Revolver good for training with DA?

K

Kimio

New member
So I'm curious if getting a revolver in .22LR or .38 Spcl would be good for practicing firing in double action.

My biggest struggle with certain semi autos is the heavy DA trigger pull. Doing strengthening exercises may help, but from a training standpoint, would a revolver be a good choice in this regard or should I just practice with the chosen gun that I'll be shooting that is a semi auto handgun?
 
A DA revolver would be a great choice for training with a DA revolver. Whether it would be a good choice for training with an auto pistol is problematical. If the auto pistol is double action only, the revolver could provide a stand-in. But it would be a poor choice for training with an autoloader that is DA/SA, that is one in which only the first shot is DA, with the rest being SA. The revolver has no such "shift" and would not provide training for that rather critical point.

I won't say not to buy a revolver. My feeling is that if you obtain a good revolver (S&W's DA is considered superior to most others') you might find you prefer it to an autoloader. But if you are committed to a pistol, buy it and practice with it, not with a substitute.

Jim
 
What have you tried? I hear the Para LDA or some of the Sig's have really nice DA triggers.
I don't recommend using a revolver to become proficient with the semi.
Rent or her your hands on some until you find the semi auto that works for you, then train train train.

I have to ask, are you set on a semi auto pistol?
My S&W Combat Masterpiece has maybe a 3 lb DA trigger.
 
I have extremely limited experience with revolvers but have no real aversion to them. Their reliability makes them really appealing as does their ease of operation.

However, I already have several semi autos that I've had experience firing that I'm looking to possibly buy for an S/HD CCW handgun.

That being a CZ75 Compact or a CZ P-01. Double action I find, after fatigue starts to set in, my groups start to go all over the place.

This was my experience while firing a 92FS, as I tried to simulate firing as if every shot was done with the hammer down and the safety on (shooting DA then SA)

I figured if I got used to shooting a DA only handgun, the transition may become easier.

I was looking at a number of S&W revolvers for CC though their model #'s elude me. They had a traditional hammer, and were I think...3-4" in barrel length, and chambered in .38 Spcl.
 
Personally, I'd use a DA revolver for revolver training and a DA/SA semi-automatic for semi-automatic training. As has been pointed out, the single-action/double action function is somewhat reversed in the two platforms. With a DA revolver you can fire the first shot in SA if you cock the hammer, but follow-up shots only pulling the trigge are DA. With a DA/SA semi-automatic pistol, follow up shots are in SA.
 
I have found shooting my revolvers (I shoot them DA) enhances my overall shooting skills.
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I agree. Shooting revolvers (DA) is good practice for trigger discipline. It helps teach me to stay on target throughout their long, heavy pull (relative to most semi-autos). This translates to better shooting with semi-autos as well. At least that's my experience.
 
S/A is most accurate but you won't find yourself S/A ing in a fight!
Best to learn D/A as it's what you'll use.
Adrelinon takes over and you automaticlly D/A shoot!
I bought my Model 10 and Model 36 just for D/A shooting.
One other good point is that a revolver can be made to shoot slower!
ZVP
 
New here.......but,I shoot an awful lot of DA revolvers.

Like posted above,shooting/practicing DA with wheelguns helps with your overall pistolcraft.It builds muscles and really holds you to keeping/maintaining proper site pictures.One tip when dry firing is,sloooooowly resetting trigger.Try not to just snap the reset,you need to feel it.Good luck,with your revolver(purchase decision).
 
Kev said:
What have you tried? I hear the Para LDA or some of the Sig's have really nice DA triggers.
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The Para LDA pistols are not really double action. The hammer assembly is a two-part arrangement, with an inner segment that gets pre-cocked when the slide is racked, and an external hammer that follows the slide and then is actuated by the trigger, engaging the inner mechanism and firing the gun. There is no second strike capability -- which IMHO means it isn't really a double action. Trigger pull for the LDA istypically about 5 pounds out of the box, which is pretty good but not at all comparable to a DA revolver, which is typically around 12 pounds in DA mode.
 
Having owned and shot several of both types, I will tell you that even when the weight is the same, a DA revolver trigger and a DA semi-auto trigger generally have very different "feels". The difference is really kind of difficult to explain: a DA semi-auto feels to me like simply pushing against a spring of a given weight while a DA revolver has more of a "rolling" feel to it. I can only assume that the difference is due to the the difference in the geometry of the parts and how they interact with each other.
 
Double action I find, after fatigue starts to set in, my groups start to go all over the place.
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I have found that when shooting a semi-auto pistol, I experience fatigue faster then when shooting a revolver. I've been trying to figure out why that is, and I think I may have a explanation (for me, anyway). My semi-autos, and most semi-autos, have a more square/blocky grip in order to accommodate the magazine. A revolver normally has a smaller/rounder grip. I find that with the revolver grips, I can get, and keep, a firmer grip over a longer period of time without experiencing the same fatigue as with my semi-autos.

If you plan on using your semi-autos most of the time, then I agree that you should stick to training them, as apposed to trying to train with a revolver. Like I said above, for me, the difference between firing a revolver is a lot more different then firing a semi.. that includes trigger, grip, recoil feel and how/when fatigue sets in.

If you are interested in a revolver for use/carry/fun... then by all means, pick one up. You may find you like them very much indeed. (I have come to the conclusion that I like revolvers more then semi-autos myself).
 
I shot a lot of D/A revolver, it doesn't seem to help with the 92FS. I , don' exactly but probably because all shots after the first one are S/A. I also shoot a LC9, about as well of a little better than a 642 revolver. I'd like to try an LDA 1911 and see how well it shoots.
 
Thanks for the feed back everyone. I like both wheel guns and more modern semi autos, but I will indeed be carrying a semi auto for my daily SD and HD handgun of choice.

I'll likely just get my CZ and practice with it instead, but I do plan on getting a revolver of some flavor eventually.
 
I was thinking I could possibly use another handgun to help train with double action. My accuracy typically goes to the wind when trying to fire when the handgun is in that initial DA setting, all subsequent shots typically are better.

I was under the assumption that I just needed to get better at firing in DA and a Revolver seemed like a good choice, since all subsequent shots are DA provided you don't cock the hammer.

I suppose you could just de-cock the hammer on the CZ to simulate having to fire from DA each time.

I think it was also an excuse to pick up a wheel gun along side my CZ.

Silly rational I know. This is what happens when I try to analyze things too much (or too little in this case I suppose)
 
I helped a number of shooters with a 22 LR DA/SA revolver. It was cheaper. Nowadays though the 22 LR can be hard to find. This means the .38 is next up or if you have one available, a 9 mm revolver.

Use the DA trigger. Before going to the range though, load it with snap caps, put a coin atop of the barrel and have them aim at a target, squeeze the trigger all the way until the hammer drop and without the coin falling off the barrel (must be a ribbed barrel).
 
I love the idea in theory but there is an issue when it comes to the real world application. The issue I have with using a DA/SA revolver to practice for semi-auto use is that there are almost no semi-autos with a DA trigger as nice as an avg revolver trigger.

Shoot lots of smooth silky DA revolver rounds is not the same as shooting a 10lb DA trigger even in guns like Sig and HK.

I have always been one to advice people to learn to run the guy you got, improve the gun you got or get a different gun.

The problem is that too many people do not shoot enough DA rounds out of their semi-autos. I used to shoot a round decock shoot a round decock..... As I got better I shot a DA round followed but a controlled string then decocked the pistol rinsed and repeated. First you have to master the DA trigger for the first pull and then work on the DA/SA transition.
 
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