The thing about an unloaded SAA is with the hammer down between chambers the bolt is against the cylinder wall and the cylinder can turn until it locks leaving a scratch. I've seen people let the hammer down from half cock and then deliberately turn the cylinder until it locked. Their guns had a very noticeable turn line.
Colt SAA Gate Catch a high wear item?
- Thread starter ghengiskhan
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bedbugbilly
New member
45 Dragoon - no offense taken! 
I'm not referring to positioning the hammer between cylinders for safety. I'm talking about what Hawg describes.
When I was taught to shoot SAA some 50+ years ago, it was drilled into my head that on a Colt SA, if you pull the hammer back to any position other than full cock, before you release and lower the hammer down, you take it to full cock so that the cylinder and bolt line up, otherwise, the bolt drags on the cylinder and worst case scenario, booger up the cylinder notches over time which will throw the timing off.
However many chambers a person chooses to load is their business. I will often load all six on my C & B revolvers if I'm shooting at a range. For carrying in the field, I don't - I load five and rest on an empty - but that is me and my preference. On my SAA clones, such as my Uberti Bisley - if i am carrying it, I still load 5 and rest on an empty chamber - that's because it is designed as the originals with a hammer spur pin for a firing pin and if I lower it down, regardless of if it is put in to a "safety notch" (as in first click back), the pin is lined up with a primer. But again, that's me and my preference. Even on my New Vaquero, which has a transfer bar, I still load 5 - again, personal preference. The only thing I do carry with a full cylinder are my CCW revolvers - which are DA with transfer bars and are designed to be carried that way. But of course they are in a thumbreak holster which covers the hammer completely as well. Just the habits I have gotten in to as that was the way I was taught how to do it.
Another thing that was drilled in to me was that if you load 5 (or 6), when you fire your revolver you count the rounds you fire. . . . and even though you've fired the number you've loaded, you ALWAYS check your revolver to make sure all rounds are fired - easily done on a cartridge handgun by checking the primers for firing pin marks. It boggles my mind when I am at a range next to a person shooting revolver and as they go through a cylinder full, I hear "click" - because they don't count. I even watched a guy shooting a S & W M & P one day at a range empty his pistol (I heard the telltale "click") and then he actually turned the muzzle of the revolver up towards his head so he could look in the end of the cylinder to see if all the bullets were gone. But sometimes, "you can't fix stupid". :roll eyes:
As far as the OP's problem . . . I'd want it fixed as well and as mentioned, it's probably a worn or weak bolt spring or bolt. Either way, you want that cylinder locked up reasonably tight and in time to avoid any problems with the chamber and bore not being properly aligned when that bullet takes flight.
I'm not referring to positioning the hammer between cylinders for safety. I'm talking about what Hawg describes.
When I was taught to shoot SAA some 50+ years ago, it was drilled into my head that on a Colt SA, if you pull the hammer back to any position other than full cock, before you release and lower the hammer down, you take it to full cock so that the cylinder and bolt line up, otherwise, the bolt drags on the cylinder and worst case scenario, booger up the cylinder notches over time which will throw the timing off.
However many chambers a person chooses to load is their business. I will often load all six on my C & B revolvers if I'm shooting at a range. For carrying in the field, I don't - I load five and rest on an empty - but that is me and my preference. On my SAA clones, such as my Uberti Bisley - if i am carrying it, I still load 5 and rest on an empty chamber - that's because it is designed as the originals with a hammer spur pin for a firing pin and if I lower it down, regardless of if it is put in to a "safety notch" (as in first click back), the pin is lined up with a primer. But again, that's me and my preference. Even on my New Vaquero, which has a transfer bar, I still load 5 - again, personal preference. The only thing I do carry with a full cylinder are my CCW revolvers - which are DA with transfer bars and are designed to be carried that way. But of course they are in a thumbreak holster which covers the hammer completely as well. Just the habits I have gotten in to as that was the way I was taught how to do it.
Another thing that was drilled in to me was that if you load 5 (or 6), when you fire your revolver you count the rounds you fire. . . . and even though you've fired the number you've loaded, you ALWAYS check your revolver to make sure all rounds are fired - easily done on a cartridge handgun by checking the primers for firing pin marks. It boggles my mind when I am at a range next to a person shooting revolver and as they go through a cylinder full, I hear "click" - because they don't count. I even watched a guy shooting a S & W M & P one day at a range empty his pistol (I heard the telltale "click") and then he actually turned the muzzle of the revolver up towards his head so he could look in the end of the cylinder to see if all the bullets were gone. But sometimes, "you can't fix stupid". :roll eyes:
As far as the OP's problem . . . I'd want it fixed as well and as mentioned, it's probably a worn or weak bolt spring or bolt. Either way, you want that cylinder locked up reasonably tight and in time to avoid any problems with the chamber and bore not being properly aligned when that bullet takes flight.