22-rimfire
New member
Pretty much what Newfrontier said. I'm still learning to shoot single actions fairly well in larger calibers and don't have the experience Newfrontier has. ... firm, but relaxed.
Why SA -vs- DA?
- Thread starter BoogieMan
- Start date
This subject always amazes me. My take on SA vs DA is this. I like shooting SA with single action only revolvers. The grip thing is a no factor to me. Recoil is not a problem. A person is always going to have recoil no matter which type of revolver he or she is using. I shoot SA it is with my Ruger Blackhawk. I shoot all my DA with my DA revolvers period. Very rarely do I shoot my DA in SA. I have always felt for SD a person needs to shoot DA. I practice at the range shooting DA from 7 to 10 yds. I average at least 50 rounds or more. My Blackhawk is for field and target shoot beyond 15 yds.
It still amazes me when I see shooters at the range shooting only SA with there DA revolvers. Too me it is a waste of half of a feature of a revolver.
It still amazes me when I see shooters at the range shooting only SA with there DA revolvers. Too me it is a waste of half of a feature of a revolver.
There is a very cool thing about the design of the grip on the classic single action Colt revolvers:
The first .45 that I shot was a 1911 automatic - with this, the grip is locked to your hand, and the recoil of the gun goes through your arm, pretty much raising your arm at the elbow. Later, firing a .45 Colt single action, I discovered that something totally different happens because of the different grip design.
When you fire the single action Colt, the smooth rounded grip slides in your hand, so that much less of the recoil goes into your arm. Your arm doesn't rise the way it does with the automatic; the barrel of the pistol rises, and the gun pivots upward in your hand. When it stops, the barrel is pointed upward and the hammer has come down close to the top of your hand. To cock it for the next shot, you just hook your thumb over the hammer and drop the gun back into firing position again, and the hammer cocks as the gun drops. This all means that the barrel rises more rapidly on recoil than with other designs, and it is probably not particularly good for accuracy - but it's great for fast operation of a SA system.
This could all have been a happy accident, but I have always given Colt credit for an extraordinarily clever grip design that made the SA faster to shoot and also delivered less recoil shock to the shooter. With double action, of course, or an automatic, a slippery grip is not an advantage; you want the gun to stay firmly in your grip for the next shot... therefore, DA and auto pistols have a more squared grip shape that does not slide in your hand.
I don't have sources for the thinking behind these designs - this is just what I have observed in using them.
The first .45 that I shot was a 1911 automatic - with this, the grip is locked to your hand, and the recoil of the gun goes through your arm, pretty much raising your arm at the elbow. Later, firing a .45 Colt single action, I discovered that something totally different happens because of the different grip design.
When you fire the single action Colt, the smooth rounded grip slides in your hand, so that much less of the recoil goes into your arm. Your arm doesn't rise the way it does with the automatic; the barrel of the pistol rises, and the gun pivots upward in your hand. When it stops, the barrel is pointed upward and the hammer has come down close to the top of your hand. To cock it for the next shot, you just hook your thumb over the hammer and drop the gun back into firing position again, and the hammer cocks as the gun drops. This all means that the barrel rises more rapidly on recoil than with other designs, and it is probably not particularly good for accuracy - but it's great for fast operation of a SA system.
This could all have been a happy accident, but I have always given Colt credit for an extraordinarily clever grip design that made the SA faster to shoot and also delivered less recoil shock to the shooter. With double action, of course, or an automatic, a slippery grip is not an advantage; you want the gun to stay firmly in your grip for the next shot... therefore, DA and auto pistols have a more squared grip shape that does not slide in your hand.
I don't have sources for the thinking behind these designs - this is just what I have observed in using them.
22-rimfire
New member
Stay amazed. I see little reason to blow away a lot of expensive centerfire ammunition in guns not used for self defense whether it be SA or DA.
Sounds pretty boring to me. Guess at least you can see your holes. One needs to use the revolver in its most effective manner based on your interest and pocketbook. So for you, DA is the way to go. For the record, I always practice DA with DA ONLY revolvers.
Deaf Smith
New member
Boogie,
SA revolvers tend to have a longer hammer fall and thus more dwell time between pulling the trigger and the gun firing (called lock time.) Unless you are used to that longer lock time you may see the gun pull off the target before the hammer has fallen.
My S&W N frame .44s are easier to hit accurately with than my Ruger Vaquero .44 Special. Does not mean the Vaquero can't shoot as accurately but the longer lock time makes it a bit more difficult.
Deaf
SA revolvers tend to have a longer hammer fall and thus more dwell time between pulling the trigger and the gun firing (called lock time.) Unless you are used to that longer lock time you may see the gun pull off the target before the hammer has fallen.
My S&W N frame .44s are easier to hit accurately with than my Ruger Vaquero .44 Special. Does not mean the Vaquero can't shoot as accurately but the longer lock time makes it a bit more difficult.
Deaf
newfrontier45
Moderator
Isn't that what you're doing by not utilizing the SA notch on your DA?
At that range you don't even need sights.
The SA wheelguns have other advantages besides ergonomics.
Basic mechanical accuracy can be greater in a gun derived from the Colt SAA layout because the cylinder is fixed in place. On a modern DA with a swing-out cylinder there is an "alignment" re-established between the cylinder and barrel each time you close the action. In the Colt pattern (copied by Ruger, Freedom Arms and scads of others) that alignment is fixed in place.
That lack of a hinge where the cylinder is also increases the toughness of the Colt-pattern action. Ruger and FA came along and added coil springs and otherwise revised the innards, increasing toughness yet again.
The big downside is reload speed...at least, until I can get "Maurice" fully commercialized:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4XtVldNbO4
Worlds only auto-shell-ejecting mag-fed revolver, based on a Ruger New Vaquero. I'm a sick puppy and this project cost probably too much, but it's hilarious good fun.
Basic mechanical accuracy can be greater in a gun derived from the Colt SAA layout because the cylinder is fixed in place. On a modern DA with a swing-out cylinder there is an "alignment" re-established between the cylinder and barrel each time you close the action. In the Colt pattern (copied by Ruger, Freedom Arms and scads of others) that alignment is fixed in place.
That lack of a hinge where the cylinder is also increases the toughness of the Colt-pattern action. Ruger and FA came along and added coil springs and otherwise revised the innards, increasing toughness yet again.
The big downside is reload speed...at least, until I can get "Maurice" fully commercialized:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4XtVldNbO4
Worlds only auto-shell-ejecting mag-fed revolver, based on a Ruger New Vaquero. I'm a sick puppy and this project cost probably too much, but it's hilarious good fun.