[gmh1013]

Ive been married so long Im use to double action now.....I cant remember the single action days....;)
OK no more kidding around I prefer single...because Im a better shot.
No matter how much I practice I just cant shoot DA very well....the exception
is my old Colt Diamondback .38...can shoot it DA and hit what I aim at.

[M2 Carbine]

Single or Double Action which do you prefer?
SA.

I shoot enough DA to be decent at it but mostly I cock the hammer.

[PT1911]

Single action every time... I will almost always use the the single action option on my double action revolvers. the only time I will opt for the Double action option is during carry.

[earlthegoat2]

I have only DA/SA revolvers and the only time I use SA is when I am messing around with Snap Caps in the middle of DA dry fire practice.

[MCgunner]

Some will tell you they can shoot better with DA than SA. They're full of it, either that, or they're REALLY sorry shots. If I absolutely, positively have to make the shot with one trigger squeeze, the hammer's comin' back. DA has its place in self defense, but I don't know any deer hunters that make their shots DA, put it that way. I prefer SA outdoor guns, Blackhawks, stronger, can handle hot loads, and are accurate in the extreme. My contender is the ultimate hunting handgun, one shot with extreme precision. And, even in my defense revolvers, I like having SA capability, though I never shoot 'em that way at the range for defensive practice. I shoot well DA, but I'm more precise shooting SA for sure.

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I prefer double-action for the vast majority of my revolver shooting. Others may feel just the opposite. There is a place for both double and single-action shooting in my opinion.

Best.

[hushnel]

I own more single actions than double actions, actually my only DAs are an old S&W Model 10-8 and an even older Colt Detective Special. At the range I only use the double action option when shooting those two, if I'm actually trying to hit something like a rattler or vermin I shoot SA but I practice DA in case I ever need to use this function in an emergency.

[earlthegoat2]

I dont get too hung up on accuracy as long as I am minute of human at the ranges at which I am shooting. Precision shooting at stationary targets does not interest me. DA all the way.

[JWF III]

Single or Double Action which do you prefer?


For what? Seriously, a very vague question.

Hunting or target shooting? Either would do since precise placement is more important than speed.

Collecting? I'd rather have an old SAA. But at this time, I'm more in the modest S&W price range.

Self defense? With very few exceptions, almost everybody would prefer the DA. Speed trumps preciseness here. A half second quicker on a follow up shot, but 4" off (head on) center mass would still save your life.

Seen in movies? I would rather see an old John Wayne movie with a Colt SAA.

To walk down the street for a showdown at high noon? Neither, I'd rather have an MP40.

Let me know if I missed one.

Wyman

[Oro]

Hello. I prefer double-action for the vast majority of my revolver shooting.

I'm in this "camp" (ha ha). I do not handgun hunt - my guns are for plinking and SD carry. I practice the way I will need to use them. It also demands discipline and practice, so that adds to the challenge. But I understand others have different uses - precision target shooting, hunting, etc.

DA shooting is harder to do precisely, but it's rewarding to practice at it.

[woad_yurt]

I hardly ever shoot single action. I'm more of a self-defense oriented shooter and I have very little use for single action.

[The Lone Haranguer]

Some will tell you they can shoot better with DA than SA. They're full of it, either that, or they're REALLY sorry shots.

Granted these are exceptional examples, but guys like Jerry Miculek, Ed McGivern, et al would disagree. :p

[scottaschultz]

I am with JWF III on this one. People come here all the time and ask vague questions but want specific answers!

But anyway...

I prefer SA revolvers for the pure fun of it. Maybe its my "inner cowboy" yearning to be free. Maybe I went to too many of those Sergio Leone movies as a kid starring that tall fella who eventually became the mayor of Carmel, CA. What was his name?

Scott

[bglz42]

DA always. I cannot remember shooting my revolvers any other way. Learned it on PPC, and just never got away from it. Even at the 50...

[Pilot]

I prefer both SA revolvers and SA autos like the BHP, 1911 or C&L CZ. I like having a lighter, crisper pull for all shooting. As I don't currently carry a revolver for SD, but that may change as I may start carrying my USFA SAA in .45 Colt for my woods gun.

[Redhawk1]

I own just as many double actions as I do single actions. I shoot them both well. When hunting, I like to use single action, even on a double action gun.

[content]

IMHO Both ,DA is necessary for SD.// On my S&W 586 the single action is so sweet its scarey, great for hunting/target but not SD.// I'd definately get a revolver with both, why limit yourself.......content

[RatDrall]

The only time I shoot my revolvers SA is when I am shooting at an animal (pest control) or I want to lie to myself about my real ability to shoot the revolver as it was intended.

If I'm at the range I'm not going to waste ammo making myself feel good about shooting bullseyes SA, which anyone can do. I'm there to get better which means DA practice. After a few hundred rounds you should be able to make good hits in double action, even at 25 and 50 yards.

Some will tell you they can shoot better with DA than SA. They're full of it, either that, or they're REALLY sorry shots.

Some people, especially new shooters, flinch when shooting SA because they anticipate the shot. That doesn't make them a "REALLY sorry shot", it just makes them somewhere short of an expert, where the vast majority of shooters are.

[Redhawk1]

If one practices enough, a single action is just as quick as a double action. I feel comfortable with ether in a SD situation.

[jimmyraythomason]

I prefer DA revolvers but I shoot them SA. In semi-autos,I only want DA.

[golden]

I have owned only one single action revolver and that will probably be the last. I can shoot single action or double action with my COLT or S&W revolvers, so a single action just does not make any sense for me.

Jim

[MCgunner]

Single action guns like the Blackhawk have advantages, mostly strength advantages for shooting powerful magnum rounds and never wearing out. They are the basis for John Linebaugh's customs. They tend to be lighter and easier to carry than behemoth X frames, to. I like 'em for the field.


Quote:
Originally Posted by MCgunner
Some will tell you they can shoot better with DA than SA. They're full of it, either that, or they're REALLY sorry shots.


Granted these are exceptional examples, but guys like Jerry Miculek, Ed McGivern, et al would disagree.

I'll bet you dollars to donuts if Jerry Miculek was a deer hunter and he was sighting in his X frame on a 75 yard deer, the hammer would come back....:)

And, if you think single actions are slow, you haven't seen Bob Munden. :evil:

I also find that I'm much better at instinctive shooting/point shooting with a single action. I tend to shoot low with a DA. If I ever got to open carry, I'd carry a blackhawk. I'd feel quite safe with it. Reload? I can do a New York reload.

My M85UL is easier to pocket than my Blackhawks, though. It will shoot SA though and I've used that feature to shoot vermin and sharks that were too big to boat otherwise, with. It's quite a good shark tranquilizer, but when a shark is thrashing around on the end of my line and I have the .38 trying to place a head shot with the other hand, the hammer comes back. I could see using SA, too, in a hostage situation where some BG has a hostage I need to miss while hitting him.

[461]

The majority of my guns are single actions so I really have no choice. The few double actions I have tend to be shot single action for the most part. My defensive carry guns are double action only so I also have no choice there. I guess I tend to like guns that only work one way.

[fprefect]

The is little doubt that the single action trigger pull will be conducive to far better accuracy, and if you are shooting a cartridge that produces a considerable amount of recoil, it's probably going to be possible to cock the hammer at the same time you are reacquiring the target allowing you to shoot the second round using the single action's much lighter trigger pull. I almost always shoot my DA 357 and 44 magnums in that manner when using heavy loads.

F. Prefect

[Rollis R. Karvellis]

My first handgun was a Blackhawk, becuse of this I have to really concentrat on not jerking back the hammer when I do want to practice DA shooting.

[DFW1911]

Since I carry a revolver for SD I train DA most all of the time. As stated by another poster, in the event I need to use my revolver for SD it's highly probable that it will be in DA.

I've found that by shooting DA I've developed very good (at least to me) trigger control, sighting skills, and decent (yet accurate) speed.

When it comes to target shooting I like SA.

[Stainz]

I started with SAs... c&b bp, actually. My first cf revolver was a Ruger BH conv in .45 - to shoot up my stash of .45 ACPs from my G21, which I sold over eleven years ago. I had to shoot .45 Colts - then 'had' to have a DA .45 Colt. Enamored by the engineering of the Ruger SRH .454 Casull's materials, I got one for .45 Colt - then had to shoot .454s - wow! DA was neat - I could shoot - handheld over sand bags - DA - Hornady 240gr XTP .454 Casulls (2000 fps & 2,130 ft-lb) - at 44yd indoors and get five of six (My rules - I allow a flier!) in 1.5in. That range closed - I joined an outdoor range - and repeated it at 50yd and 1 5/8" for 5 of 6.

I never could duplicate that in anything loaded with .45 Colts - anyone's .45 Colts. My Ruger SAs initially had wide variances and small exit bores - I finally reamed all of them. Sadly, only the custom makers - and F.A. - make proper .45 Colt chambers - the rest of the industry still uses the 'black powder' spec - oversized chambers. Other calibers are more capable - still, I found the answer to generally better DA shooting seven years ago - my first S&W - a new 625-7 ('01) Mountain Gun in .45 Colt. I got a local, ie, crude, trigger job - thankfully, fixable with new Wolff springs. Wow - DA is better! That is the key - a new revolver needs to break in and have a rudimentary trigger job, possibly including lighter springs, before DA shooting will have a chance at equalling SA shooting accuracy.

I find it entertaining to watch others shoot my S&Ws. The first shot, no matter what I tell them, is SA. Then - a DA shot that breaks unexpectedly - and who knows where it went. By the last shot, there is a smile - and well placed shot. This is true for a friend with his revolvers going back four decades - Colts, Rugers, and S&Ws - all with OEM triggers - and different. Mine are all S&Ws - and, sure, my 5-shot 642 or 296 stages a bit differently than my 8-shooter 627s - but not that differently. The key to good DA shooting is a good trigger - for my money, in a S&W. Other than a few CCWs, mine are primarily plinkers.

I shoot DA better... and no longer own anything but S&W revolvers. YMMV.

Stainz

[DougDubya]

I like revolver actions that end in E. (ie: both single and double)

There's a place for both of them.

[D R Greysun]

Single or Double Action which do you prefer?
Ive been married so long Im use to double action now.....I cant remember the single action days....
OK no more kidding around I prefer single...because Im a better shot.
No matter how much I practice I just cant shoot DA very well....the exception
is my old Colt Diamondback .38...can shoot it DA and hit what I aim at.

To put your question in perspective I offer:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=468068
and ask. Which would you prefer? I prefer to shoot single action revolvers but recognize their limitations. Minute of paper, single action, minute of danger, I'll go with double action thank you very much.

D R

[Ala Dan]

Single action, unless of course I'm in a fight for my life~! ;) :eek:

[Marvin KNox]

My revolvers are for carry purposes only. They are "hammerless" models.

When I had extensive trigger work done on them I had most of the SA "notch" removed. I only left enough of that to allow for precise sight in shooting and to prevent the guns from going out of time too easily.

I'm of the opinion that getting into the habit of shooting a DA/SA carry revolver from the SA point is a bad habit to get into. I practice and shoot with a continuous pull through at the range and when practicing at home with the laser on the wall.

[MCgunner]

I like revolver actions that end in E. (ie: both single and double)

There's a place for both of them.

This I agree with. While DA is the way for self defense, I do many more things with revolvers than just carry concealed for self defense. Actually, I mostly carry a DAO auto concealed. I think autos beat revolvers hands down and six ways to sunday for self defense. More firepower, faster reloads, easier to carry those reloads, and 9mm in a pocket pushing 410 ft lbs in a 14 ounce gun and STILL comfortable to shoot with not a lot of muzzle flash.

So, if all you carry for is self defense and you're serious as a heart attack about self defense, why ain't you carrying an auto? I carry my revolver when I'm fishing or outdoors usually because it's stainless and can shoot single action when I need to. That's my pocket revolver's niche. In the concrete jungle, I'll normally go with an auto, DA or DAO. First shot is always DA just like my revolver. Keeps practice simple. Switching to a condition one single action might be a little much since I carry revolvers a lot.

[BCRider]

I've shot my Model 19 in a few speed steel matches. I quickly found that DA is much faster to use.

Also one day at the paper poking range I shot groups of 6 each in single and double. I shocked myself by getting a tighter group in DA. Time to shoot was pretty much the same for both.

Mind you I've got a Wolff spring kit in the thing with the lightest option return block spring trimmed down for an even lighter pull. The DA pull is down to around 6.5 to 7'ish lbs as I recall from measuring it many months ago. SA pull was spot on at 2 lbs.