Founded in 1976 by the late Jeff Cooper, Gunsite is well-known for training law enforcement and military organizations as well as civilians in the defensive use of rifles, shotguns, double-action revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. But Rangers Webb and McDonald would have felt right at home in Gunsite’s newest class, Single Action Defensive Pistol (SADP), a three-day modification of the academy’s popular five-day Defensive Pistol Course No. 250. To my knowledge, it is the first time professional self-defense firearm techniques have been fine-tuned specifically for single-action revolvers. But don’t think Gunsite’s SAPD Course is anything like Cowboy Action Shooting. It’s not, and even top CAS competitors would learn different skills when taking this course.
“CAS competitions encourage you to shoot as fast as you can, and any hit counts, even an ’edger,” says Larry Mudgett, a 35-year Los Angeles Police Dept. veteran, SWAT team instructor, champion CAS competitor and Gunsite instructor who served as rangemaster for the first class. “But in an actual gunfight, a center hit is more effective in stopping your assailant. That’s why Gunsite trains shooters to only shoot as fast as it takes to obtain solid fight-stopping hits. In addition, cowboy action shooters often use the lightest loads possible. At Gunsite, we use full-power self-defense ammunition. And while holstering an empty gun after shooting a CAS stage is normal, holstering an empty gun after a gunfight can get you killed by a second threat you may not have seen. That’s why we instruct our shooters to always keep their guns loaded.”
Indeed, every Gunsite exercise requires a tactical reload, which means immediately replacing the rounds you fired. Moreover, at Gunsite you are encouraged to wear your holstered sidearm at all times, both on and off the range. And although I am a Single Action Shooting Society “lifer” and have been shooting single-action originals and replicas for more than four decades, including shooting exhibitions, fast-draw competitions and hunting, it was the challenge of learning Gunsite’s self-defense techniques that brought me to the inaugural SADP course.
As the event was sponsored by Ruger, SureFire and XS Sight Systems, needless to say the six-guns used encompassed a wide assortment of Rugers, including .45 Colt stainless New Vaqueros with 45⁄8-inch barrels, plus the limited-production stainless .45 Montado, which features a lowered and widened hammer spur and 3¾-inch barrel. I also brought my limited-edition Ruger Blackhawk Flat Top .44 Spl., which is built on the pre-1962 XR-3 frame. Ruger even supplied an engraved 50th Anniversary .357 Mag. Blackhawk commemorative, proof that these collectables are also shooters. Two highly customized Ruger single-actions—an exquisite Hamilton Bowen-enhanced .44 Spl. Flat Top and my Super Blackhawk .44 Mag. (through which I shot .44 Spl. ammunition) that had been casehardened and completely reworked by Oglesby & Oglesby—also proved they could shoot as good as they looked.
In truth, any quality single-action could have served us well, including the venerable Colt Single Action Army and the excellent Italian replicas from firms such as Cimarron, EMF, Taylor’s and Uberti. The Rugers, however, with their coil mainsprings and rugged construction proved to be real workhorses. Each man fired approximately 300 rounds during the three-day course, and there were no malfunctions with any of the guns. The Ruger transfer-bar system, which permits loading six rounds, is another advantage. With more traditionally styled single-actions, only five rounds can be safely carried, with the hammer resting over the sixth (empty) chamber to prevent an accidental discharge. In a self-defense situation, that extra round in the Ruger could make a difference. In addition, Ruger’s reverse-indexing pawl, which permits the cylinder to be slightly rotated back and forth within the loading gate cutout, aided immeasurably when reloading under pressure.
