Why is the greatest handgun ever made such a bitch to reload...

This or carry multiple SAAs.

6 shots of .357 magnum is enough four 2 jamaals and a jerry.

Get a Ruger Blackhawk or a Virginia Dragoon in .44 Magnum then, then you'll feel like each shot matters (if looking at a Dragoon, make sure it's not one of the early ones, they had really loose bores).

For what it matters, it was a fast way to reload in the day. Consider that not that long before the Colt 1873, cylinders had to be loaded with loose powder, ball, and caps, all by hand, meaning basically you only loaded a revolver in advance.
So you either spent a long time loading on the range when practicing, or when it was go time, you hoped that six shots were enough, or that you had a plan B, because reloading a cap and ball cylinder in a firefight isn't a practical option. Plan B was often to have a second loaded gun, a so called "New York Reload".

Now look at the Colt 1873 again, it uses self-contained metallic centerfire cartridge, cap, powder and projectile all as one unit which you could just insert by opening a little gate and lining up the cylinder.
When the cartridges were spent, you could poke out the spent casings with the ejector rod, then easily load a new round of cartridges, not fast by modern standards, but very fast for its day, a fraction of the time of a cap and ball gun.
If you could run for cover for just a moment, you could reasonably reload it and it wouldn't take way too long time. Hell, if speed was really called for, you could just load one or two cartridges in a hurry.

That's not even getting into the centerfire cartridge being waterproof (meaning ammunition could be handled, loaded and fired during rain), and the primer sticking in the case, rather than just blowing in all directions like they do on a cap and ball revolver or caplock musket, where fragments of the cap potentially could jam up a revolver action, or even hit you in the face.
The Colt 1873 wasn't just dead sexy to look at, it was actually some pretty high tech stuff in its day.

Attached: 1543110073436.jpg (1869x1310, 774K)

This was a viable tactic in the day.
Hell, with modern takes on the thing, you could even carry all six chambers loaded safely, so it would work even better now than it did then.

This.
With a two-handed grip, you can get a pretty steady hold on it, and using your offhand thumb to cock the hammer, you can place aimed shots pretty damn fast.

Looks like its father was a shotgun

>built like a tank
No. Take a closer look at the top strap.

I have a .500 sw, but my lust for big irons is not yet sated

The old Single Action Army isn't actually that strong (lockwork, frame, and cylinder are all pretty modest in strength, even with modern metallurgy), but some of the later guns based on it are pretty stupidly strong.

Attached: Magnum Research BFR.jpg (2000x1213, 615K)

I mean you're not wrong

There's some mighty Big Irons out there still to experience, my good friend.
Pic related is a Magnum Research BFR, custom rebuilt for the .50 Alaskan cartrdige

Attached: BFR, .50 Alaskan.jpg (1024x768, 427K)

everything above .44 magnum is impractical masochism

this keeps me up at night

People use it for the novelty, whaddya expect?

based

Based informative poster, I’m buying one now

Some people enjoy a Mega Magnum