Single Action concealed Carrry

Suburban carry I carry my .45 blackhawk in a Bladetech, Urban it's the Kimber Ultra Carry .45 in a Don Hume
Starting to see a common theme here?


 

 

Admin,
Obviously, I have really fallen in with some bad company on this forum :-)

Your Honor, you have to understand, as a mere country fella, I frequently have spent part of a day on a horse. ell a single atcion is just a lot safer that about any other on horseback. If I get to the house and thewife needs something in town, well heck, I don't want to swap out my gear just for a run to town, that just wouldn't make sense. all I have to do is toss a coat on. besides we had that renegade bear that was running through the area.  Besides all that I found that the TedBlocker DA2 holster I bought for my S&W "K" frame 4" fits a single action fixed sight Colt 4 1/2" pretty good, only leaves about 3/8" of barrel sticking out the bottom. So you see, your Honor, it is a matter of practicallity .
 
(BTW I don't have any ties to Blocker, I just happen to buy several holsters when I was nearby on business once. I happily discovered th interchange in a moment of whimsy The DA2 only fits Colt-or clone s with fixed traditional sights. No adjustable Ruges...Drat!)

I need a proof reader

In town I carry a 1911. When driving in the country or hunting I carry either a Ruger Blackhawk or Bisley in .44 mag or .45 Colt both have 5 1/2" barrels and are loaded with cast 240 to 255 grain at SWC900 over a correct amount of Unique and are enough to stop anything I care to stop. These are only concealed if my coat or vest covers but are otherwise open in an old Lawerence 120.
If I want dual purpose out of a piece I opt for my 29-2 S&W 4" in a high ride pancake holster that a vest or open shirt covers any time of year. It wears original Deacon Deason Grips and actually is just a great all around choice.  I have found that my little Bond Arms Texas Defender in a removable weak side cross draw with the .410 / .45 Colt barrel is a great choice as a back up and load with what cartridges as fits the occasion. It gives super access when in an auto and driving and is great in snake country with bird shot.

I always wondered exactly what concealed carry meant. If you toss on a jeans jacket that covers the grip frame and trigger guard, but leaves most of the holster in plain view is this now concealed carry?
If you are wearing your ranch coat, and stuff your Blackhawk in a pocket, which leaves the butt of the grip exposed, is this concealed?
If I have a lil gun in my pocket, and you can't see it at all, sure its concealed, and that seems to me to be concealed carry, and this is how most do it who I know. As for single actions, you need a much deeper pocket to carry concealed than any pair of jeans I've ever worn.
I have heard lots of arguments against single actions for anything besides playing at SASS, mostly having to do with slow to fire, slow to reload, few rounds, complicated action. For a while I bought all this. I carried around a plastic pistol. Damn thing was fat, and heavy with 15 9mm cartridges. I couldn't stuff it in my waistband like I could with a good single action-it would just fall out with a thud, usually when I was doing something. I couldn't hit much with it, either, unless I was within a few yards. I thought that I had caught up with the modern world, because hell, everyone needs 15 rounds right?
One day, the plastic thing flopped out of my waistband, and I got to looking at it. I realized that it was an all right gun, but that it didn't fit me. I sort of felt bad about turning my back on all this modern technology, and on the 15 rounds we all need to have.
Going back to a single action was like going back to family after a long hiatus. 5 Rounds would leave real big holes in whatever they hit-not little ones. It felt right to work the action. I guess I won't ever be able to take on 15 hostiles alone anymore. Still and all, I am ready for most encounters with man or beast. I don't know if this is concealed carry, I'll leave it for others to decide.

Mak: I think the definition of concealed carry is an arbitrary thing determined by lawmakers(?) in the state where you live or where you are carrying. Here in Michigan anything openly visible or holstered in plain sight is OK, except where prohibited(?), but anything covered from view is concealed and requires a permit to carry concealed, and as is very strange to me, if you have a ccw permit then you are required to conceal your weapon? I guess if you want to carry openly then you leave your permit at home? Our God given "RIGHT" to carry a concealed weapon was RESCINDED by the Michigan lawmakers way back in the 1920's because we civilians were deemed no longer competent to do so. It has basically remained so ever since. I personally think a single action is fine for defense, but that is my opinion.  Good luck in whatever you do. Chris

...but the rules in my state, as I understand them:
Open Carry: Gun plainly visible. There have been reported cases when the open carry gun was obscured by a jacket, this is considered 100% Concealed Carry no matter how short a time it is obscured. Better have a CPL.
Concealed Carry:  Gun is obscured from sight. Printing from the gun through a light jacket or shirt still considered concealed, but in some "Non Open Carry" states this would not be legal. Part of holster visible? Someone with a higher pay grade will have to answer that one. I have never been bothered by anyone for this, but it could be just luck.
In Washington State a lot of us are pretty sure that the average law enforcement officer does not have a complete or correct  understanding of the rules, (this is in no way meant to be a disparaging remark), but most of us assume we could be in trouble even if we are not in trouble, especially in urban areas. Best to stick with 100% totally invisible carry in the big city. 
Again, I'm no expert in the matter, this information may or may not be accurate. It is based on several years of practice, reading and discussion.
Dave Workman (Gun Week http://www.gunweek.com/ ) is considered one of the experts around here,  and is active on some of the forums, with a little google time you could probably get in touch.
AL

I think Al is correct in saying that all states and even local municipalities interperut differently. In Washington we have a CPL (concealed pistol license) which used to be a CCW (concealed carry weapons). They changed this to pistols due to some weird knives and other 'weapons' people started carrying. I wear a mid length Filson oil cloth jacket often that my enclosed holster will stick out of and have never had a problem. I have heard stories of others who have had issues. As for getting a gun into action, it has been proved time and again that a single action revolver can fire a first round as fast or faster than any other weapon. It is the follow up shots and reloads that cause a handy cap.
I carried a .22 3 screw Ruger from age 18 to about 45 with me in the woods and felt comfortable. It accounted for many grouse and rabbit dinners. After running across a backwoods meth trailer back then I have carried my .44 or .45 in the 14 years since that day.

I think in a lot of jurisdictions if any part of the gun is concealed it's considered a concealed weapon?
Frank

I have examples of about every type of handgun out there. There may be some that are better than others depending on what actually happens. I, personally, have never run in to a situation that I could not have handled with a single action .45 Colt (or any of the large bore calibers) unless I include the small game I've taken with a .22. I find it sad that there are some folks who do not realize how handy and well balanced a Colt-type SA revolver is. I prefer the 4 1/2 or 4 5/8 barrel but the 51/2s are nice if you like them. I think too many people are unaware of the versatility of a 250 gn KSWC moving along at 900-1,000 fps. They also overlook the value of confidence in a gun and load for SD. I admit to generally carrying a 9mm,.40,or .45 auto or a DA revolver from .357 to .44 special/magnum but I have seen so many people fretting and stewing about making sure they have the absolute"best" high speed hollow points in their "wondernine" for instance. with my load in SA I don't lose a moment worrying. There is no lack of confidence that might play with my hea at the wrong moment. Of course I don't sweat the differences in the other types of pistols, I just carry the ammo they shoot best and call it good.
 
I think there is a definate difference in thinking between some one who views a handgun as purely for self defense, and someone who carries because they view it as a tool, that can also be used for SD if needed. I would never reccommend a single action but I think they deserve as much respect as any other type of handgun.

I agree with Countrygun, with two exceptions. A good 250gr lead bullet traveling at 900-100-fps is a fantastic load, however it  will  penitrate  an almost unbelievable ammount and could injure or kill innocent bystanders or someone behind the bad guy. The Federal 225gr lead SWC HP non +P at just over 800fps should be just about perfect. 
The wonder 9s depend on bullets that work & it's just been the last 15 years or so we've had the proper bullets to make the 9s a viable defensive caliber. Some of the available loads now almost come up to the .357. I just chronographed the Buffalo Bore 115gr JHP +P+, Buffalo Bore claims 1400fps with this load. I chronographed it at 1477.5fps. This should be a really effective load.
I don't dispute the effectiveness of a good SA in .45 Colt, they are as fast or faster than any handgun to get into action for a first shot hit. They aren't all that slow for follow up shots either if you know how to work them, cocking with your off thumb & pressing the trigger as you would normally. The only real drawback to one is in reloading, there they do take a backseat to most other types of guns.
 Thanks Frank

Re-reading Single Action Sixguns in preparation for putting a copy on the web, in the first chapter an old adage about Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, "It was Hamer who said if he couldn’t get it done with five rounds in his .45 Colt he was “guilty of sloppy peace officering.” "
 

 

I have had one situation, where if things had deteriorated further, my five rounds might not have been enough, but sometimes maybe its wiser to step aside and loose a little pride, even if it stings a little.
The comment regarding guns as tools is pretty accurate. There have been times where a shot into the dirt will break up a dog fight without any human getting bit. A .45 Colt will easily put a nice hole through a panel gate, where it can be wired up until a better repair can be done. Most horses don't like the report, and it'll cool them down when they develop an attitude-if its used right. What my single action will never be is a screw driver, a wrench, or a hammer-I have too much respect for that.
I'm used to counting on the .45 Colt for dual duty against man and beast-sometimes its hard to tell the difference.
Since I can't fit my single action into a pocket, when I have to go to town, it usually stays in the vehicle. I've thought about getting a pocket pistol, but it seems something else always comes up that needs the money more, and besides, so far, I have yet to find one for sale that I liked.
I did find a couple that I liked that were not for sale. A Colt 1903 in .380 caught my eye, before the owner snatched it away. I figure with today's polymer tip ammo, you could probably use this fine gun with all that modern technology has to offer in bullet design.

When I referred to "tools" I was speaking of the reasons for firing a shot with a handgun, other than correcting social shortcomings. I have had Bear, Cougar, Bobcat, Fox all within a stone's throw from the chair I am sitting in. I filled my Deer tag (a real "Cull" buck" with a shot fired about eight long steps from where I am sitting right now. I have put down vehicle damaged animals and stock chasing feral dogs, and I am not even a real "rancher". That is the reason I am drawn to this site. I think it recognizes that the reasons my Great Grandfather carried a gun are, for the most part, the same reasons that I do. I have more than my share of some of the most popular "social" handguns but I will be darned if I can find one that is as useful, to me, as a big bore (or .357) revolver. Those guns are a part of the history of our Country and, while not obsolete, are under recognized by a lot of "modern" shooters. I get a kick out of somebody packing a (insert name of plasic pistol here) who accuses ME of thinking of myself as a "gunfighter" because I happen to have a single action on me. I ask them "What do you use your gun for other than shooting people?" . The silence is golden.

I think that all of you have hit on why the single action simply will not fade away. Colt still makes them, even after many tries to put them to bed and Ruger is selling them as fast as they come out of the factory and the clones are amply evident as well. From the many comments it is apparent that a single action is still a very useful and desirable gun/tool and is still a number one choice for many to carry and use without feeling "under gunned". Let's face it, the world would be a sad place without the single action six-gun. I am happy to be a fan and am glad you all are too. Chris

Don't forget USFA! 
   When people carry a gun all the time it's amazing what they do with them. I've used a .38 with wadcutters to drill a couple of holes in wooden target frames we were repairing & didn't have a drill with us. It worked remarkably well too.    The bolts fit just right after I drilled the holes. 
 I'm not going to get into the black pistol debate, both types have their uses, A good SA just looks & feels right though.
Frank

I think lots of people believe you can't have an effective gun unless it has a hi cap and a foreign name. I never intended to argue about plastic pistols either, and honestly, I really see them as all right guns-just not guns that I find work very well for me.
Speaking personally, the single action fits my lifestyle. It is rugged, accurate, and effective in a wide variety of situations. My point was that I went the route of the plastic pistol, and found it wanting, for personal utilitarian reasons.
I would not presume to recommend the single action for anyone who questions it. Speaking only for myself, the single action was the gun that quite literally spoke to my soul. I always felt a lack when I was without a single action. A properly handloaded .45 Colt in a Colt SAA, a USFA, or a Ruger is a round that still-over 130 years since its inception-offers better all round service than an auto loader, IMHO.
I think it was Brian Pearce, in a piece written over 10 years ago, who said that the man who carried a single action was well armed, and capable of effective defense. I agreed with him then, as I still do today.

Mak
I agree too!
Frank

No disagreement here either. I do use a 45 auto but I really don't feel at a disadvantage with my Colt or Ruger SA. I like things that are 44 or 45 so the action isn't a big deal, the size of the bullet is. Chris

I admit that, outside of ClassII, I pretty much have the "bases covered". I confess to working on "split times. double taps, magazine changes". Those are all interesting diversions in the shooting hobby. One morning though I woke up and realized that no civillian, that I had known, had ever employed any of those techniques. They had however lived to tell me about their experience. I got to thinking that it was a heck of a way to live, preparing for a SWAT incident to break out at any moment. I remembered how I got in to shooting, back when it was "fun", before the word "tactical" raised it 's head. Yes, today's guns have more durable, if ugly, finishes, the hold more ammo, the reload faster. Wonderful.
 
I know that TVP, tofu, yogurt, and vitamin pills make for a more efficient diet too, therefore it is illogical not to live on them.
 
Pardon me if I make the choice of a good Rib Eye and a Sixgun, I don't think I can exist on a diet of efficiency. 

Country gun said..."I confess to working on "split times. double taps, magazine changes".
Those are all interesting diversions in the shooting hobby. One morning
though I woke up and realized that no civilian, that I had known, had
ever employed any of those techniques".

Wise words. The background of many instructors (military/police) tends to focus both civilian weapons and training on situations civilians rarely ever  see (Hostage rescue, clearing a warehouse from multiple assailants, etc) .

The only hostage I have ever needed to rescue was a chicken being taken by an incompetent possum. One 22 mag from a  single six did the trick nicely. The hostage survived, but had some temporary trauma and a permanent  limp. 

In competition all very important. Real life, maybe you could argue not so much, but it does teach you how to quickly identify and fix a malfunction, thinking/ acting under pressure, how long it actually takes to accurately aim and fire, (slow hits vs. fast misses), and other gun competency lessons that carry over to any firearm and could save your a$$.
 
" I said I never had much use for one.
Never said I didn't know how to use it."
 

 

You bet Al, but also practice makes perfect????? Some of us don't get much time to train but we still can shoot or plink as much as possible which also helps with gun handling and confidence. I shot almost 3000 .22 this past summer and fall (plus some centerfire 44 and 45 as well) and will start again as soon as my feeble self can get out on the back deck to blast my target stand and spinners. Chris

I am not arguing against training :-) I practice reloads. Just thinking that my revolvers are just as realistic for civilian carry as a plastic gun and 3 mags.As far as malfunctions, the only ones I have ever had with cartridge single actions have been an occasional bad primer. As somebody said earlier--- "Clear" the malfunction by cocking and firing again.

HI cowdog: How are you doing today? I agree wholeheartily simply because I, too, love single actions more than autos. I wouldn't get rid of my Gold Cup but I don't shoot it much at all, occaasionally I empty a magazine just to add a little novelty to my mundane life of shooting my Colt Scout or My Colt New Frontier, but that's a rarity not the norm.
Mostly I'm a product of my childhood growing up watching cowboys on TV and dreaming of that life in the saddle. The only problem is that I grew up and now have to live in the present that I have made for myself. That present is made more fun by having single actions to shoot and I won't trade them for anything. Keep on shooting those SA's. Chris

"Mostly I'm a product of my childhood growing up watching cowboys on TV
and dreaming of that life in the saddle".
Me too! Just cant see Wyatt or Matt Dillon with a Glock.  
"The only problem is that I grew
up and now have to live in the present that I have made for myself".
Yup, I got a few cows, but my daily reality is more a poor tired  sodbuster than a buckaroo :-)

Now here is a question; if Hickok, Doc,  and the Earps were alive today, what would they carry?

cowdog,
You might want to look back and see about how some of the old timers dealt with "modernity". Check out Frank Hamer (as mentioned by Admin), Jeff Milton, Tom Threepersons. Remember Hickok was none to quick to abandon his Navies well into the cartridge era. Notice also the popularity of the 100-year-old 1911 design with the Texas Rangers today.
 
Also, when we compare then and now, we have to look at the economics. Look at what a genuine Colt runs for as compared to a "plastic fantastic". Remember also that not all "gunfighters" carried Colts. Many carried what they could afford. The Colt, in its day, kept pace with the "standard, base "month's pay" of the time. By that standard the "wondernines", of today, are a bargain. I sure wouldn't give today's average monthly wage for a Glock. But with that gun available at a fraction of the cost of a Colt SAA. I think that would be a major factor.
 
I also think, Hickok the exception, most of them would be packin' .40s or biggger. I have also, in daydreams, thought that if we had men like that around a generation ago, the Smith and Wesson model 58 would never have gone out of production, at least not once the speed loader was availlable.  I will bet Hickok would pack a Model 66, shiny and dependable. I don't think he would have ever trusted a "selfshucker"

I think if you look back at history you will find that with the advent of the repeater-cap and ball black powder, the majority of those arms carried by regular people were in calibers smaller than 44.
Even with the invention of the metallic cartridge, the popularity of smaller, lighter rounds was certainly strong.
The interest in smaller rounds continued through the 1930's. While the gangsters captured the news, the number of handguns made in .25, .32, and .38 way outdistance those in larger calibers.
Even today, with magnumitis on the brain, we have the rebirth of the .380, and lil .32's continue to sell.
We tend to think that the technological innovations that capture the imagination of modern man also did the same for people a couple centuries ago. Plenty of evidence exists that when our forefathers-and foremothers-found something that worked they tended to stick with it. Winchester and Colt are icons today, but in the last quarter of the 19th century were always struggling to find new markets. In other words, once the few who treasured the new firepower had theirs, it was darn tough to figure out how to sell more guns.
Its also important to realize that guns-quality guns, were always expensive, going back to the founding of the Nation. This did not stop those who needed them from getting them, although it is likely that it prevented them from owning backup arms.
Forgetting those who wrote themselves into history, the needs of the average people were determined first by survival. While the Scouts and outriders that accompanied the wagon trains would be sporting repeaters from Marlin, Winchester, and Spencer, carrying large caliber handguns in pairs, the average folk would have been content with various types of single shot rifles, and most likely small caliber handguns. Remember, these forward looking types had naught but a few possessions to afford passage to the big rock candy mountain.
I think the enduring nature of the single action-among those who actually use them-is multi-faceted. It includes a strong connection to the past. There is something hard to put a finger on, but all to real, about using the same type of gun great great grandad used to run off the miscreants from his claim. Then there is the aesthetic nature of the single action. It is pleasing to the eye in a way that no plastic fantastic can ever aspire to. The intangibles are there-why this particular guns speaks to that part of ourselves we rarely admit exists. Finally, it is just a great design. It is reliable as all get out, potentially extremely accurate, and capable of dealing with circumstances where a plastic pistol is useless.

I agree with you mak. I was referring to  the question about "gunfighters". The exceptions to large bores amongst them are few, but the average Joe back then did not carry a sixgun in an attempt to emulate a gunfighter, they carried smaller calibers for many reasons. It is unfortunate that rea;ity has been lost as we look back. The handgun really was a tool to ioneers, townsfolk etc. They got "more bang for the buck" out of smaller bores. What is most unique, and I would love to have the time and resources to study in depth, is the fact that we have few records of so called "gunfighters" actually confronting armed "civillians" as it were. Northfield Minnesotta comes to mind, and we know how that turned out. Coincidentally there is a story in my family about a situation in the earlier days of the 20th century about such an event.
 
I can't help but think, despite it being a minority view in the "tactical" crowd, That there is a heck of a lot of  attitude that outweighs equipment in a fight. It is also kind of a pity that today handguns seem to be relegated to only one role for most users. But I really can't help but think about a modern day badguy coming across someone who has carried a plain ole sixgun almost every day for years and has used it for a multitude of jobs and knows it and himself very well. Would the bad guy really be in a position of advantage simply because he had the latest thing in handguns? I really don't think so.
 
On a more pleasant note, I have yet to see a "modern" handgun that measures up to the word " versatile". without swapping calibers. The 10mm is about as close as it comes in autos, even then I think it needs some more variety in ammo than is readily available. No, there is something special about single actions, and indeed revolvers in general, that is so practical it defies modern improvement. I understand that most people aren't ranchers or "countryfolk", but to make a confession here I almost feel apologetic when I carry a gun that only has one, rather dreadful, purpose. Quite in fact, when I do carry a semi, my backup mag is generally loaded with hardball, partially for a tactical purpose, but it also makes the gun more flexible. I just have a hard time with "one trick ponies".

MAK wrote " Then there is the aesthetic nature of the single action. It is pleasing
to the eye in a way that no plastic fantastic can ever aspire to."
My wife is an artist.  After decades of marriage, I learned that I can get away with buying anything in walnut and blue much easier than putting my hard earned money on plastic gun. The latter brings a comment about "what an ugly gun" .  (Off topic, but she is a keeper! She does carry a Ruger LCP, but her Deer rifle is a Model '94, and her other pistol is a nickel S&W). 

Country Gun wrote: "That there is a heck of a lot of  attitude that outweighs equipment in a
fight.

Amen!
Countrygun,

I only started carrying subcompact 9mms three years ago, and see your point about  "one trick ponies".  I have to shoot a fair amount of predatory varmints on the farm.  When I carry a 9mm, I either have to kill groundhogs/coons/foxes with expensive premium defense ammo, or swap out a mag to hardball. Then if I go to town, I need to swap again.   

Yup,
A few years back I had to put down a deer hit by a car. Not that it was a big deal, but I was carrying a Browning Hipower at the time. Scratch on round of, then, hard to find premium ammo. We had a LEO down here who had to dispatch a wounded elk in a field.  The animal was a bit too mobile for an easy shot and he didn't have much confidence in his shotgun with slugs, and had never fired his pistol at more than 25 yds.?????? He went after it with his service pistol, Glock .40 I think. The officer ended up stepping in a hole and breaking his leg in two places. That was just down the road from me. If I had been there with one of my usual belt guns it would not have been a problem to do it safely. Of course had I known about the situation, I would have taken a rifle, but the point is there. To add, the light,fast hollowpoints they carry are not what you want for that chore. A 9" penetration distance may be nice for 2 legged critter but  that isn't enough even if you got all of that, for elk.
 
 

One solution is the 454190 over a medium dose of Herco, in the .45 Colt,  it comes out at 830fps from a 4-3/4" SA & will penitrate!
Even the Remington & Winchester factory RN FPs are pretty good at going deep!
Frank

 
What's all the hooply let's face the real world for civilians a typical encounter with any modern day highwayman doesn't get a high round count from either side if either has a way out. At that point sights are usually optional cause ranges are of pistol whipp him upside the head the majaroty of the times and just the fact that prey maybe apex predetor in it's self changes hearts and minds . those of us who been around the block and now are considered old folks in our forties but shoot cas ,sass usually find ourselves breaking leather and making center mass hits with an uncocked gun compared to bottom feeding crowd cause as someone said "practise" . Knowing I have 5-6 shots I do my darnest to make'em count.And did I mention I'm a poor boy so I can't be buying a gun for every occasion or ammo of upity number of calibers so 45 colt ruger vaquero 5 1/2 inch barrel for home , field and defense. Done one gun period.

I'm a bit off topic, but my first couple of handguns were single actions and if I ever end up with just one final handgun in my accelerating decrepitude,  it'll probably be a single action. Probably a New Frontier .44 if I can snag one.  In the meantime, to really be a favorite it's gotta have .22 or .44 or .45 after it.  Concealed...if it's gotta be super invisible it's a Seecamp in a pocket holster in front. Under a t-shirt, a little nine like the LC9 inside the waistband. A little more shirt or a coat, probably a 19 or 66, which are great packin' pistols, too. If I had to pick just one at this time in my life,  though, excluding the .22s,  it'd be the 4" 29, shooting Specials most of the time. If I could only pick two it'd be the elusive Colt .44 SA and the 4" 29. Shooting aside, it's impossible to look at them too much. And I'd figure out a way to conceal them. The few cows and occasional bull I used to run were pretty much mesmerized by the sound of the grain bucket, but a bull's a bull, so no Seecamp there.  

This whole discussion reminds me of the final scene in Tarantino's Four Rooms. The guy bets his little finger against a nice sports car that he can light his zippo ten times in a row. I find it hard to believe that anybody would bet their life on any semi-auto. Who has ever had a sixgun jam and not shoot? Who has ever had an auto jam and not shoot? Count the votes.

1911. M1. M14. M4. FAL.

I love my SA Bisleys but in the Florida heat they're to bulky to CCW!

"Few Words

1911. M1. M14. M4. FAL.

Keith"
 
 
I've owned all of those but an FAL and had all of them get tied up by ammo that sent the bullet out the barrel but didn't cycle the action. I have also had magazine failures with perfectly good ammo. let me tell you about the time a magazine release on a 1911 got hit while the gun was still in the holster. We won't mention M-1 Thumb. How about the number of times someone has tried to insert a mag backwards under stress?

I believe it. I admit I trust my wheelguns more, and they are what I carry most and have bedside. Course,  I had a nickel M27 cycle past the bolt notch on normal DA firing, the old M29 no dash extractor rod would unscrew and bind up the gun, the Taurus .44 Special whose action did very funny things,  the couple of S&W .22s which when a bit dirty bound up due to powder flakes under the extractor star, the new M29s that had to have their barrels squared off due to binding at the cylinder face. And speedloaders can be fumbled, too. Admittedly, most of the above problems could be remedied pretty much once and for all.
 
I've also had good lever actions fail to feed with good factory ammo.
 
But a whole lot of guys owe their lives to select fire or semi-auto rifles and semi-auto pistols. For some kinds of serious rifle work,  gimme a semi-auto. And though I do prefer wheelguns, somehow I don't feel undergunned with a 1911.

Of course, a good 1911 will rarely let you down. But, as I used to tell my WordPerfect 5.1 students, "Which one of you would bet your little finger on what will come out of the printer?". Of course, there would not be a hand in the air. Anything that depends on a bunch of fast moving parts to work in concert is not something to bet your little finger on. Take any auto and any sixgun out to the pasture with 100 rounds of shells. Then bet your life on which one will not misfire, even at slow fire.

Well a good SA has saved the bacon of a lot of people & someone who really knows how to work one is a treat to watch. Think not, just catch Bob Munden some day & see what he can do with a SA. Anyone want to bet against him in an armed confrontation with a SA????? I thought not! 
Is the SA the best weapon to choose today? I don't think so, but still when I'm in the hills or coming home from the hills & stop in a store on the way home, I don't feel disadvantaged with a good SA. I seldom choose one for strictly defence when I carry a gun, but don't feel disadvantaged to a great extent when carrying one.
Have a great day.
Frank

Well, Frank, I guess you brought this back almost full circle after the detour into the century-old auto v.s. revolver debate. I've not felt undergunned with an SA, either,  though like you I think an SA wouldn't be the best weapon of all for a firefight.  But Munden and pistoleros like him sure show what can be done with an SA. My first shots through a real sixgun were back when an old sourdough took me under his wing in Central Oregon high desert country and he had me shoot his OM Blackhawk .44 mag out there in the sagebrush and juniper. I still remember clearly him pulling the prize out from under his pickup seat, a cartridge gunbelt wrapped around the stag-handled, holstered gun,  and the great feel of shooting that banger.

Keith
There is just something special about a good SA. That's the gun I carry most often in the hills. 
Frank

When I thin about it, as much as I like DA wheelguns, there is not one-even of my beloved Colts-that can hold a finger to the comfort and ease of shooting of the SA grip frame. This for me is probably the one big thing that keeps me reaching for the SA.  While it is true that the DA gun allows a choice for both SA and DA, even in SA mode, one still has that compromise grip frame, which is just not as sweet to shoot-period.

I really like the feel of the SA grip, especially the Colt SAA & the Ruger NV/New Model, & especially the original old Flat Tops frames.
Frank

I still prefer my tuned 1911 which also doubles as a wild bunch gun for town duty, Usually in a Kramer IWB. Either my short .45 BlackHawk or one of the 4" Smiths gets the nod for all around use. Either in .44mag (M-29-2) or .357 (m19-3) and never feel undergunned. I have had a number of Pancake holsters over the years and as of late have had Indiana Harness here in Spokane build me some. They are top notch and ride either high strong side or, cross draw for driving. Great Quality and very affordable. I used a real Bianchi pancake for the design and added an extra lower loop for the cross draw. They are very good personalized holsters with great fit and feel. They are comfortable, secure and sorry Al they are also LEATHER!!!!! With the Blackhawk I have a 70's vintage Bianchi Lawman1 that is perfect for my use. Indiana Harness made me some belt slide cartridge holders that carry 6 rounds.
Same soup warmed over.

...in a post way up above, I consider my 1911 to  fall into the  single action carry catagory, (although most likely not what the OP had in mind when he started this thread)  And the Don Hume IWB is leather... I have F/A leather for the F/A revolver, and a custom (leather) tiedown gunslinger rig for the F/A and  SBH's, Blade Tech and CR Speed for the Glocks, and just mixed in a couple of Blade Techs for a 629 and a Blackhawk  to stir up folks like you!
 
PS, sorry for the outage over the weekend, looks like the boys and girls have it straightened out now.
Al
 

In the fields around here I carry a single six. It's in the truck most of the time. That's all I really need for skunks, badgers porkies or anything the dogs might get into.  If I go up north for the day or am camping or deer hunting, one of the .44s always goes along.   For every day, in town, a S&W 642 in an EPS IWB, honestly, because it's effective, accurate at a short distance, light and unobtrusive. 
Wes

Thought I'd weigh in here. Though I own all kinds of Semi-autos, my carry choice is almost always SA Revolvers! For heavy caliber, the first is a Cimarron Arms (Uberti) Doc Holiday Special in 45 Colt. The second, and always with me is my NAA Pug in 22 mag.

Cheers,
Unkei