Double Action or Single Action?

Well, there are two possible questions here:

1) Which do you prefer, Double Action or Single Action revolvers? The grips, loading procedure, mechanical strength, size, weight, etc. are very different for between the traditional SAs and more modern DAs. One is primarily suited to hunting or certain kinds of competition and the other is more suited for defensive roles and other kinds of competition.

2) In Double Action guns, do you prefer to shoot DA or SA for which shots, when, and at what distances?

My own answer to question 1 is, everything in its season. I generally shoot Double Actions as they are more suited to the kind of shooting I'm primarily interested in.

Question 2: Double action almost always. You can shoot DA (with practice) just as accurately as SA out to pretty impressive distances.

A single action normally has a very light trigger, not good in an SD scenario when your adrenalin is pumping full blast. The are slower to reload and, unless you are Bob Mundon, slower for follow up shots as well. I like them for hunting but not for SD/HD.

It is true that a revolver can be shot just as accurately double action as single action. However most people won't take the time or effort to practice this DA discipline . Therefore most of us do shoot our revolvers single action and single action revolvers are just plain fun to carry and shoot. For a woods gun I much prefer my Ruger or Colt SAA then one of my S&W N frames. YMMV!

I agree with what Sam1911 wrote, and for the same reasons. My most-shot guns right now are the revolvers I use in IDPA and USPSA matches, and they can't be shot in SA, as they've been rendered DAO.

I also have a vintage K-22 and K-38 target revolvers that've been left unmolested. Even for target work, though, I'm as accurate shooting DA as SA, so the spur rarely gets used.

I had a SA Blackhawk, but I had little use for it, so it rarely got shot. I sold it to buy another DA revolver

It is true that a revolver can be shot just as accurately double action as single action.

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It could be that DA shooting can be done accurate enough for your individual purposes, but it is folly to believe that DA shooting can be done as accurately as single action fire.

As far as combat use, most factory single actions will have a trigger not unlike a good 1911. All the same rules apply, you don't put your finger on the trigger until it's time to fire a shot.

It could be that DA shooting can be done accurate enough for your individual purposes, but it is folly to believe that DA shooting can be done as accurately as single action fire.

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Oooh kay. So lets say that DA can be just as practically accurate as SA out to some distance, which distance will depend on the shooter.

(Strange, that sounds a lot like what I posted before...)

Sheesh. Any other nits to pick?

Sheesh. Any other nits to pick?

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I wasn't really responding to your post, which had a very good stipulation. It was loadedround's "It is true that a revolver can be shot just as accurately double action as single action." that I took issue with. Because there is a huge difference between shooting paper targets at the local 25yd range and live critters at 100yds......or more.

Both Sam and Craig make valid points.

DA is as accurate as SA for me because I don't have nearly as much SA trigger time. One gets good at what they practice. When I "target" practice, it's informal. The target and distance are my choosing, and my groups are identical.

I think I have good DA trigger control, and have spent a lot of time working on it, but If I were to start bullseye shooting with a revolver, I'd likely be spending some quality time with that SA trigger pretty quickly. I couldn't imagine shooting my 10m air pistol with anything other than a light SA trigger.

The finer details of DA/SA accuracy is largely moot, though, since, it's a level of accuracy that's well beyond what most typically display.

I have never found a single action that felt right in my hand, except the Bearcat. The Hammer fall seems harder and longer on a Blackhawk than on a S&W double action, making it harder (for me) to hold a decent group. Oddly enough, the best fit, best feeling grip I ever found was a cheap plastic grip on an H&R cheap .22

...and live critters at 100yds......or more.

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Oh. Yes, that I completey agree with and that was the exact premise I'd intended with my caveat. Sorry for being obtuse and cranky!

Yeah, I don't know about taking a DA shot at a game animal at 100 yds. I'd need a significant amount more practice to try that ... and probably just wouldn't. Any shot I'd want to take rested and/or prone, I'd go SA.

I like single actions afield as I'll never shoot DA at game at any distance anyhow. I want a one shot, put him down, for the sake of the animal. It is unethical to do otherwise. The SA guns are generally much stronger for the weight you're going to carry. If you're carrying an X frame, might as well tote a carbine. My Blackhawks are powerful, strong, and about as light as any comparable L frame. Of course, I'm biased haven't started with a single action .22 revolver many years ago.

I carry DA when I carry for self defense for obvious reasons at defense ranges. I have an alloy .38 snub that gets carried a lot in a pocket as well as a 3" .357 that gets occasional winter carry. Afield, though, I have the choice of a rather accurate 4" .357 medium frame gun or my blackhawks. I can't say I always choose the blackhawk, but there's really no reason not to in the field IMHO. My .45 Colt 4 5/8" blackhawk is pretty much big enough for any critter I'll ever come across in the field and even in stainless weighs a tick over 40 ounces.

As to accuracy, beyond 25 yards I will ALWAYS cock the hammer. And, I have competed in IHMSA. I saw no one shoot DA from Creedmore. We shot chickens at 50 yards to rams at 200 yards with no mechanical support. I could knock down 36 out of 40 with regularity with my TC Contender in 7mmTCU. A revolver would be more challenge. The TC is a SA only gun, but the lock time is a bit faster than a Blackhawk. However, I can put 6 rounds into under 4" from a rest at 100 yards with either of my Blackhawks. The lock time does not seem to bother me. From Creedmore, I can hit the pigs pretty regularly, too. Just takes practice, whatever you're going to do with a handgun. I do as many kinds of revolver shooting as I can, it's all fun.

Since you're already a double action guy, you probably already have a "fighting" revolver (not that a SA can't/shouldn't be used by someone familiar enough with them). I'd go with the single action if for no other reason than to learn a new skill.

options are great, make mine shoot both ways, double your fun

I do believe that DA can be extremely accurate, but a lot of folks who just never shoot SA don't actually know what they could or could not do in SA, simply because they just don't do equal round counts of both.

Bambi, yes, is worthy of a one kill zone shot. Bad Bubba is worthy of six.
choices, choices

I have both d/a and s/a revolvers. For me the d/a is more conveniant to catch a cyl full of empties in one quick motion, and reload from a speed loader.
I shoot revolvers in s/a mode 99% of the time.
I don't see myself ever owning a dao revolver......I think I would get an auto instead.

I own SA revolvers and semiautos. I own DA revolvers with target triggers and hammers (TT;TH). I carry handguns that I can point and shoot. No apparent safety, a hammer that must be cocked etc. or spurred to snag. I favor hammerless, bobbed revolvers or safe action autos for everyday carry.

Echoing above comments: deliberate, braced, benched, prone sure: bring on the Model 29 6" TT;TH, the Blackhawk, K-38 6" TT;TH. Clowning, having fun, 1911, SAA etc.

One last thought. My best single action shooters are DA's. S&W 27, 29, K-38, 686+, but again not my CCW's.

I have both, SA and DA revolvers. The SA is more nostalgic, and with hunting, is far more accurate at long range. The DA is more self defense, but with proper training and range time, you can learn to instinctively stage the trigger to gain the SA advantage of the trigger. As stated before, with the adrenaline in high gear, be careful of the SA trigger, or the staged DA.

I vote DA revolver. But I would shoot it single action during SD. The longer DA pull is no good for accuracy; I have small hands. I want to put the bullet right in the middle of the home invader's chest, because I only have six rounds of 38spl. I can't afford to spray and pray. But I learned to shoot with a Single Action Army, so SA shooting is more natural for me.

It seems there is a difference of opinion as to what the intended target requires for accuracy. Self defense requires less accuracy than hunting???? I don't accept that. For SD work, I really want to hit what I am aiming, not merely close. Same for hunting. I treid using revolvers as SA and found I am much more accurate using them DA. I also learned how to shoot DA and it is easier for me to keep the sights aligned.

As for 100 yard shots, on paper no problem. On game, even with a rifle I was taught to stalk closer.

Self defense requires less accuracy than hunting???? I don't accept that. For SD work, I really want to hit what I am aiming, not merely close. Same for hunting.

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That's perhaps not quite the intended message. Self-defense (to be legitimate self-defense and not murder) usually needs an element of immediacy. In other words, the other party has to be close enough to do you harm and so close that you don't have a reasonable chance to resolve the situation in some other way.

In other words, you aren't going to be shooting very far, and you will need to be putting rounds on target as fast as humanly possible. Those two concepts tend to remove your ability to make an extremely precise shot, but also reduce your need to do so as well. Self-defense shooting requires 2-6 shots in your attacker's center of mass as fast as you can make that happen. Not the one-(precise)-shot-one-kill at 75 yards you might want to make in a hunting situation.

So, hunting accuracy might be considered to be landing every shot in an 8" circle out to your maximum ethical distance. Off a rest, taking your time, single-action.

Self-defense shooting is best and most often summed up as: 3 shots, 3 yards, 3 seconds. That requires accurate shot placement, but not precision accuracy of the sort required for hunting purposes.

Part of my preference for one over the other is dictated by use. One thing I like about SA is that it slows me down when I'm plinking, not just the deliberate cocking and trigger pull but loading and unloading as well. SA is a more thoughtful experience for me. But if I'm range shooting at paper targets I prefer a DA revolver. And I prefer DA for self defense because of its inherent speed compared to SA.

Self defense requires less accuracy than hunting????

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Uh, yeah! Think about the ranges involved. Think about the guns typically well-suited to each purpose. Think about their inherent accuracy. You really don't n eed a self defense gun to shoot better than 4" at 25yds and that's a good thing because most snubs and service autos are capable of no better. Most shooters will never know how well their self defense pistol will shoot at 25yds from the bench. For hunting, you better do your homework, you better find the right load and it better shoot 4" at 100yds.

usmc-1, on the draw, a single action will be cocked before the gun is level and ready to fire, same as a double action. subsequent shots will be slower (not much) due to the time required to cock the hammer.

if the bg is carrying a knife, you can draw and cock one-handed while blocking with the off hand. we can call this "cock and block". (a little bg humor).

murf