Single Action Revolvers

[TBT]

Teach me about them. ;D

I might be interested in adding a couple of these but I'm not sure.

I have no idea how these things work, what safety features they have (I've heard transfer bar, but that means nothing to me really).

Good brands ...

I figure Tman will be into this topic ...

[TMan]

tbt said:

...I figure Tman will be into this topic ...

Not me!!! I've moved on to better things.

["DoubleAction"]

TMan; We could use you on this one. TBT; "Singleaction" will be a good contributor to this thread, as well.

Single Action revolvers cover alot of ground, both with the classic style Ruger, in the magnums, with adjustable sights, to the cowboy action revolvers. Many do have the safety bar, which is activated by the release of the trigger as the hammer is being lowered from full cocked. Rugers are highly noted for this method of safety . However, The Rugers are not of the same breed of Revolvers found in the original Colt Single Action Army revolvers, where the firing pin is mounted on the hammer.

More on this later, when I return.

Edited to typo error.

[TMan]

Okay, I didn't really have the time to go into this yesterday, and I do like shooting the double-action revolvers in single-action (SA) mode because they are easier to load and have great triggers in SA mode.

Today I shot a box of ammo through the Schofield, which is the most expensive gun I have to shoot. (My wife would be proud that I like the expensive one to shoot). The Schofield is SA, but it is so quick to load and unload. I can do it faster than with the double-action revolvers (without using moon-clips or speedloaders).

I'm not sure why I like shooting certain types of guns, but some are more enjoyable than others. One thing I don't like is guns that hurt me. One of my shooting buddies offered to let me shoot his Sig 232 today. Since I can outrun him, I didn't have to. It has hurt me before. None of my SA revolvers have ever hurt me. When I was shooting PMC "smokeless" ammo in the Schofield, I was getting a lot of smoke and hot powder in my face. I don't shoot PMC anymore. Also, I find the plastic grips with the eagle on them, which are on my Colt SAA, uncomfortable when the gun rolls up in my hand so I don't shoot it much.

Some of the SA's have the firing pin as part of the hammer. With these you load one, skip one, and then load four. You then cock and lower the hammer on the empty chamber. The others have the firing pin on the frame and the hammer either directly hits the firing pin or hits the transfer bar, which when you squeeze the trigger moves up into place so the hammers energy is passed through it to the firing pin. If the hammer was struck and fell without the trigger being pulled, it could not reach the firing pin. The trouble with the transfer bar is that it can hang up and the gun fails.

With the Colt, and most Colt replicas, there is a loading notch that you pull back the hammer to for loading and unloading. You then open the loading gate and rotate the cylinder to load/unload each cylinder, which of course is time-consuming. Some revolvers will detent and at this point the ejector is at the correct place to be depressed and push out the empty. Others don't have this detent so you sort of fish around for the correct spot. The old Rugers are that way, and I hate it. Even worse is one of my Uberti's that has the detent, but the ejector isn't lined up at that point. I went back to the dealer and they had 3 more and they were all that way.

The new Rugers will have the old Colt lockup and will detent for ejecting/loading (you can buy aftermarket parts for the old Rugers to do this). I've had the new Ruger on backorder for quite a while (NV35), but I canceled it after hearing about production problems. I'll wait until next year, if I haven't heard negative feedback then I'll get one.

One of the replicas that follows very closely to the original Colt design is the U.S. Firearms Rodeo. You can get one of these for a get real price of less than $500. These are made in the old Colt factory in Hartford, CT. I'm not recommending one particular manufacturer of SA revolvers, but if I was in the market, that is what I would buy. I dry-fired one at my dealers once. I realized then that if I had been born years ago, I would have been the fastest draw in the country because I whipped out my check-book so fast there was a sonic boom.

You can get SA revolvers with fixed sights or adjustable sights. Contrary to my preference in semi-autos, I prefer the fixed sights on the SA revolvers.

Whenever I go to the range, I have a minimum of two guns to shoot. If I have 3 then one of them is a .22 variant. I can't recall since I started shooting SA revolvers that I've gone to the range without a SA revolver. I may have a bad day with a semi, but I always do well with the SA revolvers, and they don't hit me in the face with brass either.

Although the Uberti .22LR came close to ending up next to the Jennings, after shooting CCI mini-mags through it, it worked okay.

Don't tell DA, but if you just want to try a SA without spending much money, you can get a Heritage .22LR, (although if it was me, I'd spend the extra money and get the U.S. Firearms chambered in .38 Special). The Heritage is cheap and fun to shoot, and when it breaks they have good customer service, and you may find when you get it back that it is better than it was when it was new.

["DoubleAction"]

Thanks TMan; When asked about the Single Action revolvers, the first thing comes to my mind is the Cowboy Action Shooters. Adding to what my collegue has already mentioned; The Colt Single Action Army is perhaps the most noted of the Single Action Revolvers, with it's clones being found for far less in price. A Colt Single Action Army clone is copied so close to the Colt that many of it's parts will interchange with that of the Colt ( Kinda sounds like the 1911 and it's clones). Because many of the clones are imported, it is a requirement that they have some sort of hammer safety incorporated into it's lockwork assembly; Not so with a Colt because it is manufactured in the U.S.
The seams kinda busted out with the popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting after the release of a movie called "Tombstone". This also modivated Ruger to introduce their version of the Cowboy revolver, with the Vaquero.
The only complaint I ever had with the Vaquero was with having to line up the cylinder in order to load the chambers. With the Colt four notch hammer, the half cocked notch provides a a loading and unloading stage with a distinctive cylinder lug click. This year, as TMan already mentioned, Ruger added the loading notch to the Vaquero.
If Cowboy isn't on your list , you might find the Ruger Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk a good trade off with their adjustable rear sights. These a very good entry level magnum revolvers, which serve's the seasoned shooter as well . First magnum revolver I ever fired was a Ruger Blackhawk in .357 magnum; The second was a Ruger New Model Super Blackhawk in 44 magnum.
One thing people has complained about over the last hundred years, with the Single Action Army, was how slow it was to load. This is one reason why many were fond of the Schofield, especially a calvaryman on horseback. Smith & Wesson calls revolvers like the Schofield "Top Breaks". Where the cylinder is hinged on a yoke or crane, like the double action revolvers, those are called "Hand Ejectors".
Alot can be said about the single action revolvers and I'm sure alot more will be added to this thread.

[TBT]

Wow ... tons of info guys. Thanks!

I have to digest it some, do some homework, and then come back with questions a plenty.

Thanks again!

["DoubleAction"]

TBT; Find some stuff written by John Taffin, Phil Spangenberger, Mike Venturino, and Hal Swiggett. These guys have contributed alot of articles on the Single Actions.

[TMan]

If you don't mind waiting, Taurus will be coming out with their version of SA cowboy revolvers called the Gaucho in the 4th quarter. Also, as I mentioned below in What's New, Beretta will have their Laramie available in time for Christmas.

Having shot a Schofield, it is just so superior to the other types as far as enjoyable shooting is concerned. I can't vouch for the accuracy. I'm not shooting it as well as I have shot the Beretta Stampede.

Should you decide to get the Beretta Stampede, I don't recommend the Deluxe version. Their case colored frame is really ugly, and this comes from someone that recently bought a Honda Element.

There are also SA revolvers from Cimarron. Everyone is getting into the game, I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact these guns are fun to shoot?

What I don't understand with the Schofield is why the recoil is so light. The round is about the same as a .45 ACP, but shooting it is like shooting a .38 Special.

[SingleAction]

I just got back from vacation. The wife ( she shoots too!), and I went to S&W shooting sports center, in Springfield, MA.

We had the opportunity to shoot a model #3 Schofield. Tman,

I beg to differ with you as far as it having light recoil! Maybe you shot a lighter bullet in yours. I was given a box of Black Hills Ammunition, in 230 gr. RNFP. A very nice gun, but I don't like the shape of the grips. Very much like the bisleys.

As far as Colt type guns, I had ordered a new Cimarron model P in nickel finish, and was very disappointed in the gun, which had it's plating flaking off the frame, without it ever being fired! I returned it, and went for the real deal in blue/cch.

I still need a second 6 shooter for Cowboy action shooting, and can't afford another Colt, so I most likely will go for the Rodeo too!

[TMan]

I'm wondering what the length of barrel was in the #3 that you shot. I shoot the .45 LC in my Bond Arms too.

That is scary about the Cimarron Nickel plating. I may have to rethink the Beretta Laramie because they are made by the same company as the Cimarron.

According to my Ruger rep, the New Vaquero should be available in mass by September. It will be much more Colt like.

[SingleAction]

Tman, As far as the length of the #3, I'm not sure, but I want to say it looked like either a 5-1/2" or a 6", and had a rather sharp snap to it with the cowboy load bullets. If I owned the gun, i would try a reload with a 200gr RNFP, and less powder.

As far as the Cimarron, the reason I bought it over the other Uberti brands was their hype on their web site about quality control being superior as compared to the other importers.