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Double action perfectively
- Thread starter Woodslab
- Start date
Woodslab said:Which style is the most accurate for you. Single action or double action?
About the same for me, but I do 99.9% of my shooting DA.
Woodslab said:Can you quickly pull the trigger in DA and then set the sights and ---then sqeeze off the last .040" to drop the hammer accurately?
No - because I don't stage the trigger. Staging the DA trigger doesn't lend itself to the best DA accuracy (or speed). It amounts to timing the shot, which is a futile endeavor. On top of that, it's almost guaranteed you'll jerk that last 0.04".
Darker Loaf
New member
I've shot all 500 or so rounds (some 200+ were shot by others) through my 986 in double-action. I do tend to stage the trigger, and I am used to this type of trigger pull from Kahr semi-autos. I really want to make my 986 DAO. I shoot my 986 in DA better than I do most semi-autos. LOVE that gun.
I shoot double action probably 95-98% of the time. Or, to more accurately gauge or express it... the only time I shoot single action is when I'm shooting the revolver off a rest, from a bench, and this is when I'm on the rifle range and shooting at a gong that's 50-100-200 yards down range.
I began shooting double action exclusively years ago when it occurred to me that shooting single action was altering the grip I had on the revolver to cock the hammer each time. It seemed to me that no matter which of my thumbs I'd use to sling back that hammer, I ended up having to adjust & re-adjust my hold on the handgun to get comfortable, repeatable results. As I did many, many years of shooting for groups on paper, it was not at all hard for me to see that I could shoot better, more consistently, more accurately and more enjoyably if I simply shot double action.
However, I realized in short order that while I really do find use and enjoyment from all the different revolvers I own... only Smith & Wesson revolvers truly seem to have the double action that I really enjoy the most, with my two Ruger revolvers in second place, and all others seemingly far behind.
I'd never consider myself a Smith & Wesson snob, but when I'm considering the purchase of any revolver that isn't a Smith & Wesson, I've got to stop myself and consider exactly what I hope to get from it because I know right from the start that I'm (seemingly) "capped" somewhere under perfect when it comes to doing the kind of shooting I'm going to most enjoy with it. And that's okay, as long as I know this going in.
I began shooting double action exclusively years ago when it occurred to me that shooting single action was altering the grip I had on the revolver to cock the hammer each time. It seemed to me that no matter which of my thumbs I'd use to sling back that hammer, I ended up having to adjust & re-adjust my hold on the handgun to get comfortable, repeatable results. As I did many, many years of shooting for groups on paper, it was not at all hard for me to see that I could shoot better, more consistently, more accurately and more enjoyably if I simply shot double action.
However, I realized in short order that while I really do find use and enjoyment from all the different revolvers I own... only Smith & Wesson revolvers truly seem to have the double action that I really enjoy the most, with my two Ruger revolvers in second place, and all others seemingly far behind.
I'd never consider myself a Smith & Wesson snob, but when I'm considering the purchase of any revolver that isn't a Smith & Wesson, I've got to stop myself and consider exactly what I hope to get from it because I know right from the start that I'm (seemingly) "capped" somewhere under perfect when it comes to doing the kind of shooting I'm going to most enjoy with it. And that's okay, as long as I know this going in.
I'm on the other side of the coin from the DA guys. I do 99.9% of my shooting SA. And its definitely more accurate, for me.
On a good day, shooting SA I'll put everything in one ragged hole, or a small group. Shooting DA, not so much.
Until I was 30, no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to hit the proverbial bull in the butt shooting DA. Then, one day, just for fun, I shot a cylinder full (slowfire) DA at a steel target, and was rewarded with six nice sounding "tinks".
After that, I learned that a could shoot DA and hit. Now, nearly 30 years later, I'm still in that place. I can shoot DA, and hit well at close ranges, I just don't bother doing it. Shooting SA, I get good hits at ALL ranges, including the 200yd gong on the rifle range.
I know that people can learn to shoot DA (with a good gun) quite accurately, and very fast, and some can even shoot very accurately DA at long distance.
I'm in the old school that considers the DA function of a DA revolver to be there for emergency use. (not emergency use only, just emergency use.)
I'm competent enough to be able to dump a cylinder full of .38s fast, into a palm size group at across the room range, shooting DA, and I'm comfortable with that.
99.9% of my shooting is SA. About half my revolvers are single action Rugers (ten), where there is no DA option. I carry a medium or (usually) large revolver for sport, and I have a Colt Agent for concealed personal defense carry. Personally, I think I'm covered, as far as revolvers are concerned.
And please, don't write in saying things like "shooting SA will get you killed...".
I'm not a gunfighter, never have been, and don't plan on being one in the couple decades that I have left, and the odds are VERY high I won't be.
I also don't compete or play games that simulate combat shooting, either. For me, there is more to handgunning than just combat shooting, so most of the arguments about what are the best tools and practices for doing that are of little relevance for me.
Understand that I'm not speaking about which method, SA or DA is best, or under what conditions. The OP asked which was more accurate, for me, and for me, its absolutely SA!
On a good day, shooting SA I'll put everything in one ragged hole, or a small group. Shooting DA, not so much.
Until I was 30, no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to hit the proverbial bull in the butt shooting DA. Then, one day, just for fun, I shot a cylinder full (slowfire) DA at a steel target, and was rewarded with six nice sounding "tinks".
After that, I learned that a could shoot DA and hit. Now, nearly 30 years later, I'm still in that place. I can shoot DA, and hit well at close ranges, I just don't bother doing it. Shooting SA, I get good hits at ALL ranges, including the 200yd gong on the rifle range.
I know that people can learn to shoot DA (with a good gun) quite accurately, and very fast, and some can even shoot very accurately DA at long distance.
I'm in the old school that considers the DA function of a DA revolver to be there for emergency use. (not emergency use only, just emergency use.)
I'm competent enough to be able to dump a cylinder full of .38s fast, into a palm size group at across the room range, shooting DA, and I'm comfortable with that.
99.9% of my shooting is SA. About half my revolvers are single action Rugers (ten), where there is no DA option. I carry a medium or (usually) large revolver for sport, and I have a Colt Agent for concealed personal defense carry. Personally, I think I'm covered, as far as revolvers are concerned.
And please, don't write in saying things like "shooting SA will get you killed...".
I'm not a gunfighter, never have been, and don't plan on being one in the couple decades that I have left, and the odds are VERY high I won't be.
I also don't compete or play games that simulate combat shooting, either. For me, there is more to handgunning than just combat shooting, so most of the arguments about what are the best tools and practices for doing that are of little relevance for me.
Understand that I'm not speaking about which method, SA or DA is best, or under what conditions. The OP asked which was more accurate, for me, and for me, its absolutely SA!
TheWanderingRed
New member
I shoot better in SA then I do in double action, especially when I am staging the trigger. I do a better job of shooting DA when I don't stage the trigger. It seems that a quick smooth pull is easier for me than trying to hold my grip right up to the seer and then release. I always get a little tremor there at the end if I stage it.