New to revolvers... does anyone actually shoot DA?

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I only recently took an interest in revolvers, and I've still only fired them a few times at ranges. The accuracy is impressive compared to semiautos, but after my last session I realized something: I reflexively cock the hammer after every shot because the DA trigger pulls are so heavy I can't aim. Does it just take practice? It usually takes me a second to realign the sights after firing and in that second I can cock the hammer as well, so I don't seem to lose any time by shooting SA. I know I wouldn't want to deal with those heavy pulls in a life-threatening situation, so I'm curious as to how more experienced people use revolvers "in the field." So far I've shot Ruger GP100, SW 686 and an assortment of compact models, all .38/.357, so for all I know it could be different with other guns. Any input appreciated.
 
When I shoot revolvers, I use SA for target practice at longer ranges or to get the gun sighted in. If I'm practicing for self defense I use DA.

jm
 
I never noticed, but when I draw my S&W 19 from my holster to shoot field rats while I'm running a tractor I usually thumbcock it while bringing it on to target.
 
Yes, it does take practice. I was like you and allways shot SA all the time and didn't think it took any more time. Then I started shooting competion in my local club and realized how slow I was. My main guns for this are both S&W, a model 10 and a 625JM. Dry fire will help smooth a trigger and a gunsmith can lighten a trigger pull, mine have not been to a gunsmith, just used.
Try dumping 6 shots into a 7yd target as fast as you can and still hit the target shooting DA and SA. I think you will notice the difference. Have fun and get lots of practice, Jim.
 
I shoot DA about 30-40% of the time. why? to try and get more accurate with it. SA is fun, but there really isn't a huge challenge there; besides, I like to make my gun do everything it was designed to.

And i'm one of those people who uses a liberal amount of .357 Mag out of a .357, and not just .38spl. call me crazy......:p
 
The double-action revolver trigger is the hardest trigger to master due to the weight of the pull and the length of the pull. Some triggers are better then others though and a gun with a smooth pull is much easier to shoot then a gun with a rough or gritty pull. Once you've mastered the DA revolver trigger though, you can shoot *anything* well. Keep at it, it's worth the effort.

I reccomend alot of dry fire. This will help you improve your pull and also smooth the pull out a bit over time.

Personallly, I shoot DA about 90% of the time. I usually carry a revolver for defense and I've worked to master that DA pull.
 
DA takes a little getting used to, but once you do it's a lot of fun and not difficult at all. There's a rythm to it.
 
I shoot DA almost exclusively in practice. It takes practice, but it's not hard to do. I can roll the 6" plates pretty regular with a DA K frame at 25 yards. I even do pretty well on 'em with my 2" snubby .38. Now, when I'm shooting at a rabbit or something, it's SA. Heck, I carry single actions a lot when I'm outdoors. But, defensive shooting, you need to master DA shooting.

If you ever get a chance to watch a PPC shoot, take it. You'll be amazed at the accuracy a good DA revolver (usually custom race guns, of course) with a really good shooter can do. I was at a local match once when this guy who was ranked 18th in the country in PPC showed up to cherry pick once. He was pretty awesome to watch! This was one of the first matches I ever shot and they were allowing SA shooting at this match. I'd not quite mastered DA to be all that confident in it, yet, so I fired SA. This guy cleaned my clock shooting DA, LOL! That inspired me to learn. His gun was a beautiful race gun, too, built on a M10 Smith. When this shoot occured, S&W hadn't invented the L frame, yet, so that was a while back. They had a pretty good purse on this match and I took home third place money. This fellow and his friend took first and second, the rest of the shooters were locals. They were Wharton county sheriff's deputies, so I suppose they could use the supplemental income. LOL

It's really not that hard to learn DA shooting. You can learn in a fairly short time. You just need to practice sight alignment and trigger control. Pull the trigger through slowly increasing pressure on it and concentrate on adding the pressure progressively and slowly at first. Put your finger through the trigger to the first joint for proper DA control. Don't try to use the end of your trigger finger as you would shooting a bullseye match pistol or something. Do some dry fire practice trying to keep the sights aligned and keep them from bouncing around as you operate the trigger. Dry fire practice helps a lot.
 
I rarely shoot SA at all. Part of the fun with revolvers is developing the skills. Get some snap caps, put a dime on top of the frame or barrel, and practice dry firing without letting the dime drop. It will do wonders for your trigger pull.
DA shooting is more practical for real world purposes. It pays to practice it.
 
On the range we use a combination of SA and DA shooting. On the street, when revolvers were issued, we were trained to never aim with the weapon cocked for SA. We worked on proficiency using DA fire.

John
 
As said, it is a matter of technique and practice.
I have competed in PPC, IPSC, and IDPA with .38 and .45 revolvers shot about 99.99% double action. I only shoot SA for load testing on target or chronograph.
There were even a few old timers who shot bullseye DA, before the autos had taken over.
 
I can keep them on a silhouette target, one handed at 50' using D/A. It takes a lot of practice. At 21' it's not much of a problem.

A BIG help is to have a good, smooth D/A pull. This involves smoothing, NOT lightening the pull. This is done through proper polishing of the requisite parts.

Find a good gunsmith who can do a proper, safe trigger job on a revolver. You won't believe the difference.
 
I just shoot my DA revolvers DA. DA in a quality revolver is enjoyable unlike the DA in an automatic which simply sucks. Nice and smooth, I don't even notice the weight.

A quality revolver(like an older Smith) should be smooth, not light. Avoid lightening the trigger. That would be compromising the reliability and safety of the revolver to compensate for the shooter. Shooting DA is all about smoothness.
 
I have had the opposite experience from RevolvingCylinder. I can't stand the DA on revolvers as it feels longer and heavier but I love the DA on my Sig or Walther P22. When I shoot my only wheel gun (S&W 627) I shoot DA exclusively. I have no use for SA as I can't use it defensively or in competition if I want to do well. It may be that I have difficulty with the N-frame grip and trigger reach. I am hoping to pick up a k-frame some day.
 
I practice mostly DA at the range, especially at typical defensive distances. However, I do cock the hammer and fire SA for distances that require careful aiming. This way I feel confident in my ability to make consecutive shots quickly at defensive range and also shoot further out for field use.
 
I reflexively cock the hammer after every shot because the DA trigger pulls are so heavy I can't aim. Does it just take practice?
Click to expand...

Sounds like your revolver might benefit from some trigger work. What revolver? My S&W 19-something has a very nice DA trigger. I could shoot DA exclusively with it and not feel deprived.
 
In the past, when I had revolvers, I started to practice DA shooting and actually was getting quite good with it.

If it is a gun that I am going to carry for self defense, i definitely want to be using DA for practice 90%+ of the time. That is how you will use the gun, so practice that way.

If the gun is for hunting, then i'd be more inclined to sticking with SA for practice and use.

Steve
 
I made a real effort to practice shooting double action, but broke down recently shooting a newer S&W 629 of mine. I have trigger spring kits in my other (S&W 686) wheelguns and they have not posed any reliability issues and make it so much nicer to shoot. I plan on dropping in a spring kit on this one too.....real soon as I have an extra kit on hand.
 
About the only time I shoot SA is when I am working on load development.

Reasons for Dry firing a revolver..
1. It breaks in the gun, the amount of time a gun is dryfired it really goes to having a smother trigger pull
2. It strengthens your trigger finger, If you have a good smooth trigger and it is just a little heavy, develop finger strength (both hands so swap hands now and then)by pulling the trigger on your gun.

Usual DisclaimerMake sure your gun is unloaded and remove all ammo to another room or location. Also if you are unloading a revolver make sure to count the number of cartridges in your hand.
 
DA only. SA shooting is a waste of time an ammo for me. If I ever need to shoot some pest with my .22 or to hunt with .357, I will do it SA, of course.

Trigger pull is heavy at first compared to other guns but nothing a bit of exercise would not correct.

miko
 
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