When did the single action revolver come out?
When most people think of single action revolvers they probably think of the Wild West and the Colt Single Action Army produced starting in 1873. I could (and will) dedicate an entire post to the SAA, but this post is less about a particular brand of firearm and more about the features of a modernized single action.
What’s the difference between a double action and single action revolver?
Unlike a double action trigger, which both cocks then fires the revolver, a single action simply releases the hammer. That is an over simplification of the design, but most readers don’t care about all the mechanical specifics. Below, I briefly discuss two examples of this modern single action which both happen to be produced by Ruger.
What makes a Colt single action revolver drop safe?
Colt’s original design was not drop safe and the firing pin makes contact with the primer when the hammer is in the decocked position. This means that the hammer must rest on an empty chamber to be safe. Ruger developed a transfer bar safety for the single action to make the firearm drop safe which permitted loading all of the cylinders.
Are there still fixed sights on single action revolvers?
Don’t get me wrong, the fixed sights of the 1873 are still very popular on single actions replicas. If given the choice, I wager that many shooters would select Ruger’s improved modern single action over the original designed by Colt. What purpose do these revolvers serve?
This, in turn, begat the return of the single-action revolver, most notably early replicas from firms such as Hy Hunter and, soon afterward, with Ruger’s Single Six and Blackhawk revolvers, followed by Colt’s reintroduction of its famed Single Action Army. Later, German and Italian clones were added to the mix.
What kind of gun is a Tyler single six?
Tyler’s RSSE Single Six is a blued, fixed sighted Single Six with a polished aluminum frame. Each of the 100 guns is hand engraved by Rocky Sharp in a style similar to the originals. Even Tyler Gun Works initials are incorporated into the engraving in a subtle manner on the top of the barrel.
How big are the barrels on a Colt Single Action?
But single actions don’t go off by themselves–someone has to physically cock the hammer, which this fellow apparently did while practicing fast draw with live ammunition. Even with blanks, a blast to the leg can char both denim and flesh. The three basic barrel lengths of a Colt Single Action Army are (top to bottom) 7 1/2, 5 1/2 and 4 3/4 inches.
Is there a trick to shooting a single action revolver?
A single action comes with its own set of guidelines comprising some very basic but often critical do’s and don’ts. During the 19th century, and prior to the 1870s–before the widespread advent of the double-action revolver–there was no trick to shooting a single action, for that was all there was.