BEST HOME DEFENSE GUN: THE SA REVOLVER

Ruger Vaquero 45acp

Let's be honest, there haven't been any major (civilian legal) weapon developments since the invention of the cartridge bullet by Flobert in 1845. Sure, powders have changed, and there's a greater variety of projectiles, but the mechanism has remained fairly consistent since it's widespread adoption by US firearm manufacturers following the American Civil War. As too have the methods of firing them, i.e. by pistol, rifle or shotgun. Basically, a firing pin strikes a primer which ignites a propellant which discharges a projectile/s through a rifled of smooth bore barrel. Period.

A prominent CEO of a firearm manufacturing company recently told me he didn't feel anything truly new had been invented since the 2nd World War and every subsequent design was simply an adaptation on a pre-1945 design for commercial gain. I would have to agree. If that weren't the case then why would weapons like the 1911, pump-action shotgun and lever action rifle still hold such relevance and popularity today over 100 years after their invention? And the same can be said of almost every popular modern weapon: it's been done before. The innovations of early firearm designers often trump the achievements of today's engineers and what we as modern consumers see as new, invariably have their roots in some century-old design. Even striker-fired weapons (a system which most think was innovated by Glock) were originally developed by Borchardt (1893), Maxim (1896), Roth-Sauer (1900), Browning (1900), Mauser (1910) and Savage (1910) with Gaston Glock claiming inspiration from a Roth-Steyr system.

So, disparaging any cartridge-firing gun as antiquated or inadequate, is asinine. They all do the same thing with variations ONLY in speed of fire and ammunition capacity. And without question a handgun is more easily readied at short notice than a longarm, especially if you're sleeping in bed when a security situation arises. Hence my argument here, and the purpose of this article: the SA revolver (with modern transfer bar safety) is the best home defense weapon on the market. Why?

1) Absolute ammunition flexibility. You can use any ammo (of the designated caliber, of course) with 100% relaibility. For instance, a 22 revolver will shoot supersonic, standard and subsonic in LR, L and S ammo as well as buckshot and tracers. A 357mag/38spl will shoot any available bullet or powder grain count with equal regularity. A 44Mag will shoot 44Spl too and any combination of lead and powder. The 45 Long Colt is a formidable round and can be loaded much hotter than the 45acp. The Ruger New Vaquero in 45acp (pictured above) is a beauty and provides ammo interchangeability with the 1911. Semi automatic pistols are typically quite picky on ammo though of course top selling polymer pistols have gained popularity partly because they've engineered reliability into their design. Still, no semi-auto is as dependably reliable as a SA revolver no matter the make.

2) It can remain loaded indefinitely and still function perfectly when needed. Anyone who has ever taken a semi-auto pistol - that's been sitting in a nightstand for 3 months without cycling your mag - out to the range will know that magazine will often cause malfunction due to spring compression. So, if you forget to cycle your mags every two weeks your semi-auto could well malfunction after firing a round or two. I've seen it happen, it's happened to me and there's plenty of threads about this online if you don't believe me.

3) No accidental discharge if dropped. With the transfer bar safety system there is no danger of an accidental discharge if the revolver is dropped. So, unlike the old Colt clones, you can load the entire cylinder and keep the hammer down on a loaded chamber. A couple of years ago a fellow in a nearby town bought a Colt clone and had it loaded under his bed. When his mother came over that evening to see his brand new weapon, he retrieved it and carried it through to the living room to show her. Sadly he dropped it, it went off and shot him in the head. He died instantly. Get one with a transfer bar safety!

4) Accidentally squeeze the trigger in your sleep or while reholstering without fear of discharge. As long as the hammer isn't cocked back, if you hear a bump in the night you can clutch your weapon and safely fall back to sleep without fear of accidentally shooting yourself or your spouse if you have a nervous twitch or wake up with a start. You absolutely can't say that about any of the modern striker fired pistols (unless it has a manual safety, and it's engaged) or even a DA revolver. Without the hammer being cocked back, no single action revolver has ever fired no matter how hard anyone squeezed the trigger - this is why twirling gun tricks are only ever done with single action revolvers.

5) Old school cool, fun and easy to clean. I doubt there's any American handgun more iconic than a single action revolver and they are a blast to shoot. When you're done at the range simply pull the cylinder pin, remove and clean the cylinder and barrel, oil it up, reassemble and you're done. Further take down is uneccessary more than twice a year even with regular use. And if you ever want to see a SA revolver fired quickly and accurately, just watch some Cowboy Action Shooting on Youtube, wow!

So, who makes a single action revolver WITH transfer bar safety?

Ruger: probably the best known and best suited for hot modern loads, Ruger offers a wide range of SA revolvers from the tiny jewel-like Bearcat all the way up to the behemoth Super Blackhawk. Ruger sets the standard for customer service in the industry so if there an issue with your sidearm you'll have it fixed within ten days without any cost to yourself. www.ruger.com

Traditions Firearms: Traditions offers 1873 Single Action Revolvers made by Pietta in two series with a variety of choices. Both series also come equipped with a transfer bar system which provides the highest level of safety offered in an 1873 single action firearm. www.TraditionsFirearms.com

Heritage Arms Big Bore Revolver: best known for their famous Rough Rider 22LR/22Mag revolvers, Heritage also produce competitively priced 45Colt and 357Mag/38Spl single action revolvers with a transfer bar safety. www.Heritagemfg.com

Uberti Cattleman II Series: The Uberti Cattleman II with retractable firing pin is a breakthrough for those seeking enhanced safety with regard to original Old West revolvers without sacrificing the visual authenticity of a 1st-generation Colt. As any cowboy knows, the safest way to carry a single-action is with the hammer resting on an unloaded chamber. This is true even for the Uberti retractable firing pin design so it is not as safe as tranfer bar designs. But in the case of the Uberti design, the risk of accidental discharge is reduced: the firing pin is not locked into the firing position unless the trigger is pulled. www.Uberti-USA.com

As ever, just an opinion!

GOM