We’ve had a number of threads concerning the viability of single actions for self defense and I don’t really want to get into all that again. What I would like to know, though, is whether any of you actually carry a single action on a regular basis? If you do, how do you carry it and what do you do about carrying a reload?

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Everybody could shoot

Before someone here posts a photo of their 1911 or P35, I believe the question has already been asked and answered (edit to add - regarding single action revolvers) “yes, but not regularly” (as I recall).

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I’ve been known to carry a Remington cap and ball at times.

I open carried a SA 454 Casull one time on a week long backpacking trip in Alaska.

7.5 inch barrel.

Carried it in a OWB holster.

Never saw a bear -- a good thing.

I almost had the perfect single action woods packing gun but it slipped through my fingers. It was a original vaquero birdshead 3.5 inch 45 colt. I would definitely carry that or something similar

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-Matt

Currently I don't, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't. In fact, I was actually considering getting a Colt Lightweight Commander 1911 or Kimber Ultra Carry II not too long ago for EDC, and the only reason why I changed my mind was the fact that they were too expensive for me to justify the cost of.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

When I get my CCP later this year I'll be carrying a S&W J-frame "Kit" gun in either .357mag or .22mag. This will be in a holster in my right front pocket.

And as I get the extra money I'd like to also have a NAA Sidewinder in .22mag in a wallet holster in my left pocket..

So I guess I'd be toting both DA and SA!

Just in case.....

Ok, I'll be the one to ask - single action, as in Colt Single Action revolver, of single action only, as is 1911 or Hi Power?

If the question is geared towards SA revolvers for self defense against criminals, then no- I do not. If SA autos are on the table, then yes- I do.

SA revolvers are good (in this day and age) for hunting, status and good ol’ BBQ’s, but there are far better options for saving your life.

I usedto carry my Ruger Vaquero in 357 as an OC gun for 2A polical rallys and occationally as a IWB, cross draw.

No more now. Straight semi-auto (Karh CM9)

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USAF, Ret.

You’re right, I wasn’t clear. I actually meant like a Colt single action revolver, but I’d be interested in hearing from those who like the 1911 and BHP as well

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Everybody could shoot

I carried a Colt Pocketlite 380 in a holster in condition 2 in my right front pocket until I lost faith in the gun and sold it. It would fail to feed the last round on occasion.
Had that gun been reliable I would still be carrying it. 1911's are my favorite handguns but the 45acp is too much for my style.

edit The only thing I don't like about single actions is the "click" noise you must make before the "bang" noise. I could see this being an issue in certain situations.

Moved away from single action carry in the mid-80s...... 1911s and Ruger single actions (.22lr) in Penn's Woods....... to Sig 220 and later 3rd Gen Smiths with K and L frame .357s for the Woods.

Still have two Browning HPs and a CZ 9mm that can be carried cocked and locked and a Sig 1911 C3 .45 ....... no single action revolvers at all!

Before I’d switch to a single action revolver or semi auto I would have to spend a fair amount of range time training w/the new platform.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

Remember way back Skeeter Skelton was coming back from a hunting trip and he had a Ruger Super blackhawk 44 on his hip.

Ran into a couple cop friends and went with them to affect a arrest. The perp was in the car and armed with a .25 auto. Sket ran over pulled the hogleg and clicked it right in his face. All thoughts of using the .25 vanished when he saw what Skeet had pointed at him

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Daily carry for me since the mid 1970s has been a 1911. Since 1980 I've carried a Colt Commander in .38 Super 99% of the time when off my property.

As to carrying a Single Action revolver for personal protection...only occasionally when woods walking. That one would be a Freedom Arms 97 4.25" round butt in .41 Magnum... If carrying a SA revolver in the woods I would usually be hunting with it.

Bob

I'm with fishwishin. I have never carried a single action revolver for SD. Too many other better options available. I own three at present and love them all but not for SD.

Single-action carry must be a current topic on several firearms forums. Just yesterday I stopped by my wife's office and had her take a photo of me totin' a 4 3/4-inch Colt Single Action Army in .38-40. I'm suggestible and must have been influenced by a thread on the topic of Uberti revolvers. Had to make several stops around town and attend a civic organization's board meeting as well. The Colt rode comfortably in a Brill holster beneath a sport coat and nobody knew.



Realistically it's a bit of a stunt. While I've owned and used the revolver since the early 1980s, I don't frequently shoot it. I'd feel better about carrying a side arm with which I regularly practiced rather than one I only shoot infrequently and carry once in a blue moon.

The lighter hued holster was employed for the day.


The single-action revolver certainly can be pressed into service though and used with good effect.

I'd also like to add that at one point in time I was considering a Ruger Super Black Hawk in .454 Cassul as a wilderness carry gun.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

For SAA carry in the woods, I like my 3.75-inch barrel Ruger NV Montado in .357 magnum, loaded with hard cast. I carry it in a custom built pancake style, high ride, open top holster made for me by a good 'ol Alabama boy. I've never worn it for urban concealed carry, but I'm sure it would work well under a jacket.

I often carried a Ruger Blackhawk 357....before the masses carried plastic...and I never felt under armed....

Carry a .22 mag as a back up, sometimes the only gun, never feel
it is not adequate. I will add that I don't live in or near any large
city.

.22 lr NAA revolver at times -

At one time or another I've toted about everything.....Including an shotgun when we had protesters blocking the road to my workplace.

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S&W Accumulator

Most days, if I'm not carrying a S&W revolver...

I carry a SA 1911....

But, when in the pickup truck, or a horseback cruising the hills and or maybe
at a social gathering (BBQ), I like a Colt single action in 44 Spl. carried cross-draw.



.
P.S. Reloads are carried in my right-hand pant's pocket.

.

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

The single-action revolver is perfectly fine for field carry. I have carried mine on hikes with more frequency than I have for "serious social purposes."

It goes along in this old Schoellkopf holster that I foolishly shortened from its original 7 1/2-inch revolver configuration when I was young.


I enjoy owning and using vintage guns so I enjoy carrying it afield on occasion.

Back in the 90’s I had a Ruger Vaquero in .45LC I’d wear around the campsite. Just thought it looked cool. Sold the gun around ‘99, wish I hadn’t.

Just recently I acquired a Kimber Ultra Carry II and picked up a $30 fleabay IWB holster, so I’m going to try a SA in the rotation. The 1911 is the first auto I became familiar with, so it’s kind of nice going back.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

Do you mean something like this?

I've carried this 3½-inch Vaquero birdshead in .45 Colt in a shoulder rig from time to time.

However, when I was spending a good part of my summers and falls leading a pack string into mountainous wilderness areas, I'd just about always carry this...a Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 5/8-inch barrel in .45 Colt. We were in heavily populated black bear country, so I usually had it loaded with something like 260-grain jacketed hollow points traveling at around 1350 fps. Never felt under gunned.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Having asked the question, here is what I find myself sometimes doing these days. I've carried 1911's of one form or another for most of the last 40 years with an occasional Glock thrown into the mix. However, I've acquired a number of single action revolvers in recent years (always had a couple around but that has increased) and I finally decided maybe I should try carrying one. So I picked up an El Paso Tortilla holster and belt slide and, while I still carry the 1911 most often, I've been using this setup more and more lately.





The revolver is a USFA in Colt .45 though I occasionally use others. The gun conceals well under a jacket or coat and the action on this one is very light and slick. I just wondered if I have completely lost my marbles or are there others who occasionally stray from most folks' accepted practice?

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Everybody could shoot

I’m pretty set on Colt 1911’s (Commander or government models with a fair amount of custom work) when I carry.

I’ve no use for anything else unless it’s a M38 in my pocket.

I have but only because it was my woods gun that day. It just isn't a really viable choice for edc imo. Even if one does think 5 is enough.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Tried carrying my USFA revolver and it was pulling my trousers down. I have to use suspenders now to keep my trousers up when I chose to carry it. It is a big hunk of steel.
The last time I carried it was when I took some kids to Virginia City. I thought a big single action was appropriate.

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In bear and Moose country, I often carry a Ruger .44 mag SA just incase said bears and moose get a little too squirrelly.

For SD against threats of the two legged kind, for years I carried a Freedom Arms mini .22 mag revolver as a last ditch "get off me" gun while a LEO.

The SA revolver may be a little long in the tooth for modern SD carry on the streets, but watching someone who knows how to handle one makes for a pretty convincing argument to the contrary.

Larry

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I worked in a gunshop in the early 70's. I carried a Ruger 6.5" .41 Magnum Blackhawk carrying it in a Safariland Model 43 holster, whenever I was in the shop, to and from the shop, hiking, fishing, camping, hunting. Never felt the least bit disadvantaged.

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Have Canon, Will Travel

This is my "American Express", I never leave home without it:



It's a Ruger Blackhawk, .45 Colt.


Bob Wright

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Bob Wright

I like the idea, but I don't feel proficient enough to carry a SAA as a primary SD gun. Maybe one day as a cross draw woods back-up if carrying a small 9mm as a primary, but it hasn't happened yet. I have a nice .45 Ruger Backhawk which would serve me well in Bear Country, but I'm never in Bear Country.

I don't have a problem carrying a 1911 though. On a recent trip to Durango, CO, this Colt rode on my hip while wondering down Main St.

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Watch & Pray

A Ruger’s New Model Blackhawk .45 Colt/.45 ACP Flat-Top Anniversary model, loaded with hollow tips and wielded by a man who grew up on westerns, CAN NOT BE TAKEN.

This here Blackhawk replaces my old Flat Top Ruger .44 special as my go-to woods gun. Out in the hills of northern Maine I cant picture using it much, but I dont feel naked with it.
Down here an hour north of Boston its usually a 3900 or 4500 S&W

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YUP! see avatar

If necessary I would carry a SA Revolver as long as the caliber started with a "4".

NAA mag pug on occasion, FEG hipower clone sometimes, ruger Blackhawk, but never as my only/primary.

Don't carry reloads for single action revolvers, doesn't seem worth it, and as stated if I'm carrying one, I'm also carrying something else.

After I retired from LE and moved away from the area where I was a po-leese, I carried a Ruger New Model Blackhawk chambered in .45 ACP. I did that for about a year.

I went overseas and worked there for 5 years. When I came back, I worked armed security for 7+ years. During my security time, I carried a Colt Agent .38 special.

I'm 65 now and light weight counts for a lot these days. I may dig out my Old Model .357 Blackhawk converted to .44 Special and carry it some.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

At a class I took years ago there were two "old guys" with Ruger SA revolvers.
One gun was a .45 Colt and the other a .357. Those old guys (who were several years older than me at the time) could really shoot. The .45 Colt was louder and made bigger holes in the paper targets.

Before that class, and after it, I sometimes carried a Blackhawk in
.357 Magnum. Haven't done it in a while. Mostly carry a Smith M38
these days.

the only single action revolver I ever carried for self defense was a NAA mini .22mag. I ended up with something else when I came to the conclusion that I could fire one handed a complete magazine with my LWS32 a whole lot faster than I could one handed manipulate the NAA mini (though the NAA mini was a finely made gun).

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I'm only allowed 30 characters

I’d have no problem carrying this loaded with seven Speer 100 grain GDHP.

Ruger Single Seven

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How do you like that birdshead single seven? Does it feel any smaller in hand than a birdshead 45acp Blackhawk.

When I go to the farm I usually carry the following, Colt Single Action Army 45 Colt 4 3/4 barrel, Colt SAA 45 Colt with the 7 1/2 barrel, or my Freedom Arms 454 with the 4 3/4 barrel. Holsters, El Paso Saddlery 1880 Ranger for the 7 1/2, DM Bullard for the 4 3/4, and a Freedom Arms produced holster for the FA. Also have 1895 Harden for the 4 3/4, however it is not very comfortable.
The farm really is not a farm, my father just called it that, and I have continued to do so. It is 160 acres of wilderness part thick woods and part open plains type in Woodward County OK. No outbuilding , however, it does have a small pound and two water tanks supplied by a solar well. Deer, turkey, quail, and other small game animals are found there.

Not counting the many years that I carried a Beretta 950BS in one pocket or another I am very much against carrying single action guns for self defense. In the 21st century you want point and shoot, not click, point, and shoot. Very much my personal opinion.

If you train and practice and train and practice to high proficiency with a 1911 or a Browning HP, etc., well, fine, but they are not for everyone and folks new to the self defense game should simply never do it. YMMV

However, THAT said, when I was routinely shooting cowboy action matches I would not have hesitated to carry one of my .45 Colt Vaqueros if the mood struck me. But, then again, that brings us back to train and practice. High proficiency is the requirement.

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Come and take it!!

I carry a Ruger® New Model Blackhawk® 4⅝" 41 Remington® Magnum loaded with 265gr WFNGC whenever I am outdoors and about. Have another DAO revolver on my person at the same time.

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David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

I love it! I now have the Blued 4 5/8” version too. Can’t really say if it feels smaller, as I don’t own the larger Birdshead Ruger. I believe the grips are the same size, but the Single Seven is based on the smaller Single Six, so I imagine it would feel smaller.

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