I have a lot of experience in the field of combat tactics from years past, and I still teach classes on demand.
I am not an equipment junkie.
The 1st rule of every gun fight it "HAVE A GUN"!
A single action is just as good for ending a fight today as it was 100 years ago.
It is not my 1st choice because a 1911 or a Springfield XD carries flatter and smaller.
But that is not something that all men would have a problem with.
ANY hit is better then ANY miss.
Comparing guns with a US Force-RECON Marine, or Marine Hunter Killer Team member is interesting, but there are major differences here.
I would NOT choose a single action "cowboy gun" to go into a combat zone with, as my primary weapon.
Do you go there?
If you don't and if you are not in an area where having to fire a lot of rounds is probable I doubt a 1911A1 with all the bells and whistles is really going to be "better" than a SAA colt (or clone thereof.)
Only hits count!
In most confrontations outside of police work and outside war zones, you are not going to fire more then 5 or 6 shots.
Is it possible to get in a protracted gunfight?
Sure!
If that is a real probability, please go directly to a shotgun or an AR-15 in 6.8 SPC, a 308 battle rifle, or an AK47.
If you have any time to prepare for a fight ALWAYS go to a long arm.
To stop a rape, robbery or mugging, I believe a SAA is going to be just as "good" as any other weapon in similar caliber.
Is a Winchester M-94 in 30-30 as “good” for hunting deer as an FN-FAL?
Ask the deer.
It depends 98% on the hunter. A bad shot and bad hunter is not going to be NEAR as successful armed with an FAL as a good hunter is with the 30-30.
In fact, I bet you can give a scoped FAL with a match barrel and match trigger to a poor hunter, and a flintlock to a good hunter, and the results will still not change much.
Look at how well some men do with only a bow and arrow, compared to some who never get their game armed with the “best” rifles to be had.
It’s always 98% the man and 2% what he’s using.
I know this idea is not the standard teaching of the day. But that doesn’t make me wrong.
Facts will show I am right in most cases. (There are always exceptions where “luck” comes into play.)
I would always choose luck over skill, but I can’t make luck. I can make skill.
If we look at the real world, and if you are not a cop or a military man, you are likely to solve your problem or loose your life within 1-2 or at the most 3 shots.
NO weapon gives you any advantage if you miss, or if you get blindsided and killed before you can shoot.
If you have the right mindset and the training, you are going to have some advantage over the untrained regardless of the weapons used.
If you are not up to the task, no weapon matters.
I used a 1911A1 in years past
I still carry it, or a springfield XD 45.
I would not feel a bit disadvantaged with my old Ruger Super Black hawk in walking around day to day.
If I were to go back to "injun country" I would take my 45 autos and they would be used only AFTER my rifle or shotgun were out of action.
If you can get a more suitable gun for defense, please do so and learn to use it WELL. But if you have a single action, and you can use it WELL, you are “good to go” now.
What carries groceries home from the store better--- a 1968 Ford Mavric, or a 2010 Mercedes Benz sports car?
We may be asking the wrong question…….
One is probably a better car, but both do the job at hand just as well as the other one.
One will be worth more money afterword, but during the drive home to feed the family, would that matter to you?
If you were to need to drive fast over a mountain pass to get to an airport before you missed a fight, and you are now 20 minutes behind schedule I am sure the M.B. would be BETTER.
But if you only drive to the grocery store, it won’t ever matter to you.
If you are not a swat cop and not a military man, I would not feel bad about your SAA as a carry weapon.
