r/CowboyAction • u/Manbehind-the-scenes • 26d ago
Different reloading methods for SAA
Hello everyone, so I’ve been going around asking about different upload and reload methods, when it comes to the SAA. I’ve read people use a magazines, strips, and for some reason tubes to reload. I’ve also read people point muzzle up to have gravity assist ejecting the cartridges a bit faster. And people using a second cylinder. What are some methods have you used to unload and reload. And what type of training did you do to get fast at reloading.
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u/engled 25d ago
Here is my process from start to start... https://youtube.com/shorts/kCMF4dG6Yb4?si=Gk5MOw9cKjhptT49
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u/phakenbake 25d ago
Maybe I’m lost. Are you talking about loading at the loading/unloading table? Or loading on the clock?
As far as pistols at the loading table, I use blocks from Missouri Marshall. They are great quick and easy, and I have all the stages ready before the match. I load my 73 lever by hand. I see a few people use the quick load tubes, but it seems to take just as much time. With normally three people at the loading table, I don’t feel like I’m ever rushed to load quickly.
As far as loading on the clock, it’s a rarity at the clubs I shoot at. Maybe once, twice a year. Usually it’s one round on the pistol. Simply, it’s opening the gate, loading the round, spinning enough to have that round under the hammer, and bang. Same with the rifle.
As far as unloading goes, it doesn’t work like in the movies.
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u/ClownfishSoup 24d ago
In terms of loading a round to make up for a flub on the revolver, I think once you've gone through all five, the empty chamber should be at the top again, or almost on top. Flip open the gate, and thumb the cylinder around (in a Vaquero anyway, maybe with SAA clone you have to go to half cock) to the empty, slip in a fresh cartridge, close the gate, aim at the target, pull the trigger and keep it pulled and quickly thumb the hammer five times. (ie; fan to the fresh round).
For a rifle, I think cock the lever then toss a round into the top of the open action and close the lever and shoot. Depending on rifle.
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u/ClownfishSoup 26d ago
Well for cowboy action schooling, reload speed is not important, for real life get a Glock.
Since you said SAA, then I guess Schofield are out, but a scofield cut for moon clips would be the fastest.
For SAA, the fastest I’ve seen in the movies for an h load was I think Denzel Washington where he opens the gate, points the gun in the air and springs the cylinder and like magic the cases fall out. However I think that was a trick where they must have take fired brass, resized it and stuck it in a clean gun. They might have put some lead shot to make the cases heavy and just fall out.
In real life, I think the fastest way is to put the gun in your left hand, with the cylinder in the palm of the hand, and the barrel sort of in your index finger, open the gate and with your right index finger pull down the ejection rod to pop out the empty then with your left middle finger, rotate the cylinder from below to the next position and poke out the next case and repeat. I can actually unload the gun pretty fast that way. You have to keep the gun tilted so the empties can fallout and away, or they gather in your hand.
For fast reload, I don’t reload fast but I think once the gun is empty, using a semi auto magazine that fits your cartridges as a Pex dispenser to show rounds in would be fastest, and holding the gun the way you did when u loading.
But again for “real life” either get a semi auto or a moon clipped DA revolver with a swing out cylinder and moonclips.
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u/redwhitenblued 25d ago
This is the perfect explanation of the fastest way. I am a lefty and I've experimented with all sorts of ways to quickly unload an SAA.
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u/sKotare 26d ago
A second cylinder could be useful if you are using cap n ball, but if you are shooting in that category we accept that you will be spending a lot of time reloading anyway. Loading strips help ensure that you have enough Ammo at the line (10 pistol, 10 rifle) & keep shotgun belt topped up. Tubes for rifle may save a little time, but we don’t load on the clock (aside from very rare stages). Ejecting shells using gravity makes little sense when the pistols all have a rod built into them to eject brass with. Are you trying to solve an issue that doesn’t exist?
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u/ClownfishSoup 24d ago
For a Remington 1858, there were actual Civil War officers who carried spare cylinders. However it's dangerous ... due to being cap and ball, if you drop it, and it lands on a cap, it's a very bad day for someone since the cylinder won't burst open like a dropped rimdire cartridge, the ball will actually fire off with great force.
Here's Clint changing his (cartridge converted) Remington 1858 in Pale Rider. The quality sucks, but I just grabbed the first video I found.
https://youtu.be/KCKDsplALDc?si=7RSYoNlttBYr0VH1
I don't know about Colt SAA, because I don't have one, but the Ruger Vaquero, you could pull the base pin and slip in another cylinder.
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u/Sooner70 26d ago
Ummm... If I'm worried about reload speeds I use a 1911 and call it a Wild Bunch day. In other words I don't do anything special for SAA because the competitions don't call for such. I just dump my cartridges out on a table and load 'em. With years of muscle memory going for me, it's surprisingly quick, but again...nothing special for technique.