Single action six shooter

[Haftard]

As the title says "single action six shooter" thats kinda what im looking for but i dont know where start ... I was thinking 357, 44mag or 44 long colt. I mainy wanma know what guns to stay away from but i dont wanna break the bank here

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[GOG]

If it's your first single action you may want to start with a Ruger. They're available in a wide variety of configurations and calibers.
As far as which caliber, that's really a personal choice. What purposes do you have in mind? All three of those calibers are pretty solid, so what do you want it for?
The .45 Colt is the traditional "cowboy" round, .357/38 is cheaper and very versatile and the .44 Mag is if you don't mind a bit of recoil and want to go for distance, larger game, bear protection, etc.

Sometimes the search is almost as much fun as finding the gun you want. Enjoy.

 

[Mister Bisley]

I also recommend a Ruger for a first Single Action revolver. They are tanks, built tough and reasonably priced. The .45 colt has the ability to hang with .44 mag, but only if you're a handloader.

Ruger makes a .357/9mm convertible with changeable Cylinders that lets you also shoot .38 special in the .357 cylinder. I've always thought that 3 calibers in one revolver would be pretty neat and fun. 9mm is cheaper than .38 and .38 is cheaper than .357.

I own a .45acp/.45 colt SA convertible and absolutely love it.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Or, you go all the way to super cool, and find a good deal on used a Ruger Old Army!
Shoots .44 Black Powder and some are converted to shoot .45 Colt, which in a Ruger, is more powerful then .44 mag!
While not for every body, certainly top of the food chain for horsepower!

 

[jordanka16]

I also vote ruger, really hard to go wrong there. Vaquero for that old west feel, blackhawk for a more useful modern pistol. I would only do a .45 colt if you want an old west thing, otherwise I would do .44 mag if you have the budget or hand load, otherwise .357.

 

[PenTurner]

If you have no experience with the various calibers, I would recommend finding an indoor range with rental guns and try out a few. See what caliber you like and what models appeal to you. I took my wife to Rich's gun shop in Donald and she started out with a 22, and worked up to 45. She decided that 38 was what she like, it had some kick but was not painful to shoot for her. She really like the Ruger GP100 and that was the gun we ended up buying for her. It can be pricey renting the lane, paying the rental fee and ammo, but it sure is nice to shoot a gun before buying one.

 

[Stomper]

Ruger Blackhawk or a Vaquero.... .357 or 46LC

 

[Certaindeaf]

Some people call it a slingle action. mmhmm

 

[Jonnyuma]

Ruger would've been my first call but that's already been established as the top contender. There just happens to be an NWFA member selling a 9/38/357 convertible that I covet but can't afford right now.

I would say the Uberti and Pietta made pistols distributed by Cimmaron are a good choice in that middle price range.

Stay away from? Personally I wouldn't spend the money on a Heritage Arms... you'll have almost instantaneous buyer's remorse over not having spent a little more for a Ruger or Cimarron.

I own examples of all three (the HA is a little SA .22 so my buyer's remorse is minimal) in 357... fun, fun, fun.

If you don't reload, the smaller caliber will give you the most bang for your bucks, literally. Ive had 44s, 45s, and even a 454 Casull but they rarely came out to play... one cylinder of factory ammo will cost about the same as a 6-er of yer favorite IPA.

 

[KKG]

Ruger would be my choice, too. And in .45 Colt. But if you are thinking about running "Magnumized" loads through the gun; you certainly need to go with one of the older Rugers. The newer guns are just not built to handle the hot loads. As has been said, you "can" load the .45 Colt up to where it is Hotter than a .44 Magnum but it will also have More Recoil, too.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

What are you looking for in your Single Action Revolver...?
If you want historic , many models by :
Uberti and Pietta come close to a historic gun....

And then there is the Ruger Blackhawk series...
Which have the feel of a historic old west gun , but with modern features like coil springs and adjustable sights...

The Heritage Rough Riders that I have seen or shot...just didn't appeal to me...they shot well...but just had a "cheap gun" look and feel to my eye.
With that said ,,,many folks like 'em...and I hope that they use 'em and enjoy 'em...they just aren't for me.

For calibers the most popular historic calibers are ;
.45 colt
.44-40
.44 Russian and .44 Special
.38-40
and .32-20

For all round use its tough to beat a Single Action revolver in :
.44 Magnum
.45 Colt or a "convertible " model with a .45 acp cylinder
.357 Magnum...some you can find with a 9mm cylinder
Andy

 

[Dirt Sample]

Looks pretty unanimous for Ruger. I have a New Model Blackhawk that shoots 38/357, and with the change of the cylinder, shoots 9mm. Love this gun, beefy, and smooth at the same time, Kicks butt with the 357 magnum, then inexpensive to shoot, and crazy accurate with the 9mm.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

I might have missed this, but if you are wanting a SA that can shoot 6 rounds before reloading, almost any of them might work for you. But if you are wanting one that is safe to carry with 6 rounds you should get a new Ruger (or something similar) with the transfer bar. The older Colt style with the hammer mounted firing pin can and will fire the round under the hammer if the hammer is down and hit.

If you go the Colt style the loading drill is to load around, skip a chamber and load 4 more. Hammer ALL the way back, and than (controlling the hammer with your thumb) pull the trigger and gently lower the hammer on an empty chamber.

 

[Mister Bisley]

Or, you go all the way to super cool, and find a good deal on used a Ruger Old Army!View attachment 490905
Shoots .44 Black Powder and some are converted to shoot .45 Colt, which in a Ruger, is more powerful then .44 mag!
While not for every body, certainly top of the food chain for horsepower!

You're going to let me shoot this someday right? RIGHT!?

 

[Mister Bisley]

I might have missed this, but if you are wanting a SA that can shoot 6 rounds before reloading, almost any of them might work for you. But if you are wanting one that is safe to carry with 6 rounds you should get a new Ruger (or something similar) with the transfer bar. The older Colt style with the hammer mounted firing pin can and will fire the round under the hammer if the hammer is down and hit.

If you go the Colt style the loading drill is to load around, skip a chamber and load 4 more. Hammer ALL the way back, and than (controlling the hammer with your thumb) pull the trigger and gently lower the hammer on an empty chamber.

Back when these were ideal for EDC, some fellas liked to roll a 20, 50 or 100 dollar bill in the empty chamber for emergencies.

 

[Ura-Ki]

You're going to let me shoot this someday right? RIGHT!?

Ah, YEA! Like you even need to ask! You can shoot it and it's twin at the same time if ya want, I can even bring the other two matched pairs in leather and lace if you wish! Do a New York reload a few times before a reload! Might even bring along one or more of the Rifles too!

 

[Mister Bisley]

Ah, YEA! Like you even need to ask! You can shoot it and it's twin at the same time if ya want, I can even bring the other two matched pairs in leather and lace if you wish! Do a New York reload a few times before a reload! Might even bring along one or more of the Rifles too!

Whenever you're ready brother

We can meet at my gun club or your favorite outdoor spot

 

[P7M13]

Or, you go all the way to super cool, and find a good deal on used a Ruger Old Army!View attachment 490905
Shoots .44 Black Powder and some are converted to shoot .45 Colt, which in a Ruger, is more powerful then .44 mag!
While not for every body, certainly top of the food chain for horsepower!

There you go, showin' off. Keep that underneath the seat of your W250 ?

 

[Ura-Ki]

Somethin like That!

 

[P7M13]

@Haftard, not knowing your experience with revolvers, I'll share my experience being a noob with them.
I just picked up my first revolver two years ago, a Ruger new model Blackhawk in 44 Mag.
I really like this gun. Not knowing shizzle about single action revolvers, I expected it to advance the cylinder when I shot a round. Not so, it's pulling the hammer back that did that job.
I couldn't shoot that gun for crap until Flarp (also known here as @tac ) pointed out I was holding it like my namesake. Learned how and now my rounds are touching at 7 yards, ~2" above POA.
Using cast, powder coated bullets, including amortizing the cost of the equipment over 5K rounds, powder and primer, I'm loading and shooting a 44 Mag round at ~10¢ apiece.

There are probably a lot of discussions on differences, including here on NWFA, but I came across this link: Vaquero / Backhawk whats the difference?

Somethin like That!

I gotta see both, one day....