Anyone carry a SA in lieu of a Mountain Gun?

I think "single action" is really a misnomer as it take 2 actions to fire it. I've become a fan of the "single motion" concept. I was issued an M29 in the mid 60's in the Artic circle when I worked for a defense contractor. Here in soth Texas it is not bears buy angry feral hogs. I have a lovely 629MG and a 686 snubbie. Lately my favorite has been a battered, mismatched Brazilian contract 1917. Action is worn smooth and it reloads with moon clips very quickly not that feral hogs often shoot back.
 
rburg said:
Ok all you gun heathens, I'm not invoking the name of Randolph Scott, I'm doin' you one better. There was this old Texan who carried a gun or two in his time. Many of us worship him almost as much as the Duke. I believe his name was Skeeter Skelton. Maybe y'all have heard of him a time or two. And he addressed this exact problem in one of his columns.

His quote was "funny, I never felt under gunned with a SAA". Enough for me.

And no one is even suggesting they aren't available in serious calibers. They're pretty much the definition of serious. Time tested. And they seem to have proven themselves on the job.

So all we're really discussing is the action and gun itself. In recent years some folks have managed to fire their double action handguns as fast. But how fast and accurate do you really need? Back to the old rule, don't make more than 5 drug dealers mad at you at the same time. Or carry two SAAs. Then you'll be OK.
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I carry one of each most days in the woods: A 22 semi-auto target pistol gets "back up gun" treatment from a six inch N frame with two speed loaders, or a 5.5" Redhawk in 45 Colt or 500 Linebaugh. A Glock 20SF 10mmAuto gets "back up gun" treatment by a Ruger Old Army 44 / 454 round ball and 40 grains of 777. I am still mastering a "speed load" for this revolver!
I've never arrested a bad guy with a 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk either, like Skeeter Skelton, but would have loved to see his eyes. A J frame makes a good back-up for a full size primary semiauto and arming another good guy without much pistol savvy is possible too.
 
Alpo said:
Keep wanting. It's liable to happen, one day. First one of them I saw was at a pawn shop in 1971. Dear Old Dad said a 16-year-old boy don't need that. Next one I saw was at a gun shop in 2003. It's in that picture. It only took 32 years, but I got one. Keep thinking good thoughts. :D
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Good luck on finding a nice one. BTW, it's spelled "Webley," The company was Webley & Scott.

They made many models. The one here is a military-issued MK VI. Original caliber was .455, but a lot were altered by surplus dealers to fire .45ACP, which is about at .455 proof pressures. I suggest handloading. I got my first Webley at age 13. Mother had to sign the paperwork, of course. It was my first real handgun. It was a MK VI like that in the photo.

I find the Ruger Super Blackhawk easy to use in pointed fire and recoil is tolerable. Mine was very accurate. I do suggest stainless steel on a real carry gun.
 
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Sometimes this Ruger .44 Mag goes along in the hills loaded with 300 gr hardcast.

44_Mag_Ruger_Project_Finished_012.JPG


The .44 Mountain Revolver usually gets the call loaded with 290 gr hardcast SWC.

S_W_Mt_Gun_Roughout_Rig_10-1-2012_010.JPG
 
Mine is a Old Model Ruger Vaquero Bisley in 44 mag, with a 5.5 inch barrel when I need a "big" gun, otherwise, where I live and hunt, nowadays, it's usually a Ruger SP-101 with the 3 in barrel. Its light and carries easily. Enough said......
 
Texas Star said:
Good luck on finding a nice one. BTW, it's spelled "Webley," The company was Webley & Scott.

They made many models. The one here is a military-issued MK VI. Original caliber was .455, but a lot were altered by surplus dealers to fire .45ACP, which is about at .455 proof pressures. I suggest handloading. I got my first Webley at age 13. Mother had to sign the paperwork, of course. It was my first real handgun. It was a MK VI like that in the photo.

I find the Ruger Super Blackhawk easy to use in pointed fire and recoil is tolerable. Mine was very accurate. I do suggest stainless steel on a real carry gun.
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Oh yes. Since I have owned it, it has had exactly THREE real 45 ACPs through it - 230 ball the day I bought it, and I did not finish the cylinder-full. All I feed it now is a light handloads using 200 grain lead SWCs. Ain't no sense in beating a 99-year-old gun to death, feeding it proof loads.
 
There is nothing wrong with a single action. My 1st good revolver was a ruger convertable single six. Having 5 (or 6 if rugers) rounds never bothered me. Sure they are a little slower to reload than a DA with a speed loader but I doubt if its a realistic reason to take a DA over a SA.
In some cases a Mountain Gun might be just a little easier to pack. A lot of the reason DA`s are more popular is the cops quit using SA`s long ago and that really was largely due to DA`s being faster to reload, the safety factor as probley many disregarded the 5 round loading and there had to be some accidents. Also for some there was a weight difference. Since LEO blessed the DA revolvers probley a huge share of the public reasoned that if LEO chose DA it had to be vastly superior. Well in most cases they overlooked the fact that the hugest portion of cops years ago carried .38 specials in M&Ps or Offical Polices because they were easier to pack, yet it was overlooked the colt single actions were pumpkin rollers in .44`s and .45 colts. Public perception due to LEO choices did the most to kill off single actions. No way would I feel underguned with a colt or ruger in .44 special, 44-40, 38-40 or .45 colt.
I havent shot it lately but I have a original .44 Remington New Model Army C&B that was rebuilt probley 55 years ago. Except for loading it I would trust my life with it as well as anyone of my smiths. It can be just as accurate. Here are some of my single actions. I own 4 colts, about 3 clones, a lipsey ruger in .44 special and the colts are in .44 special and .45s. That doesnt count another couple of rugers and a colt scout in .22 lr`s and .32 H&R mag. I see there is a couple repeats in the group shots.















 


Before I got a S&W 460ES Magnum, the most powerful handgun that I carried in the field was a 6 1/2" Model 29. I lucked into a 629 Mountain Gun but I have never carried it because I got the above 3 3/4" .44 Mag Ruger Super Blackhawk a short time later. I consider the main advantage to the Ruger being its ability to handle HOT magnum loads more comfortably than either of my S&W .44s. I do not have problems with bears or lions but I have had to use my .44 against an attacking land crab.

Mark
 
Glad to see this thread revive! Some fine guns here. I also started out with a single six Ruger and have an affinity for large bore single actions and always figured if I needed more shots I was gonna be running !
 
when I lived in alaska I carried a ruger superblackhawk .44 magnum - wanted the stainless & simplicity of SA
 
This has been my woods gun the last couple months.
It was priced right and had a few hickies from stayin in the case to long.
It was a combo with 44.40 and 44sp cylinders. I had the rig made.
Been using the 44.40 cylinder lately.
No big critters in my world.
Light enough and outta the way with the cross draw rig.
 
I like my NM Convertible Blackhawk .45 with .45 Colt loads a lot, but I have had it go down twice; once with a broken loading gate spring, and once with a broken transfer bar. That's with use, but no abuse. Looking unbreakable doesn't mean that it is.

From that standpoint I would prefer my (old!) OM flattop 3 screw .44 Magnum, cut to 4 5/8". The lockwork is simpler and sturdier. Admittedly the ejector rod housing departed a time or two, but that won't stop the gun. Finally had Ruger fit up a new short barrel to it and so far the housing has stayed on.

I like N frames but they're BIG.
 
It's interesting to read my original posts from 2012 and realize what guns have departed, and what guns have been acquired since then. More have left than arrived.
 
I'm late to the party but.............

I ride horseback in wilderness country alone.

I carry one of three Ruger Vaqueros in .44 Magnum. A 7 1/2 inch, or a 5 1/2 inch, or a 4 5/8 inch. They are loaded with the Hornady 240 grain FMJ bullet to 1,000 fps. They will kill anything I find if I shoot well enough.

I also carry a Ruger New Vaquero in .44 Special with a 3 1/2 inch barrel. It is loaded with a hardcast 240 grain semi-wadcutter. It too will kill whatever I need to.

I also carry Colt and Uberti single-actions in .44 Special and .45 Long Colt. With either the 240 grain .44 SWC or the 250 grain .45 SWC or flatnose, all cast bullets loaded to about 900 fps. They will do the job.

As esteemed member ferilmerril so stated, anything "Ruger" and preferably in stainless will never fail you.

BUT, I would advise against a Uberti Schofield for serious use. I own three, and have owned two more. The interior parts can be delicate and they might just fail at the wrong time. As well the sights are difficult to adjust (fixed) if they do not print to point of aim.
 
I would love to able to afford another Smith Mountain Gun, but at the prices and my budget I'm afraid I can't muster much more than the cost of a Happy Meal these days at the end of the week. I have always had a soft spot for the Blackhawk and when I need to carry something with a bit more oomph than my 649 I go to that. Over the years I have had one Vaquero in .45 Colt, two .41 Magnum Blackhawks in both long and short barrels, three .357 Blackhawks (one was the first handgun I ever owned), and one of the 50th Anniversary .44 Magnums. They are about as fine a gun as you can get and used they are still hovering around $400 for a good example.
Mine is a bit of a long barrel but I am hoping that a short barrel will be joining it soon.

 
I've posted this picture many times before, so at the risk of sounding like the "Department of Redundancy Department," here it is again. This Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt has been my companion for around 30 years at least...as near as I can figure.

As many of you know, I used to volunteer for the USFS and NPS and pack equipment and supplies into their trail crews in some of the wilderness areas with my pack string. We lived in heavily populated black bear country and it was rare when we didn't see any bears.

I used a couple of different loads when I was spending a lot of time in the back country...all of them stout. The lightest load was using 240-grain semi-jacketed HP going at about 940 fps. The heaviest was using 300-grain jacketed FN at around 1325 fps.

To my way of thinking, this revolver is a perfect gun for what I was doing. It's small enough where it doesn't interfere with the cantle of the saddle, but large enough to handle any problems that I might encounter when I'm 20 miles from the nearest trailhead.
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