DA shooting -- a skill or a talent??

Without a doubt, it's a learned skill that you can pick up.

Most DA triggers of quality simply require you to apply more force, over a longer travel distance than an SA trigger, which introduces more opportunities to mess up, and magnifies the consequences of bad habits.

Keeping it steady, smooth and consistent takes a little instruction, and a lot of practice.

DA triggers not of quality require you to apply excessive force that varies crunchilly over a preposterous travel distance. There is a special circle in hell reserved for the makers of those triggers.

I've got a DAO jframe, and a keltec p3at. They're both really good triggers, but the smith is quite a bit heavier.

Keep in mind that a keltec's hammer is partially tensioned by the slide, and so the da stroke doesn't have to do all the work that the da stroke of a revo does.

i bought my first pistol a few months ago, its a DAO KAhr K9. At first, i was really really terrible with it. I would pick up my buddies Taurus 92 (da/sa) and do quite well.

now, about a 1000 kahr rounds later, im better with the k9 than i am with my friends 92.

it took a bit of dry firing under focused conditions to perfect a repeatable trigger pull. That was the main thing, creating muscle memory to be able to achieve a consistent pull everytime.

dry fire the hell out of it, and you will learn the basics much more quickly

Definitely a skill~!

I learned it well from all the year's of toteing my world famous West German
SIG-SAUER .45 caliber P220A~!

+1 on the skill, not a talent, though there are some more skillful than others. I have a P11, very smooth, but LONG DA. It just takes a little getting used to. It's lighter and smoother than most out of the box DA revolvers, but quite a bit longer throw. Once you get used to it, it's very easy to shoot. It stages just before the break and is easy to stage and place your shots with and a very safe gun to pocket carry IMHO.

I shoot DA revolvers a lot and run a box of 9s through the Kel Tec most range sessions just to stay acquainted with it. Once you get used to DA, even the much maligned DA/SA transition on DA autos like the Sig is easy to acclimate to. I shoot my Ruger P90 in matches a lot and it's quite a good trigger and easy and natural to transition from DA to SA.

I grew up shooting revolvers and really like the DA autos for consistency of manual of operation. IOW, I can practice with my revolvers shooting DA for the bulk of my practice and don't have to chase my brass around. When I switch to the DA or DAO guns, just draw and fire just like the revolvers. If I carried a single action, it'd be different and I'd have to do most of my practice with the SA gun. I really am a revolver guy and carry them a lot. But, I realized the advantages of the auto. For me, having an auto that shoots DA just like my revolvers is a good thing.

?

I have been shooting da since i started speed plates and bianchi cup in 1986, its is something you can easly leard.I would recomend that you simply shoot alot da only and in only under the same condisions you expect to use the gun? I just got another m-36 and ive shot over 1500 rounds thru it since i picked it up on wednesday,heres a pic of a taget i shot at 15 yards one is da and the other is sa,I was using my 6in k-38

+1 Skill

Joe

The KT-P3AT and P32 hammers are partially cocked by the action, the P11 is not. The P11 is a true DAO pistol, and will strike and restrike the firing pin with each pull of the trigger. With the smaller KT pistols, you have to cycle the action (partially anyway) to reset the hammer between shots.

Shooting a DAO pistol well takes effort and practice. My P11 has a Looooong and gritty trigger, but it's possible to master it.

Don't get me wrong, I have a P3AT and a P11, and like them both. For weight, size, capacity, and price, they're hard to beat.

Skill.

FWIW, I would studiously avoid SA if I were you. Get yourself some snap caps and spend some evenings in front of the bube tube* working on your DA trigger pull & aim.

You'll improve your hand/trigger finger strength and smooth out your snubbies trigger (if it has relatively few DA rounds shot through it).

* Remebering & practicing the Four Rules at all times.

As noted above ...... STOP shooting the Chiefs Special in single action. Just don't do it anymore.

What do you want to do with the gun? Shoot bullseye competition at 50 yards? The Chiefs Special was not meant for that. It was meant to kill people at reasonably close distances - probably less than 5 yards. Bullseye accuracy is not needed for that.

I suggest that the trigger face be rounded and polished. A competent gunsmith could also remove the single action feature in the J-frame.

"How do you get to Carniegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice."

If I wanted a DAO, I'd buy a 642. I like being able to shoot SA when I want to, but to master DA, yes, just quit shooting SA and dry fire and practice, practice, practice.

I often have my little .38 with me when I'm out and about, riding IWB or in a pocket. I've taken small game this way and shoot it SA for that. If all you want out of your gun, though, is self defense, yeah, go DAO. That way, you won't be tempted to cock the hammer.

The rule for shooting DA is the same as for SA - keep the sights lined up and squeeze the trigger. That's all it takes. Oh, and some practice.

Actually some folks shoot better DA as the extra pressure gives the muscles more work and reduces the tendency to shake.

Jim

DA is absolutely a skill. It takes practice, a lot of it. Aside from dry firing, you need to shoot live ammo. To get the hang of it, do most of your practice with light loads until you've developed some skill. E.g., .38 Special 148 wadcutters or the 130 grain FMJ loads.

Don't try for speed. Work for consistent accuracy. Once you're able to shoot DA well slowly, gradually start shooting faster. Concentrate on the front sight and your trigger stroke.

If you can afford it, getting a K-Frame to learn DA shooting on will help quite a bit. Then apply the lessons learned on the large gun to your J-Frame.

<zen>

The key to proficient, fast DA shooting is to shoot slowly, but quickly.

</zen>

A J frame is a fantastic piece of machinery. I carry a 642 daily. But, a short little light J frame with a crappy sight radius and a fairly heavy trigger is not gonna help you shoot DA. If you really want to learn to shoot DA, go find a cheap used S&W model 10. And dry fire and shoot it until everything makes sense...

Once you find the "cycle" of a good DA revolver, they are amazingly fast and easy to shoot. Press trigger, gun fires, recoils, start loading the trigger as the gun settles, fire...recoil..load trigger as gun settles...fire...etc.

A skill for the talented
The action can be learned but precision in the execution is a talent

It's a skill that can be learned by anyone who can hold a gun.

I second the snap cap idea. Get some good ones and practice, practice, practice.

Use a good two handed grip. NOT a tea cup hold.
Point the gun at your target (I use the light switch on the opposite wall from my desk)
Once you have the gun on target pull the trigger slowly.
Watch your gu8n not the target.
Try to get as little movement of the gun as possible.
The trick is to pull the trigger straight and smooth.
Use the pad of the distal phalange (tip) to pull the trigger not the joint.
Don't let your finger slide across the face of the trigger. That will cause you to pull your shots.

Work slowly at first. As you get better at holding the front sight steady during the pull then work on your speed.
Some advocate putting a nickel, a quarter or a poker chip on the barrel and pulling the trigger without it falling off. If you can balance one on your barrel it's good practice. If not try putting it on the topstrap.

i too carry a J frame (Chief's Special Airweight, 1 7/8th"), every day, irregardless of what larger handgun i'm carrying. if it's not a primary, it's a backup. for a quick run to the store, it's often a primary. i had the trigger profile rounded and polished, and it made a difference

please, please don't have your snubby altered to DA only. if you really want a DAO revolver, buy a Bodyguard or Centennial model, or have a gunsmith bob a new hammer, and keep the old hammer stock. having a choice between single and double action is just too useful.

my Chief goes on every range trip with me, i've found there's almost always room for it and a box of LRN in the range bag. my usual dril with it is 4 DA shots aimed for center mass, and a more precise SA shot to the head or neck region of the silhouette. this gives more practice on DA, plus drills the habit of multiple DA shots followed by one "sure stop".