single or double action

ronniel

Inactive
this is my first post tho Ive been reading a lot of good stuff on here and decided to sign up. I am not as knowledgeable as most of you guys, so go easy, I have a tarus mod 85 snub, which I almost always never fire double action when and why would you want to when single action can be more accurate, and should i practice more d/a shooting, sorry if this is a stupid question

ronniel
 
Not a dumb question at all. I grew up shooting single actions, and double actions. I tend to handle a double action like a single action. I do however get some practice on quick double action shooting at short distances.

If you are in a situation where you are having to shoot accuracy is defined by either hit or miss. Hits to critical areas will end the fight sooner in most cases.
 
Firstly, if you cock the gun to SA in a self-defense situation, you run the risk of an accidental discharge because your adrenaline is pumping. So, if a self defense scenario you would want to stay DA.

Also, by practicing in DA, you learn better trigger control. If you can shoot a revolver well in DA, you can probably shoot most any other handgun well.
 
I don't think it's a stupid question at all. My double actions I shoot in double action. With enough practice you will get to the point where you can stage the trigger, and know by feel when the hammer is about to fall. Plus, one can shoot faster with a DA revolver than with a single action (Apologies to Bob Munden...who is just a freak of nature with a single action revolver)

Both the SA and DA revolvers have their charm. I plan on continuing to acquire both, so long as SWMBO continues to let me.
 
I normally shoot my DA revolvers in DA. And by normally, I mean 99% of the time. If you can learn to master the DA trigger technique, anything else is pretty easy to shoot after. Today at the range I went 5 for 6 at the 100 yard rifle plate on the first cylinder through my 4" 586. (Then promptly went 3 for 6 on the second cylinder. Oops... :o ) And that was shooting it in DA mode, as I normally do. So with a little time and practice, DA accuracy isn't much different than SA accuracy, especially with a two-handed stance.
 
Welcome ronniel. You have been given good information so far, and have again learned something important.
A little bit of what I do. At the range, to check for the absolute accuracy of the gun, I shoot S/A from a rest. To check the accuracy of my shooting, and practice my shooting, it's D/A, two hand hold.
 
Most people who own and shoot double action revolvers never learn to shoot them well in double action mode. If you ever intend to use a double action revolver for defensive purposes, you should practice double action shooting; using a double action revolver as a single action in a defensive shooting situation is not recommended by authorities, or in my opinion, logical.

Furthermore, thumb cocking makes little sense in double-tap shooting (Always double-tap...you cannot rely on one bullet to have the desired affect). It is smoother, more accurate to squeeze two in row rather than thumb-cock, the then try to double-action the second shot. Or, worse yet, thumb cock both rounds...that is the specialty of the design of single-action revolvers.

Unfortunately, the lure of the light single action trigger pull is too great a lure to owners and because they choose use it so frequently as their normal shooting method, they seldom attain the proper skills at double action shooting.

I have removed the spur on all my double action revolvers, inasmuch as I see it as useless on those revolvers (If you have time to cock the gun, and the adversary is far enough away to allow the opportunity to cock the piece, you should take cover or retreat instead of fireing...the threat by definition is not immediate and present.).

I practice at my home range constantly to acquire and maintain the proper skills of accuracy and speed with double action shooting with my carry revolvers.

However, if your revolver shooting is for non-defensive purposes (Hunting, Silhouette, etc.), then there is ample justification for using the single action feature.
 
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All Depends on what you are using the gun for. All I own is Single Actions (except for .44Spec Bulldog because of size) and therefore I shoot SA mode. 99.9% of my shooting is at steel plates, cans, paper targets, etc.... Hunting with a handgun would be in SA mode as well.... Camp gun, fishing gun, hiking gun, varminting.... all good for a good SA..... So 'I' don't see a need for DA shooting at all in 'my' situation. My .44Specials, .45 Colt revolvers, and a shotgun will handle the Home Defense role. Now LE or military is a whole different mindset and DA/Semi-auto become more important. The right tool for the job so to speak! Get Ed Mcgivern's Fast and Fancy Shooting if DA is you thing. Some good reading (even for us SA guys) .
 
I shoot single action most of the time simply because I shoot better in single action. I do practice some in double action and have gotten better at it but I cant hit as good typically as single action. With a snub,I can shoot a 5 or 6" group in double action at 15 yards but I can shoot a 2" group or better shooting it in single action. I am practicing more double action with a .22- its not so expensive. I would like to shoot as good double action as single but it will take a lot of practice.
With double action, youve got the long heavy trigger pull and sight picture wavring far more than squezzing off a 3 to 5 lb single action pull.
Double action is fine if an armed criminal smashes through your door to kill you and He's 7 yards away or closer, and all you want to do is pour some lead into him,or a bear is on top of you,otherwise to make the most accurate shot, I will use single action(until I get better in double action). If I want to head shoot a squirrel or sitting rabbit, or for any hunting, I will use single action.
 
Firstly, I do believe you do have to cock the gun if you are in a self defense situation. The couple of seconds you have between getting the gun in your hand and aiming should be plenty of time.

I only have single action revolvers and love them. I do have a double action rifle but most of the shooting is single action.
 
The problem with cocking a DA revolver in a SD situation (particularly if you are out in a public place) is that if for whatever reason you don't have to shoot, you are left with a live, cocked revolver with a 2 to 3 lb trigger pull, lots of adrenaline and possible bystanders around. Not a good situation to be in :eek:.

Besides, with practice and the right attitude, DA shooting can be just as accurate as SA shooting. Now, if you don't have the right attitude you probably won't succeed at DA shooting. In my observations, most DA revolver shooters shoot a cylinder (if that) DA, throw there hands up and say "it can't be done!!!" This is a good example of a self fulfilling prophecy. :)

For me, I took that "it can't be done" attitude of others as a challenge. Within 200 to 300 rounds, I was shooting about as good DA as SA. Nowadays, unless I am trying to go for absolute max accuracy at 25 yards plus, I shoot at least as good DA. No trigger staging, just a smooth consistent squeeze from start to finish, and a "surprise" break. And therein is the problem I have with a short, light SA trigger: I have somewhat of a problem with anticipating the shot by "pushing" the gun down and forward as the shot breaks, dropping POA 3" or more low. But more than that, I tend to "snatch" the trigger whilst chasing the perfect sight picture. The same problem can occur in staging the DA trigger. Is it a training problem? Yes, but I tend not to focus on it because I do the vast majority of my shooting DA in the first place, and that is how I train to fight God forbid that need should ever arise.

And even over 25 yds, where shooting speed isn't essential, I find I still get better results shooting DA; I just slow down my squeeze. Sometimes if I'm not having a good day, I will stage the trigger for longer shots, but I prefer not to get into a habit of doing that for the reasons stated above. Next time you get a chance, take an unloaded revolver (check it, then check it again), point it in a safe direction and dry fire it both in DA and SA. In SA, note how the hammer can be cocked back further from the frame than DA (in DA, the hammer releases a shorter distance from the frame). The result is that when shooting SA the hammer strikes the frame with a bigger sight disturbing thwack than DA. It's not a big difference, but it is there. Therefore, at least mechanically, IMHO DA does have a slightly greater accuracy potential than SA shooting. Granted, you won't notice that difference unless you are trying to maximize accuracy at 25 yards or more.

Also, for practice, if you don't already have a DA .22 revolver and funds are tight, I highly recommend tracking down an hold H&R .22 revolver with DA capability. Granted, I already have a K-22, but when I came upon a little H&R 622 with a 4" barrel, I couldn't help myself. I probably overpaid by about $20 (it cost $120), but it really is a nice little gun. The DA is a little stiff, but it is pretty smooth. Certainly good enough to train on, and far, far better than the Taurus 94's DA trigger.
 
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I shoot my revolvers in da mode 99.9% of the time .The .1 is when I'm testing new loads for accuracy.I had a blackhawk 25 yrs ago I got tired of cock hammer and squeeze trigger if got sold!I said if I ever buy another pistol it will be da!I didn't shoot poistols after that for 25 yrs. Now I have 3 da revolvers and love them!I hope you never need to use your pistol in hd.Because when you cock the hammer in a quiet house you give your positition away.I don't know if you can cock a hammer quietly.
 
Why not master both?.....always good to have more tools in the toolbox....
In a concealed carry/self-defense application, single-action manipulation of a double-action makes little/no sense. For other purposes, plinking, hunting, etc., then single-action shooting of a double-action handgun has its applications but even then, it begs the question: Is not a single-action gun better suited (no "hump" in the handle) for single-action shooting?
 
I shoot my revolvers in da mode 99.9% of the time .The .1 is when I'm testing new loads for accuracy.I had a blackhawk 25 yrs ago I got tired of cock hammer and squeeze trigger if got sold!I said if I ever buy another pistol it will be da!I didn't shoot poistols after that for 25 yrs. Now I have 3 da revolvers and love them!
Single-actions are great fun guns, don't sell them short. But, the sad fact is that most of the single-actions shooters are not skilled at shooting single actions either. If they think they are, they should attend a Cowboy Action Match and see what skilled single-action shooting looks like.

When it comes to handguns, there is no such thing as too much practice. Most gun owners are more concerned with "owning" than "shooting".
 
Welcome ronniel. You have been given good information so far, and have again learned something important.
A little bit of what I do. At the range, to check for the absolute accuracy of the gun, I shoot S/A from a rest. To check the accuracy of my shooting, and practice my shooting, it's D/A, two hand hold.

Well said cheapshooter. :cool:
 
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