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Post by 45MAN on Aug 6, 2019 17:29:17 GMT -5
I don't think there is only one answer to this question. Everyone has a different idea of what is best. I think it comes down to what are you most comfortable with. Because when it comes right down to it, when you pull that weapon in that instance it boils down to muscle memory. You won't have time to think about it, it will have to be second nature. The gun you can do that with is the best gun. THIS IS WHY I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO CARRY A SINGLE ACTION REVOLVER FOR DEFENSE.
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Post by 500fksjr on Aug 6, 2019 18:09:37 GMT -5
Is it not Great That We can choose whats best for us as individuals with so many choices past an present!!!
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Post by kmcmichael on Aug 8, 2019 16:58:04 GMT -5
I was told what gun to carry for 30 years. I now carry everything from a .475 Limbaugh FA to a CZ 75. I carry a Sig 938 mostly but often carry a single action when in the boonies and concealment isn’t an issue. If you practice with it you will be better served than most. Be wary of your loads. No one can shoot heavy .45 loads quickly. I like to shoot head plates at 10 yards. A timer is a good coach.
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Sarge
.30 Stingray
Posts: 344
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Post by Sarge on Aug 17, 2019 6:31:00 GMT -5
Too much navel-gazing and no talk about holsters and such. I had a local harness maker throw this together a few years ago and it hides a SA pretty well under a tail-out shirt. I'm going to have him make another with two belt slots, about 10 degrees of forward rake and a wider skirt to spread the weight out better. What are you fellas using?
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Post by ezekiel38 on Aug 17, 2019 10:58:49 GMT -5
From 1965 to 1985 I carried a K Frame or N frame Smith daily as a LEO. Shot thousands or rounds through them. To this day my go to gun for protection is a K or N frame Smith because the experience and muscle memory combined with tailored loads make this gun immediately ready, even from a dead sleep.
One thing about large bore single actions is the problem of "overpenetration" when working within the confines of a domicile. I think for a reload a 5 or 6 shot snubbie would suffice. A second gun loaded beats trying to feed rounds into an empty gun.
22 years as a Idaho/NRA Police Firearms Instructor, and 33 years as an LEO has caused me to view this subject with great gravity. The overpenetration problem and a fast reload is something that needs to be thought through for you. Lastly, practice and see what works, competitions and training are two different things. Competitions provide stress and lots of rounds down range. Training requires thinking to survive and keep loved ones and neighbors and communities safe. In all fairness they overlap, but they need balance. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE, PUSH YOURSELF TO FIND OUT WHAT WORKS AND WHAT WORKS BEST!
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Post by bobwright on Aug 17, 2019 13:49:30 GMT -5
Too much navel-gazing and no talk about holsters and such. I had a local harness maker throw this together a few years ago and it hides a SA pretty well under a tail-out shirt. I'm going to have him make another with two belt slots, about 10 degrees of forward rake and a wider skirt to spread the weight out better. What are you fellas using? This: Mike Barranti No. 1 Shuck. Bob Wright
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Post by bobwright on Aug 17, 2019 19:42:42 GMT -5
Too much navel-gazing and no talk about holsters and such. I had a local harness maker throw this together a few years ago and it hides a SA pretty well under a tail-out shirt. I'm going to have him make another with two belt slots, about 10 degrees of forward rake and a wider skirt to spread the weight out better. What are you fellas using? Sarge, That is similar to Bob Mernickle's PS-6SA rig. I used one for awhile but it carries a mite high for me now as it cramps my arm having to lift the gun high enough to clear leather. And I sure don't like covering my gun with a shirt. Tennessee is open carry, but I do cover with a vest or sport coat. I wear these unbuttoned so I can sweep the garment back with my elbow when making my draw. I have practiced this so I can make a smooth draw with minimal telegraphing of my intent. Bob Wright
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Post by kings6 on Aug 17, 2019 22:40:38 GMT -5
This is what I wore on the 8 1/2 mile mule ride into the Eagle Cap Wilderness this week for our stay at the Minam River Lodge. I wore it cross draw simply so it would not be on the same side I would be leading the other mule on if that was something I had to do.
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Post by papacharlie on Aug 18, 2019 10:19:39 GMT -5
This is what I wore on the 8 1/2 mile mule ride into the Eagle Cap Wilderness this week for our stay at the Minam River Lodge. I wore it cross draw simply so it would not be on the same side I would be leading the other mule on if that was something I had to do.
Nice, looks like the cut out allows you to pull the piece forward before leaving the holster. Great for cross draw. I see the hold down has a snap for locking the piece down and for keeping it out of the way for easier draw. Very nicely thought out holster.
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Post by kings6 on Aug 18, 2019 12:42:56 GMT -5
It is one of the TLA holsters. It keeps the gun high and tight to the body and since there are two snaps in the belt part, it can be worn in either side. Thus one is too long for the Vaquero I was carrying but it worked best for the riding situation I was in. Simply unsnap the retention strap and the holster slides right out of the other part.
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Post by Burnston on Aug 18, 2019 16:35:54 GMT -5
It is one of the TLA holsters. It keeps the gun high and tight to the body and since there are two snaps in the belt part, it can be worn in either side. Thus one is too long for the Vaquero I was carrying but it worked best for the riding situation I was in. Simply unsnap the retention strap and the holster slides right out of the other part. Great looking rig. The belt has me curious; whose the maker?
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Post by kings6 on Aug 18, 2019 18:13:16 GMT -5
Mike Barranti made the belt and the matching shell holders and #5 holsters for me. The belt just worked best for using the TLA holster for the rid in and out.
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Post by rexster on Aug 18, 2019 20:45:56 GMT -5
Some thoughts:
I do not see an SA sixgun as any more vulnerable than any other weapon, of equivalent barrel length*, to being swatted/shoved/deflected/snatched. The state of the art of close-range fighting has evolved, to take into account the proliferation of gun-snatch incidents. I learned, in 2005, to abandon “hip” positions, when holding a gun in ECQ/CQB environments, such as building searches. (ECQ = Extreme Close Quarters, a US law officers’ training term; CQB = Close Quarters Battle, a military term, IIRC.) This was not “hobbyist” training, though I attended on my own dime, on an extracurricular basis, as I thought it important. I worked night shift patrol for Houston PD, from 1984 to 2018, so searched plenty of residential homes and assorted buildings. (A K9 is not always available, and, if innocents are inside a building, one cannot send a hardened bite dog in there.)
In the “High #2” position, my weapon-hand thumb is “flagged,” anyway, to act as an index point, against the side of pectoral muscle, so, with an SA sixgun, so, my thumb can be on top of the hammer, able to cock the hammer, as needed. I recommend learning to actually fire, from this position, from a competent instructor. I learned from Craig Douglas, and the late Paul Gomez.
*A short barrel provides one’s opponent with less leverage to effect a gun grab, all else being equal.
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Post by rexster on Aug 18, 2019 22:17:20 GMT -5
Somewhat random thoughts:
A Colt SAA, or faithful design copy, such as the USFA Single Action, is, really, a very good fit, in my left hand, and a decent fit in my right hand. My left thumb is more mobile than my right thumb. Ergonomics count for something, My USFA SA sixguns are good lefty guns, for me.
Being left-handed, but right-armed, and reasonably ambi-trigger-fingered, I decided to carry at 0300, in 1984. (Drawing a heavy L-Frame, from the then-mandated, low-slung, swivel duty holster, was not unlike throwing, anyway.) Since then, my right shoulder has lost some range of motion, making it more difficult to draw a large weapon from a typical concealment rig. Rather than try to overcome 35 years of reflexively reaching for my right hip, for a weapon, I can continue to carry a small weapon on my right side, and add a larger weapon, for lefty access. Why should I not carry a Single Action sixgun, lefty, when I am in the mood?
Auto-loader pistols have quite a bit of ammo weight situated above one’s belt line. A revolver’s ammo is a located lower, so, assuming proper holsters, riding at the same height, for each, the revolver has a stability edge, which contributes to long-term comfort. At least with Colt SAA-pattern sixguns, there tends to be relatively less metal in the grip frame, further lowering the center of gravity. There is nothing wrong with being comfortable.
On ammo capacity, in the weapon, well, I will never argue against ammunition capacity, that is a personal decision. To put things into perspective, I have only actually needed one shot to end a deadly force incident, in 1993. My accuracy was good. I don’t want to write a book about it, here, but having worked night shift, police patrol, in a big city, for almost 34 years, only needing to fire one defensive shot, I am not seeing a revolver’s ammo capacity as an issue, and the best “reload” is a readily-available second weapon.
Being retired, and, therefore, with no PD rules dictating my weapon choices, 24/7, I am free to tote Single Action sixguns. This alone, can be all the reason I need.
I am not trying to convince or convert anyone. I am not yet sure that I will make a habit of toting a Single Action revolver. (My actual first love, among handguns, was the 1911.)
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nicholst55
.375 Atomic
Retired, twice.
Posts: 1,038
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Post by nicholst55 on Aug 18, 2019 22:54:04 GMT -5
Too much navel-gazing and no talk about holsters and such. I had a local harness maker throw this together a few years ago and it hides a SA pretty well under a tail-out shirt. I'm going to have him make another with two belt slots, about 10 degrees of forward rake and a wider skirt to spread the weight out better. What are you fellas using? With the modifications that you suggest, your holster sounds a great deal like Rob Leahy's Sourdough holster at www.simplyrugged.com.
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