Left side loading gate on Ruger single actions?

[flintman]

Will it ever come about?There's enough left handed guns out there already!Does anyone know how Bill Grover is doing?I hope he is well.Is anyone doing this kind of conversions now?Thanks all,Jeff.

[Flint]

Some say the Single Action is left handed because the Cavalryman (Dragoon) held his sword in his right.

[Camel 23]

These guns ARE for right handed people!  While on horseback righthanded people would hold the reigns in their left hand and shoot with their right.  To reload, they would put the gun in their left hand, while still holding the reigns, and load it with their right hand.  Makes sense to me.

[oso45-70]

Jeff,
Say Jeff i got a nice little 32 H&R Mag i'll sell you, But its going to cost you dearly. I'm having a ball with it, Thanks Mr Flintman. Have a good day and stay safe.............Joe................

[flintman]

I know I'd love to have one to ride but right now I'm a walking/wandering hunter,that is why I brought this subject up.Keep that .32 oiled up Joe,you may weaken on your desire to keep it! :-D

[BUGEYE]

sam colt was left handed, that's why the gate is on the right.

[bpjon]

Sam Colt was dead in 1862, SAA was introduced 1873.

[Flint]

The very first Colts were the same, though gateless, the loading lever equipped percussion guns, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1851, 1860/61, conversions and the 1871/2 opentop were all loaded or capped on the right side, so the left hand had to hold the gun.  The 1873, though Sam Colt had died, was mechanically identical except for being a cartridge revolver.

[Mauser]

I, too, had heard that the reason was that Sam Colt was left-handed.  However, there are not that many left-handed guns out there for us southpaws.  That must be why I love single-actions so much!  The righties get to know what it is like for us. :-)

[300 Loudnboomer]

I am ambidextrous so I dont notice left right problem , It doesnt matter how it loads after a couple of times.

[Malamute]

I'm not sure where the idea the single action guns are "left handed" came from. I believe they are right handed, and work very well right handed. I hold the gun in my left hand while I  unload and reload with my right hand. The left hand has the "dumb" job of holding the gun and rotating the cylinder, the right hand has the "smart" job of manipulating the ejector rod and handling the fresh rounds. This is not something my left hand is very good at.  When unloading and reloading this way, it takes about  2 or 3 seconds to eject the empties, and fresh rounds are pulled from the belt 2 at a time. I think they are perfectly designed for right handed shooters. The pictures and descriptions of Grovers backwards guns looked slow and awkward to me.
 
 I guess this is why we have different guns for different styles and preferences.

[SLAVAGE]

i know it dosent count for much but i seen it both on wild west tec an tales of the gun an they said basicly what Camel23 said
they loaded with ther right cause the rains were in ther left hand while riding a horse

[Old Griz]

:cb2: I have to agree 100% with Malamute. I think some folks are/were trying too hard to come up with a complicated answer for a real simple question. I think the SAA was designed for right handed people from the start. Colt may have been left handed, but he knew that the vast majority of folks were not. The SAA has the gate on the right side so that when people are shooting at you--on horseback, or simply on the ground--you can load faster with your right hand than you can with your left. Reigns or no reigns. Some folks can't find their butt with their left hand, let alone stick a cartridge in that little hole under stress. Which hand do you use to stick the speedloader in the cylinder? The right. (Oh gosh, I'd hate to try that left handed!) SA or DA, you're still feeding ammo with the right hand.

So there! That and $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.  :grin:
(Oh, speaking of coffee, you guys gotta try Arbuckles! If you haven't already, you're in for a treat!)