Nothing pains me more than watching well intentioned but unknowing people pick up a fine single action revolver to check it. Usually they go one of two routes. They will either hold the hammer back with a thumb and turn the cylinder slowly, or they hold the hammer back with a thumb and spin that cylinder with the palm of their hand so fast it sounds like a windmill during a typhoon. If someone hasn’t stopped them by this time, they will next lower the hammer back to its resting position.

At this point the cylinder will likely have a deep ring around it, and the lockwork will be well on its way to being un-timed. There’s a proper way to handle a single action revolver with traditional lockwork. If the hammer is pulled back to its half-cock notch, the locking bolt will be lowered completely in its slot, and it won’t leave any sort of ring around the cylinder. If someone pulls the hammer back part way without letting it come to rest in its half-cock notch, the result is far different. Then the locking bolt will disengage from its locking notch so the cylinder can turn freely, but not be lowered completely into its slot. When the cylinder is turned, the bolt rubs against it. If the cylinder is given a healthy spin like in the movies, then the locking bolt can actually rub a groove around it. That’s an ugly thing to do to a fine revolver.

More Secrets

Also it’s evidently a little known fact with a traditionally-styled single action, that once the hammer starts back from its fully down position, it should go all the way back before starting down again. Let’s assume someone is loading the revolver properly with the hammer at its half-cock position. The hammer should then be brought back to full cock and lowered all the way. If it’s lowered directly from half-cock, the bolt begins to rise and is forced by spring pressure against the cylinder. Not only does that make a mark on the cylinder, but stress is put on the fragile bolt because it’s now in a bind. Much of this and the timing will get out of whack or the bolt will break.

Also there is a specific way to get those five cartridges into a traditional single. Carrying a traditional single action revolver with six rounds loaded and the hammer resting on a primer is a fool’s errand. The slightest blow on the hammer can fire that round. I’ve personally known several people who have shot themselves that way — sometimes with fatal results.

The Right Way

Bring the hammer back to half cock so the cylinder rotates freely, and open the loading gate. Put one cartridge into a chamber and skip one chamber. Next load four cartridges. Close the loading gate and full cock the hammer. Now lower the hammer all the way, and if the revolver’s lockwork hasn’t been messed up by some nitwit’s mishandling, it will be resting on the empty chamber. Don’t turn the revolver toward yourself and look in the front of the cylinder to see if all is well. If it isn’t, you may find out in a disagreeable manner! To see if things are as they should be, just look at the cartridge case rims at the rear of the cylinder. There shouldn’t be one visible directly under the hammer. It’s all pretty simple.

This is the way to keep the unknowing from ruining your single actions. Don’t let people you don’t know handle them! Being naturally a rather inoffensive creature myself, in the past I’ve had damage done to my single actions when I just handed them off to strangers to examine. Nowadays I don’t do that. Unless the person is someone I know well, I’m the one who half-cocks the revolver and checks the cylinder for loads. Then I hand it to someone to admire with the admonishment; “Don’t function the action — please.” This way the revolvers stay in good condition and I don’t get cranky.

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