need load advice

absolutely. Truth be told, I suspect that most users of single action armies loaded six and used the first notch as a safety. The old model ruger black hawk manuals even said that placing the hammer in that notch made the guns safe to carry "under most circumstances." I sold the SBH and don't have the manual any more so can't photograph the page to prove it is really there.

It probably worked very well as a safety too. There are concerns that dropping the revolver on the hammer will shear the notch or the tip of the trigger-neither of which are very substantial -and allow the gun to fire. The terminal discharges I have known about came when the carrier just set the hammer down in contact with a primer. they go off real easy like that.
 
sorry for the delay in replys, busy week again. Thats what i figured, it made sence for the peacemaker packer back then to trust the factory when they said it was safe to carry. My question is, is it possible to improve this safety notch so that it wasnt so flimsy?? That way you could retain that 4 click sound everyone creams for, and have a safe gun.

Back to the '51 navy, i was looking at powders and am stuck between 2 brands. On one side there is hogdons 777 and the other is GOEX Pinnacle Replica powder. Both claim to be non corrosive bp substitutes. My question is, why is it on hogdons site in there reloading data they always show the slow loads. Is 777 safe to use up to 28grains of powder in a 51 or does it somehow have higher pressures then regular bp. Same question about the goex pinnacle replica, they dont make any reloading data claims but say it loads reloads and shoots like bp, in a cleaner way. Any advice on these would be greatly appreciated.
 
stronger parts probably do help. As above, Ruger used to indicate that the safety step was safe but they don't do that anymore. Neither does freedom arms.

I've checked out Pinacle in a number of pistols and revolvers. See results here:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=175862&highlight=pinnacle
Nothing very encouraging and the only really good results I got were with heavy charges in the dragoon

It is possible to get some really good loads with H777. ful charges with significant compression can be wild, giving extreme spreads in the 200+ fps range. Generally, people reduce the charges somewhat and try to set the ball right on top the powder column without any significant compression. This can produce low extreme spreads and good accuracy but the results are still not entirely predictable. We've had fine results from the 50 Clements ruger and a number of single shot pistols.
 
Couple of points,...


Keith mentioned that the Colt 51 Navy was considered by the Civil war veterans he knew to be a better manstopper than the results they had seen and heard of from the 38 spl with standard loads, meaning the fairly pointy shaped round nose 158 gr factory load. He also mentioned that the men that used them considered the round ball superior to the conical for fight stopping. The round ball had a more blunt profile, higher velocity, and seemed to have better shock then the pointed profile of the conical. The conical was considered useful for foraging, (shooting livestock for food) since it had better penetration, tho the shock was less. "Foraging" generally meant shooting livestock (hogs and cattle). Head shots would likely be prefered for this task.


I carried a Colt SAA for several years, mostly in a well fitted handbuilt half flap holster (meaning nothing moved the hammer back to cause the cylinder to rotate). I tried carrying the firing pin between the rims of the shells for a "safety", and found, many times, that the cylinder had moved, and I was carrying it with the hammer down on a loaded round. I finally quit doing it. Using the "safety notch" on the hammer is probably safer, tho I went to loading 5 rounds as best. My gun was a 44 spl. I think the rims are very close to the same diameter of a 45 Colt cal.

Keith mentioned that he knew of a couple guys that had been carrying Colt SAA's fully loaded, hammer in the "safety" notch, and they had stirrups fall off the top of the saddle when saddling up or adjusting the cinch, causing the gun to fire when the stirrup hit the hammer and sheared the trigger tip and/or hammer notch.

If you expect trouble, top it off, for regular daily carry, 5 is best.

It wouldn't bother me to carry a percussion pistol fully loaded with the hammer resting on the pin between chambers, tho I have not done it so far. I've not heard of anyone having trouble with a percussion cylinder moving when carried this way. Some percussion guns have been dry fired, peening the hammer face, and the hammer notch does not fit down over the pins properly. Best to check your gun before carrying loaded.
 
" I think the rims are very close to the same diameter of a 45 Colt cal..."

close enough that I use the same shell holder for reloading both cases
 
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