Correct SA operation

[OldeSkool]

What is the correct procedure for loading, unloading a colt single action army? Is it bad to pop the gate open and give the cylinder a spin? Is it bad to dry fire?

What is the correct procedure for loading and unloading a modern copy, specifically a ruger vaquero or a taurus gaucho? Once again, is it bad to pop the gate open and give the cylinder a spin?

I remember reading somewhere that newbies often mistreat some kind of SA, hoping someone can elaborate.

Thanks!

 

[Sir William]

Things are different with single action revolvers. The first thing is to compare apples to apples. There are three basic types of Ruger single actions. The old Colt clone 3-screw without the transfer bar safety, the modern transfer bar safety gargantuan models and the newer XR3-style with a old style size and grip with a transfer bar safety. The real difference is in the absence or presence of a transfer bar safety. The next major difference is in the gate interlock or absence of said item. This feature was to only allow the revolvers to be loaded when the gate was open, blocking the accidental cocking of the hammer or allowing the action to function by pulling the hammer back and letting it fall forward intentionally. It also only allowed a one direction ONLY movement of the cylinder. It was not well liked. Ruger listened and realised that a large number of their revolvers were being converted anyway. The new Ruger Vaquero was born. The issue is strength. Rugers have been known to take pressures that would turn a Colt or Cotl clone into a grenade. The new Rugers do NOT have that ability/strength. That is the short story on Rugers. The clones varied greatly in quality and had soft metals used in them, they wore out fast or broke. CAS or cowboy action shooting has helped improve the quality and durability. CAS shooters helped put two poor quality and questionable companies out of business. ASM or Armi San Marcos are known to be POJ and poor quality single actions. Before this was known though, EMF-IAR, Traditions, KBI-Liberty, Cimmaron and others imported and sold them. A company called AWA or American Western Arms even sent US steel to Italy for ASM to make their Peacekeepers and Longhorns out of. Bad quality. ASM and AWA went under. I do NOT suggest buying any ASM single action in Colt or S&W clone form. Now comes the better manufacturers, Uberti, S&W, Beretta, Pietta, USFA and technically, Colt. Colt had Armscor in the PI produce a Ruger clone. That is the even shorter story on clones. Colt has made single action revolvers long enough to know how to do it right, they did build some dogs back in the day. The Taurus Gaucho model is one of the best clones that I have ever held or pulled a trigger on. It needs little to be an excellent competition revolver. The loading gates don't allow the freespin of the cylinders even in the Rugers. They rotate in one direction only unless converted. A halfcock is needed for Colts and clones to release the cylinder, then the gate allows loading. I don't suggest freespinning a cylnder myself. All Rugers, Colts, S&Ws and clones are built better now than they ever have been. The quality is up across the board. I suggest CAS-City for knowledge, experience and good advice on generic single actions. TFL has a good base in the BP forum. The best place to begin though is with the owners manual of the model(s) you are interested in.

 

[Dfariswheel]

It really doesn't harm the gun to spin the cylinder, but too MUCH could wear the hand that rotates the cylinder.

Dry firing usually doesn't damage a single action, unless you just do it too much.

The original style single actions are NOT safe to be carried with a loaded round under the hammer.
Bumping the hammer can and WILL break the hammer or trigger notches and cause the gun to fire.

For this reason, the original single actions have to be carried with ONLY 5 rounds in the cylinder and the hammer all the way down on an empty chamber.

To do this, when loading follow this procedure:
Open the gate, pull the hammer to the loading notch.
Load one round into the chamber.
SKIP ONE CHAMBER.
Load the next 4 chambers.
When you drop the last round into the cylinder DO NOT rotate the cylinder.
Instead, close the loading gate, cock the hammer all the way back, then lower it all the way down.
The hammer will then be resting on an empty chamber, and the gun is safe to carry.

Most modern single action like the Ruger and the Taurus have modern transfer-bar ignition actions.

In these designs, the hammer is made in such as way that it CANNOT contact the firing pin.

There is a flat steel bar that rises up between the hammer and the firing pin when the hammer is cocked.

When the trigger is pulled, the hammer drops and strikes the transfer-bar. The transfer-bar then "transfers" the force of the hammer blow to the firing pin.

UNLESS the trigger is pulled AND HELD BACK, the transfer-bar will drop back down from between the hammer and the firing pin, and the gun CANNOT fire.

For this reason, newer design guns CAN be carried with all six chambers loaded.

On the Vaquero, you simply open the loading gate and drop in six rounds.

 

[Majic]

For a Colt or a true clone you pull the hammer back to the 2nd click and open the loading gate. Then you can spin the cylinder to the right, popping out the cases with the extractor or loading the cartridges as the chamber lines up with the loading gate. For safety you load one chamber, skip the next, load the next four, close the gate, fully cock the hammer then let it down and it will be over the empty chamber.
For the new model Ruger you just open the loading gate for loading and unloading. You can also load all 6 chambers as the Ruger has a transfer bar for safely carrying the revolver fully loaded.
I don't know whose design Taurus used so I can't comment.
You can spin the cylinder and hear the pawl sing. In time it will create wear, but unless you make a habit of it it should pose no problem.

 

[Hal]

Spinning the cylinder won't hurt anything all that much.
(Falling off a tall building)

Cocking the hammer to stop a (rapidly) spinning cylinder will do an enormous amount of damage.
(the sudden stop when you hit the ground)

Fanning it - ie: holding the trigger back and fanning the hammer - will also tear up a stock S/A.

 

[Jack Malloy]

Dry firing a traditional single action Army is bad, as it will cause burrs in the firing pin hole. It can also damage the firing pin.
Fanning a SA is a big no no as it will break the bolt springs and the main spring and burr the bolt notches on the cylinder.
Occassionally somebody sees someone do it on movies or on tv and think its okay to do.
What they dont know is that on the movie set, the actor has three identical guns for filming in case one breaks down. Exhibition shooters like Bob Munden have their guns customized to withstand that sort of abuse too.

 

[Jim Watson]

Load one, skip one, load four works to load a SAA when the gun is clean and the ammo is first class. I have seen a number of CAS shooters do it on a foul gun and/or with poor ammo and not find a bulged case, burred rim, or high primer until they start shooting and find the gun difficult or impossible to cock. I just load all five, roll the cylinder slowly around to be sure it turns freely, then look for the empty (at the rim, not down the barrel!), turn it to come up next, full cock, uncock.