Single Action revolvers for self-defense?

[2wheelDuke]

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

Sounds like you need a smaller pea shooter then. I can hang my P3AT in the waist of a pair of board shorts and nobody knows it's there.

I know a .380 is puny, and I'd rather have something more substantial like my Glock 30, but 7 rounds of .380 is still better than no gun at all. And I don't want to be shot with a .177 pellet gun, let alone a .380 hollowpoint.

As far as the topic goes, if I lived in an open carry state, or was carrying on horseback or something, I'd be comfortable with something like a SBH in .44mag on my hip.

[pjh421]

Hugs, not slugs. (heehee)

I don't care what you carry. Just the fact that you are carrying is good. You are taking responsibility for your own safety and not leaving it all to the police.

Paul

[pps]

Not right for me, unless it's all I have.

[garbear]

If you are good at using it I don't think the other person is going to complain when they get hit

[dunkel]

As others have said, more important than the particular gun is the shooter behind the gun. I'd bet on the guy with the SA who's put 10,000 rounds through it over some wannabe thug with a sideways Glock who hasn't even fired a full "clip" through it.

[.243 okie]

1: Any weapon, be it a .22 or even .32 ACP beat no weapon at all.
2: For those that are proficient in SA use and their sweet trigger pull or if nothing else is available, then yes SA. It's how the west was won...
3: For those that maintain their guns well, autos. Our current military and police force can't be too wrong.
4: For non-gun enthusiasts (some spouses, suburbanites, the people who are not likely to read this post etc), nightstand guns, simplicity, and concealability with short barrels, DAO. Can't snag what ain't there.

[NVScouter]

When I was Air Force Security Forces I was the local CATM NCOIC and more then a few times I would get a smack talker.

300 yard range with a mansized target at 200 and 300.

We'd run the M9 vs my stock 45LC Blackhawk and I kept pace even with reloads. Beat most score and would get a respectful nod. The real run was I'd take a knee very quickly and knock down the 200y target. After it reset they would try and fail with the 9mm then ask to give mine a wack. A decent shot could hit it 2-3 times out of 6 with my unfamiliar gun once I showed them how to use the front site more.

I'd run a single action in a heartbeat if it fit me. I carry a Ultralite in 38spl but i almost bought a 3" 45LC with a "birdshed (sp?) style grip that would have been sweet with normal loads.

[NHlever]

I'm here to tell you about a firefight where the other guys had full autos, and I didn't. Hitting your target is more important than expending the amount of rounds fired in the famous FBI Miami shootout.

[Tommy Kelly]

I own all types of handguns and would feel well armed for any situation with a single action. I have several double actions and always use them single action mode for accurate shooting. I also have a group of auto's as well. In my opinion I had rather have 1 good shot than a bunch of poorly placed shots because They are there. I am the same way with rifles I shoot either a bolt gun or a lever action or a single shot. The only autoloader I own is a 22 rifle. My shotguns are pump actions. I never was a spray and pray type. Just one good well placed shot will do.

[Swede44mag]

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

Something about a big gun with a big bore that tends to scare off some wood-be assailants.
I have NEVER had a revolver jam unlike some of the semi auto pistols I have owned.

If they are on enough drugs they are not rational in any case.

[Pertsev]

Well,the caliber is correct,hard to argue with good old 45 Colt. But a single action ?? It is much better than a sharp stick or a .25 auto.A good shootist,with practice can fire a single action quickly and accurately five or six times almost as fast as a good D/A revolver shootist.
If you need a reload quick tho you are SOL.Depending on percieved threat level you might want something that holds more shots. For the size and weight of the S/A revolver ,you could carry a 1911 or a GLOCK and spare mags.That said,a S/A 45 on the hip beats the GLOCK or 1911 that was left at home.

[HammerMTB]

I'm here to tell you about a firefight where the other guys had full autos, and I didn't. Hitting your target is more important than expending the amount of rounds fired in the famous FBI Miami shootout.

Are you implying that you were personally involved in the Miami shootout? And perhaps that you were carrying a single action revolver?
If so, then there is more to tell. If not, everyone has read the story.

[Combat Diver]

The bad guys didn't have full autos during the shootout either. One had a 870 12 ga and the other a semi Ruger Mini14.

CD

[HammerMTB]

The bad guys didn't have full autos during the shootout either. One had a 870 12 ga and the other a semi Ruger Mini14.

CD

Yeah, I was kinda waitin' to hear that....

[0verkill]

I'm here to tell you about a firefight where the other guys had full autos, and I didn't. Hitting your target is more important than expending the amount of rounds fired in the famous FBI Miami shootout.

I'd like to hear this story.

[oscarflytyer]

If I could carry open - I would def carry my 4 5/8" BH 44 Spc. Trick with it, like ANY carry gun, is to shoot/practice with it a LOT and be comfortable with it. I do, and am, with mine.

Only prob is, NO WAY can I conceal that hog leg like I can my Taurus 709 Slim...

But that 44 ALWAYS goes into the woods with me!

[Rodfac]

OK if you're sure of a one shot stop; but probably too big for real world, everyday carry. For me, it's gotta be easy, convenient, and ensures that I'll get more than one opportunity (read: shots off if surprised at arm length) to escape (the real reason I carry). Best regards, Rodfac

[Multigunner]

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.

The scallop cut in the right hand side of the recoil shield of the Colt and other Cap & Ball revolvers made it easier to place caps on the nipples using the right hand which is for 6 out of 7 men the more dexterous hand and least likely to fumble around or drop caps or otherwise slow down reloading.
While the pistol was often used with the left hand I think the choice of which hand was best suited to handle caps or cartridges while under stress without dropping them determined which side the loading gate would be on. The side where the recoil shield is milled for the cylinder hand is another consideration. That amount of material having already been removed cutting even more metal away on the same side would have weakened the frame considerably.

I've always been perfectly comfortable in reloading a Colt Style single action, so I see no advantage in having the loading gate placed on the left hand side.
Since the pistol must be well supported by the left hand while loading its more natural to then grip the handle with the right hand immediately after closing the gate.

[fourdollarbill]

It's better than a stick. So yes it is a good choice.

[David LaPell]

Back when I was 19 and I first got my permit, the only gun I could afford was a Ruger Old Model Blackhawk .357 with the 4 5/8 inch barrel. I was working nights at a convenience store that the owner really skimped on for security. The camera was a dummy and it had no alarm. I knew alot of the cops back then and they all told me that the best thing I could do was to carry a gun. So I carried that. I wore it in a decent holster under a flannel shirt. Earlier that year we had a clerk shot and killed during a hold up even after he gave the three scumbags the money. They got him on his knees and shot him in the head and as he fell over they put two more bullets in his back. Of course had my boss caught me carrying that gun I would have been fired, but hey, she worked 8am to 3pm and I was the one working there are it got dark. The fact that the store was in walking distance of the highway made it about as easy of a target as you could get. I know it got robbed at least once after I quit working.
It's a proven fact that most gunfights among civilians don't even require more than two or three shots so the reloading thing might be a moot point. I personally would not at all feel undergunned if I had a SAA or a clone in anything from .357 on up. I used to also carry around an AWA Longhorn in .45 Colt but I am seriously considering finding a Vaquero in .44 Magnum or maybe even a .44 Special Blackhawk. I did an article a while back on George Patton's gunfight in Mexico where he took on three armed riders with his .45 Colt SAA, killing two of them. Believe me, a single action revolver is just as good now as it was back then.