SA vs. DA revolvers

M

m_calingo

Joined
Oct 13, 2003
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Ok, I'm sure someone here can answer this question...

Single action revolvers like the Colt Single Action Army are normally carried with an empty chamber under the hammer to prevent an accidental discharge.

Unless I'm mistaken, this precaution is normally not taken with double action revolvers.

What safety mech does the DA revolver have that the SA revolver does not?
 
Reason the Colt style SA revolvers are carried with an empty champer under the hammer is that on those older style single actions there is a large firing pin on the hammer and gun has to be placed at the half cock position in order to be loaded. Older DA revolvers also had the firing pin on the hammer but it wasn't as large and the gun didn't have to be half cocked in order to load. However with either style and hard blow to the hammer could discharge the gun, but to my knowledge it was more of a problem with the older SA revolveres. Also, I'm not sure what year this began but it's been quit awhile ago, modern DA revolvers, esp. Ruger and S&W which are the brands I'm most used to have a transfer bar/safety firing system. The firing pin is NOT on the hammer on these guns and it only comes up into position when the hammer is cocked or the trigger is pulled all the way to the rear, at least in theory these guns can't go off if not cocked and dropped on the hammer.

Now there are also SA revolvers that use this style firing system like I mentioned with DA, Ruger and the Beretta Stampedes use such a system so they too would be safe to carry loaded with all 6 rounds.
 
No Prob, I'm a big fan of 1911s and Revolvers, I think it's unfortunate that plastic semi-autos have taken the world by storm, a high quality all steel revolver by Colt, S&W, or Ruger is very hard to beat imho, not to mention lots of fun with blackpowder cowboy loads.
 
Single action revolvers like the Colt Single Action Army are normally carried with an empty chamber under the hammer
Click to expand...

No. Only one revolver needs to be carried that way, the Colt Single Action Army. Previous (and some subsequent) revolvers are carried with the hammer resting in between chambers, in a notch or on a pin. Modern double-action revolvers use either a hammer block or a transfer bar action.

The Colt Single Action Army hammer has a quarter-cock notch in addition to the normal full-cock and half-cock. Colt's idea was to carry it at half-cock and rely on the quarter-cock notch to catch the hammer if it were to be knocked off half-cock. It was a bad idea.

Some copies of the SAA are exact copies with the same stoopid idea, but many have improved safety mechanisms.
 
In Elmer Keith's great old book "Sixguns", he describes a rig that rather neatly solves the problem of carrying six in the SAA.

Just a small flap of heavy leather sewn to the front of the holster. It's cut to fit the hammer slot, and has a hole for the firing pin to go through.
Insert the weapon at half-cock, and then lower the hammer with the firing pin through the hole.
The pin is held securely from the primer, and the strap functions as a "strap" as well.
Draw is unimpeded.
 
Good Call Cougar, I totally forgot about guns that placed the firing pin in a notch I believe the NAA minis are made that way.
 
to further confuse the issue interarms imported a line of single action revolvers in the 80's referred to as virginian dragoons, these used the cylinder pin as a safety, basically it had 2 positions fire and pushed in further it provided a rest for the hammer keeping the firing pin off the primer. If you carry one of these with six loaded and drop it without the pin pushed in it goes boom. also the early ruger single actions {flat top models} didn't have a transfer bar and would go boom if you had six loaded and dropped it. i've run into several guys that just load 5 and don't worry about it. afaik most quality double action revolvers have used some type of transfer bar or hammer block since the early 1900's.
 
actually some of the early rugers did not have the hammer block so its not just colts, a lot of the early single action colt look alikes also didnt have them.
 
Sam Colt intended the first notch to be the "safety" notch, not 1/2 cock.

Ruger single actions have always had a frame mounted firing pin.

When they introduced the .22 Single Six in 1953, also required it to be carried hammer down on an empty chamber for safety.

This remained the case with all calibers up until 1973 when they introduced their transfer bar system. This allowed loading all chambers in complete safety.

While many may think that Ruger introduced the world to the transfer bar system, it was actually Iver Johnson in 1894 that first introduced it. What's old is new again, eh ?

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Gee, I make a comment and the thread dies.......

Did I answer all the questions or what ? :D :D :D

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