Single action vs double

[Steve Milbocker]

This is a question geared towards target / hunting not defensive shooting. What type of revolver do you gentlemen shoot best? I owned both types back in the early 80s and it seems like I shot single action revolvers best. In the last year or so I’ve started to have an interest in shooting again after a very long hiatus. I have started to acquire some revolvers again after having sold them all years ago. I have a few double actions but no singles. I think I need to pick one up just so I know for sureI don’t shoot as well as I did when I was young and I guess that’s just the way it is but I’ll take all the advantages I can get.

 

[Rodentman]

I shoot best with DA guns in SA mode. I do not do well with SA only, for some reason, and I have some rather good ones, including a FA83 in 44 mag. I am sure it's not the gun, but my inadequacies and bad practices.

 

[MaxP]

Single-action. In calibers that kick hard, I can actually shoot a single-action significantly faster for quick follow-up shots. But that’s just me.

 

[crestoncowboy]

I shoot best with DA guns in SA mode. I do not do well with SA only

Same here. All the way down to having nice SA guns..... yet still shooting the x-frames, 29, and Redhawks better. I love the old looking SA guns (growing up on cowboy movies I guess) but even though I've fired thousands of rounds with Blackhawks and such I'm still better with the DA grip. I can control the recoil better in a DA frame too. Even in my 329pd.

 

[entropy]

I shoot best with DA guns in SA mode. I do not do well with SA only, for some reason, and I have some rather good ones, including a FA83 in 44 mag. I am sure it's not the gun, but my inadequacies and bad practices.

Likewise, DA fired in SA. Right now, I only have a DAO .38 and SA cap and ball revolvers.

 

[huntsman]

I prefer SA only because when I owned DA I shot it in DA and wasn’t as good as with a SA, but reduced springs helped make my Blackhawk more enjoyable for me.

 

[.308 Norma]

Hands down, I shoot my old Ruger Blackhawk 4.5" Colt better than I shoot my fairly new Smith Model 69 4" 44 Magnum - even when shooting the Smith single-action style. Besides being more accurate with SA revolvers , my old Blackhawk (even with heavy loads) is easier on my almost 72 year-old elbows than my Model 69. And for me, it's always been that way - single actions, such as a Blackhawk or Super Blackhawk, tend to roll in my hand, dampening the recoil. While large bore, double action revolvers seem to come straight back at me, which makes the tendonitis (that I've had for many, many years) in my elbows act up.
However, just like most everything when it comes to guns - it's not my experiences or opinions that count. You're the one that's going to be shooting targets and hunting with your revolvers.
"Oh, one more thing" Columbo said - a long time ago I read somewhere that double-action revolvers have a "quicker" hammer fall than single-action revolvers, which makes them more inherently accurate, or "precise" if you prefer. That may be true, but you couldn't prove it by me.

 

[AK103K]

I always seem to be the odd one out in these threads. I shoot DA guns better in DA, than I do SA. Especially the heavier recoiling rounds.

Same goes for my DA autos. If I shoot 10 rounds in DA, and 10 rounds in SA, the DA groups are always smaller.

DA takes your focus off the trigger and puts it to the sights (and target), where it belongs.

At least thats my story, and Im sticking to it.

I found this out a long time ago when I bought my first 44 mag, a 4" Model 29. I soon fond that after a few rounds of full power loads, I couldnt hit crap with it. Started to pick up a nasty flinch too. An old family friend who was a big DA revolver shooter from the old days set me right, and showed me the way. It didnt happen overnight, but after a little practice, and getting my muscle tone up, my groups quickly tightened up. I havent thumb cocked a DA gun since.

I also came to realize, all my shooting improved across the board, and not just my handgun shooting.

Personally, I think learning to shoot DAO is probably one of the best things you can do, to be a better shooter.

 

[AK103K]

"Oh, one more thing" Columbo said - a long time ago I read somewhere that double-action revolvers have a "quicker" hammer fall than single-action revolvers, which makes them more inherently accurate, or "precise" if you prefer. That may be true, but you couldn't prove it by me.

Thats one thing I do notice with my Ruger SA's. And its very noticeable. The lock time is different, slower, and just adds to the problem.

 

[mcb]

Double action for everything, self defense competition, and hunting.

 

[Logwood]

I shoot my DA revolvers (shooting SA) than I do my SA revolvers. My SA revolvers are limited to a customized Ruger BH Bisley .and a Colt SAA - both chambered in .45 Colt. The SAA is pretty accurate to 20 yards or so. Beyond that groups quickly start getting bigger for me. Fixed sights don't work as well for me at longer distances. The Bisley is an excellent shooting gun out to 50 yards and beyond, but even with its custom trigger its not as accurate (for me) as my better DA guns My 6" S&W Model 27 in .357 magnum and 6.5" Model 624 in .44 Special are literally tack drivers at 20 yards. Both are excellent at longer ranges - 10" plates under a 100 yards or so provide good targets (on my better days). I've a 6" S&W model 17 that I've shot 1.5" groups at 50 yards with on numerous occasions.

 

[Varminterror]

In calibers that kick hard, I can actually shoot a single-action significantly faster for quick follow-up shots. But that’s just me.

yeah... but there’s definitely something wrong with you...

 

[Varminterror]

Personally, I tend to shoot the best with whichever I shoot the most. In recent years, that has been DA’s, but when I was younger and especially when I was CAS/SASS shooting, I had a single action on my hip every day, and shot them notably better.

Getting a shorter, cleaner trigger break with an SA action is easier than a DA, and I’ve personally seen my shooting improve considerably by using a trigger stop, which is easier to tune in an SA than a DA, but otherwise, given similar sear engagement, over travel, and pull weight, whichever one I handle the most is the one I shoot the best.

Ease of loading and unloading, and the integral optic mounts of the SRH, plus the additional power of the. 454CASULL over 44mag are drivers for my transition over to DA revolvers.

Conceding to my playful dig at @MaxP above - I really do think a well practiced shooter SHOULD be able to shoot better, faster, with an SA than a DA. The hammer stroke is the big force in the cycle, the trigger pull, a small force. Alternatively, a DA trigger sandwiches the two together, so it might require less manipulations, but it does require WAY more force during the sensitive part of the shot (trigger pull). So I FULLY back that sentiment - a guy really should be able to fire better, faster, with an SA than a DA.

 

[BullRunBear]

I like all revolvers but do better with single actions for accuracy (especially at longer ranges) and they are more comfortable with heavy loads. All my centerfire SAs are Blackhawks in one model or another and cover calibers from 32 to 45. Of course that's personal preference. From the variety of comments here you can tell there's no one correct answer. I'm curious what you'll end up with.

Jeff

 

[crestoncowboy]

So I FULLY back that sentiment - a guy really should be able to fire better, faster, with an SA than a DA.

The same mechanics apply to semi-autos. No one would argue that it would be faster and better to reach up and cock the hammer every shot, I don't believe. I've actually seen two semi autos do just that...one an HK and one a Beretta. The owners didnt think it faster nor amusing. Competition shooters seem pretty fast in DA too.

That said, I agree that I can personally shoot faster and better by shooting my revolvers with my left hand working the hammer. But I don't believe that with practice that's normal or would be typical. Especially if you had a decent DA trigger, which is admittedly very rare IME. A unicorn in fact. Between my Sig, HK, Beretta and FN semis and my Colt, Ruger, and Smith revolvers I think all DA pulls suck. But people swear they exist. Idk. Lol I just hate DA triggers.

Miculek seems to be fast enough with DA only. The only way Munden could keep up with Miculek was from the hip, and accuracy wasnt as good. And they are (and were) probably the experts in both fields.

 

[bannockburn]

I would say I'm fairly accurate shooting single action revolvers, mainly Rugers, and definitely slower because I'm really taking my time getting the right sight picture. Now give me something like a well tuned double action revolver, say a super smooth S&W K frame or an L frame and I'm much faster with only a slight loss in accuracy. Something just clicks when I'm shooting a slicked up double action, like I develop a certain cadence that puts the trigger and cylinder into this perfect rhythm.

My Ruger Vaquero is probably the most accurate single action that I have.


My S&W Model 686 has the best out of the box single and double action trigger out of any revolver that I own.

 

[WrongHanded]

I shoot my single actions with more precision than I do double action revolvers in SA. I don't know why that is, but it definitely still is.

 

[Obturation]

SA. Points more naturally for me and the triggers are usually sweet. Something about cranking that hammer back gives me 1/100 second of Zen and when the hammer drops the bullet seems to go where I intend. DA/SA - I can't shoot nearly as well unless I crock the hammer. I think this is pretty much expected and typical

 

[AK103K]

That said, I agree that I can personally shoot faster and better by shooting my revolvers with my left hand working the hammer. But I don't believe that with practice that's normal or would be typical. Especially if you had a decent DA trigger, which is admittedly very rare IME. A unicorn in fact. Between my Sig, HK, Beretta and FN semis and my Colt, Ruger, and Smith revolvers I think all DA pulls suck. But people swear they exist. Idk. Lol I just hate DA triggers.

I think the reason you hear this so much is simply because most people dont take the time or make the effort to learn.

Not to mention, we are now, and have been for a long time, in the era of the autoloaders, and proper revolver shooing really isnt being taught and becoming a lost art.

 

[35 Whelen]

Hands down SA, they simply point better for me. I can hit my 75 yd. 12" gong offhand with my SA's about 75% of the time, I'm lucky to do that with a rest shooting my DA's. But, in the last year or so I've bought a few DA's and am slowly improving.

35W

 

[ontarget]

I tend to shoot more precisely with my SAs. With my DAs I only practice defensive shooting and always in DA.

Lately I have been working on faster follow up shots with my SAs using a 2 hand hold and operating the hammer with my support hand thumb. I'm getting to where I can do a fairly accurate "cylinder dump" as fast with my SA as I can DA. That's just playing around though.

 

[biquer]

I have both.
Accuracy, for me, is not dependent on DA/SA vs. SA.
I do okay with Blackhawks/ Vaqueros (.357, .45 Colt, .44 Magnum) as well as 686, GP100, Speed Six, Model 10s, etc.
For what it’s worth and whatever difference it makes to someone else...
Single action only revolvers tend to have longer lock time than DA/SA revolvers.

 

[sequins]

A Bisley blackhawk is a great shoot9ng single action. At the price point it's the defining single action imo, especially in a "light" cartridge like 44.

I find single action to be most accurate whether that be DA/SA or SAO, but there is indeed something special about an SAO. The hunter model of the Blackhawk accepts scopes, or with the Weigand no-drill picatinny rail a red dot is also an option for the extremely accuracy minded shooter. I have a red dot GP100 and Redhawk that I quite enjoy in SA or DA.

 

[mcb]

Go shoot USPSA or IDPA with a revolver, it's fun, a challenge with a revolver, and it will teach you to shoot DA well.

 

[.38 Special]

I seem to do about as well with one as the other. If I want to get a bunch of shots off in a hurry I'll go with a double action gun. If I'm shooting something with a boatload of recoil I'll take a single action. Otherwise, it'll be whatever grabs me for that particular day.