Single Action revolvers for self-defense?

[jh45gun]

Well for one thing I am left handed so them SAA's I think load more natural for lefties since the loading gate is on the left side. thankful that the gun was designed for left hand use.

[Bret4207]

I am a long time lurker.

I did use a Ruger Blackhawk in self defense.
Long story short..... It was a home invasion.....3 bad guys.
It is a sick feeling trying to load a single action type of hand gun, when the wolf is kicking down your door..and coming down your hallway!!!!!!!!!!

Sooo. What happend? I was pumped up on addrenaline + poor trigger discipline....I missed with the first shot. They did not stick around for a second shot.

Take care
Abenaki

Abenaki- that's an unusual handle. Wouldn't have anything to do with Indian Lake would it?

[BruceB]

Well for one thing I am left handed so them SAA's I think load more natural for lefties since the loading gate is on the left side. thankful that the gun was designed for left hand use.

....sure, except that the loading gate is on the RIGHT side of the gun.

Of course, this puts the gate in perfect position for a left-hander's thumb, and the ejector rod is easily operated by the right hand. These are the reasons for long-lived conjecture that Sam Colt may have been a left-hander...the whole gun is better-suited to left-hand operation than it is for those weirdo right-handers (yes, I'm a lefty too).

Anyone who takes on a competent man who is armed with a single-action is drawing cards in a high-stakes game with a great deal of risk. I'd lose little sleep if a good single-action was my available artillery.

[ole 5 hole group]

I voted "yes", with reservation. Unlike a SA revolver there is no relaxing or modifying my hand's grasp to re-cock a fresh round into battery. Reloading under stress? Don't anybody try to convince me the SA Colt's loading gate is easy.

Most of us, (well, at least I do) use the off-hand thumb to cock the SA when shooting for group or at a moving target - no need to relax or adjust your grip when re-cocking.

Nothing easy or fast about reloading a SA for most under stress - but there's damn few times (about the same chance of winning the lottery)you'll ever need more than 5 or 6 shots when you're in Harm's Way.

Now, if you go looking for trouble you better be prepared to finish what you start or find yourself involved in and that usually involves extra ammo. Cajun shooter’s post of firing a lot of rounds during an engagement of sorts got me to recall an incident I was told about in Nebraska many years ago when the State Police Swat Team was called out and the perp came out of the house firing from the hip with an AR type rifle and the officers returned fire with theirs – a couple hundred rounds struck the side of the house, roof and God knows what else. The end result was the perp ran out of ammo & went back into the house and later surrendered and no one got hurt.

If they would have been using SA’s they could have saved a lot of taxpayer’s money on that go-around.

[jh45gun]

....sure, except that the loading gate is on the RIGHT side of the gun.

Of course, this puts the gate in perfect position for a left-hander's thumb, and the ejector rod is easily operated by the right hand. These are the reasons for long-lived conjecture that Sam Colt may have been a left-hander...the whole gun is better-suited to left-hand operation than it is for those weirdo right-handers (yes, I'm a lefty too).

Anyone who takes on a competent man who is armed with a single-action is drawing cards in a high-stakes game with a great deal of risk. I'd lose little sleep if a good single-action was my available artillery.

OOps thats what I meant to say about the loading gate I was thinking LEFT when I meant to write Right. LOL which means it is easier for a lefty to load the gun as the gun is in your left hand already.

Sam Colt was dead by the time the 1873 came along he died in 1862 so he did not design it. I had heard it was designed for the Calvary and since the troopers used their right hands for their sabers the gun was designed for the left hand.

Even folks that should know better say that Sam Colt was left handed which is why the SAA is designed the way it is. Colt may have been left handed, but he was moldy in his grave by the time the Peacemaker came along.

[Abenaki]

"Abenaki- that's an unusual handle. Wouldn't have anything to do with Indian Lake would it?"

Nothing to do with a lake, but a whole lot to do with the blood running through my veins.

I think that a single action handgun is fine for self defense......Just have it loaded when you need it. Now days, I have a kimber 1911 for home defense!

Take care
Abenaki

[Artful]

Would I use it if that's all I had - you bet. Is there better choices of than a single action revolver - yep. You have to do what you feel comfortable with.

[unclebill]

thumbing the hammer back as i am drawing the gun has become second nature for me.
so i would say yes.
i voted whatever you are comfortable with.

[AJ Peacock]

... First of all and I say this with the up most respect. AJ, you are one great SASS shooter but you are shooting mouse fart loads at 5-7 yds. There is no way you would react the same in a gunfight and you know it. ...

You are correct, I've shot full house loads in my 357's and it does in fact slow me down a touch. But, still pretty fast. If you read my entire post(s), you'll have noticed that I voted NO and agree with you that there are MANY MUCH better options than a Single Action. BTW, the loads I was using in the video are around 900fps out of the revolvers, which are not really mouse fart level, but certainly not full house either.

Merry Christmas,
AJ

[Crash_Corrigan]

The discussion about single action revolvers vs. double action revolvers vs. single action semi autos vs double action autos is something that will be blowing in the wind long after we are all just a fading memory.

The most important thing a person can have in a gunfight (along with a gun of course) is the self confidence and ability to place the FIRST shot where it will do the most good no matter what weapon it came out of.

I have been involved in 6 incidents where I had to shoot someone over a 20 year career in LEO and one of them took place years after I had retired. In each case I was equipped with a Smith double action revolver. The first 5 involved me as a LEO and armed with S&W Model 10 .38 Special with a 4" tube. I won all of them because my first shot went where I wanted it to go. I was not encumbered with a saftey to take off or a slide to manupilate prior to shooting. All shots were fired double action and albeit the .38 is certainly wanting in knock down power it got the job done because of the place the round was delivered.

In each and every case I would have not been handicapped if I had been armed with a single action revolver. I had the time to assess the situation, form a plan, folllow the plan and deliver the round even though all this ususally took place in a few moments.

Today I have the choice of what calibre and type of weapon to carry. As most of the my carry is done CCW I have chosen a .44 Special loaded with factory ammo. A Hornady 180 gr XTP copper clad hollow point is the one I bet my life on. With this gun a double action of very light weight and not having a hammer spur is shot only double action and I expect if I need it I probably will be at very close range otherwise why would I need to shoot it? It is easy to conceal, to carry and I have practiced with it enuf to know that I can put the first round wherever it will do the most good at any range up to 20 yds.

From the moment I get up in the morning until I put my head down at night it resides on my right hip in a small black leather holster with a belt slide containing another 12 rounds of the same ammo ready for use.

However there are a pair of new members of the Corrigan household: 1st there is a very sexy S&W Model 57 with a 4" tube in 41 Remington Magnum. This thing had just been placed into the display case of my local gun shop. I had stopped there to get a copy of their FFL as it needed to be emailed to my seller for another gun. It closely resembled my beloved old NYCPD Smith except this one was on steroids. It had recessed chambers, wide target spurred hammer and a very wide trigger along with a red ramp front sight, micrometer rear sights and ribbing along the top of the barrel and frame. Adorned with Magna wood grips and without a blemish nor a scratch and in unfired condition with the original box it followed me home the next day.

I really did not need a revolver in 41 Mag but this thing brought back memories and I knew that if I did not buy it it would haunt me forever. So I bought it.

The 2nd new member was a .44 Special Ruger Bisley with a 5.5" tube and the older smaller frame etc. This also was new and in the original box and I found it on Auction Arms and I got it for a decent price.

I have not had a chance to fire either one of these revolvers but I expect they both will be winners. The double action .41 has much superior ballistics than the .44 Special and would be handy for shooting through walls, doors, windows and such but I believe would also penetrate pretty much anything I shoot with it.

This is not always good. I live in a thin walled tin trailer in a Seniors Only White Trash Trailer Park and an errant round would probably hit something that I would have difficulty in paying for. However a .44 Special with the abovemetioned round would probably stop a mite faster than the .41 and make a bigger hole besides.

So my second choice amongst these weapons would be based on calibre not style of weapon as either one would suffice for me once I got enuf rounds downrange to establish the required confidence level in both guns.

However I will say that the .41 is turning out to be a very expensive gun. So far I have only one mold for the boolit and two others on order. The one I have is a Lee 210 GR TLSWC two holer which will suffice for me to get some trigger time on this gun. I have a 3 holer Saeco 210 LFN mold on order as well as a full wadcutter with a hollow base from our vendor in Slovenia. The required set of reloading dies and necessary pieces to use on my Dilllon 550 and casefeeder have set me back a bunch. There are also some items which I have needed that are coming from Midway. Pretty much over 3/4 of the cost of the gun is being spent on the stuff I need to make rounds for it as I expect that the only factory fodder this gun will ever see going down the tube will be self defense rounds which I hope to never need.

Back to the argument at hand.....shoot whatever style of revolver or auto you are most confident and competent it keeping in mind that the 1st shot is the most important.

[cajun shooter]

AJ Peacock, You only showed a very small piece of my posting and then you assumed my answer to the poll which is WRONG!! I voted yes and if you would have read my complete posting you would have known that. If you are going to post the words of another then be fair about it. I stated in my posting that if I had a choice before the gunfight of which I have been in then my weapon of choice would be the Sig 220 45 ACP. My next sentence stated that if I was out and became involved in a firefight with only my USFA 44-40 then I would not feel under gunned. In fact with all my training I feel the other guy was the one in trouble. As far as your loads go that you showed in your video they are what I call mouse fart. The muzzle of any gun you shot had zero muzzle rise and to me that qualifies them to that class. Load a 44-40 with 36 grs of Swiss 2F and see if my or your loads are closer to what was used in the guns of the real West and not some TV show. The Revolver may be my gun at any time and I will be fine. You did what is a ASSUME and we all know what that contains. Have a good day and may you win many more cowboy contests.

[walltube]

"Most of us, (well, at least I do) use the off-hand thumb to cock the SA when shooting for group or at a moving target - no need to relax or adjust your grip when re-cocking."

I too qualify for your "Most of us," statement.

Here of late, shooting for group with my d.a. .44 Dan Wesson with any expectation of hitting the paper at 50yds. requires s.a. trigger pull only. Any moving target traveling faster than garden slug speed has an 85% chance of survival were I shooting d.a. The remaning 15% is mostly luck. Pine cones, on the other hand, quake in fear (or whatever it is they quake in) when I'm on the scene.

Using the Dan Wesson for home defence INSIDE THE BUILDING would not be my 1st. choice, given I have a choice. Having once touched off a potent .44 Mag round inside a darkened, empty home impressed me mightly. Very bright and very loud it was! .45ACP is a bit gentler and managable for the next round or two, if needed.

Be of Good Cheer,
Wt.

[smkummer]

A double action revolver is both safe and ready with the hammer down. A single action is not really ready with the hammer down and a cocked single action in a stressful situation is now a weapon with a hair trigger. One can forget how much force one has when the [edit] hits the fan. Of course this can be negated by keeping one's finger outside of the trigger guard on a cocked single action but a double action is still by far safer. Hopefully you never have to reload the single action in a gunfight either. Remember a situation that involves a deadly weapon that succesfully ends with no shots fired is almost always better than if shots were fired. Be safe out there!

[Dframe]

A single action revolver would not be my first choice, but I would certainly not feel disadvantaged if thats all I had.

[luckyjim]

Any dependale weapon is a good choise... you can't miss fast enough to win!

If your picking a hand gun for a fire fight with mutiple targets.... you need to rethink your life....

If you going to war... I hope you have more than a hand gun....

[1Shirt]

Interesting long thread with a number of philosophies. Any gun is better than a baseball bat or similar. Have no problem with single action, but want it loaded when I need it. Agree that loading a single in a hurry is not a real fun deal.
1Shirt!

[bearcove]

Any dependale weapon is a good choise... you can't miss fast enough to win!

If your picking a hand gun for a fire fight with mutiple targets.... you need to rethink your life....

If you going to war... I hope you have more than a hand gun....

I am comfortable with my ruger.

BUT, a 12ga pump with #4 shot or larger is much better.

The best choice is don't get in gun fights in the first place.

[DennisE]

If you choose to depend on a SA for self defense are you less likely to have it with you rather than in the car/truck or at home? Most SAs do not conceal as easily as a small semi-automatic or a J-frame. Dennis

[Charlie Sometimes]

Too big? Too heavy? What about a double stack 45 ACP, etc.? I think they are all too big and heavy if they are in any caliber substantial enough to end a confrontation quickly.
The worst feature about a single action could be "slow in reloadng"- but if you need more than 5 shots, you shouldn't be where you are. Reloading can be improved with practice, like anything else, though.

I voted YES, unequivocally. Carry what you are the most familar, and most comfortable with- to me that is a RBH single action in 45 Colt. My favorite CCW packin' pocket pistol is a S&W 5-shot break-top in 38 S&W, though.

[DennisE]

For those of us that live in South Florida concealing a pea shoot can sometimes be a challange. I'd love to carry my Lipsey Bisley flattop 44 special with which I'm quite handy but folks would surely notice the bulge in my tee shirt and shorts and think I was overly amorous...thus my SIG 238 most often rests in this honored place. Dennis