Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Five shooter... being safe with an old three -screw Ruger

I've a preference for revolvers and my first CF bullet launcher was a Ruger Super Blackhawk. Started my adventure with reloading with that gun. It was stupid accurate. Have no use whatsoever for DAO handguns, autos or revolvers.

Load one, skip one, load four...read that once and never forgot. I always look at the cylinder to verify that the hammer is resting on the empty chamber.

That's right!

My Colt's the same way.

Than fully cock hammer and ease it down on an empty hole.

This is what I forgot when I was trying to show a friend how to load his old 3-screw Single Six last week.
Figured it out on the second try.
That little revolver was stupid accurate and fun to shoot!

My 3 screws will never be converted

That is an accepted loading for guys that like gimmicks, but if you shoot reloads it is best to load 5 and turn the cylinder a full revolution to make sure that a high primer won’t stop your cylinder from turning when you cock the revolver. Visual inspection of the hammer down in an empty cylinder trumps all the loading gimmicks for maintaining function and safety...

Guys that like gimmicks?

That's funny.

After shooting competition for years, and loading all my ammo personally, and shooting well over a 1000 rounds per week in practice and matches, it never failed me. Nor did I have a high primer cause an issue.

On the high primer thing, I HAVE seen two Henry type rifles set rounds off in the magazine when amateurs were directing dropping rounds on top of the others, until they found the one that had the high primer. That was always entertaining.

Of course, a seasoned veteran as yourself never makes a mistake, but I have competed in hundreds of cowboy action matches and many times seen the high primer stop the shooter that loaded with a skip one technique...

Had two handguns by 6th grade. Both 3 screws.
Never had a prob w load 1 skip load 4.
But then I had a Remington w a walker trigger too.
No probs.

Charmed childhood I guess.

I don't load on a progressive so that might help w that high primer thing. I dunno.

I taught Hunter Ed for 16 years, primarily the Rifle and handgun portions of the class. When it came to the single actions I demonstrated The Colt SA and the old and new models of the Ruger Blackhawks. Using dummy rounds during range day I had both style Rugers and showed using a primed case what would happen if the gun was dropped or something fell and hit the hammer. FWIW, I thought that guy should had demonstrated that as well as how to load the gun. Most of the time I load my new model Rugers as if they were old models, the difference being I'm at the range and not out in the field and most of the time these days it's the new model that goes on a hike.
Paul B.

Ruger made a fine revolver then went and lawyered it all up and ruined it.

LOL.

Got enough experience to know that high primers are not a loading method issue, but rather a reloading error issue.

Yeah, there's quite a few in CAS that are pretty inexperienced and make some awful mistakes. Thank God CAS deals with relatively low pressures, and simplistic weapons.

Load 6.

Fire one.

Rotate until you think its on an empty.

Cock and fire to check.

Ah. The old cap and ball method...

Yep. The method I’ve always used on my Rugers and Colts.

I don’t know what you are laughing at. Do you wear seatbelts?

Most of the time...

Not required here for a 1 ton, but I do anyway.

I once had a strap come loose on a shoulder holster and whilst climbing a cliff dropped a .41 DA on the hammer. I was looking right down the barrel. Those transfer bars do work. Before someone else brings it up, there is no reason to carry 6 in most hiking/ hunting situations. And other than a scuff mark the gun wasn't hurt; a inexpensive but robust and straight ( all 6 holes)shooter I paid all of $ 130 for