New to SA Shooting

[phamu]

O, great veterans and owners of Single Action Revolvers, please endow me with your knowledge and recommendations for a newbie who is willing to learn and absorb your information. Please tell me things that you would like to tell yourself when you bought your first pistol.

Also, what are the pros/cons of Black Powder vs. Cartridge?

I would appreciate anything you could tell me.

Thanks, Phamu.

[Irish Dave]

Well, Phamu, that's a pretty tall order, there pard, but I'll offer my opinions.

Cartridge guns:
1) Buy something decent to start with. Going "cheap" and planning to upgrade later will be far more expensive in the long run.

2) Try as many different revolvers as you can. They will feel different and have different balance points (often a function of barrel length and caliber).

3) If you reload, caliber really dosen't matter that much -- just go with what you like. If you don't reload, keep in mind that .38 Special rounds are about as inexpensive as centerfire ammunition gets, so that may be a consideration.

4) Avoid brass gripframes on SAA-style guns. They're cheaper to start with but won't hold value as well as the steel-framed versions, in my experience.

5) Feed these guns only what they're designed to take. No "hot" loads, Plus-P or heavy hunting loadings. These are 19th century designs and should be shot with factory "standard" or "cowboy" loadings. If so, they should last a long time.

Black powder (I assume you mean cap'n'ball):

1) These are an older design still. They are fun to shoot and can be shot fairly inexpensively, but loading is much more complicated and often requires some extra tools and equipment.

2) Black Powder, percussion caps and round lead balls are not always found at the local store. This will require some additional effort to secure and store these materials. If you like it, however, it's not a huge deal.

3) Avoid brass framed C&B revolvers. They are cheaper, but will not hold up as well and seem to have very low resale values.


In the end, it comes down to preference, but try to get as much input, knowledge and practical "hands on" time as possible before tossing money around. It'll pay in the long run.

Just my $.02 worth.