Do you use your double action revolver mostly SA or DA?

I have 2 Sig P239. One is DA/SA, the other one is DAK. So the DAK doesn't give me a choice. But the DAK has lighter/smoother trigger pull.
1911/Browning HP. types are SA only. So DA. is nice if only one hand is available for whatever reason.
 
I shoot my DA guns SA most of the time because it pleases me. In some cases I have the DA just to get a better grip than on a SA version in that cartridge.
 
I own two J frames, 3 K frame and a Colt Army Special. I've gotten into the habit of always practicing shooting DA part of the time every time I go to the range - primarily because I carry the 2 J frames. I'm a dedicated SA revolver shooter but on my "more modern" ones listed, I think it's very important to be able to shoot them well in both DA and SA.
 
Depends on the gun and purpose.

If I am teaching someone, I'll use the DA/SA revolver and start them with DA pulls, and then, after a few cylinders worth, demonstrate what an SA pull is like.

One relative can't pull the trigger in DA at ALL, and it is only about 9lbs of trigger pressure. The muzzle begins wandering around like crazy.

For her, it is SA only.

For Myself, it depends.

My GP100 is 90% of the time in DA mode, as it is one I would pack for defense, and I train [90% of the time] like I would use it.

My Super Redhawk is 50% of the time in DA mode. For years, the SRH was the only .44mag I had, so I shoot it in SA mode as it was simply for fun. I don't pack it, so a DA pull isn't necessary for defensive training.

Since the SBH was added, I'll probably be using the SRH in DA mode 90% of the time also.

It all depends on what the purpose of the use is.

If I were using my GP100 for a one-shot no-time-limit-involved attempt to hit a can at a distance over 20 yards [with my eyes], I'd be using it SA mode.

If I were using it for defense [outdoors or urban], it would be DA mode.

If I were handgun hunting, I'd probably cock it and use it in SA mode.

It all depends.
 
I use both. My carry pistol is a semi, so I spend a fair amount of time, perhaps even a majority, firing revolver single action, but I also shoot DA a good bit. My estimate would be a 60/40 split. I am of the opinion that practicing with a DA revolver trigger makes a person have better overall trigger control. When I dry fire, most of it is with the revolver in DA.
 
I am of the opinion that practicing with a DA revolver trigger makes a person have better overall trigger control.
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I agree 1000%. It will make you a better shooter, and with any firearm, not just DA revolvers, and you will be a lot less trigger phobic.

When I first started shooting revolvers, I was also of the opinion that SA was the only accurate way to shoot them, and there was no way, shooting DA could be more accurate. That was until I got my 4" Model 29, and was having troubles shooting accurately with it with hot loads. The 29 had a very nice trigger, in both respects, and SA was VERY light. I was having flinching issues because of it, as I knew, as soon as I touched that trigger, the gun was going off. At the suggestion of a friend who was an accomplished DAO revolver shooter/competitor, I started shooting the 29 in that manner, and once I got past the initial prejudices and lack of muscle tone, I quickly saw my groups begin to shrink. I also found my speed picking up. That was a little over 40 years ago, and Ive rarely thumb cocked a DA revolver since.

Since learning to shoot DAO, I have found I really dont worry about the trigger on anything I shoot (I dont even think about the trigger at all when I shoot), unless of course, something is really wrong with it, which anymore, seems to be a pretty rare thing. The last trigger I had messed with was back in the mid 90's. It was a 1911 built from parts, that really did need it. Even then, I simply had them make it clean, and at around 6 pounds.
 
Mostly DA, but I always end a session in SA just to see how accurate I can be.

Basically, I shoot DA for training, and SA for fun - in my revolver and autos.
 
Howdy

Mostly Single Action because I am usually trying to shoot accurately. Sorry folks, but there is no way a double action trigger pull can be as easily let off as a single action trigger pull.

However, every range session I always fire a few cylinders full Double Action just to see how well I can do.
 
For some of us, the answer is obvious, that's the way they were designed to be used...
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Funny, I always thought they were designed to be used either way.


If youre concentrating on the let off, youre not focused on the right thing.
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And if you think DA shooting has the same potential accuracy as SA shooting, you're probably delusional.


I am of the opinion that practicing with a DA revolver trigger makes a person have better DA trigger control.
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Fixed that for you.
 
And if you think DA shooting has the same potential accuracy as SA shooting, you're probably delusional.
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Welcome to the asylum! :D

Once you get over thinking the way you do, you'll be well on your way to recovery, and better shooting "overall". :)

Fixed that for you.
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You have much to learn grasshopper. ;)


Hey, if you like shooting SA, have at it. If its all you can do, then you need to give DA a good try, and see that it can be very accurate, and in many cases, a more accurate (not to mention, accuracy with speed). But you wont know that, if you arent willing to learn (and its not hard at all) to shoot this way.
 
95 shots out of a 100 is DA. Revolver pull is so smooth I barely notice it. Occasionally shoot SA. And accuracy is a bit better, but not much. And I would never cock a hammer if I was shooting in self defense. You can breathe on a S&W trigger with the hammer back and it's gonna fire.
 
AK103K said:
You have much to learn grasshopper.
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+1

If you can't shoot a DA/SA revolver as well (or nearly so) in DA, becasue you don't practice DA shooting, and/or don't see the need to, and you consider yourself a revolver shooter, you've got a really big hole in your repertoire.

Homerboy said:
And I would never cock a hammer if I was shooting in self defense.
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An important point. In a stressful situation, you're going to revert to what you normally do. So if you choose a revolver for SD, you'd be wise to consistently practice your DA shooting. Below's a good read on the matter:


From http://www.grantcunningham.com/2007/08/the-case-for-the-double-action-only-revolver/:
light single action triggers are great on the calm shooting range, but pose a liability risk for unintentional discharges under stress. As Massad Ayoob says, single action triggers are great shooting tools, but lousy threat management tools.

Now I I know what you’re thinking: “OK, but I promise I’ll never use it!” I’m sure you mean that sincerely, but it’s human nature to practice what we’re already good at, and to do that which is easiest for us. At the range, it’s not uncommon to watch someone shoot a revolver at, say 50 feet and become disenchanted with their groups. At that point, they usually switch to the easier pull of the single action and shoot that way. This imprints their subconscious to use single action when they are unsure of their abilities, and this may be what they revert to under stress.

Once that act of thumbing back the hammer has become habit, another problem crops up: the Hollywood-inspired (and reinforced) act of cocking the gun to show the bad guy that you “really mean it!”
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For a long time, I used my K-38 and K-22 single action in formal target shooting, while I used my Model 36 and Model 19 duty guns almost exclusively in DA. I did it that way because that was the way it was supposed to be done, according to all the experts.

Then it began to dawn on me that I was shooting BETTER in DA than in SA. That was contrary to everything taught or "known" at the time; it was like finding out that the flat world really was round. So I began to use DA for both pure target and SD practice.

I never won any national championships, and never had to fire a shot in anger, but I did well enough in both areas to keep up with local guys who fired only formal target with an SA revolver or an auto pistol, and with the other LEO's who did only SD type shooting.

Using a K-38 DA, I fired as good or better scores than with my Model 52; since the latter is extremely accurate, maybe one can hit a barn shooting DA.

Jim
 
My first handgun was a Model 17-6 and the double action (as shipped) is smooth & clean but heavy, so I guess I started to develop the finger strength and muscle memory early in my shooting life. It was quite a long time ago that I almost entirely abandoned EVER shooting in single action. I find I have to re-adjust my grip to thumb back the hammer or it doesn't feel "right" and that complete lack of shot to shot consistency makes for less than optimal results.

So for sure, I vote double action all the way, with an exclamation point. If we lived in a fantasy world where I had the opportunity to trade away any revolver's mechanical ability to shoot operate in SA mode -- I would quickly trade it away for almost any tangible upgrade and I would have no regrets.
 
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