Loading Colt Style Sixgun

[W. D. Pickett]

With the Ruger new models I was taught to load one round, skip the next chamber, then load four more so that the empty chamber is under the hammer.  Does this also apply to the Colt style six gun where you place it on half cock to load it?

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Yes, after you pull the hammer to full cock and then let it down it will be on the empty chamber.  Look at it from the side to verify.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

11 minutes ago, W. D. Pickett said:

With the Ruger new models I was taught to load one round, skip the next chamber, then load four more so that the empty chamber is under the hammer.  Does this also apply to the Colt style six gun where you place it on half cock to load it?

 

Howdy

 

Interesting that you were taught to do that with a New Model Ruger, since they are completely safe to load with six rounds.

 

Yes, that is the standard way to load a Colt or any single action revolver with a Colt style lockwork. Load one, skip one, load four more. Bring the hammer all the way back to full cock, then lower it on an empty chamber. Care must be taken that before pulling the hammer all the way back the cylinder has not rotated any further or the sequence may be compromised. By the way, that is the way you load the older Three Screw Rugers too. Although they had different springs, the action worked pretty much the same as a Colt.

[John Barleycorn, SASS #76982]

Here's a tip, spin the cylinder after you load it. This will be your last chance to catch a high primer. It only take a few seconds to re index so you have the empty chamber under the hammer.

[Sedalia Dave]

For Colt style I load 5 in a row. Skip one then index the cylinder 4 rounds. Close the loading, cock hammer and lower it on the empty chamber. Look to the side and verify.

 

For Ruger style I load 5 in a row. Skip one then index the cylinder 4 rounds. Close the loading, and index the cylinder by hand till it locks. Look to the side and verify.

 

This method will always catch a high primer or a round that did not seat fully in the chamber. The method described in the OP will not.

 

 

[W. D. Pickett]

These are the 3 screw Ruger Single Six revolvers.  Thanks for the help.

[Volga Vigilante]

If your Single Sixes are .22 you can not see if the hammer is down on an empty chamber.  For my 2 Buckaroos I've taken a small wooden rod and slid it down the barrel of an empty gun and marked it at the end of the barrel.  They took it to the loading table with them and could show the loading officer that the hammer was down on an empty.  Couple weeks ago, getting ready for the first shoot of the season, I found that the wooden dowel rods had broken.  I did the same with 12 gauge NMB white wire.  Worked just as well and doesn't snap in the ammo box.

[Tully Mars]

1 hour ago, John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 said:

Here's a tip, spin the cylinder after you load it. This will be your last chance to catch a high primer. It only take a few seconds to re index so you have the empty chamber under the hammer.

+1

 

[Casey Green]

There's no reason to skip a cylinder when loading a ruger. The reason this was done on original colt six guns was because the firing pin was attached to the hammer and the gun had to be loaded with the hammer at half cock. You would leave an empty chamber so that you weren't walking around with the firing pin sitting next to a live primer. By skipping a chamber, after loading the fifth round when you pull the hammer out of half cock and lower it back the normal position the cylinder will rotate to the empty chamber. The only reason to load a ruger this was is to follow tradition.

[W. D. Pickett]

Howdy Casey Green and others,

 

The guns in question are the original 3 screw Ruger Single Six revolvers in .22 LR.  They do not have the transfer bar safety device.  I do follow a lot of tradition and teach this to my two nieces and nephew who are interested in CAS.  Several people on the wire are in the Bayou Bounty Hunters and several of them taught me this.  My SASS guns are new Ruger Vaqueros worked over the Jimmy Spurs.  I still load them this way but wanted to make sure it worked with the three screw Ruger Single Six revolvers.  Thanks to all who answered and your time to respond.  The Lord Bless you and keep you.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy Again

 

I load my Colts exactly as I have described. I check for high primers when I am loading my ammunition before putting the rounds in plastic boxes. My 'educated thumb' is pretty good at finding high primers. Have not found one at a match yet, knock on wood.

 

The OP will not have a problem with high primers with his Single Sixes.

 

Regarding seeing the rims, no you cannot see the rims with a Single Six. You cannot see the rims with my old Flat Top 44 Mag either. I have a couple of Three Screw 357 Mags that do allow me to see the rims. Regardless, I am confident enough in my ability to load one, skip one, and load four more that I seem to be able to let the hammer down on an empty chamber without checking.

 

 

 

Knock on wood.

 

[Blackey Cole]

Myself it doesn't matter which model I'm using I load the first five then spin the cylinder looking for high primers and cases not fully seated once it freely spins I rotate until the empty chamber is under the hammer since all are on half cock even the ruger since they were modified then lower the hammer on the empty chamber.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Half Cock

 

Load one.

Skip one

 

Load Four

 

Cock.

 

(You will see daylight through the firing pin hole down the length of the barrel.)

 

Lower hammer on empty chamber.

 

Never fails.

 

Pretty much works on every single action revolver design ever made that loads via a loading gate.  The most noticeable exception (other than the Ruger which has been discussed) is the Merwin & Hulbert.  Those are Load 2, skip one, Load 3.

[Trailrider #896]

The advantage of Load one, skip one, load four and pull hammer to full cock OR on transfer bar Rugers where you don't pull to half-cock before loading, simply open the loading gate, then close the loading gate and rotate the cylinder until it locks, is that you don't get confused if you shoot both types. Just a good habit to get into. I do NOT spin the cylinder because, as Driftwood Johnson said, I check primer heights when priming the cases!

[Springfield Slim SASS #24733]

The wooden rod is a nice idea on the old single sixes. For my Buckaroos I just marked one of the chambers on the outside with some fingernail polish. Load 1, skip 1, load 4, pull back and lower the hammer and watch the polish mark disappear under the frame.

[Assassin]

Load one, skip one, load four, drop hammer, blow hole in loading table, MDQ. Seen it happen on several occasions. Sometimes it's not just a high primer that keeps the cylinder from turning freely. Carbon build up in chamber can prevent cartridge from dropping in completely, or a wrinkle on the side of the case, poor reloading practices or poor quality control. I load five, spin cylinder, then shut loading gate. When shooting my 3 screws I prefer to visually see the empty chamber before I let the hammer down gently.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

13 minutes ago, Assassin said:

Load one, skip one, load four, drop hammer, blow hole in loading table, MDQ.

 

Nobody said anything about dropping the hammer. Obviously you lower the hammer gently, just in case you screwed up the count.

[Assassin]

I forgot the part about signing one's name next to the hole under the table. Always, carry a sharpie.

[Sedalia Dave]

While you will find high primers by inspection you will not find the case that doesn't fully seat into the chamber.  My Wife's pistols are chambered .38 special and have tight throats. Because I seat to a longer OAL to accommodate her 92. I occasionally will have a round that doesn't seat fully without a little help. The once around a second time will find this issue where no other inspection will. 

 

[W. D. Pickett]

3 hours ago, Assassin said:

I forgot the part about signing one's name next to the hole under the table. Always, carry a sharpie.

Are there examples that you care to share with us (pictures are best)?  <grinning> 

 

[Assassin]

I do have several examples. However, I don't want to embarrass anyone. Pretty much anytime there is an AD into a table or prop it gets a signature and date. 

Doesn't every club do that?

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

When Desert Scorpion was shooting 22's - I painted the cylinder flutes on either side of a single chamber.

This chamber was now the designated "No Load" chamber.

Simply place rounds in the rest of the cylinder and lower the hammer with the painted flutes to either side of the top strap.

 

Maybe not as definitive as sticking a rod down the barrel - but doesn't require placing my hand in front of the barrel of a loaded gun either.

She liked the process so much that when she moved to centerfires - we painted the flutes on that gun as well.

[Blackey Cole]

Try cap and ball I load the same way I just look for the bare nipple to rotate under the hammer but I spin in case I have a high cap.

[Colt McCloud, SASS #65003L]

On 17/04/2017 at 10:43 PM, John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 said:

Here's a tip, spin the cylinder after you load it. This will be your last chance to catch a high primer. It only take a few seconds to re index so you have the empty chamber under the hammer.

What John Barleycorn said !!!! High primers can ruin your day!!! Especially if your shooting Gunfighter!!!!!

[John Boy]

High primer reloads checked at the loading table?  Not an issue if one just runs their index finger across the tops of all the rounds in the box when finished reloading

[Tully Mars]

I was taught load one, skip one, then load four. After numerous bulged cases or slighty high primers that I failed to catch with thumb or index finger I adopted the rotate the cylinder method. It works every time without messing up your stage.

For .22's marking the empty chamber seems fitting. 

 

Tully

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

I guess I must have been doing something wrong all these years.

 

As I said earlier, I check for high primers after I have loaded my ammo, before they go into their plastic boxes.

 

I also keep one of my R&D 45 Colt conversion cylinders handy while reloading 45 Colt. It has the tightest chambers of any 45 Colt revolver I own. Any round that will slip into the chambers of this cylinder will seat in any 45 Colt revolver I own. I use the cylinder as a cartridge gauge. Any rounds that do not drop freely into the R&D cylinder get run through the crimp die again until they do.

 

Have never had a problem yet in around ten years playing cowboy, knock on wood, with either high primers or rounds that will not seat fully.

 

So I load one, skip one, load four more, bring the hammer to full cock and lower it on the empty chamber.

 

Seems to be working so far.

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

I check for high primers when I put them in the box...

 

and

 

check again with a cylinder spin.  Murphy can be a tricky fellow

 

shooting old model Rugers not that makes a difference

 

cr

[El Hombre Sin Nombre]

16 minutes ago, Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 said:

I guess I must have been doing something wrong all these years.

 

As I said earlier, I check for high primers after I have loaded my ammo, before they go into their plastic boxes.

 

I also keep one of my R&D 45 Colt conversion cylinders handy while reloading 45 Colt. It has the tightest chambers of any 45 Colt revolver I own. Any round that will slip into the chambers of this cylinder will seat in any 45 Colt revolver I own. I use the cylinder as a cartridge gauge. Any rounds that do not drop freely into the R&D cylinder get run through the crimp die again until they do.

 

Have never had a problem yet in around ten years playing cowboy, knock on wood, with either high primers or rounds that will not seat fully.

 

So I load one, skip one, load four more, bring the hammer to full cock and lower it on the empty chamber.

 

Seems to be working so far.

It's my opinion that a two check process is always the best way to go when possible. It seems you have got that covered with your R&D cylinder. I prefer to check the primers after making the bullets, and spinning the cylinder after loading the gun. For me, while I have yet to have a high primer lock up my gun since using this method (had a few back when I did the skip one), I have had a few occasions where the black powder fouling has started to make the cylinder harder to spin. If I hadn't spun it once or twice around, the gun probably would have locked up on me. Spinning it a couple times through ensures that the cylinder will spin while firing, and let's me know that I will need to do a quick cylinder wipe down after the stage. So while a primer may not be high enough for smokeless, it just might be enough for BP. I don't believe there is any wrong way to do it as long as we are all safe and dong what we are comfortable with.

[Jasper Agate]

12 hours ago, Tully Mars said:

I was taught load one, skip one, then load four. After numerous bulged cases or slighty high primers that I failed to catch with thumb or index finger I adopted the rotate the cylinder method. It works every time without messing up your stage.

For .22's marking the empty chamber seems fitting. 

 

Tully

+1

[Pat Riot]

On 4/17/2017 at 7:43 PM, John Barleycorn, SASS #76982 said:

Here's a tip, spin the cylinder after you load it. This will be your last chance to catch a high primer. It only take a few seconds to re index so you have the empty chamber under the hammer.

I just load the first 5 in my Vaqueros (original and New) and then spin the cylinder around searching for any high primers. Never used to do this and loaded the old way of 1-skip-4 more, but I got a high primer a couple of times from reloaded ammo that I bought from a Pard.

 

Nothing like shooting most of a match clean and then...failure...

 

That was years ago and even though I know that my loads "never" have high primers I check anyway because there is no such thing as "never" when it comes to shooting and reloading.