He learned on a revolver.

D

dyl

New member
I have an interesting (to me) story to tell.

I went shooting with an older family member who did a lot to get me started shooting. He learned how to shoot with double action revolvers. He doesn't brag, but spoke fondly of his S&W 686 and those rubber Pachmayr grips on them. I had handled/dry fired his 686 years ago and noticed (along with a friend also shooting) that one particular chamber position produced a very heavy trigger pull. But the gentleman hadn't noticed this himself and had continued to shoot well- enlarging the hole in a CD disk at 8 yards (1 inch groups?)

Later we were cleaning and discovered fouling in front of the cylinder. Not the powdery fluffy carbon deposits that can be wiped off, but those annoying rings that really had some *height* to them. We scrubbed it well with a brass brush and handed it back to him. To us, the double action pull was cut in 1/2 at the chamber position. To him, he couldn't tell the difference. Eventually he said, "yeah that feels slick!" just to say something nice.

I'm surprised how insensitive he was to the trigger pull characteristic. How long had he put up with the cylinder face fouling? But I'm more surprised that his shooting continued to do well even so. He had practiced exclusively with double action for years and shoots better with it than SA. He must have mastered a trigger press straight to the rear pretty well. He told me once, "when I start to complain about a trigger, I find it's really my attitude that's the problem". While I don't always agree in the case that there's a hitch/grittiness that needs to be stoned out - It goes to show how much good training/practice can overcome a variety of things. Revolver shooters have often seen the heaviest and longest of trigger pulls already.
 
I agree, most people complain way more about the trigger than they should.
Learning how to shoot on a DA revolver is the best practice anyone could do, because it teaches good trigger control.

There's a guy on the semi forums trying to search for the right carry pistol because he is so used to Single Action triggers! If one only took the time to learn the basics, they could shoot any gun around.
 
"...most people complain way more about the trigger..." Usually people who have never shot anything with a really good trigger too. Worse that it seems a lot are thinking dry firing or plain use will fix a poor trigger.
ALL firearms require a trigger job right out of the box due to frivolous U.S. law suits. U.S. manufacturers are terrified of said suits. Justly so too. Costs a fortune, even when they win.
However, carbon build up as described is neglected maintenance. Nothing to do with SA or DA. Or what you learned on. SA and DA require different techniques. Kind of like driving a standard transmission vs a girly automatic. Ain't the same thing.
 
After years of upper end Trap competition I found it is always the equipments fault and never the shooter .
 
I am late in coming to shooting, but enjoy a variety of guns. I'm in complete agreement ... training with the correct technique allows one to accurately shoot any firearm. Besides the old fashioned spring type grip trainer, I have a P-64 training pistol (no firing pin hole on the bolt face, observation hole cut in the barrel side) and an old .32s&w revolver trainer with plugged cylinder chambers & barrel that I use to dry fire practice. Both have horribly heavy triggers; everything else feels light after practicing with those.
 
It goes to show how much good training/practice can overcome a variety of things.
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I've had many (read most) newbies immediately start thinking of modifications,,,
All in an attempt to make them or their gun more accurate.

When asked what I think is the best accessory to spend their money on,,,
My answer is invariably to buy 1,000 rounds of ammo,,,
No accessory will take the place of practice.

There are a lot of folk out there who believe that the proper accessory,,,
Will magically turn them into Bulls-Eye shooters.

Buy lots of ammo,,,
Shoot your gun often,,,
That's where skill comes from.

Aarond

.
 
Well, I got pretty good with DA, primarily with a Model 19 and a Model 36 3-inch, and I think I can say that I would have darned well known if a fouling buildup (or anything else) had increased the trigger pull by any significant amount, but perhaps some folks are less sensitive than I.

As to "ALL firearms require a trigger job right out of the box...", I disagree. Some, certainly. Even many. But ALL? Yes, "lawyer" triggers are and will continue to be, a problem, but they can be overcome by practice. But we also have to be careful not to go to the other extreme, demanding super light target triggers for carry guns, a sure recipe for an AD/ND that could easily kill an innocent person or literally shoot oneself in the foot (or some other portion of the anatomy).

Jim
 
My 1895 Nagant revolvers all had pretty heavy triggers that made them more difficult to shoot accurately. I don't think any other trigger has ever held me back. Some are more enjoyable to shot though.
 
ALL firearms require a trigger job right out of the box due to frivolous U.S. law suits.
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That goes double here in MA. For guns to be sold in MA they need to have something like a 10lb trigger, though once you buy them you can make them as light as you want. The MA compliant trigger on my Shield was hands down the absolute worst trigger you will ever feel on any gun. It was so damn heavy with no discernible breaking point, quickly replaced it with an Apex kit.
 
James K said:
Well, I got pretty good with DA, primarily with a Model 19 and a Model 36 3-inch, and I think I can say that I would have darned well known if a fouling buildup (or anything else) had increased the trigger pull by any significant amount, but perhaps some folks are less sensitive than I.
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This is what I was thinking. My 617 is pretty tight, and when it gets dirty, the DA is noticeably affected and the gun harder to shoot as accurately.

As far as "all" guns needing an action job, many factory triggers are "good enough", but it's a rare wheelgun who's trigger can't be improved by a good 'smith. I'm fortunate to have one of those rare gems, but most of my others benefited from action work.
 
There are a lot of folk out there who believe that the proper accessory,,,Will magically turn them into Bulls-Eye shooters.
Click to expand...

Back in my IPSC days, it didn't take me long to realize if I swapped guns with the top shooters in the club, nothing was going to change. They would clean my clock with my stock gun. I'd still come in last with their tricked out race gun.


No accessory will take the place of practice.
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I was a pretty fair to middling bass club level tournament fisherman. I lived a few miles from the boat ramp, and I worked rotating shifts. I was on the water sometimes four or five days a week, for four or five hours before or after work, and all day on days off.

When people asked me what was the best thing to buy to be a better fisherman...Gas for your boat. Go fishing. Make lots of casts. Learn to read the water, the weather, the wind...they're all telling you something. I almost always got the "I don't have time to do that" answer, followed by "What do you think of this new worm, or plug or some other gizmo.

They don't make "magic" baits or guns. It's all about how much effort you're willing to put into it.

I freely admit that I'm just a casual shooter. I will never be anything but. I don't have the drive to be as good as those cats I used to watch in those IPSC matches.

And it's funny. I could feel a fish on my line before the fish knew he was on it. But I can barely tell a good trigger from a bad one.

Oh, one more thing. I said I was a fair to middling club level bass fisherman. At one time I thought about trying the pro circuit. Then I had a chance to fish with those guys. WOW! What an eye opener. I just THOUGHT I was good. Those guys could catch a fish in a wet tractor track. Same with really GOOD shooters. I just stand back in awe.
 
Agreed. Practice, practice.....and more practice. The ONLY thing that will create a good shooter.

I have a younger friend, with whom I used to have arguments about this. He fell into the trap of thinking that "magical accessories" would provide the solution. He always insisted that every gun he acquired needed a 2 lb. trigger, in order to shoot well. I would consistently beat him with every gun he had, BEFORE any work was done. After the mods, he still couldn't best me.

He has finally, after 4 - 5 years of this, admitted that practice is the key. He still accessorizes the life out of his guns.....but, at least he sees the truth now.
 
I used to shoot my DA's exclusively in SA mode. I found myself getting flinch even with the excellent SA trigger pull. I talked to a REAL pistol shooter about it, and he said, "quit shooting single action ya big dummy." Told me to learn to properly shoot DA, and my troubles would be over. He was right. jd
 
Practice and trigger quality are separate issues.

A really good wheelgunner has a lot of practice under their belt, and you can bet their trigger is likely to be very nice. Give them a revolver with a rough trigger, and though, and while they'll still shoot better than most you've seen, they'll likely hand it back telling you the trigger needs work.

Bottom line - to shoot a revolver to your and it's potential, you need practice and a good trigger, in that order.


jdscholer said:
I used to shoot my DA's exclusively in SA mode. I found myself getting flinch even with the excellent SA trigger pull. I talked to a REAL pistol shooter about it, and he said, "quit shooting single action ya big dummy." Told me to learn to properly shoot DA, and my troubles would be over. He was right. jd
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True story: I got hooked on revolvers when I went to the range with an LEO friend of mine, who brought her service revolver with her. Of course, I immediately cocked to hammer to shoot it, and she barked "aww, just pull the trigger, you big wuss!!". I've been a DA junkie since. ;)
 
I will turn 50 next month. I learned to shoot "old school", with a SA revolver, single-shot 22 rifle, and single-shot 12 gauge shotgun.

I have some very good semi-automatic pistols, but I still prefer revolvers.
 
"I used to shoot my DA's exclusively in SA mode. I found myself getting flinch even with the excellent SA trigger pull. I talked to a REAL pistol shooter about it, and he said, "quit shooting single action ya big dummy." Told me to learn to properly shoot DA, and my troubles would be over. He was right. jd"

I only shoot my S&W 67 DA. Did that from day one. I smoothed out the trigger, but didn't really lighten it much. Smooth makes up for a lot of other sins. Tried shooting SA from time to time, but I found I'd occasionally flinch- just as I did with a 1911. Now, this is just my own issue, but I'm sure pleased with how I shoot a revolver in DA.

Chuck
 
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