Delay in getting the gun into action? You must be referring to something other than a single action sixgun! Where is the delay? For the person who knows what he is doing, there is no practical difference in presentation and firing between the SA sixgun and more modern weapons. Some folks say Condition One autos are slow. Some say long-stroke DA handguns are slow. No, they are not slow, once the man/woman who knows the system has learned to draw and present the weapon. In each case, by the time the muzzle is on target, the weapon is ready to fire.
In a draw-and-fire-NOW situation, by the time the 1911's muzzle is on target, the safety is off, and of course, the hammer was cocked all along. The shooter has swept off the safety during the draw, after the weapon left the holster.
In a draw-and-fire-NOW situation, by the time the long-stroke DA handgun's muzzle is on target, the hammer is back, about to fall off the DA sear, as the EXPERIENCED/EDUCATED double-action shooter has started the pull during the draw, after the weapon cleared leather. (Obviously, this method does not apply to draw-and-hold scenarios.) Ernest Langdon's website has the best explanation of this I have seen in print, entitled "Fear Not The DA Shot." To be clear, the article is written from a competition standpoint, but the principle is the same.
In a draw-and-fire-NOW situation, by the time the muzzle of the SA sixgun is on target, the hammer is cocked, as the shooter cocked during the draw, after the weapon left the holster. If slip-shooting, the trigger is back, too, and only the thumb is restraining the hammer.
Hmm, looks to me like the most complicated weapons are the long-stroke DA handguns! To be clear, long-stroke DA is my preferred go-to trigger system at this time, but I do own SA sixguns, and have learned the manual of arms. It is not an allowed weapon system for me to use for general carry, as I am employed by a PD which limits our weapon choices, and considers all defensive shootings to be line-of-duty, on or off the clock. If this were not the case, I might well carry an SA sixgun at least some of the time. An SA sixgun allows me to carry a big-bore cartridge in a weapon that fits my not-so-large hands, does not pound my wrists with straight-line recoil, and points like nothing else in the world.
I, too, concede the slower reload part. I have made no secret of carrying a spare weapon most of the time, so a slow reload of one those weapons is of lesser consequence that it would otherwise be.