CCW with a single action

[HiBC]

OK,I have one.
My daughter came to me one day and said her fiancé wished he had something on his hip when they were up in the mountains.He had a birthday coming,and could I help? Oh,and she was on a budget.

I had a Uberti Sheriff's model in 45 Colt.Holster,Le hand press,dies,brass,500 bullets,powder,etc. $100. She said "Deal"

Honeymoon came.Cascades,camping in a van in the woods. Asleep. 2 or 3 AM,
Somebody yanked the side sliding door of the van open.
Son in law presented the Uberti and the perp made his exit. No shots fired.
Had they been unarmed,anything could have happened.My daughter might be dead. I have since built him a Father's Day 1911. I like how he is with my grandkids.
I bought my SBH about 1979,maybe 1980. Its about the time Colorado opened up handgun big game hunting.They required 4 out of 6 hits on a 10 in target at 50 yds to qualify. We made a 10 in steel dinger .We had a wheel weight connection and a place to shoot outside in private.
We were hitting that 50 yard dinger 6 for 6 at 50 yds every time.It was not slow bullseye.
I worked harvesting fenceposts in Wyoming till I went to tire busting seven years before I became a machinist.
My SBH did not roll.It stayed how I squeezed it.I shot right strong hand,two handed,and thumbed with my left hand during recoil. I worked on speed,and you might be surprised how well it worked. Draw,point,fire one handed at a 5 gal bucket was pretty easy at 20 feet.

Don't get me wrong,I'm not suggesting a beginner choose a SAA for SD.I don't carry a revolver. But YOU can,and its OK.

But to this day,if I have my .44 SBH in my hand,I'm quite armed.

[reteach]

Good story, HiBC. I'm glad your son in law was prepared, with whatever he happened to have.
Way back before there was a license to carry I had a run-in while camping with some guys who were armed and thought I didn't have a right to be on "their" national forest property. The confrontation was all words, but they were carrying and I wasn't. They won the argument. Since then I have carried any time I camped. Most times that was a single action something.

[OldMarksman]

Some decades ago I was spending my last evening in a Colorado in remote rented cabin.

I had with me a Colt .45 SAA, 5 1/2 inch barrel. I had taken that one rather than my S&W Model 39 because a large animal had tried to get into the same cabin at night the previous summer. I would make the same choice again.

This time, the intruder was human. Fiddled with the back door and with three windows and then got the front door unlocked.

He came in, and then left quickly.

I think the moonlight coming in was probably bright enough for him to see the grooves and lands.

I later sold the gun because I needed the money.

[Johny Smith]

@reteach,

Anything is possible and if it is all you got, as they say it beats a stick & rock. Now, it also depends on where you live and what your daily routine consist of. I've been tempted myself because you can get them in a caliber you really like.

I know you don't want to hear this, but I have never, ever read of anyone doing it on a serious basis. Even the pros will tell you it can be done but it's not advisable. Far to many variables you have to worry about. Even worst than having a safety on a semi-automatic. When you come out in a defensive move you what as little to think about but pulling that trigger. Training the muscle memory to be cocking as you draw sounds good on paper or at home in front of mirror, but under a an adrenaline rush a.k.a. Fear, you may even shoot yourself drawing it out.

Remember in the old days they open carried, not 'concealed carry' and worrying about getting it out from under a shirt or jacket.

It had it's place but that was then when that's all there was, it's been over 100 years now for Double Action, technology advanced. If you do it carry two like the old west use to, that's your quick reload.

Check out Mr. Harrell here, he's one of the best in the business with any platform.

[HiBC]

Once again,I am NOT advocating choosing a SAA or similar for a CCW or EDC.
I'm not telling you or anyone else what to carry,or not carry....
Myself,I would not advocate for any pot metal low quality guns or anything of questionable reliability.
IMO,a .380 or anything smaller are questionable . By many of the current vogue criteria,a case can be made against a J-frame S+W 5 shot 38.

But,doggone,there ARE compromises and preferences,and if YOU feel armed with your Walther PPK or your Ladysmith,or some (hopefully) dropsafe variant of a Remington two shot derringer...Its your personal choice.
I'm not offended by your Glock. If you can figure out how to CCW your AR pistol, go for it.

I know a woman cowboy shooter who carries one of those Cimarron birdshead small frame .38 spl Thunderers or Lightnings,whatever.

She made her choice and she is armed.

Its my opinion (worth Not so much) that time to first round hit with a single action wheel gun can be as fast as anything else if you are accustomed to a SAA.I'm not sure about the hammer snag complaint if your thumb is on the hammer as you draw. I'm just suggesting that those who only sneer at single actions,and have never used one enough that it becomes an extension of the hand really don't comprehend how much trouble a thug or two is in if they scare a SAA holder badly enough. And the cartridge is likely at least a .357,or something that starts with a "4".

I realize this video does not mean much,...I'd still carry the 1911,myself,
but just to challenge asumptions

https://youtu.be/ou_susouj7Y

[peterg7]

I wouldn’t buy a SA for CC but since I did buy one for hunting it’s nice to know if I had to CC I could.


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[Laz]

It’s fascinating how much interest there is in this topic. This post is #182.

[jackmoser65]

Mr Harrell should stick to what he knows. My daughter is faster with a single action than he is.

[reteach]

I know you don't want to hear this, but I have never, ever read of anyone doing it on a serious basis.

Look at the Bob Wright posts, for one example.

I've seen the videos of Harrell and the gunfighter guy before. They are informative, although not demonstrating concealed carry.
This is going a little astray, but those guys have places to shoot with lots of room and where they can practice their draw and some movement. A lot of us don't have that. I know of a farm where I could set up a temporary range but it's a two hour drive one way. Hard to get good at stuff you can't practice.

[Bill DeShivs]

Harrell doesn't know near as much as he thinks he does.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Wandering off topic. Is there more to say besides some folks want to carry a single action gun and others think it is not optimal?

[Real Gun]

Is there more to say besides some folks want to carry a single action gun and others think it is not optimal?

I will just offer that such was never the OP's question.

[Aguila Blanca]

Back to the original question(s):

1) I can't find a link to the story, but perhaps a year (or so) ago there was an incident in which a would-be robber of a convenience store was killed by a customer who was carrying an Italian reproduction cowboy revolver. The reason it sticks in memory is that the customer hit the floor during the shootout and bent the trigger guard on his pistol so that the trigger was inoperative. He finished the fight by (as related in the article) slip-firing the gun. I'd call that a success story, but I don't know if the customer was carrying concealed.

2) I own a couple of single action revolvers, but I have never attempted to carry one concealed so I can't offer any advice in that regard.

[Rev. Chad]

This is a link to the story about he gentleman that used a single action replica in the shooting in Virgina a few years back.

https://www.ammoland.com/2009/07/gun...#axzz59USO89Pe

[stinkeypete]

I’ve enjoyed reading this thread and yet no one has paraphrased the essential rules of a gunfight:
1. Don’t get in to a gunfight
2. If you fail no. 1, have a gun
3. Be the one that goes home that night

My two cents is there is nothing inferior about a single action pistol one has complete familiarity with compared to anything else one is unfamiliar with.

I hope none of us ever need to get past rule number 1.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Well, since 8 pages didn't answer the question and we did wander off into it's a good idea vs. a bad idea - I have an idea. We are spinning our wheels or the cylinder.

Thus closed unless someone can come up with some solid cases.