Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns How do you safely carry revolver in a holster?

Don't be too hard me for such a basic question. I have a S&W 66 and want to know if you leave the chamber open under the hammer or load all six?

All 6

Load all six. The S&W 66 is designed to be carried with all chambers loaded.

Thanks you guys!!

Erb: I carried a S&W Model 66 4" for several years while I was an active police officer.
Most of that time I carried it in a level "2" type safety holster.
I wrestled with a lot of thugs while so strapped and never had a problem - during that time ALL cyclinders had ammunition in them.
For a time after I retired I also carried a Model 66" with a 2" barrel concealed while doing robbery suppression and body guard work.
Again all six cylinders had ammo in them.
I would rate the Model 66 as "very safe" to carry with a full compliment of ammunition - in a good holster.
I have a pair of Model 66's with 6" barrels and I carry one of them from time to time on archery Elk Hunts as Bear protection.
I usually have one of them in an under armpit holster type rig.
Again no problems to date.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

That practice stemmed from the old days when a revolver meant a single action revolver. It was unsafe to carry with a fully loaded cylinder because the firing pin could come into contact with the primer of the round in battery if the hammer spur was struck hard. That all changed with double action revolvers like yours. No need for that practice anymore since no degree of contact with the hammer spur can cause the firing pin to contact the primer. A double action revolver, with the hammer down over a loaded chamber, is about the safest handgun around.

Great info and thanks again everyone

However, if the Colt Single Action Army bug bites you and you get one of those or a clone you will need to carry only five and have the hammer rest on an empty chamber. The Ruger single action is not a SAA clone. Neither is the Freedom Arms I believe.

Thought I'd pass this on if you are just getting into revolvers.

Yep, the Ruger single action revolvers are safe to carry with the cylinder fully loaded.

in my 2.5 inch 66 i carry 6 rounds and two speed loaders

When I was in college, a friend of mine one day brought in one of his revolvers carried concealed in a shoulder holster to show me. I had never had a handgun (you couldn't buy a handgun in New York without a license, and I didn't get my license till I was 19), so had no idea about correct procedure. I noticed that he only carried five rounds in his S&W Combat Masterpiece, leaving the chamber under the hammer empty. He explained that it was necessary for safety. Of course, it turned out he was wrong, as I learned very shortly thereafter when I began reading everything I could get my hands on about the subject of revolvers.

For the most part, Ruger single actions are ok to carry fully loaded. However, there are some "old models" or "three screw" models still out there that haven't been converted. They should be loaded with the chamber empty under the hammer. If I may suggest, do just what you did here; ask! Also talk to your local dealer. He should be happy to answer your questions.

Yes, even with my Colt SAA 45, I just mind the hammer.

Gunner

Erb,
Here is a little more information that might help. S&W revolvers have what is called a hammer block in it's mechanism which lays between the hammer and the frame to prevent the firing pin from striking the primer. This hammer block is withdrawn when the trigger is pulled allowing the gun to fire. Ruger revolvers (with the exception of the above mentioned older models) have transfer bars which serve the same purpose in reverse. The hammer can't strike the firing pin due to an indention in the hammer arm unless the trigger is pulled allowing the hammer to "transfer" the blow to the firing pin. Both systems work very well. Just remember, they are mechanical devices. Never point the gun at anything you don't want to shoot. Welcome to the Campfire

You can rest the hammer BETWEEN chambers on an SAA and the firing pin will keep it from moving as the case rims will not pass by it. Just food for thought.

....TRH, alot of people who should know better have been guilty of this I'm afraid. In the late 70's a Marine Corps buddy of mine went on embassy duty in San Salvador, which at the time was a moderately turbulent assignment. They were issued Ruger Security Six's and only allowed to load with 5 rounds (they were also given Remington 870's with extended magazines and only allowed to load with 3 rounds!!!) I think of that everytime I hear Seals, Delta Force, Force Recon or any the military ninja's talking dogmatically about what they carried when they were "in the soup."

Wow! You'd think the military would know better.

It was likely an accountability thing, with 5 being such a nice round number, and matching up with the nice rows in the ammo box.

Yeah, that's a military logic, right there

"You can rest the hammer BETWEEN chambers on an SAA and the firing pin will keep it from moving as the case rims will not pass by it. Just food for thought."


An old holdover from cap-and-ball days when there was a notch between cylinders. You do,however, run the risk of breaking the firing pin on an SAA with this practice.