Single action revolvers for carry purposes?

[suspiciousmind]

Single action revolvers.

I find myself spending more and more time watching videos of folks absolutely slaying it in competition shooting with some big irons.

Some of these people shoot a single action faster and more accurately than most that I know that carry modern handguns.

My question is, do some of these people that train for competition use these guns as carry weapons too? It would make sense to carry what you train with.

I understand the capacity and loading limitations, but with a New York reload I can't imagine it's a big deal.

[mikegideon]

I like single actions. Thought about carrying one for a few seconds. Then... nah. Mine is a 45 colt with a real smooth action and fairly long barrel. I'm probably more accurate with it than any of my other handguns. But... nah. Not gonna carry one.

[suspiciousmind]

I feel like a child again. I loved pretending to be a cowboy and carrying around my toy revolver.. That I still own! Haha.

[Wingshooter]

I'm also fascinated with them. I have a couple 44's and a 22. I carry one often when I'm in the woods... usually a SBH in 44mag with the 4-5/8" bbl. With the holster and belt setup I use, I can carry it all day without really even knowing it's there. Very comfy. I like powerful medicine when I'm in the woods :)

I'm really itching for a SAA (or clone) in 45LC Edited January 20, 2015 by Wingshooter

[mikegideon]

This one is great...

 

http://www.uberti.com/1873-cattleman-el-patron-revolver

 

[TrickyNicky]

Yeah I loves me some SA revolvers. Only have one for now, but I can see at least a rimfire joining the clubhouse here sometime too. Like Mike, my SA is laser beam accurate, but I wouldn't pick it as a carry weapon and I doubt many if the competitors do either, though some surely could.

Even with a newyork reload, to many things to go wrong with getting a SA ready to fire, then once it's cocked you generally have a very short light trigger just begging to go off. Couple that with adrenin and nerves and I'd be as likely to shoot myself as a BG :lol: .

[leroy]

I've been shootin single actions since i wuz a boy (...a long time ago...), and i love them more than any other handguns we own.... I've burnt powder in the 10's of pounds (...if not hundreds...) with hard cast bullets in colts and rugers of ever flavor from 22 right up to 45 colt and 44 mag... There is no ruger or colt single action i dont like; no matter the barrel length or caliber... I USED to carry them in the woods all the time...

 

I'm old now and gimped up so i don't go in the woods as much as i used to....  If i did, i would carry my single action and my AR and/or Glock... Too many bad things in the woods today, and i'm a bit more cautious...

 

If i ride down the road in my jeep, i sometimes carry my single action as well as my Glock...

 

I feel well armed with my ruger sheriff(s) in 357 or 44 special; they, like all single actions, handle like a dream if you are used to them... Havin said that; i like the "New York" reload of the Glock...

 

On a "light day", it's just the Glock and my trusty SIG 238...

 

I say:..."keep them single actions and "New York" reload Glocks (...or one of their brothers...M&P, Sig, HK, 1911... you get the picture...) handy"... Ya never know when ya might run into a Boko Haram ambush or meet a meth cooker or pot farmer in the woods... He (... or they...) may be pretty dammed mean...

 

Watchin leroy

[greenego]

I have shooting SASS (cowboy action shooting) for a couple of years now. I am amazed at how fast and accurate some of those cowboy and cowgirls are.

As far as i know no one carries their SA revolver.

[Troutburger]

I was told you cannot take the TN HCP course with a single action. Any truth to that? 

 

My only single action experience is with a ruger super black hawk in 44mag.

 

Honestly, in a rush with that gun I am more likely to shoot off my own pinky toe than actually hit a target. 

[Garufa]

I was told you cannot take the TN HCP course with a single action. Any truth to that? 

 

The state make no such restriction but individual instructors/schools can.

[bersaguy]

Back when my buddy Dave and I hunted small game such as rabbits we both wore Single action 22's in western style fast draw holsters with tie straps on our legs. I guess I may have been about 12 years old when I was finally good enough to actually carry it hunting. Began at 10 years old with a Colt SA with 5 inch barrel and probably shot a 1000 rounds through it by age 12 and my buddy Dave had a Ruger with a 6 inch barrel. For about 4 or 5 years we killed a lot of rabbits with them. Hunting over Beagles made it much easier. Rabbits would always in most cases make a big circle and run fast enough to get way ahead of the dogs and then they would stop and rest. That was when we got most of them with the pistols. We also had our shotguns for the running and jumping shots. That was one of the gun that got stolen when they burglarized our home in 86. I had that Colt a long time.

[Cherokee Slim]

Every now & then I carry the top revolver.  It's a .45, 3 1/2" barrel.  I use a Remora or a large frame IWB holster.  It has the transfer bar so I carry 6 shots. Why?  Why not?

Cherokee Slim

[Jonnin]

Nothing wrong with it, but it takes a great deal of practice to make it look good like the competition shooters do.   A friend of mine's dad won a small local contest with a henry lever gun too, but that doesn't mean we should replace the AR with lever guns, it just means practice can overcome the limitations somewhat.

 

If I had to use a SA revolver my uberti 45 breaktop would be fine.  Reloads faster than most revolvers, of any type. 

[tartanphantom]

I was told you cannot take the TN HCP course with a single action. Any truth to that? 

 

Not in my case. I did my HCP range qualification with an SA revolver because I had grown up with that particular gun and was extremely comfortable with it.

However, as Garufa stated, it is up to the instructor.

[JAB]

A few years back (when I still lived where cable was available) I saw on one of the gun-related television shows that GunSite was offering a course in using the SA for carry and self defense.  The idea, much like the OP said, was that it made sense for folks who trained extensively with SAs for competitions and were, therefore, more familiar with that style of gun than any other to at least consider carrying one and to have access to training that applied principles of SD specifically to a SA.

 

http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2010/8/23/single-action-shootout-at-gunsite/

 

One thing they talked about on the aforementioned television show was that using a speed strip to reload a SA that has a loading gate allows the shooter to reload two chambers at a time.  Some of the guys who had practiced clearing empties and reloading with a speed strip were actually pretty quick at it.

 

 

Nothing wrong with it, but it takes a great deal of practice to make it look good like the competition shooters do.   A friend of mine's dad won a small local contest with a henry lever gun too, but that doesn't mean we should replace the AR with lever guns, it just means practice can overcome the limitations somewhat.

 

If I had to use a SA revolver my uberti 45 breaktop would be fine.  Reloads faster than most revolvers, of any type. 

 

Honestly, I'd rather have the lever gun, myself.  I learned to shoot with my dad's (now my) lever 30-30 and have probably shot that style of gun rifle (edit) more than any other type of rifle over the years.  I am much more accurate with my Henry lever .22 than any other .22 rifle I have shot.  The only AR type gun I have ever shot was my nephew's AR style .22 (and it is not even a real .22 AR but a Mossberg Plinkster with AR-like furniture.)

 

I don't have a breaktop but had the same thought regarding carrying an SA - that if I did I'd probably want a breaktop because it would be faster to reload.  I think the 3.5 inch model of this one might be kinda nice and it is available in (among others) .45 Colt and .38 Special.

 

http://www.uberti.com/top-break-revolver

Edited January 22, 2015 by JAB

[Oh Shoot]

....

One thing they talked about on the aforementioned television show was that using a speed strip to reload a SA that has a loading gate allows the shooter to reload two chambers at a time. ..

 

I don't grok that, as this is the only kind of loading gate I know of, how is the "two at a time" applicable?

 

 

- OS

[mikegideon]

Had me scratchin' too

[bersaguy]

Not in my case. I did my HCP range qualification with an SA revolver because I had grown up with that particular gun and was extremely comfortable with it.

However, as Garufa stated, it is up to the instructor.

We had a guy take his test in my class with an SA 22 cal and passed it quite well. My instructor was always barking to everyone to load six and get ready to shoot regardless of what style of gun you were using to qualify with. There where a couple other wheel guns there also so loading six kept everyone equal fire time.

[JAB]

I don't grok that, as this is the only kind of loading gate I know of, how is the "two at a time" applicable?

 

 

- OS

 

Well...hmmm.  I swear I saw them demonstrating it.  Now I'm doubting myself.  Maybe I can find it online - unless I am mistaken.

[Cherokee Slim]

SA revolvers aren't that uncommon at the HCP class.  I've seen quite a few at the ones that I've help RO.

Cherokee Slim

[peejman]

SA revolvers aren't that uncommon at the HCP class.  I've seen quite a few at the ones that I've help RO.

Cherokee Slim

 

 

There was a guy in my class with a .22 SA revolver.  He was shooting full bullseye style... standing sideways, with his arm straight out and firing really slowly.  Pretty much the whole class would be done with their string and he was still on shot #2....   After a couple rounds even the instructors were like... "We get it, you're a good shot.  Get on with it please."  When he was done there was a 1.5" ragged hole in the middle of the target.  The guy standing next to him said not a single shot of the last 3 strings hit paper, the bullets just went through the hole and into the back stop. 

Edited January 22, 2015 by peejman

[Cherokee Slim]

I was also somewhat surprised that majority of at the last class shot .22s in revolver & auto.

Cherokee Slim

[Bubba0031]

_{I stopped at a local market about an hour ago for a bottle of juice and as I was walking out a man was walking in and he was open carrying what appeared to be a single action revolver.}

[suspiciousmind]

I think it's great. People carrying what they want to carry.

I think that a lot of people can be really judgmental of other gun carriers. We're all on the same team, I think. :)

[mikegideon]

I don't have a holster for mine. I would have to Mexican carry it.