R. R. Ranger Posted February 15 Posted February 15 Have some stages coming up that will require a pistol reload. How can you temporarly mark your empty chamber on a Blackhawk. Want something that will stay for whole match without messing with rotation. I could engrave a star or something but rather have removeable for now. Only thing I can think of so far is dab of fingernail polish. Any better ideas? Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 15 Posted February 15 Load 1, skip one and load 4. Full cock and lower hammer. Visibly confirm hammer on empty chamber..... Quote
Black Angus McPherson Posted February 15 Posted February 15 14 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: Load 1, skip one and load 4. Full cock and lower hammer. Visibly confirm hammer on empty chamber..... OLG, I think you misunderstood the question. Basically, I think he's asking: If you have to load one round on the clock, how do you mark your cylinder so you can be sure to index the cylinder properly after the reload so you get a "bang" instead of a "click", "click", "click", "Bang". Is that right RRR? For the record, I don't mark mine. I shoot a cap gun. If I were using a cartridge gun I don't think I'd mark it, either. Just load the empty chamber and "best guess" the alignment of the live chamber to avoid the click, click scenario. Angus who ain't winning anything anyway McPherson 2 1 Quote
R. R. Ranger Posted February 15 Author Posted February 15 I got that. Shoot my five then have to load one more for extra target. Once I load the empty chamber, I want to be able to rotate to live round without having to cycle through empties til bang. 1 Quote
Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 Posted February 15 Posted February 15 Hey Ranger: I've seen two methods that I thought worked: One cowboy used nail polish and painted a stripe the whole length of the cylinder. Ugly, but it worked. Another cowboy painted the rims of his reloads bright red. That way, he could see the reload as he rotated the cylinder, and was able to bring it to just the correct place. --Dawg 5 Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 15 Posted February 15 Just now, Black Angus McPherson said: OLG, I think you misunderstood the question. Basically, I think he's asking: If you have to load one round on the clock, how do you mark your cylinder so you can be sure to index the cylinder properly after the reload so you get a "bang" instead of a "click", "click", "click", "Bang". Is that right RRR? For the record, I don't mark mine. I shoot a cap gun. If I were using a cartridge gun I don't think I'd mark it, either. Just load the empty chamber and "best guess" the alignment of the live chamber to avoid the click, click scenario. Angus who ain't winning anything anyway McPherson Good point, I believe I did ..... 1 Quote
Lazy Eeyour Posted February 15 Posted February 15 I carry some nickel plated shells for reload. 5 1 Quote
Jeb Stuart #65654 Posted February 15 Posted February 15 1 hour ago, R. R. Ranger said: Have some stages coming up that will require a pistol reload. How can you temporarly mark your empty chamber on a Blackhawk. Want something that will stay for whole match without messing with rotation. I could engrave a star or something but rather have removeable for now. Only thing I can think of so far is dab of fingernail polish. Any better ideas? If you mean how do you know where the reload is once you place it in the chamber, not sure on Rugers, but on my USFA's you drop in reload, turn and count 4 clicks, close loading gate, bring hammer back to full cock and it's ready to go. On Rugers, you'll just have to do like I did and experiment. 3 Quote
John Kloehr Posted February 15 Posted February 15 8 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: Load 1, skip one and load 4. Full cock and lower hammer. Visibly confirm hammer on empty chamber..... I do this ^^^, was taught it early on. I have thought about marking a cylinder but have two concerns. The same chamber then does not get used, so potential for uneven wear (1/6 of the cylinder ratchet). A marking can not (must not) replace the visual check What markings could do is reduce the chance of lowering the hammer onto a live round in the first place. Never forget about Murphy... For the use case asked about, I guess I would consider markings. Two of them. One on the cylinder for the empty chamber, another on the outside to index cylinder to. Nail polish does hold up to gun oil for at least a while, can be removed with acetone. Quote
Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L Posted February 15 Posted February 15 I can't remember the last time I saw a reload on a revolver in a match. Back when it was quite common to see that a lot of folks set up their cylinders for free spin so they could load the empty hole and rotate the cylinder back one and be lined up to fire. 3 Quote
Blackwater 53393 Posted February 15 Posted February 15 If it’s not a requirement that the reload be done after the 5th shot, fire one round and then perform your reload and then full cock. On an unmodified Ruger, just open the loading gate! The empty chamber is right there!! You can fire the (now) five remaining shots and you’re done without fiddling around with indexing the cylinder. Practice this technique at the range some before you use it on a stage. It takes a little while to become comfortable with it, but it’ll cut serious time off your stage. 6 4 Quote
J.S. Sooner, SASS #73526 Posted February 15 Posted February 15 It'll be the empty chamber, why mark it? 😁 Look up some videos on doing a reload on a Ruger. If loading after shooting all 5. - Open loading gate - roll two chambers - load empty chamber - roll two chambers X2 (your really rotating 4 chamber positions) - close loading gate - engage target, cock hammer and fire. Practice with dummy rounds, it's not that hard, What stinks is doing a quick, perfect reload and missing the target. 😎 1 Quote
R. R. Ranger Posted February 15 Author Posted February 15 Here’s the issue. Want to shoot Josey Wales category, only pistols used. We can only load 4 rounds if 4 shotgun targets used. One stage has 6 shotgun targets. I can load five at the loading table but would have to add the sixth at some point. I like the idea of shoot one then load one and shoot five. The nickel case also sounds good if I can’t stop myself. And add fingernail polish as insurance. Hopefully Murphy doesn’t show up. Quote
Eyesa Horg Posted February 15 Posted February 15 46 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said: If it’s not a requirement that the reload be done after the 5th shot, fire one round and then perform your reload and then full cock. On an unmodified Ruger, just open the loading gate! The empty chamber is right there!! You can fire the (now) five remaining shots and you’re done without fiddling around with indexing the cylinder. Practice this technique at the range some before you use it on a stage. It takes a little while to become comfortable with it, but it’ll cut serious time off your stage. That's how I was taught way back when I started CAS. 1 1 Quote
Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 Posted February 15 Posted February 15 21 minutes ago, R. R. Ranger said: Here’s the issue. Want to shoot Josey Wales category, only pistols used. We can only load 4 rounds if 4 shotgun targets used. One stage has 6 shotgun targets. I can load five at the loading table but would have to add the sixth at some point. I like the idea of shoot one then load one and shoot five. The nickel case also sounds good if I can’t stop myself. And add fingernail polish as insurance. Hopefully Murphy doesn’t show up. When We shoot Josey Wales at clubs in Ohio, we pick up the "shotgun", put it on half-cock, open the loading gate & insert a 6th round, close the gate, & start shooting. The hammer is never down on a live round. The gun is never "unsafe" It goes from half-cock to full cock without ever leaving the shooter's hand. --Dawg 3 1 Quote
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted February 15 Posted February 15 It's really simple. Load ALL six chambers. On the line, after the BeeP, Cap the uncapped Nipple and start shooting. Oh .. Wait .. You're talking about those new fangled fad Suppository shooters. Much much more complistakted. Oops. Never mind. 🤔 1 3 Quote
Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life Posted February 16 Posted February 16 Guess I am at a loss as to why you don’t want to permanently mark your reload chamber. When I coached 4-H Western Heritage we required some kind of mark whether it be engraving or nail polish. My personal Single Sixes you can’t see the 22 rim from the side, same for my Wranglers and some of the other brands. SASS main match Rugers, five of six chambers have curly stuff, one has a “fish”. As far as re-indexing I just open the loading gate, insert cartridge, rotate till “fish” is positioned as shown, close gate, cock hammer and fire. As far as excessive wear not sure how that would work, since you normally have the empty lined up with the barrel anyway. Biggest thing I found was in the “old days” our reload target was usually a KD of some kind so I used a 357 magnum with 158 gr at 850-875 fps instead of my normal 38 special 125 gr at 750 fps. Having a chamber that never had a carbon ring took the worry out of the reload. YMMV Regards Gateway Kid 4 Quote
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted February 16 Posted February 16 This doesn't matter any more since you're talking about Josey Wales, but on the subject... Some years back at EOT during the top gun shoot-off it was Holy Terror against Tequila. They were about even at the 1-round reload at the end - Tequila had blackhawks with a free spin pawl, Holy Terror had her Evil Roy pistols and she fumbled a bit, Tequila won. 1 Quote
Assassin Posted February 16 Posted February 16 Just mark it with white out. Small line on the cylinder will work. 3 Quote
Kid Rich Posted February 16 Posted February 16 15 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: Load 1, skip one and load 4. Full cock and lower hammer. Visibly confirm hammer on empty chamber..... Not a good idea, unless you like finding high primers on the firing line while you are shooting the stage. kR 5 1 Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 16 Posted February 16 2 hours ago, Kid Rich said: Not a good idea, unless you like finding high primers on the firing line while you are shooting the stage. kR That's why you inspect you ammo before a match 4 Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted February 16 Posted February 16 5 hours ago, Captain Bill Burt said: Buy a Schofield. I married one.... 1 Quote
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted February 16 Posted February 16 Doesn't really need marking?? Open the gate. Insert live round. Close the gate. Rotate Cylinder FOUR clicks, full cock and shoot. Easy Peasy!! 🤠 Quote
Warden Callaway Posted February 16 Posted February 16 I've only had one instance where I loaded a 6th round on the clock. And it was because I was shooting Josey Wales and using a 5th handgun on 6 shotgun targets. I cleared my actions with TO before shooting the stage. I staged the handgun with loading gate open, when I got to the shotgun targets, I stepped up and half cocked my handgun. This brought the 6th empty chamber in the loading gate position. Slipped the 6th round in, closed the loading gate and banged away. Quote
oak creek martin Posted February 16 Posted February 16 Long hunter has a great video on YouTube that explains this process. Quote
Yul Lose Posted February 16 Posted February 16 My main match guns anymore are Ruger Old Armies with Belt Mountain Quick Disconnect pins and Kirst Konversion cylinders. I think I’d opt for not loading the round and take the miss or miss and a P for not doing it especially if there was no place to stage the revolver and cylinder while loading the extra round. I would also carry a nickel plated round to tell where it is in the cylinder should I choose to load the 6th round on the clock. Quote
I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321 Posted February 17 Posted February 17 (edited) Use a Sharpie to mark an empty chamber on the side of the cylinder. Nothing fancy, If not needed just wipe off with a cleaning solvent. Black or blue color marker on stainless steel. White color marker on blued pistols. Nail polish also works, your colors may vary, your choice. (Make sure in goes on your pistols and not on your finger nails)😉🙂 Edited February 19 by I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321 Quote
Kid Rich Posted February 17 Posted February 17 21 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: That's why you inspect you ammo before a match I shoot CAS about every weekend. One of the major problems I see people having is high primers hangin up. Very simple to rotate the cylinder at least one revolution and that problem would go away. I don't have that problem. kR 5 1 Quote
Jackalope Posted February 17 Posted February 17 On 2/15/2025 at 1:42 PM, R. R. Ranger said: on a Blackhawk 22 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said: Open the gate. Insert live round. Close the gate. Rotate Cylinder FOUR clicks, full cock and shoot. So Blackhawks work that way now? Thought Ruger changed that in the 70s. 🤨 Quote
Cypress Sun Posted February 17 Posted February 17 Spin the cylinder to the empty hole, load one, click, click, click, click, bang. What's so hard about that? 1 Quote
Eyesa Horg Posted February 17 Posted February 17 I still like... bang,open gate and insert cartridge in empty chamber, bang,bang,bang,bang,bang! 2 1 Quote
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted February 17 Posted February 17 Aw Heck. I missed the part where the OP is talking about a Blackhawk. I don't know about Ruger Changes and if it's a "free spin pawl" marking the chamber is a must. I don't really like Rugers. Quote
Blackwater 53393 Posted February 17 Posted February 17 If it’s a stock Blackhawk, you just open the loading gate and turn the cylinder to the empty chamber, load your cartridge, close the gate and fire six rounds! Same with a stock vaquero. With a modified Ruger, open the gate, go to half cock turn the cylinder to the open chamber, load your cartridge, close the gate, go to full cock, and fire six. If you fire your first shot and then open the loading gate, the empty chamber is right there, if the gun is modified, you’ll still need to go to half cock. Then complete the sequence as described, firing five shots. 1 Quote
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