Cowboy Guns for CCW Use?

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I know it's probably been talked about before, but in general, I think that many of us would be well served by using our cowboy type guns, not just for general self defense use, but specifically for CCW use.   While many will poo poo the idea, I think it has some merit.   First of all, we are comfortable with, and know how to USE our old fashioned pistols quite effectively.  We have live fired them far more than we have any kind of an auto loading pistol, for example.  

But let's look at it from a more theoretical/practical point of view.   If calibers like .32 ACP or .380 ACP are "acceptable" for CCW use in guns like a Walther PPK or a Colt Mustang or some other similarly sized pistol, many of which have only a 6 shot magazine, then surely a small revolver in anything from .32 S&W to .38 Long Colt would be just as acceptable.  Or, if you want something more akin to a Colt Officer's model or some other "larger small" gun that can handle thing like 9mm to .45 ACP, then you could use a Colt Sheriff's Model in .45 Colt.  Or even the Cimarron Lightning, basically a 3/4 scale SAA in calibers like .32-30, .32 H&R Magnum and .38 Special.

Personally, I think it would be very practical for many of us.   If you are worried about being able to reload, perhaps some of the top break pocket pistols would work with a speed loader.   But to be honest, when I do carry my Mustang, for example, I don't carry a spare magazine.

Maybe I'm thinking about something that doesn't really require all that much thought, but the idea was bugging me, so I thought I'd bring it up.

[Rip Snorter]

Certainly accurate, practiced and proven, only downsides, hard to conceal and 6 rounds max.

[Dapper Dave]

And very slow reloads.  As we've seen on the news, criminals run in packs nowadays.  I love my Ranch Hand 357s - I carry a CZ P-10S 9mm subcompact  with reloads. 

[Needle-Nose-Tom]

I'd bet when wheel guns got popular back in the old days not too many folks carried muskets. That could afford it anyway. 😊

[John Kloehr]

I have no big issue with the round count. Just would not work on the belt for me. I got modern with cars and trucks, not horses.  I ended up with a mid-size 1911 for practical reasons, think chairs and car seats, especially those with side bolsters.Anded wanted it on the belt at 3 o'clock.

 

Could make it work with some variation of shoulder holster...

Doc Holiday:

 

 

More under the shoulder, still with a cant:

 

 

Under the shoulder vertical:

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

I'll stick with my semi-auto for SD.

Superior in every way.

[Three Foot Johnson]

I used to have a regular screwball customer at Sportsman's Warehouse who open carried a single shot black powder percussion pistol in a minimal strap holster. He rode an adult tricycle around town with a bunch of pennants and flags, and an assortment of squeeze bulb horns. He never tried to buy a gun, and I advised my countermen to refer any attempt to do so to either myself or the store manager. 

 

I used to carry a S&W M36, but anymore it's either a Ruger LCP Max .380 w/extended mag for 12+1, or a Kel Tec P32 7+1 capacity. A full-size, six shot single action is just too big, bulky, and heavy.

 

This is the Bee's Knees - 12+1 .380 acp, a Sigurd trigger, and a Vedder Pocket Locker pocket holster w/curve & thumb tab.

[Cotton Eye Joe]

I entered the workforce in 2015, so that was the first time I could buy a gun for myself.  There were a few years where I definitely felt more comfortable with my Cimarron Evil Roy's than with any semi-auto pistol.  And that was in Wyoming, when I knew I was unlikely to run into any trouble.  Now I live in Tucson, Arizona!  I've become far more comfortable with my Glock 19 than any other handgun that I own.  More comfortable with distance shooting, with pulling it from the holster, with carrying it loaded (obviously kept the revolver loaded to 5 only).  And I can't put a flashlight on a revolver.  Vast majority of shady people doing shady stuff are gonna do it at night.  Flashlight is paramount!  

The only time I carry my CAS revolvers now is on a day hike where I know I'll be in a restaurant before dark.  But I won't say anyone's wrong for making it their daily carry, if it's really the gun they're most confident with.  

[Dusty Sights, SASS # 2782]

My typical daily CCW is my Walther PPK.  Other times, its a Beretta 92 or a 1911. 

Personally, I'd prefer to carry my Colt SAA .45 around.  

[Griff]

Not as a CCW, but as open carry.  Rarely.  Usually it's a Combat Commander.

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

CCW is about a singular idea.

Protecting yourself or your loved ones from harm.

 

Using anything but the absolute best tool for that purpose is a mistake.

 

A single action revolver is not that tool.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I alternate between these two for carry. I have never or never will carry a single action for carry.

[Chantry]

No for all the reasons above.

 

No for those in less 'free' states that hate gun owners.  I can certainly imagine a anti-gun prosecutor finding ways to use the choice of a single action revolver for CCW against a person in a self defense shooting.

 

How many reputable instructors or law enforcement agencies are using or recommending a single action revolver for self defense?

[El Chapo]

The average self defense shooting is something like 2 shots at 3 yards, so almost anything will work.

 

Most of the time I have a J frame .357 mag in my pocket.

 

If not I carry a S&W Shield 2.0 or a Springfield EMP.

[Jack Spade]

The other thing we taught for years in CCW classes was to not carry a firearm that was heavily modified/slicked up like our cowboy guns are.  A prosecutor will make it look like you think you are Wyatt Earp in Dodge City just looking for someone to shoot.  You modified your gun to make it shoot faster and even participate in a fantasy game where you imagine you are a gunfighter.  

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 2/8/2026 at 5:20 PM, Dusty Sights, SASS # 2782 said:

My typical daily CCW is my Walther PPK.  Other times, its a Beretta 92 or a 1911. 

Personally, I'd prefer to carry my Colt SAA .45 around.  

I carried mine, a 5"barrel .45, in a cross draw or vertical shoulder rig on and off for about 20 years...inCalifornia...without a permit.

 

I never felt under-gunned nor in any other way "inferiorly" equipped.

 

My wife and I each had an M-1 carbine and a dozen magazines each in the trunks of our cars.  Obsolete, but still functional for any conceivable situation.

Edited February 10 by Forty Rod SASS 3935

[Rye Miles #13621]

26 minutes ago, Jack Spade said:

The other thing we taught for years in CCW classes was to not carry a firearm that was heavily modified/slicked up like our cowboy guns are.  A prosecutor will make it look like you think you are Wyatt Earp in Dodge City just looking for someone to shoot.  You modified your gun to make it shoot faster and even participate in a fantasy game where you imagine you are a gunfighter.  

I’ve heard that same thing from a few police friends of mine! 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

18 hours ago, Cotton Eye Joe said:

I entered the workforce in 2015, so that was the first time I could buy a gun for myself.  There were a few years where I definitely felt more comfortable with my Cimarron Evil Roy's than with any semi-auto pistol.  And that was in Wyoming, when I knew I was unlikely to run into any trouble.  Now I live in Tucson, Arizona!  I've become far more comfortable with my Glock 19 than any other handgun that I own.  More comfortable with distance shooting, with pulling it from the holster, with carrying it loaded (obviously kept the revolver loaded to 5 only).  And I can't put a flashlight on a revolver.  Vast majority of shady people doing shady stuff are gonna do it at night.  Flashlight is paramount!  

The only time I carry my CAS revolvers now is on a day hike where I know I'll be in a restaurant before dark.  But I won't say anyone's wrong for making it their daily carry, if it's really the gun they're most confident with.  

 

43 minutes ago, Jack Spade said:

The other thing we taught for years in CCW classes was to not carry a firearm that was heavily modified/slicked up like our cowboy guns are.  A prosecutor will make it look like you think you are Wyatt Earp in Dodge City just looking for someone to shoot.  You modified your gun to make it shoot faster and even participate in a fantasy game where you imagine you are a gunfighter.  

And yet you carry a gun with fancy sights, lights, and a couple of pounds of crap on them on picatiny (SP?)rails with modifications to triggers, safeties, etc. and you aren't  modifying your piece to do the same thing?  

 

Let's get real folks. 

[Henry T Harrison]

I started my law enforcement career in  1972 as a juvenile probation officer in 1972 and when necessary carried a pretty much new J frame in 32 s&w. When i transitioned to a police officer in 1980 I bought a model 36 as an off duty gun and I still carry it today

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

I normally carry my NMV open carry in the same holster I used to use in CAS. Six rounds of .45 Colt is nothing to sneeze at. My other EDC is my 1911. Neither of these are high capacity. If I CCW, I carry a Taurus 85, five rounds of .38 Spl. 

I've tried a few micro 9s, and found them uncomfortable to the point of getting rid of them. They all seem to be designed with square corners. As a fat guy, they dig into me. If I were designing one, I'd look to round the profile somewhat, even if it meant adding a little size to the gun. Carrying my .38, it's rounded profile is much more comfortable. I've considered making a holster for my Cimarron Thunderer, I just haven't bothered yet. 

But to the point of the thread, (I've rarely said THAT before), I don't feel undergunned with a five or six shot pistol. 

And Cotton Eyed Joe, I'm in Tucson too. If you run into an old, fat guy carrying a stainless NMV with Ivory grips on one side and a 12 round belt slide on the other, say "Howdy".

Edited February 9 by Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770

[Rip Snorter]

I do recall one story, long ago, source forgotten.  A man was eating a restaurant meal, SAA open carry.  Some fool at the adjacent table cocked it in the holster and pulled the trigger.  If I recall, no one was hit.  That is a downside my 1911 or most other more modern guns would not have.

[Cotton Eye Joe]

1 hour ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

 

And Cotton Eyed Joe, I'm in Tucson too. If you run into an old, fat guy carrying a stainless NMV with Ivory grips on one side and a 12 round belt slide on the other, say "Howdy".

Well now I'm gonna be on the lookout haha

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

25 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

I do recall one story, long ago, source forgotten.  A man was eating a restaurant meal, SAA open carry.  Some fool at the adjacent table cocked it in the holster and pulled the trigger.  If I recall, no one was hit. 

I have a retaining strap on my hammer, and the trigger is completely covered so that it would be difficult for that to happen. There are plenty of fools around here.

[Cotton Eye Joe]

3 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

 

And yet you carry a gun with fancy sights, lights, and a couple of pounds of crap on them on picatiny (SP?)rails with modifications to triggers, safeties, etc. and you aren't  modifying your piece to do the same thing?  

 

Let's get real folks. 

You get real, lol. A red dot and a light don't weigh a couple pounds, and they certainly aren't crap. I was kinda hoping you'd give an alternative so I know what philosophy I've deviated from! Please don't say M1 carbine and a dozen mags haha

[Vail Vigilante]

The multi threat attack is a thing these days.

I am not going to divulge what I carry, but it is not a single action.

 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

21 minutes ago, Vail Vigilante said:

The multi threat attack is a thing these days.

I am not going to divulge what I carry, but it is not a single action.

I hope that things in Vail aren't really that bad, but I think that even a group of Goblins will think twice looking down the barrel of a .45, none of them wanting to be the first recipient of one of them. 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

26 minutes ago, Cotton Eye Joe said:

You get real, lol. A red dot and a light don't weigh a couple pounds, and they certainly aren't crap. I was kinda hoping you'd give an alternative so I know what philosophy I've deviated from! Please don't say M1 carbine and a dozen mags haha

Okay,  I had that coming.  I generalized from all the extraneous stuff I see at the range.  I apologize.

 

Red dot sights are almost mandatory for whose eyesight is slipping away....like mine.  I use Novak three dot tritium sights on my 1911 and my Mk8 Government .380.  I have an old red dot on my Star Mod 43 Firestar 9mm and I put red dots on both of the M1 carbines.

 

I don't like a light because if I had someone aim one at me, or even in the room where i was, I'd lace that light with three or four rounds.  Why give them a target to aim at?  I also don't like ANYthing that adds bulk, weight, extra controls, or any additional movements to my "I need it really fast" gun.

 

ID target, pull, point, shoot!  With practice you can do this almost reflexively.  Nothing else to think about!

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

33 minutes ago, Vail Vigilante said:

The multi threat attack is a thing these days.

I am not going to divulge what I carry, but it is not a single action.

 

A second gun is the fastest reload...and have carried more than one if I were going into a questionable place.

 

I don't want to fight a war, but if I need to I want to be able to shoot my way out of one.

Edited February 9 by Forty Rod SASS 3935

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 hours ago, Jack Spade said:

The other thing we taught for years in CCW classes was to not carry a firearm that was heavily modified/slicked up like our cowboy guns are.  A prosecutor will make it look like you think you are Wyatt Earp in Dodge City just looking for someone to shoot.  You modified your gun to make it shoot faster and even participate in a fantasy game where you imagine you are a gunfighter.  

 

 

Also,  use only factory ammunition. 

 

To the OP...there is something to be said for psychological effect of the  dull BOOM, huge fireball,  and cloud of sulphurous smoke from 25 grains of FFFg.

[Jack Spade]

5 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

 

And yet you carry a gun with fancy sights, lights, and a couple of pounds of crap on them on picatiny (SP?)rails with modifications to triggers, safeties, etc. and you aren't  modifying your piece to do the same thing?  

 

Let's get real folks. 

My carry gun has none of that on it.  All of the guns I carry are pretty much stock.   I may polish a few parts or change a spring to make them more reliable but I have no lights, red dots, rails, modified triggers or safeties on them.  The gun I carry is a tool and I want as few things on it that can malfunction as possible.  Most of mine don't even have night sights on them.  If they do, I didn't put them on, they came that way.  I have been carrying a gun daily for over 25 years and taught CCW classes for 15 years.  I keep my guns compact and easy to conceal.  You can have guns with all that tacti-cool crap on them to play with at the range or compete in other gun games but for a ccw gun the simpler the better.   Besides, all that crap makes a gun heavy and I have a hard enough time keeping my pants up as it is!  

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

As an instructor - let me expound on the modified firearm, ammo, accessories theory.

 

There are three components to surviving an armed conflict.

 

Avoidance - it is easiest to survive a gunfight if you are never in a gunfight.

 

Competency - if you find yourself in a gunfight; be the best prepared you can be with equipment (firearm, ammo, gear).

 

Legally - the conflict is not over when the armed threat is over; you still have to survive any consequences of your choices.

 

 

Avoidance is self explanatory.

 

Competency means that any choices you make "should" be based around having the best equipment and hopefully are defensible as such.

There was a time when Hollow Points were thought to be "excessive" - but they are defensible as better stopping, less likely to over penetrate and supported by their use by law enforcement.

Red dots, better triggers, etc. are all defensible as providing better accuracy or control.

Factory self defense ammo is used by law enforcement - I actually recommend using the same brand, weight and loading as your local PD as it eliminated that choice being called into question.

 

But, don't get super hung up on the modifications, ammo or equipment; the most important thing to remember is a legally justified shoot is justified - no matter where you shoot them or with what.

An non justified shoot is not justified - no matter where you shoot them or with what.

 

Now the part where I contradict the above.  

Surviving the legal system.

 

Now it is not about what you did, how you did it or what you used.

It is how those decisions are presented by a prosecutor and perceived by a jury.

 

A jury of your peers made up of folks who either WANTED to be on a jury or were too stupid to get out of jury duty.

 

You may be called upon to defend your equipment choices (to non firearms people); but the ability to state that your choices were based upon current training, trends and are in line with current law enforcement standards covers a lot of ground. 

Making your choices a non issue because to criticize those choices criticizes the same choices made by law enforcement.

Remember, it is now about their perception of appropriate - not reality.

 

We want to avoid firearms choices, modifications/ additions that sway a jury opinion (or simply make them look at you differently).

Punisher logos, Kill them all - Let God sort them out, political commentary.

 

Any equipment that appears you are "playing" make believe rather taking the idea of self defense seriously; a magazine of green zombie killer rounds or yes, your "cowboy" gun falls into this category.

 

Handloads are another item - law enforcement uses specific "self defense" ammunition.

This ammo is built in factories, tested and labelled as such - I can defend my choice of ammo by holding up the law enforcement choice to carry same.

Handloads (to the uninformed) make me look like a nut in my garage brewing a witches cauldron.

 

Whether it works or not - providing opportunities to the prosecutor to make you look like an outlier or weirdo is detrimental to you surviving the courtroom.

 

Make the best choice for all three facets of survival.

Your single action, limited capacity, difficult to conceal, slow to reload cowboy revolver is perhaps questionable in the 2nd facet and is detrimental in the 3rd.

 

As the great Matthew Quigley once said, "This ain't Dodge City and you ain't Bill Hickok"

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

Also,  use only factory ammunition. 

 

To the OP...there is something to be said for psychological effect of the  dull BOOM, huge fireball,  and cloud of sulphurous smoke from 25 grains of FFFg.

The huge fireball, especially in the dark would have to be quite effective!! They'd think you grenade them! Might be a good reason for BP shotshells in the bedroom gun! If racking doesn't deter them, the nuclear fireball might!

[Blackwater 53393]

My regular everyday carry holds 13 rounds in the magazine and there’s one in the pipe, cocked and locked.

 

If I carry a backup magazine, it holds twenty rounds.

 

If I’m going really low profile, my carry hold five rounds of  .45 Colt and I have three speed loaders in the pocket of my jacket.

 

I think it was Jeff Cooper who advised carrying “enough bad guy repellent to go around“!!

 

 

Edited February 9 by Blackwater 53393

[Dapper Dave]

I agree with that, but I don't carry what the Department issues - for some reason I just don't like Glock grip angle.  Besides, we don't get take-home guns.  
I love handloading, been handloading and casting for 20 years...but the ammo in all my carry sidearms is factory. 

And if you Tucson people come by Casa Grande, drop a line, we have a couple of decent eateries up here, though we should all get together as a team and go sit on Forty's doorstep. 

[Chantry]

And know your state laws regarding self defense and when you CAN and CANNOT use deadly force.

 

Not every state has Texas's liberal (no pun intended) laws regarding using deadly force.