Single Actions?

[FullClip]

Does anybody here have a "rediscovery" with single actions...or even a "discovery"?

First center fire revolver I ever shot was my father;s Ruger Blackhawk in .41 mag.   Big step up for a 15 year old kid from a .22.

A few years ago, I stumbled across its twin 4 5/8" thress screw.   Played with it for a while and after getting a new Belt Mountain base pin for it, have had some fun.  I reload, so for just gravel pit plinking, I downloaded some cast handloads.  Lot's of fun in the low range.   But, also have some real hunting loads with jacketed boolits.

Yesterday, went out to clear some snowmobile trails.   I started on one end and worked my way towards a couple of my buddies.  Deer season, so thought I'd pack the pistol.  Saw nothing in th couple miles I traveled with the saw and back-pack.   But when we joined up, my buddy had an old Colt Woodsman on his hip.   We got talking, and it came down to a "watch this" moment. (sorry, no beers to hold).

A Bud-Light can about 20 yards away (always Bud-Light cans left along the trails for some reason) was my target.   It must have been full of water, as it just disintegrated.  On hand hold, and done pretty quick....not John Wayne quick, but good for me.   My buddy about crapped.   He thought I was packing a 22 also.   I don't think I could repeat it given another 10 chances.   Those cowboy guns are fun in the right places.

 

For me, in a heavy caliber, with "speed shooting" not real important, I think it's hard to beat a single action.  I have a couple 29s and 57s too, but don't think I could hit any better with those than the old Blackhawk.

How about you?

 

Dirty Harry or John Wayne???

[Maccabeus]

One of these days.

I like revolvers, but have spent all my time on DA/SA or DAO.

I'm forever eyeing the SA options from cheap HRR .22s to Vaquero .357s to something with swappable cylinders.  I just haven't taken the plunge yet.

[Borg warner]

My first single action was a replica Colt 1860 cap and ball then I got an 1858 Remington Both my Bbrothers had Rugers, a Super Blackhawk in 44 mag and a Blackhawk in 45 Colt Then I got a Ruger Blackhawk in 30 carbine back in teh late 70's when mil-surp ammo was still cheap and available. I even got some armor piercing ammo with a steel core which I didn't discover had a steel core until I cross-sectioned a bullet that had been fired in a block of wood and had elongated and I could see the steel rod in the base of the bullet. I also discovered that I could get higher velocities with a 110 grain Sierra hollow nose spire point because  the hollow nose had less resistance entering into the barrel's forcing cone than round nose jacketed bullets. They were also very accurate and effective on killing small game but left a somewhat raggedy wound channel on a couple of rabbits I shot. I alos tried fannibn ggeh gun an shooting it from teh hip and di O.K. becasue the gun hhad no recoil but was horrendously LOUD and you had to have both ear muffs and ear plugs.

I bought that gun from a Mexican guy in east L.A. and had a friend in the LAPD run the serial number to see if it was stolen, and it wasn't.  It had a 3 digit serial number and was one of teh first `1000 30 carbine Blackhawks to be made in 1968. I sent the gun to Ruger to have the transfer bar put in it but removed those parts and put the original parts back in. Next I found a Super blackhawk 44 mad in a Pawn shop that felt like it had a really good action job. After a while I decided to cut the barrel back to five inches and took the gun to the famous Kings gun shop in Glendale, CA and they did a nice job on it.

I eventually sold those two guns and then for about ten years didn't have a single action and I missed having one so first I got a Uberti SAA clone in 357 mag but didn't like it as much as my brother's 45 Colt Uberti so I sold it and then decided I wanted another Ruger Blackhawk because i couldn't see the fixed sights very good anymore on SAA clones. I found one, a 6 1/2 inch 41 mag Blackhawk on Gunbroker being sold by a dealer for $450 as I recall, maybe less, I just remember it was a good price and had good photos and looked to be in nice condition plus it was New model but without the stupid warning label. I really like the 41 mag an also have a model 58 S&W

I would like to have another 30 carbine Blackhawk but with a custom 9 inch barrel to get the most velocity possible out of that cartridge. Out of the 7 1/2 inch barrel GI ball ammo does about 1650 fps. out of an 18 inch carbine barrel it does 1990.

 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Borg warner

[railfancwb]

Marlin made a lever action in 41 magnum. Guess it was from their Model 94 family. Don’t know that anyone else has. Several have offered the more popular revolver rounds - 38/357, 44 spec/mag, 45 Colt - in lever actions. Rossi ones based on the Winchester 92 design are common, as are Henry’s.

The esthetics of lever action rifles and single action revolvers appeal to me. 

[Borg warner]

10 minutes ago, railfancwb said:

Marlin made a lever action in 41 magnum. Guess it was from their Model 94 family. Don’t know that anyone else has. Several have offered the more popular revolver rounds - 38/357, 44 spec/mag, 45 Colt - in lever actions. Rossi ones based on the Winchester 92 design are common, as are Henry’s.

The esthetics of lever action rifles and single action revolvers appeal to me. 

I sent an email to the president of Henry arms, Anthony Imperato, years ago urging him to make a lever action in 41 magnum. He was nice enough to email me back and tell me he had many requests and was thinking of doing it. A couple of years later he emailed me again and said the rifles were now available in 41 magnum. Unfortunately my financial situation had changed in the meantime and I couldn't really afford one.

I like the Henry rifles. nice workmanship, accurate, and some people don't like the tube loading because it's not as fast for cowboy action shooting, an dit';s not "Traditional" (even though the first lever actions had tube loading and the side gate came later) but the tube loading makes it faster to unload in the field without cycling the ammo through the action.

[FullClip]

8 hours ago, railfancwb said:

Marlin made a lever action in 41 magnum. Guess it was from their Model 94 family. Don’t know that anyone else has. Several have offered the more popular revolver rounds - 38/357, 44 spec/mag, 45 Colt - in lever actions. Rossi ones based on the Winchester 92 design are common, as are Henry’s.

The esthetics of lever action rifles and single action revolvers appeal to me. 

I found a slightly used Marlin in .41 Mag about 15 years ago.  I gave it to my older brother as a birthday present.  Don't think he really knows what he has.

[Historian]

Had to have it...Uberti Colt Walker reproduction.

An amazing pistol.  You need to eat your pre-jenner wheaties to hold that pistol on target.

[Historian]

11 minutes ago, FullClip said:

I found a slightly used Marlin in .41 Mag about 15 years ago.  I gave it to my older brother as a birthday present.  Don't think he really knows what he has.

That's actually a really nice pistol.

[FullClip]

23 minutes ago, Historian said:

That's actually a really nice pistol.

The Marlin is a rifle..

[Historian]

1 minute ago, FullClip said:

The Marlin is a rifle..

My coffee wasn't working. 

You are correct.  It's most certainly a rifle.

[geodan]

This is my new fun item to play with. I've been shooting it and a Ruger New Model Blackhawk, both in 45 Colt, on the steel range lately. 255 grain Keith SWC at 900 fps really rocks the plates...

[Batesmotel]

This is a fun one. Savage 101 single shot. Sold as a Boys Gun. 

[Valmet]

As far as using them- I’ve had a few Blackhawks over the years and I have an affinity for accumulating the early Single-Six Lightweight “Tri-colors.”

[SDGlock23]

I've always liked single actions, overall as of late I've been on a sizeable revolver kick.   I still love my Glocks but something about wheelguns just does it for me.

 

[paul45]

This one is a blast to shoot.