What do you prefer? DA/SA SAO DAO for a CCW and why?

What do you prefer for a CCW DA/SA SAO DAO? And why?

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rufunky

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What do you prefer? DA/SA SAO DAO for a CCW and why?


Myself, I'm still trying to decide if I feel comfortable enough to carry SAO.
 
I prefer DA/SA as that is what I started on and what I am comfortable with. All of my handguns are DA/SA w/decocker except my 1911 and BHP.
I don't like Glock-like triggers because most of them are terrible.
 
I've gotten used to my Taurus which is SA/DA...which is really deceiving; really a pre-set trigger (Glock-like...I call it SA since Taurus does) that can revert to DAO if there's a failure-to-go-bang.

Might be a terrible trigger, but I hit where I'm aiming at the range out to 15 yds...and if I need it in a SD situation and I've got more than 45ft between me and Mr. Bad Man, these boots were made for walkin, and that's just what they'll do. :)

That said, I've got my eye on a 1911 as soon as I'm not poor (ie, when I finally graduate) and I reckon I'll learn to love SA.
 
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In 1995 I got jumped in a parking lot while carrying a 1911 style .32.

Being a noob I was carrying condition 3 and freaked out so bad that I forgot to chamber a round.
Bottom line the defensive display was enough (that time).

Now I choose DA/SA ( chambered) because taking the safety off is just one more thing to forget under stress, pull, point, shoot.

If I were to carry a 1911 again it would be condition 1
 
Two of the guns I carry are DAO, and one is a 1911. I like a consistent trigger pull. Period. As long as it's between 3-15lbs and consistent, I'm good. :)
 
I prefer DA/SA as that is what I started on and what I am comfortable with.
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Same, and will likely remain so for the rest of my life. If anything, I'd switch to DAO in the form of a revolver. I also wouldn't mind something striker fired. I love shooting a 1911, but it's just not the style of carry handgun for me.
 
I appreciate Treo's honesty. It underscores the reason I do not care for SAO handguns as CCW pieces. Before the flak starts, remember what Treo said. Real fights are scary things and when something can go wrong, then it probably will. Yes, you can train people on a wide range of firearms and other weapons. I really believe this. But simpler is better in a high stress environment. That is why I like the DA option. I think this is a sound position, but it is not intended to start an "handgun action" war. Instead, it reflects my somber reflection on what works best under extreme stress.


Timthinker
 
I chose SAO because you didn't have a choice for Glock/XD/M&P.

I don't like DA/SA guns that don't allow cocked and locked carry because most of them have too long of a trigger reach for me. The ones bigger than 9x19mm/.40S&W are just plain too big. TRUE DAO just has all of the disadvantages of DA/SA with none of the advantages.

I'm carrying a Norinco M1911 right now. A couple of days ago, I carried my Browning High Power. Before that, my Glock 19.
 
I don't like DA/SA guns that don't allow cocked and locked carry
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That's one of the reasons I carry CZs,even though I will probably never cary condition one again, (just because I'm anal as Hell and firmly believe in carrying the same gun, the same way, every day) They give me the option.
 
DA/SA

It allows for a safe carry condition that only requires the operator to pull the trigger to come out of that condition. When your heart rate is 200bpm in a deadly force situation you are in combat stress mode which has a long field history of making even the most skilled shooter fumble for manual safeties. This is why you don't see manual safeties in most major LE organizations anymore. In addition to the DA mode, having the SA mode allows for less effort in delivering rapid fire accurately.
 
This is why you don't see manual safeties in most major LE organizations anymore.
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I'd bet it's more likely that training budgets are tight, leading to poor training and unsafe gun handling. That and twits in the public afraid of seeing cocked hammers.
 
That's one of the reasons I carry CZs,even though I will probably never cary condition one again, (just because I'm anal as Hell and firmly believe in carrying the same gun, the same way, every day) They give me the option.
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I considered purchasing a .40S&W CZ75B for that reason, until recently. Unfortunately, the trigger/reach doesn't fit me. Allegedly this can be fixed with a replacement trigger, but I'm not spending upwards of $500 on a gun that I can't even use until the trigger has been replaced with one I probably won't get to try first. And replacing triggers on CZs isn't the trivial job that it is on a Glock. Not as hard as on an S&W revolver, but not exactly a casual thing, I believe.
 
I've only known 1911s. both in the military and my personal semi-autos. I have two DA/SA (both are "decocker" type) and three SA in my gun safe, but carry 1911 type as I'm more familar with them and also prefer a consistent trigger pull. I've, also, seen people on the range get an unwanted double tap because of the transition from DA to SA.

Markus L. I've seen more NDs with DA/SA then with SA autos. Seems that the carrier can't keep their finger off the trigger when reholstering or snagging the trigger on something when returning it to the holster or other tricks. On SA only the hammer and/or trigger is locked and can't be accidently pulled. I only have one SA that the trigger isn't locked and in that auto the trigger is completly disengaged and the hammer locked.

It is very easy to training your thumb to disengage the safety during the draw. And training your index finger to stay off the trigger until you have engaged and identified the target.

I'm sure that that is the same with DA/SA autos too. Evidently those with DA/SA autos rely on the "presumed safety" of the DA/SA auto and don't practice enough to gain the advantage of muscle memory...These are just observations at various pistol ranges and not ment to troll.
 
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I prefer SAO. DAO is unweildy beyond about fifteen yards, traditional DA isn't nearly so bad but a lot of the DA guns are either revolvers (not comfortable for my hands) or double stack autos (too wide for my liking). So, I go with a SA 1911.
 
I did not answer the poll since it does not have a selection that is " It dont matter as long as the trigger is consistent " . In all honesty its dao or sa for me and i carry both from time to time . What is imporntent to me is that the trigger behave the same way from shot to shot . I have shot traditional da autos in the past and they either cost me on my shot to shot time or on my accuracy depending on the rush . I just dont deal well with the transition from a long pull to a short , but i can handle either well if its consistent .
 
SAO. I carry my 1911 every day with the hammer back, round chambered and safety on. It has been my experience that I suck at life when it comes to DA/SA pistols. My first round is a write off most of the time, and well not only is that just flat unsafe it is also not acceptable. Though I was shooting a S&W 4006 at the time. I feel more than comfortable with carrying my 1911 in this fashion. As long as my finger stays off the trigger I have nothing to worry about. Safety starts with me, before I even holster my weapon for the days outings.
 
I carry all three at times.But I try to keep controls neutral so that my trained draw works. IE safetys if present must be frame mounted and down to fire.

I'll carry a 1911 ,S&W 1076, CZ85 combat, S&W 340, SP101 or HK P7PSP.
MOA while not exact all will work if (and as I have trained my draw)as you draw thumb sweeps the safety grip the gun firmly and pull the trigger.

While I would probably be a little better off if I would dedicate to one design, that would just suck.
 
My CCW is a snubbie revolver. It has an exposed hammer, which can be cocked for SA, but when I practice, I shoot DAO.
 
I said DAO, as my two primary carry guns are a S&W 642 (with no exposed hammer) and an XD-40sc, with a fantastic trigger pull that feels much more like SAO. Neither have any external safeties to fumble with, and I can shoot them both pretty well at self defense ranges. My 1911 is a fantastically accurate and comfortable range gun, but it's just never been added into my CCW rotation. I too like consistant trigger pull from shot to shot and it doesn't get much more consistant than a heavy DAO pull on a S&W J-frame!
 
cocked and locked 1911 for me. I can get the best accuracy with a nice single action, knocking the thumb safety off has become instinctive upon drawing. An AD is very unlikely with the single action due to the fact that my trigger finger will never touch the trigger while the thumb safety is down while the grip safety is depressed unless my sights are on the target.
 
I'd bet it's more likely that training budgets are tight, leading to poor training and unsafe gun handling. That and twits in the public afraid of seeing cocked hammers.
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"We recommend that law enforcement agencies move towards pistols that do not have manual safeties or other devices that require additional action other than pulling the trigger. Under combat stress conditions it is of more benefit to the operator to be able to unholster and fire with limited muscle memory than any added safety conditions offered by manual safeties or single trigger condition benefits. Decades of field observations support this finding."
-Agent Urey Patrick of the FBI from "Law Enforcement Firearms Briefing" at Quantico, VA in 1989.
 
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