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View Poll Results: Do you think a SA revolver makes a good self-defense handgun?

Voters
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  • Yes.

    335 34.50%
  • No. The fact that they are SA, have slow reloads, bulky hammers, etc… makes them a poor choice.

    119 12.26%
  • If that is what you feel comfortable with then go for it.

    517 53.24%
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Thread: Single Action revolvers for self-defense?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    2ndAmendmentNut's Avatar
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    Single Action revolvers for self-defense?

    I have run into a number of guys that see my 45colt Ruger NM Vaquero as a poor choice of carry gun.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master


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    It would not be my choice, but then again not everyone likes my brand of motorcycle, car ,or beer. If it works for you that is all that matters.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
    2ndAmendmentNut's Avatar
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    I voted "yes" because I personally think they are a good choice for me.

  4. #4
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    You use what you're comfortable with. After all, it's your life.

    Hope this helps.

    Fred

  5. #5
    Boolit Master



    home in oz's Avatar
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    They would work just fine.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master southpaw's Avatar
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    I forget who has it on their tag line but it say something like this; one well placed shot is better than 500 misses.

    If it works for you that is all that matters. Personally I like my DA.

    Stay safe


    Jerry Jr.
    You can't buy experience, but you'll pay for it.

    .... but what do I know, I'm just a dumb farmer. ~ My Dad.

    NRA LIFE MEMBER Upgraded to Endowment Member 5-23-14

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master
    9.3X62AL's Avatar
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    Not my first choice for SD, but what someone else chooses to defend themself with is none of my business. If someone asks my opinion on what might be best for THEM, a little question/answer session usually takes place, and either a double-action roller or autopistol gets the nod.

    What might work best for me as a deeply-steeped D/A revolver enthusiast and lukewarm-to-eager autopistol shooter might not be the best for you or someone else. I can certainly hit what I aim at with a S/A roller, and if I were to choose such a piece as my back-alley predator repellant a second such arm ("Sheriff's Model?") would make a lot of sense. I sure as h--l wouldn't like trading finality with a skilled CAS shooter armed with a SAA repro.
    I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    HI,
    Watch a cowboy action shooter, they are no slouches.
    The group here in ut. co. Utah, has compeated with local S.W.A.T. Teams & won.

    No gun is usefull if you can not hit w/ it.

    If one was nearby in a AH S---! Situation I would use it. But I prefer double actions .

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master



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    My daily carry is the S&W Model 642. I use the FBI load. I recognize that it is probably marginal. However, I WILL/DO carry it. Any load is better than none and the FBI load has a good record for stopping power.

    I would much prefer a .45 ACP fully loaded with a good cast bullet of appropriate shape (MiHec's 200 gr H.P. at 900+ fps comes to mind). However, I won't normally pack a 1911 even tho' I have over a 100,000 rounds through my three in IPSC shooting. The 1911 is arguably the best combat handgun EVER. However, as a civilian, it is too much for general carry (for me). "Too much" meaning too bulky and too heavy. I DO have a Kimber CDP Ultra II 3" that is almost light enough for me to use, daily. I might go in that direction but right now it is the 642.

    Regarding someone's choice of a good single action - five good shots that hit are hard to argue with. If the caliber is sufficient, it is even harder to argue with. Do I consider it the best, no! But it will certainly get the job done, with finality, in the hands of a skillful shooter.

    YMMV
    Dale53

  10. #10
    bhn22
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    Your life expectancy goes down remarkably after the first 6 shots. You should do pretty good up to that point.

    I carry two reloads, just in case something goes wrong. You can never predict what sort of situation you might encounter, and I plan for a worst case scenario instead of a best case scenario, and I'm still walking and talking and everything. Happily, the odds are against your having to face this sort of situation.
    Last edited by bhn22; 11-21-2010 at 01:36 PM.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master Murphy's Avatar
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    Self Defense?

    I guess a S.A. would be just fine. Provided you get to pick the time, place, distance and number of combatants you face.

    And then? You gonna have some splainin' to do.


    Murphy
    If I should depart this life while defending those who cannot defend themselves, then I have died the most honorable of deaths. Marc R. Murphy '2006'.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master

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    IMHO, Less than a cylinderful is going to settle just about all problems a civilian is going to get into. A single action revolver is quite fast in practiced hands, giving up virtually nothing for the first and most important shot, and very little for the first six. I personally don't carry a single action very often for a concealed carry gun, but I have, and was comfortable with it.
    Cast Boolits, Where lead balloons go over....

  13. #13
    Boolit Master in Heaven's Range HammerMTB's Avatar
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    Has anyone ever been killed with an SA revolver before?
    Oh, yeah, I guess they have....
    It is the 21st century and a lot of more modern sidearms have come along since the SA wheelgun. That said, I have carried one myself from time to time. Mostly if I carry a wheelgun it is a DA,tho...
    So I answered if you are comfortable with it, go right on ahead.
    I was involved in a conversation earlier with a fella that thought his .32 Auto was just fine as a defensive sidearm. I can tell ya right now I'd choose an SA .45 Colt over a .32 Auto any ol' day.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy BoolitBill's Avatar
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    It depends upon how much time and effort you put into practice with the SA, some people are very good with them. I took a regular defensive handgun course at Thunder Ranch years ago when it was in Texas. Heidi Smith was helping to teach the course and got into a conversation about single actions with a friend of mine. The next day she brought a SA to the firing line and proceeded to show the class how a trained person with a SA was not as handicapped as some would think. Shooting side by side with the class she kept up the rate of fire and was able to reload it fast enought to keep up with the turning targets. Hell, I felt that I was not keeping up with her and I had a 1911! True, she is a highly trained instructor but it opened my eyes to what a SA can do in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. If you are willing to put the time into it, a SA can be an effective defensive weapon.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master

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    With so many good DAs to choose from, why a SA for that purpose? So no, IMO.

  16. #16
    "Moderator Emeritus"

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    Not a good choice for me, but I'd take it over chunkin rocks at some bad guy.
    Krag35

    I have never met a dishonest dog.

    Expatriate, in my own country.

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy 500bfrman's Avatar
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    how many gun battles last longer than 5 or 6 shots each?
    Are you mormon? no. Are you catholic? no. Do you know what causes it? yes. and we like it.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master



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    I have a Ruger BH in 45 Colt that I would not hesitate to use for social purposes. However it is big and heavy. I also have a .44 Special Charter Arms Bulldog with a short snout that is very concealable and light in weight.

    The Bulldog is my CCW weapon when concealibility and weight are most important. If the weather is cooler and I can conceal my Browning then the Hi Power with 147 Gr Double Tap rounds is what I carry.

    Any gun is better than none and if you can hit your target with your 380 ACP better than your .45 ACP then you should carry the smaller gun.
    Pax Nobiscum Dan (Crash) Corrigan

    Currently casting, reloading and shooting: 223 Rem, 6.5x55 Sweede, 30 Carbine, 30-06 Springfield, 30-30 WCF, 303 Brit., 7.62x39, 7.92x57 Mauser, .32 Long, 32 H&R Mag, 327 Fed Mag, 380 ACP. 9x19, 38 Spcl, 357 Mag, 38-55 Win, 41 Mag, 44 Spcl., 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 45 ACP, 454 Casull, 457 RB for ROA and 50-90 Sharps. Shooting .22 LR & 12 Gauge seldom and buying ammo for same.

  19. #19
    Boolit Man
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    I voted go for it if that's what you are comfortable with and trained with. For me, I would never carry a SA. For starters, they are typically to big and heavy for me to carry daily - concealed without a jacket or other top cover. Second, if a situation arises that calls for use of a gun for PD, your pulse will be 160 bpm or faster, adrenaline will be flowing hard. Under those circumstances, fine motor skills go out the window. That's when something along the lines of "point and shoot" prevails, IMHO.

    If you have trained sufficiently to control your physiological fight/flight natural reactions, and can handle a SA under those circumstances, then you're good to go. Otherwise, a gun less demanding of one's fine motor skills might be a better fit.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master

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    If your comfortable and profienct with it. There are times when I'm woods roaming and a SA revolver is all I have on. For normally day to day carry I'll either carry my 1911 or Smith 442 in the pocket, however I always have another SA revolver carried as a backup and that's a NAA mini revolver in .22LR.

    CD
    De Oppresso Liber

    Irag: 91,03,04,05,06,08,09',15', 16',22-23'
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