The Single Action Revolvers

["DoubleAction"]

....The Single Actions go back to Sam Colt and the reasons why you have to switch to your off hand to grip it while your shooting hand loads the chambers; Sam Colt was left handed. Bill Grover manufacturers his own line of revolvers with the loading gate being on the left side.
....Why your pinky finger rests underneath the grip is because Sam Colt also had small hands. What followed was clones of the Colt Revolver. Although the Single Action Army was manufactured after the death of Sam Colt, the grip remains what is already was. Oh Yea; Sam Colt was not very fond of top straps either.

["DoubleAction"]

Colt's Single Action Army Cowboy Loads

One day I was reading an article from John Taffin, in which he brought up an important fact about Colt's Single Action Army. One thing about this revolver is the fact that it has remained almost unchanged since 1872; During that time, black powder was used as a propellant.

With newer, more modern, higher energy cartridges one might fail to think twice before loading their single action Colt. That's why there are "Cowboy Loads" for this revolver.

The Cylinder walls of the Colt SAA seems to be where the inherited weakness of it's strength falls short with that of our more modern revolvers. The following cylinders are that of the :

Colt SAA, .45 Colt.........Uberti .44 magnum..........Ruger Super Blackawk

["DoubleAction"]

......Loading The Colt Single Action Army Revolver : This was a lesson learned, by reading from Old Western Cowboy Actor "Harry Carey, Jr"....about 25 years ago :

....The lock work of the Colt Single Action six shooters have never changed in the way they have manufactured in over 100 years, and neither has the method by which they are to be decocked or loaded.

....No gun slinger of the six shooter is worth his salt until he learns how to properly load and decock his Colt Single Action Army. I'll try to make this quick.

....After checking and rechecking the cylinder to make sure the firearm is unloaded.

....Place only five cartridges, preferably Dummy Rounds of Dummy Snap Caps off to the side; No more than five.

....First begin by bringing the hammer to half cocked, loading position, start by loading one round in the first chamber, then skip chamber 2, rotate to chamber 3 and load, rotate to chamber 4 and load, rotate to chamber 5 and load, rotate to chamber 6 and load. Close loading gate, cock hammer to rear, press trigger, and slowly lower the hammer. The hammer should now be resting on that empty chamber.

...If the hammer is cocked, without firing, and needs to be brought back around to the empty chamber, the hammer needs to be cocked six times in order to bring the empty chamber to be rested again on the empty chamber. One can practice this by using dummy cartridges and a long pencil, eraser first, down the barrel to check the position of the cylinder.

...Although many handgun manufacturers have made great strides and attempts to develop idiot proof systems for a one size fits all society, we are still forced to back track a time when people actually learned from their mistakes ( if they lived so long) and the mistakes of others; I prefer the learning process of the later.

....Although Bill Ruger contributed to the development of the transfer bar on the Single Actions Revolvers, the Double Actions Revolvers was already using this transfer bar system.