Why didnt the double action army catch on?

timothy75 · June 23, 2005, 10:02 PM

Just wondering why the Colt double action army didnt replace the 1873 as it seems to be a big improvement?

somerled · June 23, 2005, 10:11 PM

Are you asking about the 1878 Double Action that was also chambered in .45 Colt and .44-40?

Jim Watson · June 23, 2005, 10:38 PM

A tough DA trigger pull is the physical reason. The huge trigger guard and long trigger you see on the "Alaskan" model is not to make room for a gloved hand, it is to give more leverage on the DA. A lot of commercial conservatism, too, I guess.

Sir William · June 25, 2005, 03:10 AM

Poor timing, long trigger pull and fragile action parts. The Colt DA 38 was an improvement but, not much. The grip prawl was uncomfortable for most shooters also. The quick switch from BP to smokeless also assured the early demise as they couldn't handle the pressures. The Colt DA 38s fared no better with smokeless.

mete · June 25, 2005, 06:51 PM

Jim, the 'Alaskan' is a popular misconception even E Keith was wrong.. There was an article in one of the gun magazines [American Rifleman ?? about 15 years ago ??] which explained it .I wish I could remember all the details. In any case there was a lot primers that were very hard and rather than discard them they made the revolver with a very heavy mainspring to get ignition.To avoid an unacceptably heavy trigger pull they put a long trigger on it .

June 23, 2005, 10:02 PM	#1
timothy75 Senior Member Join Date: April 19, 2005 Location: Nevada Posts: 1,146	Why didnt the double action army catch on? Just wondering why the Colt double action army didnt replace the 1873 as it seems to be a big improvement?

June 23, 2005, 10:11 PM	#2
somerled Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2005 Location: eastern Kansas Posts: 603	Are you asking about the 1878 Double Action that was also chambered in .45 Colt and .44-40?

June 23, 2005, 10:38 PM	#3
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,542	A tough DA trigger pull is the physical reason. The huge trigger guard and long trigger you see on the "Alaskan" model is not to make room for a gloved hand, it is to give more leverage on the DA. A lot of commercial conservatism, too, I guess.

June 25, 2005, 03:10 AM	#4
Sir William Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2004 Posts: 3,261	Poor timing, long trigger pull and fragile action parts. The Colt DA 38 was an improvement but, not much. The grip prawl was uncomfortable for most shooters also. The quick switch from BP to smokeless also assured the early demise as they couldn't handle the pressures. The Colt DA 38s fared no better with smokeless.

June 25, 2005, 06:51 PM	#5
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Jim, the 'Alaskan' is a popular misconception even E Keith was wrong.. There was an article in one of the gun magazines [American Rifleman ?? about 15 years ago ??] which explained it .I wish I could remember all the details. In any case there was a lot primers that were very hard and rather than discard them they made the revolver with a very heavy mainspring to get ignition.To avoid an unacceptably heavy trigger pull they put a long trigger on it .