DA accuracy is terrible!

H

higgscharger

New member
I am new to shooting in general and very new to revolvers.

I just got a Ruger Security Six .357 as my first revolver to learn on.

Went to the range today and shot some SA and some DA, shooting .38 specials.

In SA, I am by no means a great shot, but I can at least put it on the target.

In DA, I sometimes can't even figure out where the bullet went and it very rarely hit the target.

Remembering that I am still in "Shooting 101" stage of my learning curve, where do I start to get better in general and specifically, what do I change to get my DA shots on target?
 
Where was the front sight when the hammer fell?

Dry fire it DA. It the front sight moving when you pull the trigger?

Dry fire daily, concentrating on keeping the front sight on the target as you pull through.

It will take many repetitions to tone your hand and arm muscles to the point they can keep the gun steady as you pull through ....

You might try what I did: buy a Nagant Revolver- it has like a 15 pound DA pull .... dry fire that thing until you get calluses .... after that, that Ruger will feel like a buttered Colt.
 
I am by no means an expert, and others will give you much better advice later, but I would suggest slowing down your trigger pull. I have to do this sometimes if I start jerking the trigger instead of squeezing it. Start out with a slow pull, and focusing on keeping your sight on the target. As you practice, you can speed your pull up incrementally.
 
Start with dryfire practice.

Here's a great resource for being safe while dryfiring.
http://www.corneredcat.com/article/practice-time/dry-fire-safety/

You'll want to position your hands and trigger finger so that the trigger can be pulled straight back into the gun rather than torqueing the gun to the left or right or yanking it downward as the trigger is pulled.

Focus on keeping the trigger moving and keeping the sights aligned. Concentrate on the trigger release phase too. When you're letting the trigger move forward after the hammer falls the gun should stay still during that process. You should be able to run through a full cycle (pull/release) while keeping the sights aligned on the target.

The ultimate goal is no visible movement of the sights while the trigger is operated.
 
Trigger Pull

This isn’t original (I wish I HAD thought of it) – play a game in your mind…imagine as you’re pulling the trigger you are actually pulling the front sight back through the notch in the rear sight and concentrate on pulling it back through the exact center of the rear notch so that it doesn’t touch either side of the rear notch.

In reality this is just another game to keep you fixated on the sights and your trigger pull but I’ve found it useful myself and for people I’ve introduced to shooting.
 
higgscharger, like the others said dry fire the Sec-Six, and remember don't pull but squeeze the trigger, and don't get discouraged, remember 95% of the time it's not the gun, the the man using the gun.
 
Dry fire practice.

1) Put a coin on the barrel rib. While aiming an empty gun at the target, squeeze off the trigger in the DA mode. Keep the coin on the rib.

or

2) Sharpened pencil with a rubber eraser. Put target on cardboard box and squeeze off the trigger in the DA mode. You'll know if you're flinching.
 
The problem most people have with DA is they try to shoot the handgun like it was single action. Meaning the slowly pull the trigger back trying to keep the sights lined up as they pull the trigger. Pull, stop, pull, stop, etc.

DA requires a fast (but steady) pull, don't stop, just pull the trigger.

Just this 4th I was visiting my daughter and she was complaining about the heavy trigger pull on her pistol.

I watched her a bit and sure enough, she was pulling the trigger quite slow trying to make it like a single action.

I told her to "stop that, pull the damn trigger", meaning just pull the trigger in one smooth fast manner.

Not only did it help her shooting, she also didn't notice the heavy trigger pull.

As to dry firing & trigger control, Can't beat a laser sight. That red dot tells you what your doing wrong. The dime on the barrel helps but it doesn't tell you where your sights were when the hammer falls.
 
Another thing to consider is that a DA trigger often requires different placement of the trigger finger than SA triggers do. Often times, people who are used to shooting SA guns try to pull DA triggers with the pad of their finger as they would with a SA gun. Due to the increased pull weight, however, they often aren't able to hold the gun steady while pulling the trigger and thus suffer poor accuracy. If you're not already doing it, place the trigger in the distal joint of your finger. This gives you more leverage and thus allows you to hold the gun steadier while pulling the trigger.
 
Another thing to consider is that a DA trigger often requires different placement of the trigger finger than SA triggers do. Often times, people who are used to shooting SA guns try to pull DA triggers with the pad of their finger as they would with a SA gun. Due to the increased pull weight, however, they often aren't able to hold the gun steady while pulling the trigger and thus suffer poor accuracy. If you're not already doing it, place the trigger in the distal joint of your finger. This gives you more leverage and thus allows you to hold the gun steadier while pulling the trigger.
Click to expand...

This, plus be sure to use two hands to start, then graduate to one hand. As a bonus, becoming proficient at one-hand shooting makes two handed shooting a lot easier.
 
All the advise offered here has been great.

I'll just add two things:

1) You bought an awesome gun. I'm a S&W guy for the most part, but that Ruger is a classic. It's something your great grand kids could shoot if you keep it clean and oiled.

2) Mastering shooting in DA with a revolver is, IMO, the best way to become a better shooter. It's like running barefoot in the sand while training for a marathon.

I'd only been shooting a revolver for 4 or 5 months when my friend visited with his Magnum Research Baby Eagle in .40. At the time, I could hold about a six inch group at seven yards shooting fast with my revolver. He could do a little better with his gun, holding about a four inch group. He felt awfully good about himself. Then we traded guns. His group opened up to over 10 inches, mine went down to TWO.
 
Also, what distance are you shooting at? If you are off the paper entirely, just move the target in until you can hit it double-action. This will help you identify your shooting errors, and you can gradually move the target back.
 
Just a word of encouragement: a friend of mine is an excellent shot in double action. When he had to re-qualify back in the day he did better in double action than single action. It's quite possible to be good in DA!
 
The Security Six doesn't have the greatest DA pull in the world, but it is manageable with practice. Remember the 1 - 2 of shooting:

1) keep the sights lined up
2) squeeze the trigger

Jim
 
Thanks for all the advice. I've definitely got a FEW ideas to work on.

One other related question:

I am not particularly experienced at zeroing. My ruger has an adjustable rear sight, obviously having that right is going to help my accuracy. Any idiot proof sighting method for inexperienced shooters?
 
Madcap...

Unfortunately, I don't think I can get all that much closer. I am already at about 7 yards.

I have really only put about 60 rounds so far and have not had a good couple hours to really work on troubleshooting and figuring things out, so hopefully if I do some of the dry fire exercises suggested here then go take a few hours at the range, I can move from "depressingly terrible" to "at least I am hitting SOMETHING."
 
This drill has helped improve my DA revolver shooting more than any other. Go to the range with a shooting partner, and have him load some number of rounds into the gun, that number being less than 6. As you are slow firing the gun, any bad habits or flinch that you have will be apparent when you hit the empty chambers.
 
To "sight in" the gun, you first have to have a group. You can probably get a decent group single action off a bench by using sandbags. Do not rest the gun on the bags or any support. Use a two hand hold and rest your wrists on the bags. Once you have a group (you should get 2" at 7 yards, easily; if you don't, then you are flinching badly), then you adjust the sights to put the shots where your sights point.

Jim
 
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