Single Action Revolvers for Self Defense?

[gen3guy]

I'm not sure if this topic has ever come up on this forum. It probably has on some of the Ruger and Colt forums. I'd like to hear what people think about this. I the world of high capacity, reliable, and accurate auto pistols and the finest DA revolvers ever made, does anybody out there carry a SA revolver? I do on occasion, depending on the circumstances. The disadvantages are obvious but I also believe they can be formidable weapons in the hands of those who take the time to practice with them. Don't get me wrong. My Smith & Wesson DA revolvers are among my most cherished possessions. However, I shoot my SA revolvers more because they're reliable, safe, rugged, and FUN! Therefore I tend to want to carry them also.

Go ahead. Let me have it!

 

[Waywatcher]

They work. They've worked for over a century and a half. They're kind of heavy, bulky, and slow, but also accurate and powerful.

I wouldn't hesitate to carry one again.

 

[TACC1]

I'll jump in here....Any firearm can be used for carry, as long
as the operator is competent with it. I've carried SA at times,
simply because that's what I got them for.
I just like DA now. TACC1

 

[Erich]

I carry a short New Vaquero sometimes (haven't lately, now that I think about it ), and don't feel like it's a problem. Speed of shooting doesn't bother me, but it loads a mite slow . . .

 

[jinx]

Pat Garrett, Earp, Masterson, Wild Bill, and a bunch of others all carried single actions. They seem to have done fine with them. John Wayne also did fine with SA in his movies.

 

[Cal44]

I carried a Freedom Arms 454 Casull on a backpacking trip in bear country in Alaska one time.

Open carry though.

And it was heavy.

 

[Arik]

Pat Garrett, Earp, Masterson, Wild Bill, and a bunch of others all carried single actions. They seem to have done fine with them. John Wayne also did fine with SA in his movies.

You can't count John Wayne. Movies are fake. It's written, actors know the ending before the movie is even shot. Any one can just as easily write a script where John Wayne can't hit ground if he fell on it. By that logic I don't even need a gun cause Christopher Reeve did just fine without one when bullets were bouncing off his chest!

The rest of those people carried single actions in a largely single action world. I bet anyone of them would have taken a modern revolver or semi auto had they had a choice

Are SA good guns? Yea! But I wouldn't use one for self defense if I had a choice. Hard(er) to conceal, slow to fire, slow to reload, slow to get on target.

 

[Harkrader]

I carry only autos or DA revolvers.
I play in Cowboy Action Shooting so I am reasonably proficient with SA revolvers, I just don't feel they are for me as carry guns.

HOWEVER, I've seen some amazing CAS shooters, firing at incredible speed with terrific accuracy.

I do my best to stay away from problem areas in SE WI, but there have recently been some public shootings in otherwise safe-seeming areas. I occasionally go to one of those areas, and recently had a look at where a monster opened up on people on a walking bridge. No matter where I might have been, *I'd* have been better off with the auto or DA revolver.

So, as you said, practice, practice, practice.

 

[jinx]

My John Wayne reference was done tongue in cheek.

 

[Wyo]

Well, there must be some significant number of people using them since Gunsite teaches a course on the single action for self defense. I don't suppose they would do that if there weren't enough students to justify it. I don't normally carry a single action when I'm in town, but I have carried one of one flavor or another on many occasions while in the mountains. A good friend of mine who ran an outfitting business carried an old Colt Single Action for many years while hunting/outfitting in grizzly country and he never felt he was undergunned with it.

 

[WR Moore]

It would rather depend upon exactly what one was defending themselves from.

Against 4 legged critters-and a few who slither (excluding some humans who might also slither)- not a bad idea. I've found .44 & .45 shot cartridges much more effective on snakes than .38.

One or two belligerent folks wouldn't be much of an issue, if the situation is properly handled.

Beyond that, there are better options.

 

[jack the toad]

SA revolvers will do in a pinch but there're better handgun options available for self defense, combat, etc. Handgun hunting is another story.
Although you might be in the race, you're not likely to win the Kentucky derby riding a mule.

 

[nyeti]

For many years my "door answering" gun was a snub nose Ruger Vaquero with specially loaded .45 Colt running some Keith bullets at a 1000 fps.....with black powder. Would never run these in anything but a large frame Ruger. If the round doesn't do you in, being on fire is an added benefit. I have even carried it a bit in a front appendix holster Gordon Davis built me.
Single actions are not my first choice, but they can work and if you have a highly competitive CAS shooter,MIT may actually be the best choice for them for a carry gun.

Everything has positives and negatives. Most of the negatives of a SA revolver outweigh the positives, but, for some folks it is a good choice especially in areas where four legged critters are a bigger concern than two leggers.

 

[rwsmith]

Well not exactly SA

If I have a double action revolver, and I think something is cooking, the first thing I'm going to do is cock it.

 

[ContinentalOp]

It wouldn't be my first choice but if it's what you have and you're proficient with it I don't see why not.

I was curious about self defense with a SA revolver not too long ago and stumbled onto this YouTube video. It's the first of a series on using SA revolvers for self defense taught by a Gunsite instructor. It might be worth a look. I believe there are 6 or 7 videos in the series.

https://youtu.be/XoW7VUZtn-E

 

[jimmyj]

Hi:
In a self defense episode where the outcome is decided with one to three/four rounds, a single action revolver is acceptable. In a episode with a gang of "Thug", Zombies, or Sex Crazed Young Hollywood Starlets, a high capacity semi-auto pistol would be the choice (or something belt fed). I would not feel under-gunned with a single action revolver. After firing six rounds, I would have a great club, or a heavy object for throwing (as I was running away screaming "HELP, HELP, RAPE, RAPE, OH LORDY !!

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Pat Garrett, Earp, Masterson, Wild Bill, and a bunch of others all carried single actions. They seem to have done fine with them. John Wayne also did fine with SA in his movies.

Love the Duke reference!

We have discussed this here before. Since I am a cowboy action shooter I have discussed it with others many times. There are various parts to the answer.

First and foremost - yes, a single action revolver can be used for self defense. They were used for 100 years, with top notch results, so there is no reason to gainsay them now. That's the easy reply.

Second - owning a single action revolver and shooting it occasionally is one thing; practicing with it is another. Are you mentally and physically qualified to use a single action revolver for self defense? In other words, can you cock it and fire it and cock it and fire it again? Will your hand(s) do the right thing and does your head know how to use such a weapon? If your answer is yes then we can move along to the next part of the discussion. But if you're going to pull that trigger and forget to cock the hammer you're not qualified, yet, to use that gun. And you still have to be accurate, too - don't forget that part. So be sure you practice and are "good" with it. Cowboy action shooters are good with them; that's what we do - but are you?

Third - Those items out of the way, let's talk about a "good shooting". If you use any gun for self defense you'll have to convince the police and prosecutors you had cause to defend your life - because you were in fear of death or severe bodily injury to yourself or a third party. If that's all true THE GUN DOES NOT MATTER.

You won't be faced with "what are you, a cowboy?!" type of questions if the shooting is justified. It's the possibility of any issue with respect to the shooting that COULD, I won't say would or will, but could cause some concern to a civil or criminal prosecutor. But in reality, neither your guns nor your ammunition will matter much in a justifiable homicide.

Interestingly, back in the day when I debated this with a whole host of gun and LEO experts, someone asked if ANYONE could find a case where these types of issues arose. None of us could.

I have several single action revolvers - maybe I'll use one for a CHL qualification someday, just to be able to claim that I KNOW they can be used for self defense because I qualified with one. We'll see.

 

[wheelgunguy]

. In a episode with...... Sex Crazed Young Hollywood Starlets, a high capacity semi-auto pistol would be the choice (or something belt fed).

Hmmmm...In that instance I may just unload my gun and let them catch me.

 

[Gunhacker]

My John Wayne reference was done tongue in cheek.

Even so... there were/are movie/TV and other celeb's that were as proficient with a firearm on and off screen/stage, some of which would surprise you.

There is Sammy Davis Jr. (fast draw), Glenn Ford, and even Mel Torme (he loved his Thompsons) and Buddy Hackett, to name a few.

That Colt SSA and the leather rig Mr. Wayne used in movies was his own, not one provided by a studio prop department.

But as to the question about a single action revolver being suitable for self defense... as many have already said, they worked very well and proved themselves to be very effective over 100 years ago... and seeing how well a run of the mill Cowboy Action shooter can use one, I for one wouldn't want to be staring at the business end of a .45 Colt with that big bore hole.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

If I have a double action revolver, and I think something is cooking, the first thing I'm going to do is cock it.

That is the worst possible thing you can do. A single action revolver requires that and it's the basic drawback to a single action revolver unless you are sure that you do NOT have a light trigger. Under an adrenaline packed situation cocking your revolver is asking for an accidental discharge.

Here's a nice discussion of the subject - as I said earlier, it's been discussed here before.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/concea...-revolver-guys-how-do-you-train-sd-sa-da.html