Single-Action Self-Defense

Guns & Ammo Magazine ^ | Sept. 2006 | Bart Skelton

[kiriath_jearim]

Do single-action sixguns have a place in self-defense?

By Bart Skelton

It's not often enough that my friend Pete Kellen calls, but when he does the conversation is always notable . Pete is one of those people who have literally seen and done it all. He recently retired from the Department of Justice after a career as a federal prosecutor. Prior to this he was an FBI agent, as well as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Pete's a staunch supporter of gun rights and a distinguished gun collector. He's undoubtedly qualified to pass judgment on a number of subjects.

During our last discussion we hashed out a point on which we couldn't concur. Pete said he'd just read an article about the use of the single-action revolver for defense purposes. Pete is a 1911 fan, though he is also a veteran revolver shooter, his latest preference being the Smith & Wesson Thunder Ranch .45 ACP. He told me he just couldn't understand anyone being bone-headed enough to contemplate using a single-action revolver for self-defense. The statement sparked a friendly wrangle between us. Pete said his main concern with carrying a single action was the reloading time in comparison with that of an automatic pistol or revolver.

I think the idea of carrying a single action for defense purposes--with the exception of as a law enforcement duty sidearm--is acceptable. I tend to like simplicity, and the time-honored and proven sixgun fits that bill. Many exhaustive experiments have been conducted regarding the carrying of various configurations of handguns for defense purposes, and disadvantages have been discovered lingering within each. I believe personal penchant should still be the deciding factor when it comes to defense carry.

The single-action revolver has many appealing attributes. For me, the heaviness of the muzzle, the grip contour and the natural way my fingers fit the hammer and trigger are the most noteworthy. With the Colt in particular, there is no need for the fitting of custom grips, unless you wish to make duplicates of the factory stocks in ivory or some other fancy material. The natural feel of the single action makes it point easily, just like your finger, making target acquisition very fast. The ease of hammer and trigger manipulation adds to the quickness.

For years I shot a single action using my strong-hand thumb to cock the hammer. Sometime back, an acquaintance introduced me to the method of cocking with the weak thumb. After some practice I've found that I'm able to fire my single actions almost as fast as I can a double action, and while I'm no Jerry Miculek, I am able to hold my own on occasion with a double-action wheelgun.

For anyone who doesn't believe a single action can be fired rapidly enough to stop a fight, I would recommend reading up on the old revolver magician, Ed McGivern. Though he performed most of his feats with a double action, he also investigated the limits of the single action and found that he could almost equal the results between the two. Using a 51?2-inch Colt Single Action Army in .38 Special, Ed could place five shots in a playing card in one second. He held the Colt in his left hand and fanned with his right. He experimented with thumbing the Colt also, finding that he was a little slower but more accurate, and it was much less detrimental to the gun.

Shooting fast isn't the most important business when it comes to self-defense; accuracy is likely the most important consideration. Contrary to many accounts by gun experts, the single action is a wonderfully accurate handgun. I've found that most of them can duplicate the accuracy of a double action--and many autos--when shot from a rest.

At the heart of self-defense with a handgun is the ability to reload it reasonably fast. This is where the single action loses its edge. I've seen a few Cowboy Action shooters reload a hogleg with lightning speed, but it can't be done as quickly as reloading a double action. Placing the hammer on half-cock and punching out each empty with the ejector rod, then loading one round at a time takes some time, and doing it quickly takes plenty of practice.

My friend Pete is comfortable carrying a pair of 1911s, and he's a well-armed man who nobody in his right mind would tangle with. In a serious situation, that brace of slab-sided iron will provide the ultimate self-defense tool. But don't write off anyone carrying an old Peacemaker. For everyday carry, including self-defense work, I'll take a six-shooter anytime.

[B4Ranch]

>Many years ago a guy I shot with regularly pulled out his 1911 ..........<

I am presuming you no longer shoot with him. I understand why.

[Billthedrill]

Single action revolvers are fine for defense against bears and other critters...

Beat me to it. I have a Blackhawk in .41 mag that's my bear season carry piece (and that's NOW) but I wouldn't want to depend on reloading it in a tight-sphincter combat situation. Might just as well throw the ammo at the bad guys and hope to put their eye out.

[supercat]

He got a palm full of firing pin--a long, deep, bloody, painfull, slow healing gash.

By "firing pin" do you mean the pointy end of the hammer? Sounds like that could hurt.

Out of curiosity, why does it seem that almost no revolvers with single-action-only trigger mechanisms allow the cylinder to be opened or swung out as is common with double-action revolvers? While I can see some advantages to a single-action-only trigger, I don't see the advantages of the loading-gate arrangement except when required to comply with rules for cowboy shoots and the like.

Can someone enlighten me?

[maine-iac7]

after coming home one day a few years ago and discovering there had been a break in - this ole granny went shopping.

I ended up with a Colt Police positive 32, like this one (mine has lost it's "blue") - for ease of operation. Heck, my hands aren't strong enough to pull back the slide on most pistols or revolvers = I like the ease of operating and easier accuracy of the six shooter...(Just point and shoot = it's like an extension of your finger)

[TigersEye]

I carried my Colt SAA .357 in my backpack for defense for years. It was the most reliable piece I had then. And of course I carried it with an empty chamber under the hammer so I only had five rounds ready to go if things were happening fast. One thing about a SA is that you don't squeeze off rounds mindlessly. That second it takes you to cock gives you a moment to sharpen you focus. Having only five or six rounds at hand also helps define the situation for you. No room for waste.

Thankfully I have never fired any gun (or even had to draw one) in self defense. But at least three times I have made it immediately available, though hidden, when things seemed to be heading in a southerly direction. All of those times I had the Colt and the first shot would have been the defining shot in any case.

[Renfield]

I shoot single-actions in Cowboy Action matches, and I'd certainly trust my life to one. I get more practice with them than with my double-action revolvers or auto.

The .45 Colt is a good round...fires a big slug.

[NerdDad]

Almost as important as bringing a gun is bringing one that you are confident with.

I have my father's 1911 (sn 161636). It's a old one. Has probably had a 100,000 rounds run thru it. Dad could knock a fly off a dog's nose at 25 yards and not cause a rash--night or day, either hand. I missed a possum 7 times from under 15 feet one evening--braced with a two-handed grip. I tend to roll my wrist when I squeeze a slab-side. Not something I'm proud of and a source of endless humor for my wife and boys.

My primary defense weapon is a 5-shot .38 revolver. I'm good with it. I'm confident that I will hit my intended target. Am I concerned that I may only get 5 shots off? Sure. But I know I'll hit somebody 5 times. I doubt I could hit somebody 5 times with a fully loaded Glock 21.

Guess it falls under the old "a man's gotta know his limitations" thing.

[Recon Dad]

The statement sparked a friendly wrangle between us. Pete said his main concern with carrying a single action was the reloading time in comparison with that of an automatic pistol or revolver.

Would someone interpret this quote from the above article.

[PoorMuttly]

http://www.bobmunden.com/

Bob used to allow one to preview his videos on-line, but I could not find that feature on this site. He is truly astounding...like a machine gun, and amazingly accurate with 4 5/8" barreled .45s.

He recommends against fanning or rapid-firing any SAA without serious internal work. It just beats the heck out of them. He offers gunsmithing services, and there is no expert as experienced.

---

Back to the article, I have carried SAAs for self defense upon occasion, for various reasons. They are slim and light for their cartridge. This year I have carried them afield with CCI shotshells with which I have dispatched a few rattlesnakes coiled at my feet. My .357 patterns surprisingly well, but seems to only stun them, even with head shots, so after the first 2 rounds, I switch to lead or JHP. A handy thing about open top Old West holsters which leave the trigger exposed is that one can fire without drawing the pistol -- as long as the muzzle end is not plugged or sewn shut....but hey, I would not hesitate to try it anyway in order to save my life. A .44 shotshell should certainly do the job on leather, and it certainly does a sudden and final job on even the largest rattler, in the opinion of others, not only my own.

An interesting personal discovery for me this year is the utility of the old cavalry-style, butt forward "twist draw." This is how Bill Hickock carried his long barelled 1851 Navy revolvers, and never lost a gunfight. Apart from being rather intimidating at the card table, it aids in rapid grip acquisition when seated. I use a left-handed holster, on the right side. I carry all my longer than 4 5/8" revolvers this way now. It positions the grip conspicuously out front, and easy to grab. It also enables one to slide the holster behind the hip and out of the way for work, but still easily accessable for a speedy draw, almost like a small-of-back holster.

Many years ago a famous gun magazine writer stated that twist-draw causes the muzzle to dangerously pass across the shooter's body, and this has been accepted at doctrine, and oft repeated. It is completely incorrect, however. It does that when done wrong. If one lifts the gun up from leather, twisting it around, always making an effort to push the muzzle to the target as directly as possible, it points away, not toward the shooter. It is fast. It is easy. It is the only reasonable way to rapidly and effectively draw a waist-level, not drop-holstered long barelled revolver to the target area without jamming one's gun hand into one's arm pit! Ever wonder why cowboys and pioneers wore their gunbelts so low on the gun side when they used, as perhaps most did, 7 1/2" Colts...or they shoved them into their belts crossdraw? Even I can get a long barrel muzzle to the target in half the time that I would if I had to get my crooked wrist and hand down from almost shoulder height, with a "normal" holster. The shorter barrels work pretty well though for shorter barrels....which do not hit what I am intending to nearly as well as the longer lengths, in my hands.

Well anyway, back to the article, my 2 cents is to advise against SAA defensive carry unless the handgun has been internally strengthened, and to make sure you can draw and fire it well, not just look good dead in the dust, also Old West style!

Writer Paco Kelly relates how he was once set upon by a large feral dog. He writes that it attacked without barking, going for his throat and knocking him on his back. He drew his revolver from under his coat, and shot it dead, on his chest. Paco uses single action revolvers frequently, and writes articles for sixgun sites. He stated that hs love for them notwithstanding, he would have been dead if he were carrying a single action that day.

There were reasons that people went to cased ammunition over cap-and-ball, and reasons that cockable double action revolvers took over the market too. I carry and use both for serious purposes....but always bear in mind that the cowboy look and feel I am enjoying also takes a lot of extra preparedness to make up for fewer mechanical options should I really, really, REALLY need it, and in a mortal danger hurry.

One other thing. Unless one is carrying a Ruger or other MODERN SAA with transfer bar safety (mine do not have this), one actually has a slow to reload (unless top-break) FIVE-shooter. Of course, time permitting, one chooses to cock a double action too, for more precise shot placement, even in self defense. This is made easier by the habit of always drawing a spur hammer handgun while covering the hammer with the thumb, as one would when drawing from concealment under clothing, so the thumb is already in position. An early firearms trainer of the colonial Hong Kong police even advised to thumb-cock their double actions in gunfights. Doc Holliday was famous for spraying saloons and streets with lead and hardly hitting anything on purpose with his short barelled revolver...but did sudden and effective work at the Corral with a borrowed 7 1/2" Colt.

So, all I am really saying is that effective self defensive carry can be done, but it takes a lot of careful and wise consideration, practice, and preparedness, as well as well performed atheletic manipulation of the mechanism....more than that which the double action revolver requires.

For those who choose it, for whatever reason, may it accomplish the purpose for which they carry it. Most times though, the double is a better choice, and why it was invented, and became so popular, to this day.

Y' makes yer choice, an' y' takes yer chances.

[supercat]

The statement sparked a friendly wrangle between us. Pete said his main concern with carrying a single action was the reloading time in comparison with that of an automatic pistol or revolver.

Many autoloaders can be reloaded when dry or nearly dry by hitting the mag release button (letting the magazine fall out) and slapping in a new magazine. If the pistol had run dry, it's necessary to 'slingshot' the slide, otherwise not. Some autoloaders require pulling out the old magazine and fully cycling the slide. On a few (like the Beretta cat series) it's necessary to know whether you've run dry, since cycling the slide if you haven't will jam the pistol.

A typical double-action revolver may be reloaded by breaking open the topstrap or swinging out the cylinder, dumping all the cartridges on the ground, and putting in six more cartridges. Some revolvers can use full moon clips, which hold six cartridges in proper orientation for quick insertion. Nearly all others can use speedloaders, which operate on the same principle but release the cartridges once they're inserted.

Most single-action revolvers have a cylinder which can't swing out; instead they have swing-open gate on the side and an ejector under the barrel. To reload such a revolver, it's necessary to open the gate, eject one cartridge and replace it, turn the cylinder, eject the next cartridge and replace it, etc. Much slower than with a double-action or automatic.

[supercat]

Unless one is carrying a Ruger or other MODERN SAA with transfer bar safety (mine do not have this), one actually has a slow to reload (unless top-break) FIVE-shooter.

Out of curiosity, why don't single-action revolvers have a half-click notch to allow the gun to be carried with the cylinder between two firing positions? When the gun had six rounds chambered, the firing pin would sit in the air between two cartridges, posing no danger if the hammer was struck. Cocking the hammer would rotate the first round into firing position. Once one or more rounds had been fired, the firing pin would be sitting on a spent round, and there would thus still be no danger if the hammer was struck.

I believe NAA's mini-revolvers work this way, but why haven't full-sized revolvers been designed this way? It would seem a pretty obvious and easy change (I thought of it before discovering that NAA does it), so why didn't it become common aeons ago?

[PoorMuttly]

"Out of curiosity, why don't single-action revolvers have a half-click notch to allow the gun to be carried with the cylinder between two firing positions?"

I have also wondered about that. Hard to believe it wasn't considered and done in the single action era, but evidently, to my awareness, it was not. I imagine that it does complicate the mechanism, timing wise. The half-cock position enables one to rotate the cylinder for loading/unloading, as you know. I do not know how NAA does it, or how reliable it is.

Many seasoned SAA users advise that even with Rugers, only 5 be loaded, just to do it by the numbers, and not slip up at some later time, when one is not using a revolver containing a safety. Often when I load my SAAs, pondering the "load one, skip two, load three, four, five, six" bringing the hammer down on the empty chamber...I also wonder how many gunslingers actually did put "buryin' money," reportedly a one hundred dollar bill, in that empty chamber....and how many times if fell out under recoil or just walkin' around, and how many of those fellas actually were "buried like a stray dog" outside of town, money or not.

[Buffalo Head]

"....Smith & Wesson Thunder Ranch .45 ACP.....

The use of the obsolete designation "ACP" marks gun-writer Bart Skelton as a rank amateur. That terminology was replaced by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Institute (SAAMI) prior to World War II. Look at the headstamps, Stupid!

Most gun-writers seem to gain their technical knowledge (or lack thereof) from other gunwriters, who haven’t looked at a headstamp since their birth date. All reputable ammunition and firearms manufacturers use appropriate designations. It is no more acceptable to use obsolete cartridge terminology than it is to refer to a married woman by her maiden name. Yes, the gun magazines are full of this error and many off-shore and second tier manufacturers still haven’t gotten the word. But, It is “45 Auto”. Period. (Unless you have a pistol or ammunition manufactured prior to WWII).

[Myrddin]

Available in 444 Marlin, 450 Marlin, 30-30 Winchester, 460 S&W Magnum, 500 S&W Magnum, 45-70. 10 inch barrel, 5 shots. Single action.

[RetiredNavy]

Unfortunately sir, you are wrong on this point. Both designations are acceptable, though ACP is technically more accurate. ".45 Auto" is simply shorthand for ".45 Automatic Colt Pistol". Both differentiate the round from other .45 caliber cartridges.

Feel as stupid as you accuse Mr Skelton of being?

[Inyo-Mono]

Out of curiosity, why don't single-action revolvers have a half-click notch to allow the gun to be carried with the cylinder between two firing positions?...why didn't it become common aeons ago?

All of the original Colts and Remington single action cap 'n ball revolvers made in the 1860s and early 70s were made that way. The Colt models, like the 1860 Army, featured pins between each cylinder to rest the hammer on.

I have a replica cap 'n ball .44 Remington converted to fire .45 Colt cartridges and the hammer can be lowered into a notch between each cylinder.

[LIConFem]

I saw something like that many years ago. IIRC, it was an exact replica of a Peacemaker, but scaled up to chamber .45/70. Frikkin' thing was HUGH! ;o)

[norton]

Never shot with him again;
he was embarrassed and I was not willing to trust.

By habit, I loaded any autoloader short because old/tired magazines can hang up when packed tight; and yes, at least he did manage to remember how to reload & didn't simply keep pulling a useless trigger.

Biggest concern with shooting sports or just proficiency is that people become TOO comfortable with their toys. I'll still check to be sure the thing is clear before handing over or even showing a weapon to someone else - and I sure as hell check it when I pick it up myself.

[Inyo-Mono]

Whoops, I shpuld have said:...the hammer can be lowered into a notch between each chamber, not cylinder.

[norton]

Middle of the night, noise downstairs, half awake/asleep and thinking intruder had fled out the front door.

That, and too many John Wayne movies (Yeah, a LONG time ago).

On another note, it's always interesting to read how many rounds the police can use up against a single threat...tendancy is to pull 'till empty.