Why do we need the Double action only gun?

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efeng9622

efeng9622

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I have a DAO handgun before, it is S & W 9ve.9mm I can said I never like it after I bought. I felt the trigger is pretty hard and sometimes I even can't fire it and had to do one more time. I think this kind of gun is pretty safe but difficult to shoot it. I sold it eventually. but recently I think maybe I need to buy another 9mm and I fucused on Sig P250 but I found it is DAO again!? I like to know what kind of advantage DAO has ? Since it was designed for many years and still have many peopel to buy it.

Thanks!
 
Like you said, it is safe. Can't accidentally pull the trigger. I think long heavy trigger pulls are the safest, but there are some out there that are lighter, but still as long. Also it is simpler, no cocking to worry about, usually no external safeties involved, etc. I have found that after awhile with a DAO gun you can be pretty accurate by staging the trigger.
 
DA/SA guns were designed for safety. The first shot took that deliberate, long, heavy trigger pull - then it got better.

The problem compared to single action guns was that the trigger feel changed from the first shot to the next one. Some people didn't like getting used to two different trigger pulls, so the DAO gun came about. Rather than one bad trigger pull, then lots of good ones, they settled on all bad ones for consistency (yes, I know you can get used to a DA trigger, but IMHO even after you master it its still a bad trigger :D).

The Sigma that you mention isn't really a DAO gun. Its striker fired and just has a trigger heavy enough to feel DAO - but it can be improved upon with work. Lots of other striker fired guns don't have a trigger near as bad. My M&P for example has a consistent 2.5 lb trigger for every shot.

As said, different strokes for different folks, but I personally will NEVER own a hammer fired DAO gun. For my own tastes its a waste of money. Also, despite having really preferred them for a while, I don't think i'll ever buy another DA/SA either. Shooting the M&P really has converted me to preferring the stiker fired design.

EDIT: Okay, technically I lied as I forgot I own an LCP which is hammer-fired DAO. That's my carry gun though, and though I shoot it every now and then to make sure it still works, I don't really shoot it often enough to care about the trigger pull.
 
When I had the S&W 9VE , I felt almost each trigger pull is same weight and no different . I know somewhere can do trigger work and let it becomes to lighter. but I didn't try.
 
Different strokes for different (police administrations who don't trust their officers to carry other kinds of gun, nor the budget to train them more extensively) folks. Particularly the Para-Ordnance LDAs, I really think the only thing that keeps them around is cops who like 1911s, whose bosses will only let them carry DA.
 
First, I am not going to resell you on a S&W Sigma. S&W designed the Sigma to have a trigger that is longer and have a heavy pull. They are among the safest sem-autos on the market. They are also very simple to use. No safety like the DA/SA guns. They are not complicated and are much like a revolver.
I you want a lighter trigger and still a safe gun then I would go try some rental semi-autos at the range. That way you can experience the different actions and grip designs to better find the best gun for you. I am not going to recommend a gun to you. You need try different ones and make the decision. Don't rely on a gun forum when spending hard earned money.
Howard
 
efeng9622 said:
I like to know what kind of advantage DAO has ? Since it was designed for many years and still have many peopel to buy it.
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It isn't so much that there is an advantage...although I guess safety could be considered that...but that there isn't a disadvantage to a DAO trigger for other than precision target work.

I have a DAO handgun before, it is S & W 9ve.9mm...is pretty safe but difficult to shoot it.
Click to expand...
The S&W Sigma is a very poor example to base a opinion on...it was designed for a market that put a higher priority on price than function.

DAO triggers are actually fairly easy to learn, but there is a correct technique to it...you can find a link to this in my sigline
 
holdencm9 nailed it.

For a CCW gun, I will always prefer a long heavy trigger over any manual or passive safety that exists. I can't fire a gun with a safety on, but a long heavy trigger will never get in the way when the gun has to be fired.
 
For me I try to stick with either DAO or SAO guns, just so that the trigger pull is the same each time.
Safe, not safe ... Dunno about that. If you are doing it right, your finger shouldn't be on the trigger and the gun should be in a holster, and while I know hat accidents happen, nobody ever said guns were safe, inherently. Being around guns does carry the risk of bullet damage.
So to me, what is the advantage? The same trigger pull each time.
 
They are also very simple to use. No safety like the DA/SA guns.
Click to expand...

Plenty of DA/SA's exclude the safety. My SIG is DA/SA for example and has no safety. Plenty of striker fired guns also have them (Ruger SR's, some M&P's, etc). Really whether or not a gun has a safety is a completely different issue than the action type. Heck even some single action guns didn't have safeties (ie, the Tokarev in its original state).
 
Personally I think people who complain about double action needs to either get a stiff double action auto or a good dao revolver and shoot the heck out of it till they are good with it. I grew up shooting revolvers and yes I can see how nice a 1911 trigger and have shot a few that was like breaking glass... but for the most part I think its all overblown, learn how to shoot a revolver like da trigger and you will be able to shoot anything with out having to complain.
 
^ +1 to what you said. I have found that shooting my revolver or my pistols in the DA mode inproves my trigger pull technique and makes me a better shot when shooting SA.
 
^ +1 to what you said. I have found that shooting my revolver or my pistols in the DA mode inproves my trigger pull technique and makes me a better shot when shooting SA.
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+1 on this. I am a better shooter because of shooting revolvers and my 5903
Howard
 
roaddog28 said:
+1 on this. I am a better shooter because of shooting revolvers and my 5903
Howard
Click to expand...
^^^^^WHAT THEY SAID!^^^^^
My first experience with pistols was shooting revolvers. I own 3 DA\SA pistols. I shoot USPSA production div. with a S&W 5906. I only shoot marginally better with one of my 1911s in single stack div.
 
So what I am hearing is that law suit skitish dictators inside Law Enforcement Agencies have demanded DAO platforms for their off duty employees. Could this forced market demand be mostly responsible for the near demise of hammer fired DA/SA semi autos? Nifty.

So do those same internal dictators demand their people drive off duty vehicles equiped with speed limiting governors? That policy would probably go further toward protecting the general public.

I really like DA/SA in a carry pistol and never had a problem remembering my first shot will require a stiffer pull IF I don't cock the hammer first, placing it in SA mode. Besides, the only time I would fire the weapon in DA mode is a no warning self defense scenario and I seriously doubt I would be concerened about "breaking glass rods" at that moment or even notice that trigger nuance with all that adrenaline flowing.
 
to the OP - see if you can rent a P250 before you dismiss the DAO trigger. Sig makes a really good one.
 
So what I am hearing is that law suit skitish dictators inside Law Enforcement Agencies have demanded DAO platforms for their off duty employees. Could this forced market demand be mostly responsible for the near demise of hammer fired DA/SA semi autos? Nifty.
Click to expand...

I doubt it. The DAO gun is really on its way out. It isn't DAO's that are taking over DA/SA's, but striker fired guns, and they are most certainly NOT DAO. As a matter of fact they're closer to a single action with no decock option than a DAO. Nearly all of them are partially (nearly fully) cocked after each cycle.

The reality is that safety is largely more about keeping your finger off the trigger than actual trigger weight. That just as true on any gun - including striker fired. Striker fired guns simply don't have the visual feature that is a cocked hammer to induce fear in all the ignorant onlookers.
 
I have a S&W 4046 (DAO 3rd generation .40 S&W) and I love it because it is seriously one of the simplest guns out there. No safeties to deal with under stress, and once you get used to the heavier trigger pull, it really isn't that bad. I also like how if you want to chamber a round, the hammer automatically goes back up and you don't have to worry about a decocker failing or anything like that.
 
I did find it objectionable to be saddled with a DAO S&W auto during a term of police work. I can manage about any type of action, but prefer the OPTION of single action on a DA/SA auto instead of DAO. The DAO made it tougher to articulate an accurate shot at longer ranges, and I do not think that is an asset.
 
As long as there are people out there one type of action will never take over the market. Striker fire semi-autos are very popular. I have two of them. But I will still take my DA/SA semi-auto over my striker guns. Reason, I like a hammer that I can see. Comes from experience with revolvers. The DA/SA gives you the first revolver like double action pull and then a person gets the lighter SA for the rest of the rounds. A person can always cock the hammer and goe to SA if the situation dictates it. Like the options.
DAO pistols are there for a reason. They were designed to make the gun "safer". But like others have said, shooters need to keep there fingers off the trigger unless they have acquired their target. That is the best safety.
Howard
 
Guns are inherently unsafe, to make them safe is to make them useless. Safety is the responsibility of the user. You cannot manufacture safety. - my .02
 
We don't NEED DAO guns. They are bought by people who do not trust themselves or others to be properly trained on how to use a firearm. A DAO trigger is a crutch, and inherently less accurate.

I know people shoot DAO well, but it is a needless burden.
 
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