Slightly confused

[woodsy]

I see many posts concerning SAO revolvers. Besides the appeal to those who are "into" CASS, what is the appeal for a SAO revolver, especially when one confines oneself to .357 caliber?
I cannot see the justification, unless someone wanted to do handgun hunting with a .44 mag or .454 Casull. Being able to load so much easier with a DA/SA seems like a no-brainer to me. Please explain the lack of my reasoning.

 

[Kanook]

especially when one confines oneself to .357 caliber?
[/quote
Please explain the confinmeant of the 357

 

[Lee Martin]

Applying your logic why would anyone buy a bolt action rifle? Might as well use only clip feed autos. They load faster and hold more rounds.

SA's are easier on the wrist for the really heavy stuff (454 and up). I have 500 Linebaughs in both DA and SA....the latter being a Bisley. The SA is much easier to control and doesn't smack my hand nearly as hard.

And your question sounds like you're talking CCW, right?

 

[Kanook]

Must add that I hunt with a 357, so that's why I asked.

I also carried it for awhile as a CCW (why not, it's very accurate)

I also used it for CAS, so I'm completely familar with it.

And reloads are faster than you think when you are familar with it.

 

[AlanJ65]

Well, I only have two, a Single Six which was a lot of fun. And then using some very shaky logic I figured if a .22 was fun a .45 would be that much more fun. So I bought a .45 convertible. I have just as much fun shooting them and I'm not burning through ammo which helps because I don't reload.

 

[TiteGroups]

For the same reason we still take photographs instead of video.

 

[JHRosier]

What's not to like?

Easy on the eyes..

There is nothing faster to the first shot, more accurate and able to handle heavy loads than a single action revolver.

The single action revolver has been around for over 175 years. It's hard to argue with that kind of tradition.

The .357 can be loaded from mild to wild, making it a good choice for beginners as well as serious field gunners. BTW, this one is not too hard to load either.

I suppose that I would want a double-barreled, belt fed, full auto Glock for serious warfare. For anything less, I will take a single action revolver please. :wink:

Jack

 

[ar15ed]

'cause that's what matt dillon carried!

 

[Salmoneye]

This is one of those, "if you have to ask"; kinda questions...

 

[Jimbo357mag]

...what is the appeal for a SAO revolver, especially when one confines oneself to .357 caliber?

If you have to ask, you won't ever understand.

I was thrilled when I found out that Ruger still made single-action cartridge revolvers because at the time Colt had stopped production of their single-action handgun. :roll: :roll:

 

[Bob Wright]

It has to do with pride of ownership. The SA revolver is a thing of beauty. It allows more "tinkering" than any other handgun.

It is extremely rugged.

It is very accurate.

Note also, some DA revolvers were made SA only for target shooters, the such as the K-38 Masterpiece from Smith & Wesson a few years ago.

Bob Wright

 

[woodsy]

Well, to answer some of the many questions (none which answered mine), a DA/SA made by Ruger sacrifices NOTHING as far as ruggedness, beauty, usefulness, or accuracy when compared to a SAO. I chose .357 because I don't see many SAO in that caliber. As far as nostalgia, no arguments.
Instinctively, when someone must fire without forethought, simply pulling a trigger (in DA) will get the job done. The (however slight) extra action of cocking a SAO would (in my humble opinion) put that someone at a (slight) disadvantage in a crisis situation.
When hunting, DA is not required, so that's why I made that exception. The SA trigger pull is much to be preferred (at least in my GP100).

 

[Lee Martin]

So again, your whole line of questioning centers around CCW, right?

 

[gak]

I chose .357 because I don't see many SAO in that caliber.

Actually virtually all makers of SA0s build .357s--which includes Colt, Ruger's Blackhawk, Flattop (50th Ann.), and old/large frame and New Vaqueros, Uberti (hence their main distributors Cimarron and Taylor's), I believe Pietta and Freedom Arms. The one exception used to be USFA (.38 only in their SA line), but their new(ish) large frame series now include the magnum IIRC. That's quite a few.

I won't argue the SD reasoning, in which case double action and/or auto are my choice also for first go-to, but neither do I panic if "left alone" with one of my SAOs. I am confident and comfortable with mine. Otherwise, there's just something about SAOs' inherent stoutness (yes the DA Redhawk line is too) and reliability, look, feel and, yes, nostalgia.

 

[JayinAZ]

Since when do we call them SAOs? That's silly.

People like what they like. If you like something else, great. No need to start a DA jihad.

 

[woodsy]

So, who's starting anything like a jihad? I just want to know what the appeal is, considering that there is no trade-off in having a DA-SA. Nostalgia is one appeal, ruggedness is certainly not. Accuracy is certainly not. Price?
And, Lee, there was no mention of concealed carry.
Since I don't have a SAO, do they field-strip as easily as a GP100?

 

[Cracker-American]

I think I know where Woodsy is on this.

At one time. Actually between about 1968 and 2000 or so I felt the same as he does. I loved handguns. Competition, collecting and hunting. To me Smith and Wesson epitomized the well mad revolver. The single action trigger on my Model 57 was and is a thing of beauty. And if you could have the quick into action benefit of a double action and the precision of that single action trigger whats the down side?

I went so far as to espouse to those that would listen that there was no real purpose for the single action revolver.

Then I got exposed to a Ruger Super Blackhawk and as Jimmy Buffett says "I fell in love, love for the first time".

Now that Model 57 accompanied by its brothers the Model 17 and 53 stay pretty lonesome. The Blackhawks and Super Blackhawks hold reign in my gun safe.

It was best said above. If you have to ask, and so forth.

Enjoy what you have and don't dig yourself into any holes. It is OK to change your mind.

 

[Nowata]

The appeal?
Inherent beauty
Simplicity
Firing a DA is/can be nearly automatic, but a SA is a delibrate act. My BH and my Bisley SBH...fit me.

(by the way, my truck is a manual)

 

[RugerHound]

Wow.. interesting OP! :)

There is no justification to it. Beauty, simplicity, and who cares how long it takes to load up a cylinder? Now I'd probably feel a bit better if I could carry an auto or semi-auto into a firefight, but one on one I'll be just fine with 5 cartridges. By the time I need to reload, the gunfight will be over anyway. ;)

 

[TiteGroups]

I think you're in the wrong place my friend, your best bet would be to sit back and shut up and read until you understand or go elsewhere. Enough said.

 

[ndcowboy]

John Wayne carried a single action. That's reason enough for me. And if it weren't, so did Wyatt Earp, Butch Cassidy, and Wild Bill Hickok.

 

[Cholo]

I think you're in the wrong place my friend, your best bet would be to sit back and shut up and read until you understand or go elsewhere. Enough said.

Um, I believe in calling a spade a spade, but don't you think your post is just a bit harsh being that the OP was only asking what the appeal was in SA's?

 

[chefrob1]

I think you're in the wrong place my friend, your best bet would be to sit back and shut up and read until you understand or go elsewhere. Enough said.

Um, I believe in calling a spade a spade, but don't you think your post is just a bit harsh being that the OP was only asking what the appeal was in SA's?

+1.....i recently bought my first revolver, a chose a SRH since i was familiar with it and had shot one quite a bit many years ago. i as well wonder the differnce between SA and DA revolvers in a non SD situation. i like to throw lead down range in different cals. and in different formats for fun.

 

[chefrob1]

SA's are easier on the wrist for the really heavy stuff (454 and up). I have 500 Linebaughs in both DA and SA....the latter being a Bisley. The SA is much easier to control and doesn't smack my hand nearly as hard.

any specific reason why?

 

[WESHOOT2]

I think you're in the wrong place my friend, your best bet would be to sit back and shut up and read until you understand or go elsewhere. Enough said.

Really?
Or perhaps what you really meant was "Interesting questions", ay?



To the OP, I don't understand the appeal of single action revolvers, either (except my 'always' is one).
My other revolvers are all DA/SA guns.

But, just as some folks prefer blue instead of green, or 'meaty'
partners instead of svelte 'others', or pickups instead of sedans, there's no accounting for personal tastes.
Do not attempt applying logic to others' personal desires.
Ay?

 

[JWhitmore44]

The single action grip fits me better, when I pull a single action it's lined up in my hand and pointing correctly with out me thinking about it. I've tired several double actions and they don't fit or line up near as well when pulled from a holster. The cocking of the hammer, to me, is now second nature. I pull the hammer back with out even thinking about pulling the hammer when getting ready to fire. I have complete confidence that I wont forget to pull the hammer when I'm in a stressful situation. For the most part, the frame on a single action has a tendency to be smaller compared to the same caliber of a double action. My birds head in 45 can handle anything a Redhawk can in a much more compact package. The only thing that a double action has over a single action is reloading speed. But if I need something with a faster reloading speed I'll go with a 1911, which is considered single action :) I know a lot of people practice reloads for SD reasons, but in my opinion, a reload wont be necessary in the majority of situations. I'm not an officer or in the military, I don't have to go into danger.

 

[Glupy]

And 150 years of Texas Rangers can't be wrong,

Glupy

 

[contender]

First, to Titegroups, there is no reason to attack the OP as he has asked a question politely. He has not done anything to deserve a disrespectful reply.

To the OP, you have asked a question that has no one or two hard fast definitive answers. There are many reasons the SA's have a stronger appeal to many over the DA's. Everyone who prefers them in general, can give you THEIR personal reasons, but you will get a lot of different answers. But there is no doubt that they carry a larger appeal to most over the DA's. But, many of us enjoy both, and own both.
Yes, a good DA is a bit quicker to reload, but speed isn't always necessary. Yes, you can just pull the trigger to get the next shot, but the SA can be faster than most guns when you learn how to use it. (I have a video of Bob Mundon using a SA vs a semi-auto, timed fire, and the SA is able to shoot faster than the semi.) The average shooter can get equal speeds of the second or third shot from either type, DA or SA. The only difference being the use of the second hand on the SA to get those speeds.
Lee made a good argument about heavy recoiling handguns, where the SA design allows better recoil management. This is true. Have you ever shot a stock DA revolver with wood grips in a heavy caliber then tried the same caliber in a SA? You will notice the difference in felt recoil.
But lastly I think a lot of it comes down to the simple fact that for many people, the SA carries well, FITS most hands, allows for a huge variety of calibers, AND has a spoonfull of nostaligia just for good measure.

If you prefer DA's, then that is totally ok. But to many of us who prefer SA's you'd have to be able to understand our hearts.

If you haven't had a proper how to shooting instruction using SA's, you might want to try them sometime. You may surprise yourself. But if not, that's ok as well.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Some of us are old enough to remember sitting in front of the TV watching Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Cheyenne, Gunsmoke, Paladin, Sugarfoot, Maverick, and a whole bunch of other old TV Westerns. While watching these oatburners it was required to have your favorite sixgun handy, usually a Fanner Fifty, to help the good guy eliminate the bad guys. When we got a little bit older, and were allowed to own a real pistol, a lot of us went for a cowboy gun, because that was what we were most familiar with. Having to cock it for every shot was no big deal, we had been doing that for years.

Interestingly enough, there was a young man named Bill Ruger who had been thinking along the same lines. Colt had not produced the Single Action Army since 1940 and probably had no intention of ever producing such an antiquated gun again. Prewar sales had been pitiful, clearly very few buyers were interested in the old Peacemaker before the War. But in 1954 Ruger introduced the Single Six and there was so much pent up demand, from guys just like me who were used to seeing cowboys galloping into their living rooms, that he could not keep up with the demand. Even more interesting, two years later Colt realized there was tremendous renewed interest in single action revolvers so the SAA was reintroduced. Television was clearly the difference, before WWII, hardly anybody had a TV set, after WWII they started becoming popular.

The first handgun I ever owned was a Cap & Ball 44 caliber revolver. Later on, I bought a Ruger Blackhawk. There was just no reason to consider anything else at the time. To me, that is what a Single Action revolver is all about, connecting with the past.

Just so you know, it is a Single Action revolver. Period. I have never, ever heard one referred to as Single Action Only, and I have been shooting them for over 40 years. And it is CAS, for Cowboy Action Shooting, not CASS.

Now just for the fun of it, here is a video from the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR9ojNddiSI

 

[woodsy]

OK. I now understand; you just like them, for no specific reason. That's OK.
Just like I prefer revolvers for myself.
And some prefer Glocks (not me!).

Some in the industry use the term Cowboy Action Shooting Sports. That's where the extra S came from.