Double action vs. single action
- Thread starter Skidood
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Single action
Pros
-Less felt recoil "if held correctly"
-Cheaper
-Easier to clean as the cylinder comes out easly
-One trigger pull
Cons
-slow at loading and unloading
-slower to shoot for the avg person
Double action
Pros
-Fast unloads and reloads
-DA is fun to shoot and you can still shoot it in SA
-Grip feels more comfrortable
Cons
-DA pull takes abit to master
-Harder to clean
-cost more
There both great guns so it really depends on the style of shooting you want to do. Also the style of gun you like the looks and feel of.
Pros
-Less felt recoil "if held correctly"
-Cheaper
-Easier to clean as the cylinder comes out easly
-One trigger pull
Cons
-slow at loading and unloading
-slower to shoot for the avg person
Double action
Pros
-Fast unloads and reloads
-DA is fun to shoot and you can still shoot it in SA
-Grip feels more comfrortable
Cons
-DA pull takes abit to master
-Harder to clean
-cost more
There both great guns so it really depends on the style of shooting you want to do. Also the style of gun you like the looks and feel of.
Single action is fast and easy. Provides less chance of beginners to botch up the trigger pull.
Double action can still be pretty damn fast too though, but requires more practice. The good thing about double action is that it helps teach you good trigger pull technique. (Master double, single will improve)
Double action is also used in LE roles more often because it is a VERY deliberate pull. (No accidental boom boom)
Double action can still be pretty damn fast too though, but requires more practice. The good thing about double action is that it helps teach you good trigger pull technique. (Master double, single will improve)
Double action is also used in LE roles more often because it is a VERY deliberate pull. (No accidental boom boom)
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By pistols, i assume you are not talking about revolvers.
There are four main actions for semis now. DA only, DA/SA, SA only and Striker fired ( kinda like a SA).
DA only-
Pros: safer for shooters who can't help putting their trigger finger where it doesn't belong prior to shooting. This is why a lot of PDs have DA only semis as issue firearms. Minimizes the lawsuits. Also a perceived increased safety during a shooting. If a DA only gun goes off, you likely intended to fire the gun.
Cons: heavy trigger for obvious reasons, although usually lighter than a DA/SA gun but not always. Accuracy would fall off unless well trained.
DA/SA
Pros: similar to DA only.
Cons: transitioning between a DA/SA pull takes getting used to and some grip readjustment if the DA pull is exceptionally long. Accuracy can suffer between the first DA and the the first SA shot. Real world difference? Who knows?
SA
Pros: usually refers to the 1911 and BHP category guns. Can be tuned to be very light and sweet. Repeatable and consistent trigger pull from first to last shot. Easier to learn.
Cons: lighter pull = increased risk of an ND. Training and safety very impt. Usually has a safety that must be released prior to shooting so may add time in a stress situation. Not a problem with training. Carrying cocked and locked may worry some people but not really an issue here since we can't CCW anyways!
Striker
Pros: similar to SA. Usually no cocked and locked issues.
Cons: similar to SA but getting used to striker fired guns can be difficult for some people esp with Glocks.
There are four main actions for semis now. DA only, DA/SA, SA only and Striker fired ( kinda like a SA).
DA only-
Pros: safer for shooters who can't help putting their trigger finger where it doesn't belong prior to shooting. This is why a lot of PDs have DA only semis as issue firearms. Minimizes the lawsuits. Also a perceived increased safety during a shooting. If a DA only gun goes off, you likely intended to fire the gun.
Cons: heavy trigger for obvious reasons, although usually lighter than a DA/SA gun but not always. Accuracy would fall off unless well trained.
DA/SA
Pros: similar to DA only.
Cons: transitioning between a DA/SA pull takes getting used to and some grip readjustment if the DA pull is exceptionally long. Accuracy can suffer between the first DA and the the first SA shot. Real world difference? Who knows?
SA
Pros: usually refers to the 1911 and BHP category guns. Can be tuned to be very light and sweet. Repeatable and consistent trigger pull from first to last shot. Easier to learn.
Cons: lighter pull = increased risk of an ND. Training and safety very impt. Usually has a safety that must be released prior to shooting so may add time in a stress situation. Not a problem with training. Carrying cocked and locked may worry some people but not really an issue here since we can't CCW anyways!
Striker
Pros: similar to SA. Usually no cocked and locked issues.
Cons: similar to SA but getting used to striker fired guns can be difficult for some people esp with Glocks.
Oh I thought he has asking revolvers lol sorry
a SA revolver is easier to clean as you can remove the cylinder during the field strip. The grip also rocks in your hand so you dont get the sharp bite from recoil.
I ve had revolver on my mind lately lol
a SA revolver is easier to clean as you can remove the cylinder during the field strip. The grip also rocks in your hand so you dont get the sharp bite from recoil.
I ve had revolver on my mind lately lol
Thanks for the replys. And yes I meant semi-auto. Would learning on a SA impart any bad habits if I were ever to change to DA? Or do they each have their own learning curve, independent of the other? I'm leaning toward single action for ease of use. So far I can't make up my mind on what pistol to get. There's too many choices. I do find myself drawn to STI though.
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Of all the trigger actions, the SA trigger, a la 1911, is the easiest to learn on and shoot well with IMO. If that is the only gun you will ever own and shoot then, no problem. You have defaulted to the easiest to learn so everything else gets a bit harder after that.
Some people say the Glock trigger is the hardest to shoot well due to the weird " boiing!" kinda feel of it. I personally think the transition between DA/SA is more difficult.
I second that.
I have a STI Trojan and really,really like the gun. I do agree though that a good 1911 trigger is sometimes a crutch that lets you get away with bad technique.
Having said that, I have owned several DA/SA pistols and found that I almost never shot them in anything other than SA.
Having said that, I have owned several DA/SA pistols and found that I almost never shot them in anything other than SA.
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Therein lies the issue. Most people do exactly that. I did when I got my DA/SA guns...including revolvers. This is fine for pure target shooting and plinking but not when you are competing. I now mostly force myself to shoot the DA/SA way and DA only for revolvers. I don't really enjoy it and that's why these guns mostly stay in the safe. But that's just me!
Safe Action is the Glock trigger.
LEM is a trigger option in HK pistols.
Walthers have the AS system which basically gives you a cocked striker with a long take up before 'clicking' into single action mode. After the slide reciprocates, you are left in SA mode. By decocking you access the DA mode. If you carefully pull trigger back until it clicks, you access the SA mode as well.
PPQ basically has a single action cocked striker trigger.
For semi-autos the difference between DA and SA is usually only
apparent in the first shot. After the first round is fired, the slide
cocks the hammer as it goes back to eject the spent casing. After
that it's all SA, light pulls.
I prefer single action, either cocked and locked like the 1911, or one of the modern triggers on polymer guns that feel like SA.
While one CAN learn to shoot any trigger, when you are a beginner, having a consistent trigger pull for every shot will help you to learn fundamentals. Once you learn fundamentals you'll find that DA triggers force you to focus more on basic skills vs. muscle memory. After a while you'll shoot almost any pistol about the same regardless of trigger if you use the fundamentals.
While one CAN learn to shoot any trigger, when you are a beginner, having a consistent trigger pull for every shot will help you to learn fundamentals. Once you learn fundamentals you'll find that DA triggers force you to focus more on basic skills vs. muscle memory. After a while you'll shoot almost any pistol about the same regardless of trigger if you use the fundamentals.
What no one has mentioned about DA/SA(commonly referred to as traditional double action) is that the trigger reset is often not very positive and/or has slack in it which you should be taking up prior to breaking the shot. The new SIG short reset triggers are fantastic, the old SIG triggers are pure crap. Very long and heavy first shot followed by no defined reset and a bunch of slack on the SA pull.
My adivce is to play with each and every make and model that interests you. Dry fire(or live fire) each one and pay attention to the finer details of the trigger pull and the reset. Observe the slack, the length of pull, the weight, the break, any over travel after the shot, and the reset.
TW25B
My adivce is to play with each and every make and model that interests you. Dry fire(or live fire) each one and pay attention to the finer details of the trigger pull and the reset. Observe the slack, the length of pull, the weight, the break, any over travel after the shot, and the reset.
TW25B
