Two revolvers in single action
By MARJ LAW
Today is Wednesday. Joe and I are visiting the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) range. It’s 10:00: the time we practice and await any new shooters who might like a little assistance with their own handguns. It’s fun to help those who are starting out on the adventure of target shooting. It’s also interesting to compare handguns with experienced old and new friends.
We have perfect weather to be outdoors: 70s and sunshine. Joe plans to compare shooting 2 revolvers in single action only. One of the revolvers is an Uberti copy of the Peacemaker. This Model 1873 Cal. 45 Colt comes in single action only.
What’s single action? Single action means you have to cock the hammer first before the gun will fire. You can’t point and pull the trigger, expecting the gun to shoot. It won’t. Cock that hammer first.
Joe is comparing this Colt Peacemaker with the Smith & Wesson Governor. You can shoot the Governor in either single action (SA) or double action (DA). In double action, you are able to just pull the trigger and shoot. But since the Peacemaker is SA only, Joe is comparing both revolvers in SA.
Is there really any difference? If you cock the hammer in either gun, then just pull the trigger, the trigger pull ought to be the same, right?
Well, not exactly.
Joe begins by shooting the Peacemaker. I notice that his pinky finger is only half on the grip. Since there isn’t room for all his fingers, I’m suspecting that he may have some trouble controlling the gun.
He shoots 5 rounds. 2 of them hit within the black 6” circle of the target. Then he shoots the Governor. 3 more rounds make holes in the target. There are now a total of 5 rounds in the black.
Since he hadn’t warmed up before he began this comparison, I expect he will improve as he continues shooting. He plans to shoot 5 more rounds in each of the revolvers.
He shoots the Peacemaker first and adds 3 more rounds in the black. Then, with the Governor, he adds another 3 rounds to the target, making a total of 11 rounds in the small center of the target. Accuracy has come out to be even between the 2 revolvers.
“Which trigger is better?” I wonder.
“The Peacemaker’s trigger is crisper.” He thinks for a moment.
“But the Governor’s trigger is good, too,” he continues. “But not quite so good as the Peacemaker’s. Both are crisp, and travel is short. Although both guns have slightly more than 3-pound triggers, I like the Peacemaker’s trigger a bit better.”
“What about the grip?” I’m pretty sure he will prefer the Governor’s grip, as the Governor has a Hogue rubberized grip with finger grooves. The Peacemaker’s is made of walnut and is short and smooth.
“I like the Governor’s grip. Although my pinky didn’t fit altogether on the Peacemaker, my accuracy was equally good, but the Governor’s grip fit better.”
“Does that mean you prefer the Governor?”
“I like both guns basically the same, but I like them for different reasons.
If I’m target shooting, I prefer the Peacemaker. I like the way it feels on my hand, even with a bit of pinky dangle. It is the ‘gun that won the west,’ and has endured for over a century.”
If I were out in the woods, I’d want the Governor to defend myself. It has versatility. I can shoot 45 Colt, 45 ACP with moon clips or .410 slugs. I could dispatch a coyote, kill a snake, or even protect myself from a bear, if needed.” The Truth About Guns agrees: “Shooting a Governor loaded with .45 COLTs, our man Wayne could put holes in the center of a target up to ten yards away all day long.”
As Joe shoots both revolvers, there seems to be little difference over firing them in single action although they are 2 very different handguns.
But there’s no accounting for personal preference.
The Peacemaker appears elegant with its curved grip and 5.5” barrel. The Governor has a 2 ¾” barrel and a cylinder of 2 ½”. An article in the Truth About Guns pointed out that the cylinder is “nearly the size of a can of Red Bull.” Compared to the Peacemaker, the Governor looks clunky and short.
Both guns weigh a bit more than 2 pounds.
Both have iron sights, with grooves on the frame for the rear sights.
The Peacemaker has a slanting ramp for a front sight, and the Governor has a tritium front sight.
You have to load each single round by first half-cocking the hammer, then opening the gate on the right side of the Peacemaker. You load each round into each chamber, revolving the cylinder and putting in the next round.
Loading the Governor is easier and less cumbersome. Roll out the cylinder of the Governor, and pop your rounds into each chamber.
Unloading the Governor is easier, too. Just push the ejector rod and all casings will pop out. With the Peacemaker, you have to push spent casings out one at a time.
So, since the Governor is easier to use, versatile, just more than a decade old, and can be shot without cocking the hammer first, why would you bother with the Peacemaker?
Well…
Before the Peacemaker, the army could only use percussion guns.
The 1860 army .45 percussion gun had nothing on the then new 1873 Colt Peacemaker. Now, with the Peacemaker, there was no powder to keep dry. No time-stealing wads and lead to push down the chambers.
This is why percussion guns became obsolete right fast.
The Peacemaker, also known as the Frontier, the Model P or the Equalizer, replaced percussion guns. It was pricey and reliable. From its first production in 1873 until the beginning of World War II, it was one of the army’s service weapons.
I had the opportunity to shoot an original 1873 Peacemaker. Joe and I took a black powder class at Pirate Fashions in Tampa. The instructor owned an original Peacemaker. He not only allowed me to touch it, he let me shoot it as well.
At the range, I set my feet and got ready for a hard trigger pull and a great big bang. My finger was on the trigger and all the men at the range had stopped shooting. They were watching.
I’m thinking: “Oh, please don’t let me fall on my rear at the recoil.”
Then: “I’m going to hit that target. I’m going to hit that target.”
I squeezed the trigger. And: butter! The trigger was velvety as warm butter.
Bang! The gun fired with the smoothest recoil! There was never a smoother, better taken-care-of gun.
I’ll always remember that day.
So, even though Joe raves about the versatility of the Governor, I understand why he loves the Peacemaker.
The Peacemaker sits in the cradle of history.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.