Reloading revolvers?

Question
Hi Dave.

Why is it faster to reload a DA revolver than to reload a SA revolver?

Answer
If you take a look at both types, you'll notice that a normal DA revolver allows the cylinder to flip open for loading, exposing all chambers (usually 6) at once. With a pre-loaded speed loader, you can reload very quickly, dropping all new cartridges at once. Even without the speed loader, you drop all spent cases at once and then you can get to all chambers for reloading without rotating the cylinder.

For most SA revolvers, there is a loading gate that only exposes one cylinder at a time. You dump that spent case and load a new cartridge. Then you rotate the cylinder to the next stop, and repeat for each chamber. So, having to roatate the cylinder each time and only loading one cartridge at a time makes loading a SA take longer than with a DA revolver.

Hope this helps!

Dave