Can anyone explain to me why exactly carrying six rounds on half cock is considered so unsafe? Is this a modern "age of safety" notion or was it practiced in antiquity? I know some lever rifles with half cock safeties are considered safe so why not a Colt revolver? It may seem ignorant but I've always owned New Model Rugers until I bought my Walker replica.
Colt's and "six up" carry
- Thread starter Ben Towe
- Start date
Ideal Tool
Moderator
It was practised back in the day (19th century) Elmer keith also mentioned this and he was refering to the early 1900's.
kameron454ci
New member
I like my right leg/foot so i carry five. i think if you just bump the hammer back when on half cock it will fall.
Because sears are hardened, and thus brittle, metal and they are breakable. All it takes is a sharp blow to the tip of the hammer, like dropping the gun. And once the sear breaks, nothing stops the hammer from falling. There's also the problem of a worn sear or notch - it is possible for a hammer to slip past the half cock notch if the sear and/or the notch are badly worn, a condition the owner would not necessarily be aware of.
Not all guns are nice and new from the factory. Assuming all guns work like they did when they were new is not a good idea. The half cock position is not a safety. It's better than full cock or hammer down on a loaded chamber, but not as good as hammer down on an empty chamber. And most folks prefer a full measure of safety over a partial measure. Not all, sadly, but most.
Not all guns are nice and new from the factory. Assuming all guns work like they did when they were new is not a good idea. The half cock position is not a safety. It's better than full cock or hammer down on a loaded chamber, but not as good as hammer down on an empty chamber. And most folks prefer a full measure of safety over a partial measure. Not all, sadly, but most.
Ben
Interesting characterization your use of the phrase "modern age of safety".
I am inclined to agree with you to a point. And as nearly everyone on the forum knows, this is a hot btton with me.
Many of the safety requirements identified in industry are more like realizations of a danger which always existed but was never mitigated. As an example, I cite the requirement for climber safety devices now in occupations which formerly did not make use of them. There are probably a hundred thousand examples of this enlightened approach to safety. As much as I hate to admit it, OSHA, NIOSH, and the guidance they develop and implement do save lives and reduce illness and injury.
I do believe it is possible to be too safe. When a requirement is set forth that is difficult, costly, or monumentally inconvenient to implement and which does not actually provide an appreciable gain in safety we may be going too far.
Many people would consider my approach to safety (the fact that I believe it is possible to be too safe.) as sacrelige. I did 26 years in the Navy and safety was part and parcel of every Navy evolution. After leaving the service I became an OSHA instructor, A CSX Railroad Work Safety instructor, and a Red Cross CPR/First Aid instructor. So it may surprise you to learn that I hate fire extinguishers. I experienced three shipboard fires and not one of them was put out with a fire bottle, but in every case all of the fire bottles were emptied without effect on the fire. In the fire on USS Coyningham, they used up every fire bottle on the ship, all of the ones they could get from adjacent ships and still the extinguishers had no effect. One man killed, three seriously burned, and many mistakenly thought they could fight a fire with a fire extinguisher. 20 seconds is all you get.
I also load directly from a flask into a previously fired revolver. I know that many among you think this is dangerous and I do not disagree. But I understand the danger and know how to reduce it to an acceptable (to me) level. If you read about me in the news paper, you will know that I was mistaken. It would not be the first time.
I always load all six but then the way I shoot does not make that practice any more dangerous than loading five. I never ever shoot with other people. I never carry the loaded revolver more than about eight feet. I always load and then discharge the rounds immediately. I ALWAYS cap the nipples at the shooting bench and NEVER travel even three steps with the revolver once it hasbeen capped. I must tell that the revolver on half cock, with the hammer just three quarters of an inch away from a live chamber send chills up my spine.
Interesting characterization your use of the phrase "modern age of safety".
I am inclined to agree with you to a point. And as nearly everyone on the forum knows, this is a hot btton with me.
Many of the safety requirements identified in industry are more like realizations of a danger which always existed but was never mitigated. As an example, I cite the requirement for climber safety devices now in occupations which formerly did not make use of them. There are probably a hundred thousand examples of this enlightened approach to safety. As much as I hate to admit it, OSHA, NIOSH, and the guidance they develop and implement do save lives and reduce illness and injury.
I do believe it is possible to be too safe. When a requirement is set forth that is difficult, costly, or monumentally inconvenient to implement and which does not actually provide an appreciable gain in safety we may be going too far.
Many people would consider my approach to safety (the fact that I believe it is possible to be too safe.) as sacrelige. I did 26 years in the Navy and safety was part and parcel of every Navy evolution. After leaving the service I became an OSHA instructor, A CSX Railroad Work Safety instructor, and a Red Cross CPR/First Aid instructor. So it may surprise you to learn that I hate fire extinguishers. I experienced three shipboard fires and not one of them was put out with a fire bottle, but in every case all of the fire bottles were emptied without effect on the fire. In the fire on USS Coyningham, they used up every fire bottle on the ship, all of the ones they could get from adjacent ships and still the extinguishers had no effect. One man killed, three seriously burned, and many mistakenly thought they could fight a fire with a fire extinguisher. 20 seconds is all you get.
I also load directly from a flask into a previously fired revolver. I know that many among you think this is dangerous and I do not disagree. But I understand the danger and know how to reduce it to an acceptable (to me) level. If you read about me in the news paper, you will know that I was mistaken. It would not be the first time.
I always load all six but then the way I shoot does not make that practice any more dangerous than loading five. I never ever shoot with other people. I never carry the loaded revolver more than about eight feet. I always load and then discharge the rounds immediately. I ALWAYS cap the nipples at the shooting bench and NEVER travel even three steps with the revolver once it hasbeen capped. I must tell that the revolver on half cock, with the hammer just three quarters of an inch away from a live chamber send chills up my spine.
madcratebuilder
New member
Most cap and ball revolvers well have one or more pins or notches to locate the hammer down between chambers. Some C&B revolvers, like the Starr uses a extra set of bolt notches cut in the cylinder as a safety device. I consider this a safe way to carry a C&B.
Ben Towe, your Walker replica should have a single pin on the back of the cylinder to locate the hammer between cylinders. The Walker and Whitneyville Dragoons used a single pin and six pins starting some time in 1st model dragoons.
A center fire SA without the transfer bar should have the hammer resting on a empty chamber.
I agree Doc. I just can't see "glowing embers" lasting so long as to be a hazard when reloading a C&B. Now if I was using paper cartridges I would be more cautious.
Ben Towe, your Walker replica should have a single pin on the back of the cylinder to locate the hammer between cylinders. The Walker and Whitneyville Dragoons used a single pin and six pins starting some time in 1st model dragoons.
A center fire SA without the transfer bar should have the hammer resting on a empty chamber.
GunDoc said:
I agree Doc. I just can't see "glowing embers" lasting so long as to be a hazard when reloading a C&B. Now if I was using paper cartridges I would be more cautious.
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I'm with Mykeal 100%. And with Doc, too, except that I don't always practice what I preach. I'll get it straight one of these days.
Interesting point, Doc, about the main space fire on Gus. We talked about that fire and its fallout on my ship, particularly why that officer died. Oh, and about the wisdom of aluminum fixtures on the DC deck (given that my ship had an aluminum superstructure, it seemed important...) I was in the process of getting ESWS qualified, so I was paying a lot of attention.
Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread.
Interesting point, Doc, about the main space fire on Gus. We talked about that fire and its fallout on my ship, particularly why that officer died. Oh, and about the wisdom of aluminum fixtures on the DC deck (given that my ship had an aluminum superstructure, it seemed important...) I was in the process of getting ESWS qualified, so I was paying a lot of attention.
Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread.
rdstrain49
New member
load 6 on the range if you wish, but 5 on your belt.
If you ever get a chance to compare the hammer and trigger sears of a single action revolver hammer and a lever action rifle hammer you will see the difference right away. The rifle sears are much more substantial.
Also, a handgun hitting the gound is much more likely to be pointing at you than a long rifle would under the same circumstances.
BTW, even the half cock safety on a lever action rifle is not foolproof. They can also break under the right (wrong) circumstances.
The half cock notch is undercut and normally carrying it that way isn't much different than a percussion lock muzzle loader being carried around on half cock. I think the big danger is that with a rifle you have less of a chance of brushing the hammer against an object that could slightly pull back the hammer and let it accidentally fire. Such an occurrence would be a lot more likely with a revolver being carried in a loose fitting holster, PLUS the revolver is aimed at your leg. In any event the time honored carry on a SAA Colt is five with the hammer down on an empty chamber. It is historically correct. At the range go ahead and load six.
Madcratebuilder, I found that pin. That little guy is hard to see, and the fact that they don't come with much of an instruction manual to tell you things like that doesn't help.
I think that safety has gotten a little out of hand in some instances, I just didn't know if this was such a case. Apparently not.
I think that safety has gotten a little out of hand in some instances, I just didn't know if this was such a case. Apparently not.
madcratebuilder
New member
The sear ledge on Enfields, Swiss k31's, and Mausers is much smaller than a typical SA Colt. The sear on a AR10/15 and Marlin 336 is about the same size as a SA Colt, or DA Ruger, S&W, Charter Arms....
Not to keep repeating myself, and...I'm far from ever being accused of being a safety nut, but...I've NEVER heard of a Colt SAA being carried in a half cock position. The only advanatge you would be gaining is a sixth shot. As most gun fights go; if you haven't hit the other guy by the fifth shot you are probably in big trouble anyway.
junkman_01
Moderator
But what 'IF' you have to engage multiple adversaries? That sixth shot just might be the one that saves your life!
Neither have I. But the op didn't mention SAAs. He was referring to cap-and-ball revolvers. Even though he didn't specifically say so in his first post, I assumed as much.
Others went on to mention the SAA, and just went with the discussion of sear design in general, the quarter cock and half cock sears being essentially the same in construction and strength. I suspect we all know that on a SAA it is the quarter cock notch that is/was used as a "safety".