CAS competition, if they have such muscle memory built up, that the mode of operation is 2nd nature, the semi is likely not the best gun for them...
in the same sense that saying a revolver would be more simple & easier to use than a semi auto, to someone that practices with an auto daily...
I think I can safely say something is better for "me", but not for others...
BTW... that antique top break I used for last range re-qualifying I thought deserved a freshening... today it works better than when it was new 100 years ago... though now I need a fancier holster
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The Harmonica Kid
New member
A lot of this also depends where your looking to carry. You want to carry your lcp or kel tec walking around a Alaska park or African plain, go ahead. I'lL stick to something much bigger.
There are also a few small advantages- what if you have to actually fill a magazine for your semi auto, or load your double action one at a time. Setting that aside what if you just straight up lose your magazine/speed strip/ speel loader? Sa's are also natural pointers, which will help if start panicking or if you have to shoot in the dark.
They also tend to come in larger calibers in smaller frames. What if you want to cc a 45 colt or 44 special cause that's what you load for? Most da options are larger, rarer, expensive, or both. (The exception that pops to mind is the charter arms bull dog)
Finally, people don't just buy sa's like they do glock or anything else. If I meet somebody carrying an s.a., they've thought long and hard about why there carrying a relic, and decided there sufficiently trained to overcome the limitations. One of the saltiest men I know for goes his many options every day to carry a ruger convertable .45 auto s.a. with two mags of 6 rounds on his other hip (great way to reload a gun like that btw). Clint smith of Thunder ranch fame has also extensively carried an s.a., and that school and gun site offer s.a. classes.
Am I going to carry a sa anytime soon in an urban environment? No. Will I this deer season? Yep. And if I ever had to use my ruger bisley in a situation involving the civilized use of the hand I wouldnt feel under gunned at all
There are also a few small advantages- what if you have to actually fill a magazine for your semi auto, or load your double action one at a time. Setting that aside what if you just straight up lose your magazine/speed strip/ speel loader? Sa's are also natural pointers, which will help if start panicking or if you have to shoot in the dark.
They also tend to come in larger calibers in smaller frames. What if you want to cc a 45 colt or 44 special cause that's what you load for? Most da options are larger, rarer, expensive, or both. (The exception that pops to mind is the charter arms bull dog)
Finally, people don't just buy sa's like they do glock or anything else. If I meet somebody carrying an s.a., they've thought long and hard about why there carrying a relic, and decided there sufficiently trained to overcome the limitations. One of the saltiest men I know for goes his many options every day to carry a ruger convertable .45 auto s.a. with two mags of 6 rounds on his other hip (great way to reload a gun like that btw). Clint smith of Thunder ranch fame has also extensively carried an s.a., and that school and gun site offer s.a. classes.
Am I going to carry a sa anytime soon in an urban environment? No. Will I this deer season? Yep. And if I ever had to use my ruger bisley in a situation involving the civilized use of the hand I wouldnt feel under gunned at all
The measure of "better" when used here is an objective one, not a subjective one.
YOU might be better with a single action, but that doesn't mean it is the best choice of weapon. The question is about the gun, not the individual's skill.
The Colt SAA may have been the best choice in 1873, but by 1878 there were better choices. And today, hundreds of better choices.
By any objective standard, a DA revolver is better than a SA -- faster to shoot, faster to reload, doesn't require breaking your grip to cock, and can be made more compact.
The semi-automatic handgun is better yet -- higher capacity, and much faster to reload, and the action absorbs some of the recoil.
This is not to say that you can't shoot and carry what you want. And it's quite possible your single action is the gun you use best at your current level of skill.
But I am saying that there are better choices than a SA revolver, in an objective and absolute sense.
YOU might be better with a single action, but that doesn't mean it is the best choice of weapon. The question is about the gun, not the individual's skill.
The Colt SAA may have been the best choice in 1873, but by 1878 there were better choices. And today, hundreds of better choices.
By any objective standard, a DA revolver is better than a SA -- faster to shoot, faster to reload, doesn't require breaking your grip to cock, and can be made more compact.
The semi-automatic handgun is better yet -- higher capacity, and much faster to reload, and the action absorbs some of the recoil.
This is not to say that you can't shoot and carry what you want. And it's quite possible your single action is the gun you use best at your current level of skill.
But I am saying that there are better choices than a SA revolver, in an objective and absolute sense.
Hunter0924
New member
I have carried a Ruger New Model Blackhawk in .45 Colt from time to time for woods/trail carry.
Elliotsdad said:
In all honesty, I would guess if you have to reload either in a gunfight, you're probably in for a very bad day getting worse by the minute.
I don't think Ruger ever made a Birdshead .357 shorter than 4 5/8 inches but they have made the Montado in .357 with regular plow handle grips, a low slung hammer and a 3.75 inch barrel. In my mind it has one significant flaw compared to the 3.75 inch Birdsheads chambered in .45 acp. The ejector rod on the Montado is too short to strongly eject the longer, higher pressure cases of the .357. The same short ejector pops out the short, lower pressure .45 ACP cases with ease.
In all honesty, I would guess if you have to reload either in a gunfight, you're probably in for a very bad day getting worse by the minute.
I have never had a stovepipe or FTF with my revolvers. But yeah, if I wanted the ultimate carry gun, I would probably spend a bunch on tuning a semiauto I like my Kimber Compact CDP II, but I have been exclusively revolver for the past couple years and don't often open my semi auto cabinet. I like my Glock22 as a bedroom gun, because it has a rail with a flashlight and laser. But in the morning I might decide to carry an SA, maybe even adding a crossdraw for driving.
Wow, I think this thread has gone long enough. Most shooters and this includes law enforcement carry and use semi-autos. They consider shooters that use revolvers either SA or SA/DA as outdated. My SD or home defense is a DA revolver through I have semi-autos I could use. So I am outdated. But that does not concern me.
Its up to the individual to choose.
Its up to the individual to choose.
HungryHunter
New member
"I'll bet you could almost get that fancy gun out of that fancy holster before some fast gentleman with an old fashioned sixgun blew a hole in you."- John Wayne Big Jake. Kinda sums up my thoughts with a little bit of humor. Don't have to take that too seriously fellas.. 