Single or Double Action which do you prefer?

[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.

 

[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]

DOUBLE ACTION for me

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.

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]

Single Action

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.