Single Action Appeal?
- Thread starter roy reali
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An ergonomics note:
I've compared the "hammer reach" of pre-WW2 Colts with the USFA Rodeo and found them to be the same. Post-WW2 Colts (2nd/3rd/4th generation) have a longer hammer reach that is pretty much copied by the Ruger New Vaquero (standard hammer) and probably scads of others.
To reduce the hammer reach on mine, I long ago swapped to the SuperBlackhawk hammer. And it turns out that combination has a reach length very, very similar to the pre-WW2 Colts and the USFA. Cool.
The other thing I didn't like about my NewVaq357 was the sights. To say I've "done something about that" is a severe understatement
.
If this bad boy ever has to come out to "play" it's going to get somebody's attention.
Did I mention this is my only centerfire gun, period? Only other gun is a Cimarron Plinkerton .22, a very close size/heft match and yeah, complete with it's own version of this sight.
I've compared the "hammer reach" of pre-WW2 Colts with the USFA Rodeo and found them to be the same. Post-WW2 Colts (2nd/3rd/4th generation) have a longer hammer reach that is pretty much copied by the Ruger New Vaquero (standard hammer) and probably scads of others.
To reduce the hammer reach on mine, I long ago swapped to the SuperBlackhawk hammer. And it turns out that combination has a reach length very, very similar to the pre-WW2 Colts and the USFA. Cool.
The other thing I didn't like about my NewVaq357 was the sights. To say I've "done something about that" is a severe understatement
.
If this bad boy ever has to come out to "play" it's going to get somebody's attention
.Did I mention this is my only centerfire gun, period? Only other gun is a Cimarron Plinkerton .22, a very close size/heft match and yeah, complete with it's own version of this sight.
There's something about cocking the hammer, the grip, having to make each shot count cause you had to cock the hammer again. Through the years the 1911, mod29, g19, s&w snubnoses, sp101 were all great guns but stapping on the old ruger blackhawk or the ruger single six and taking a walk in the desert made me feel like I went back in time. When I was a kid I even prefered my plastic six shooter over my plastic 1911. Funny how back then you never missed a shot, HA.
charliechalmers
New member
The reason I like my SA revolvers is the feel of the crisp trigger, and when a man has to cock back a hammer, he means business. Loading and reloading might be a little slow but with practice you can get them in and out fairly quick.
Sold my only DA a Ruger Super Redhawk about a year ago... All I have now is SAs...... Just something about them. The simplicity, the functionality, the reliability, the history, ... all works for me. I don't need to get off 17+1 shots in less than a second. Nor do I have to load 'em quick. Something about punching in a big .45 Colt round one at a time. Load one, skip one, load 4 more.... shoot, punch 'em out one at a time..... Ah, .... nothing quite like it. Keep your autos and DAs.... Home Defense? Pack'n Pistol? The SA is where it is at .... for me and others since the 1800s . The working man's sixgun. Boom!
. The working man's sixgun. Boom!The semi-auto creed: "Spray and pray is the order of the day."
The SAA has it's virtues. SAA shooters tend to practice fundamental marksmanship (as long as you're not fanning!) and end up the better for it. Could I stand my ground and let a bad guy spray bullets all around me (hopefully) while I get off one good shot? I hope I never have to find out. One thing I do know is that a SAA allows you to top off faster than either a DA or semi can. If you've shot three off and are now behind cover with a few seconds to spare, you can eject just those three empties and refill them without having to dump the unspent rounds.
The SAA has it's virtues. SAA shooters tend to practice fundamental marksmanship (as long as you're not fanning!) and end up the better for it. Could I stand my ground and let a bad guy spray bullets all around me (hopefully) while I get off one good shot? I hope I never have to find out. One thing I do know is that a SAA allows you to top off faster than either a DA or semi can. If you've shot three off and are now behind cover with a few seconds to spare, you can eject just those three empties and refill them without having to dump the unspent rounds.
Man... I'm finally "gettin in to" revolvers, but can't quite dig the SA only guns. Not sure what it is... maybe my age... but I just don't find them that fun to shoot.
I have a feeling that might change over time, but for now I like at least 6 shots as fast as I can pull the trigger.
I have a feeling that might change over time, but for now I like at least 6 shots as fast as I can pull the trigger.
Well, for lots of people, that's the way they like to do it.
Me, I like to shoot 'em one at a time, and hit what I'm shooting at...every time. If I can do that, then follow-up shots are a non-issue.
And taking recoil into consideration, no one's going to hit much in rapid fire mode with some of the cartridges shot from SA revolvers.
I'm reminded of a coyote calling trip I made many years ago with a couple of buddies. One of them was my regular hunting partner (Rob), and the other was a friend (Tony), but hadn't hunted much with us in the past.
Rob and I were using bolt action rifles. Tony was using an AR in .223. Tony, upon being invited to go, eventually got around to rubbing it in on Rob about his hi-cap AR, and how he was "gonna rat-tat-tat on 'em", and we weren't going to get anything with our slow-to-operate bolt action rifles. I'd already gone home before that nonsense started.
The next morning, I killed two coyotes in two shots before Tony got fully awake (he was still fidgiting to get comfortable when I shot the first one).
A bit later, I heard him utter sumthin' or other, and then he opened up and started spraying lead in the general direction of a coyote that was ducking and dodging through the mesquite brush.
I waited 'till it reached an open, grassy area, put the crosshairs out in front of him a bit, and knocked it down with one shot. Tony had emptied his AR, 'cause I heard it click on an empty chamber.
I was three coyotes for three shots, and left Tony holding an empty magazine.
Now, I do know folks who use semi-auto (both handguns and rifle) that can and do make each shot count. I know folks who can shoot almighty fast with a revolver and make each of those shots count, too.
But they're rare in my experience.
I'm a little slower on follow up shots, but it's mostly because I haven't had much practice at missing the first one.
Daryl
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I deer hunt with a single action Super Blackhawk Hunter and I plink with a .22 Single-Six. The thing I like about single actions is that instinctively, I know that my gun is slower to load than a double action revolver or semiauto. That forces me to make a stronger mental effort to make every shot count. While I'm plinking, I'm not going to rattle off 10 fast shots like semiauto shooters do. I'm going to spend more time thinking, processing and selecting targets. When the shooting is done, I have a built-in pause while I unlatch the gate, rotate the cylinder and load each chamber. That forces me to think, reflect and relax. The gun becomes an instrument of stress relief and mental exercise rather than a means to fire off ammunition and money as fast as possible. This means that my ammo lasts longer, I enjoy shooting more and I don't spend as much money during each plinking session. Single-actions place the emphasis on marksmanship and mental training as it should be.
None of the above applies to self defense scenarios. For self defense, I want a double action revolver with speedloaders. In fact, when I carry a single action revolver for hunting or plinking, a DA revolver rides in my shoulder holster for backup.
None of the above applies to self defense scenarios. For self defense, I want a double action revolver with speedloaders. In fact, when I carry a single action revolver for hunting or plinking, a DA revolver rides in my shoulder holster for backup.
sc928porsche
New member
The SA fits me better than the DA or the semis. Result..........I am more accurate with them.
aarondhgraham
New member
It's Roy's fault,,,
And Hoppy, and Lash Larue, and The Lone Ranger, and Paladin, and all of the other cowboy heros I grew up watching,,,
It's why when my Grandfather gave me the pick of one handgun from his case,,,
I only looked at the Luger in passing, I lingered over the 1911 for a few seconds, but dove headfirst at the old SAA his father carried.
Let's face it,,,
We're all white hat wearing cowboys at heart,,,
And the good guys almost always carried a Colt SAA,,,
Lucas McCain and Josh Randall were the main exceptions.
Didn't Bart Maverick carry a Remington though?
And Hoppy, and Lash Larue, and The Lone Ranger, and Paladin, and all of the other cowboy heros I grew up watching,,,
It's why when my Grandfather gave me the pick of one handgun from his case,,,
I only looked at the Luger in passing, I lingered over the 1911 for a few seconds, but dove headfirst at the old SAA his father carried.
Let's face it,,,
We're all white hat wearing cowboys at heart,,,
And the good guys almost always carried a Colt SAA,,,
Lucas McCain and Josh Randall were the main exceptions.
Didn't Bart Maverick carry a Remington though?
All of the above are very good reasons...and another is you do not have to pick up brass! At our local range, when the RSO says take a break, I sit down and do so, while the others are picking up brass and saying to one another "...is this yours? I marked mine so and so" and etc. Wheel guns rule!
It's in the grip. Nothing, and I mean nothing feels better in my hand than a single action.
Slow to reload? What's wrong with that? You in a hurry to shoot up your ammo?
Besides. I seldom saw a TV western hero run out of bullets.
(Yea, yea...I know...ammo. We called 'em "bullets" when I was watching TV westerns and shooting greenie stickum caps.)
Slow to reload? What's wrong with that? You in a hurry to shoot up your ammo?
Besides. I seldom saw a TV western hero run out of bullets.
(Yea, yea...I know...ammo. We called 'em "bullets" when I was watching TV westerns and shooting greenie stickum caps.)
What I love about SA revos is the accuracy that can be obtained. The cylinder is solidly indexed into the frame instead of a crane that moves. If the cylinder is line bored with the barrel and the throats are sized correctly for the bore they are incredibly accurate. I have a 7.5 in Bisley in .41 Mag that will ring a steel ram at 200 meters all day long if you're up to the task.