Moving away from DA/SA

R

Roland Thunder

New member
I just haven't been able to get the hang of shooting a DA/SA pistol. There seems to be a consistent pattern of me being more accurate with double action polymer guns and single action 1911's than DA/SA ones. I have tried shooting several DA/SA guns and I consistently do poorly with them. I have a Sig P226 9mm that I hate to part with because the p226 it is such an iconic pistol. I keep thinking I will get better at shooting it someday. I am thinking of selling it and getting an M&P 45 or Glock 21.

Does anybody else have problems shooting DA/SA guns
 
In that case I'd be all over an M&P 45, without a doubt.

Why? The Lines man, the Lines...the S&W is just more asthetically pleasing :)
They're both the Fantastic Plastic - lightweight for what they do, both work phenominally well...
So it'd be down to looks & feel...which feels better in YOUR hand??

In my case, if M&P made a 10mm, there would be no G20SF in my house...

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What kind of problem are you having with DA/SA?? Is it just DA trigger pull or both?? Have you had any sort of instruction in pistol shooting by a professional?? Local gun ranges often offer such training for very reasonalbe prices and a couple sessions with a good instructor can make a world of difference.

I love my DA/SA and striker fired pistols but go with what works best for you.
 
What kind of problem are you having with DA/SA?? Is it just DA trigger pull or both??
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Both.

Have you had any sort of instruction in pistol shooting by a professional?? Local gun ranges often offer such training for very reasonalbe prices and a couple sessions with a good instructor can make a world of difference.
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Most of the ranges close to where I live offer basic NRA courses teaching such things as how to rack the slide, how to release the magazine, line up sites, etc. But they don't offer any professional level training to help correct your shooting problems, you sort of have to find that level of training on your own
 
You should find a professional/training and get their opinion on it.

It would be nice if more DA/SAs came in an HK V1-like configuration where it can be cocked and locked.

But why would I care? I only buy HKs. :D
 
I gave up SA/DA 35 years ago and never looked back. A Colt Government until I got to old to handle the weight and now I carry a G21. Don't listen to fan boys, go with what works for you. It's your fanny on the line and how a gun looks is WAY down the list.
 
Most of the ranges close to where I live offer basic NRA courses teaching such things as how to rack the slide, how to release the magazine, line up sites, etc. But they don't offer any professional level training to help correct your shooting problems, you sort of have to find that level of training on your own
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That's a shame. Maybe you can check around and see if there is anyone local that could give you a couple lessons at one of the ranges. With the price of ammo IMHO it would be worth spending a hundred bucks or so.

The P226 is a crazy great pistol and I own a couple of them.

Whatever pistols you are considering I highly recommend that you try them out first if possible to see if they fit you well and you can shoot them well compared to other contenders.

There are some helpful videos on You Tube and such that may be able to help you with improving your shooting. The four main areas that may help are stance, sight acquisition, grip, and trigger control.

This video below on how to properly grip a pistol might be a good place to start. Trigger control can be improved vastly by dry firing practice at home with unloaded pistol of course. Many have trouble isolating their trigger finger from the rest of their hand while pressing the trigger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMzQIHN-LiI

One of my beloved P226s.

 
I'm with you.
DA/SA auto loaders never made as much sense as a DA only to me.
It kind of like driving a car where the steering ratio changes from slow to fast.
The CZ design at least has either or - and leaves the choice up to the person using it.
 
A lot of DA polymers are closer to SA than they are to DA. That may be the issue. A DA pull is certainly harder to master.
 
GregInAtl said:
Does anybody else have problems shooting DA/SA guns
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I don't.

The reason I don't have a problem is that I don't shoot DA/SA pistols. I've tried them, and I don't like them, so I went back to what I know and shoot well: a 1911.
 
so I went back to what I know and shoot well: a 1911.
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I also have a 1911 (Colt Government) that I shoot better than any DA/SA or DAO that I own. It has a really light trigger, though, so I don't use it for self defense.
 
I don't shoot my Sig 226's nearly as well as I do my 1911's in rapid fire tactical drills ( they are DA/SA )....but I don't want to get rid of the 226's ...

The difference in the trigger pull is just part of the character of the DA/SA gun...and to me its a much better system than a DA gun or DAK trigger. I think my Sig 226 is set at about 9.5 lbs in DA / and 4.2 lbs in SA.....and its different than my primary full sized 1911 with a 3.5 lb trigger...-- but the real difference in the Sig and the 1911 trigger is in the 1911 the trigger moves straight back and forth in the frame vs a lever suspended from a pin in the Sig....so its how the trigger feels as it breaks and resets that causes me to be a little slower out of the holster with the Sig and the first shot being at 9.5 lbs of break...and the long reset ..and subsequent shots at 4.2 lbs... vs the very smooth 1911 trigger breaking at 3.5 lbs and the short and smooth reset...

If I set my mind to shooting the 226 in my drills ...[ draw to 1 shot in under 2 sec / 0.5 sec on subequent shots..-- and being tactically accurate in a 8 1/2" X 11" rectangle in center chest -- at or under that time -- 95% or more -- is the "tactical standard" my buddies and I train to ]. ... ( so a 4 shot string would be 3.5 sec ).... I am at about 1.9 sec - 0.4 - 0.4 - 0.4 or 3.1 with the 1911...but even with the 226 I'm at about 2.2 sec - 0.6 - 0.6 - 0.6 ... or 4.0 sec ...not terrible - but not great either .../ and my groups get a couple of inches wider, but still tactically accurate with the Sig, so it is an effective gun....just not my preference over the 1911.../ yet I also know, if I shot the Sig 226 exclusively ( 10 boxes a week for 3 months, I'd get faster and better with it....)

So I look at it ....like I do different vehicles...a big full sized SUV has a purpose..../ but its not a sports car...but the sports car is not the SUV...and I like them both...( but I drive the SUV more because it suits me more most of the time ) --- just like I shoot the 1911's more and carry them more than the 226 ....but I still like the 226 for what it is ...( if that makes any sense )...

Same thing on my revolvers...K, L , N frame S&W's in 2", 4" and 6" barrels...they have long DA trigger pulls / light and crisp SA trigger pulls...bottom line is they're just different --- and I'm way slower with my revolvers on my tactical drills ( especially on reloads ) ..than my 1911's but I still love the old revolvers.../ I have no trouble holding or beating my 3.5 sec standard, all DA, with my revolvers in full power .357 Mag ammo ...but my reloads are always a "chuckle fest"...but so what ..!!

I also have a hybrid 226 ...one of the X-Five L-1 models, all stainless, adjustable trigger, SA Only, 5" gun, really heavy at 55 oz...in .40 S&W...I have the trigger dialed down to about 2.5 lbs ( you can set it and lock it at between 4.0 and 2.0 lbs )....it still has the Sig trigger - a lever suspended from a pin .../ its a race gun ( not in my hands ) ...I'd never carry it, its way too heavy ....but its fun to shoot in drills once in a while.

I will always go back to a full sized 1911 - in 9mm or .45 acp --5" guns, with a mag well and ambi safeties ....as my go to range and carry gun. But I'm not giving up any of my 226's or my revolvers.../ that's my 2 cents...

Unless your budget says you have to sell it ...you'll be sad if you sell the 226 in my view. And before you do that -- or before you buy another gun - go to a range and rent as many guns as you can -- or talk to a lot more shooters at your local range -- and shoot as many other guns as you can.

If I hated the 226 ...I'd sell it .../ but it doesn't sound like you hate it..../ but I don't get too worked up over the fact that my times with the 226's are not as good as my 1911's.../ I keep them because I like a change of pace at the range somedays.
 
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I don't really understand why DA/SA rankles so many people. Your trigger press is the same through both mechanical methods (DA and SA), and is essentially the same as firing a pre-set striker like a Glock: a continuous press to the rear of the handgun, follow through to the mechanical stop of the trigger, slow release to the reset, repeat. DA/SA is the same mechanics as a Glock style trigger, but with a longer, heavier first pull. There is no significant difference in kinematics on the part of the shooter, only a requirement of greater overall pressure before riding the trigger to the rear and then riding it forward to a reset.

Travis Haley is a sort of Yoda-Jedi-Master of training. His videos are about as good as you can get outside of hands-on, live fire training. Dry-fire with good instruction (even from a youtube video) can and will solve most of your problems.
 
GregInAtl said:
so I went back to what I know and shoot well: a 1911.
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I also have a 1911 (Colt Government) that I shoot better than any DA/SA or DAO that I own. It has a really light trigger, though, so I don't use it for self defense.
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What's light for you (compared to a DA trigger) may not really be all that light. 1911s can be tuned to run reliably down to about a 2-pound trigger, but the military spec is (IIRC) 6 to 8 pounds. If the trigger on a 1911 is too light, it's about a 3-minute job to pop out the mainspring housing, bend two legs on the sear spring to put more pressure on the sear and the trigger, and reassemble.

Most 1911 guys seem to consider 4 pounds the minimum safe trigger for carry purposes. I like mine between 4-1/2 and 5 pounds.
 
Is this going to be a carry gun? I shoot almost nothing but Berettas, which are all DA/SA. If I'm just plinking, I cock the hammer before firing for a nice, light SA trigger (I've reworked all my triggers). But, my carry gun is a Beretta PX4 Compact. I've polished the internals and installed a "D" spring for a much lighter trigger pull weight. Even the DA trigger is very easy. But the main reason I like DA/SA pistols is for carry. I consider the long DA pull to be a great safety. I'm not fan of these quasi-precocked striker fired guns, and since I carry IWB at 1:00 with the barrel pointing at some very important anatomy, I'm sure as #$%& not carrying cocked-and-locked.

I actually went the range today and practiced drawing and firing the PX4 Compact. Yeah, my first shot in DA is usually low. But it never missed the silhouette target I was shooting at.
 
I think noonesshowmonkey nailed it. Never thought about it that way but yea, just treat all trigger pulls the same and ignore the pull weight. It's the same mechanics, just get used to going through the motions and it works out find. The difference in pulls has never bothered me personally and I like the hard first shot.
 
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