Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
I have one of the S&W 2000 Schofields. I haven't shot CAS in 20 years but got this as a "re-living history" adventure. I wanted to know what shooting the 45 Smith & Wesson Schofield, loaded with black powder was like. I won't go into all the trouble, and reasons for it, shooting black powder in this thing evolved but initially nothing worked. I ended up loading Black MZ (American Pioneer Powder) to reduce fouling and duplicate the original cartridge's performance - a 230g RNFP over 28g of BP.
That load allowed me to shoot multiple cylinders without the gun jamming up. Compared side by side with a 7-1/2" USFA shooting full power 45 Colt black powder loads the SAA styled gun was the clear winner. As mentioned before the original sights on the Schofield are just awful. And, despite what's made of the "fast reload" for the S&W historically reloading your pistol was not that big a consideration in the frontier West. Also the grip shape and hammer reach on the Schofield is quite awkward for me. I found I could get off 5 rounds faster and more accurately with the SAA style gun than the Schofield re-creation.
I wouldn't buy another one and these days I only take the S&W 2000 out to let other people try it.
Dave
True, but the grip shape and angle are a big part of it for me. One of the BK grip adapters mostly fits and helps but it’s still doesn’t feel as good as a SAA or Blackhawk.
For me it would be a 4” or 5” barrel but I generally don’t like barrels over 6” anyway.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
This is likely a factor for me, Ive shot the standard style SAs far more and they just feel familiar to me.
Regarding the feel of different calibers, and grip shape, Ive mostly had Rugers*, in 357 they feel rather heavy and clunky compared to the Colt size guns (they also do in other calibers, just not as heavy). I borrowed a 4 3/4" Colt SAA in 357 cal at a shoot once, the lady gave me a 100 rd box of shells to shoot in it, I enjoyed it very much and have wanted one ever since. The 357 Rugers dont leave me with that feeling, though its been a very long time since Ive handled an early Ruger flat top 357. They were a smaller frame and cylinder, not as top heavy feeling.
The flair of the grip I feel definitely helps with shooting the SA one handed, the heel of the hand indexes on it when cocking and shooting one handed, the gun is not firmly held when coking the hammer in one handed shooting, the flair gets my hand right back where it needs to be to get a shooting grip again. For that reason a birds head style grip has never felt quite right to me. They were originally on DA Colts back in the day, the 1877s and 78s.
Reloading an SA revolver is not hopelessly slow, just significantly more so than a DA revolver. I think most never get past the awkward "trying to save the brass" stage and just call it hopeless. Id compare it more to an average shooter reloading a DA revolver with loose rounds from a pocket more than requiring geological time measurements. In shooting 22s and not caring about the brass, I had it to the point its takes about 3-4 seconds to clear one, a centerfire is easier with the larger cylinder and holes to hit with the ejector rod and heavier brass to kick out. I need to get it on camera some time to confirm, but when a system is used enough to become habit, its not really all that bad.
* Ive had 4 Colt SAAs and liked them quite a lot, but have had a fair pile of Rugers over the years.
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
There’s always this… Tomorrow's Schofield: Guest Build
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?