Joined
·
36,149 Posts
Traditional single action six guns of the Colt pattern are common and fun firearms and are becoming more popular with the popularity of Cowboy action shooting. There are also the Taurus Gaucho and the Ruger Blackhawk and Vaquero, but these guns use a non-traditional transfer bar action which makes them safe to carry 6 rounds topped off. However, the Colt 1873 Peacemakers and its many clones use a hammer integral firing pin and these guns are NOT safe to carry fully loaded. The guns must be carried hammer down on an empty chamber. They are NOT safe carried with six and the hammer on the half cock position! The gun would not be fall safe if it fell on the hammer. With the hammer forward, the firing pin rests on a primer in a loaded chamber and any rap on the hammer would set it off. This is why carrying on an empty chamber is so important for safety reasons. It is also wise, if you don't know that it's safe, to carry many of the older DA designs, especially from Colt, with the hammer down on an empty chamber as they may not incorporate a Smith and Wesson style hammer block in their design.
The common way to load a traditional single action is to load one, skip one, load four, cock and carefully lower the hammer. Visually check the side of the gun to make sure there is no round under the hammer before holstering.. Again, if you have the Taurus Gaucho or a Ruger Vaquero or New Model Blackhawk, you need not take these precautions, but it cannot be stressed too much to never load more than five in a traditional single action and always lower the hammer on an empty chamber.
In 1973, Ruger came out with the New Model Blackhawk which used the new transfer bar system that they'd developed for their first DA revolver, the Security Six. This gun replaced the old models which used the Colt design hammer mounted firing pin. Ruger offered to modify any old model to the new transfer bar system free of charge. This reduced possible liability from improperly carrying six chambered rounds in the older models. However, a modified old "flat top" model would not be worth as much today to Ruger collectors as the un-modified action. To this day, though, Ruger will modify any older Blackhawk to the new transfer bar system.
The common way to load a traditional single action is to load one, skip one, load four, cock and carefully lower the hammer. Visually check the side of the gun to make sure there is no round under the hammer before holstering.. Again, if you have the Taurus Gaucho or a Ruger Vaquero or New Model Blackhawk, you need not take these precautions, but it cannot be stressed too much to never load more than five in a traditional single action and always lower the hammer on an empty chamber.
In 1973, Ruger came out with the New Model Blackhawk which used the new transfer bar system that they'd developed for their first DA revolver, the Security Six. This gun replaced the old models which used the Colt design hammer mounted firing pin. Ruger offered to modify any old model to the new transfer bar system free of charge. This reduced possible liability from improperly carrying six chambered rounds in the older models. However, a modified old "flat top" model would not be worth as much today to Ruger collectors as the un-modified action. To this day, though, Ruger will modify any older Blackhawk to the new transfer bar system.