Single or double action on long distance shots?

[texjack]

I am torn between single or double action on longer shots. I have tried both and going single past 20 yards. It seems to me to be a disadvantage to bob the hammer on a competition revolver and lose the single action option.

[Carmoney]

Personally, I'm more likely to hit a long shot with a nice smooth easy double-action roll anyway. Obviously, my guns are well-tuned....

There's a reason why DA revolvers (shot in DA mode) dominated the Bianchi Cup--which is a match with very serious long-range accuracy demands.

You will never see a top-level competitor in Revolver Division thumb-cock his gun during a stage, regardless of how long the shot might be.

[Bill Sahlberg]

S&Ws (unlike Colt) revolvers have a secondary stage click that is almost the same as single action. If you dry fire, you can get use to pulling the hammer back to this position and take those long shots just like they were single action. It comes down to practice, practice, practice...anything you do on the range under live fire at long distance will help you with speed and accuracy up close. If you can shoot PPC at 50 yds, then all the "long distance" 20 yds IPSC targets become easy.

Old 1975 PPC shooter that came to IPSC in 1988

[kevinj308]

I thumb cock on the long shots. Entirely because I don't practice with a revo. I'm mostly an auto shooter, but make the occasional ICORE match. When Far and Near comes up I definitely single action the first string, 50 yds is a long shot with irons.

If you're gonna practice then DA will win every time in the long run. But you gotta practice, alot.

Just like everything else. No pain no gain.

Kevin

[Nilrem]

My revolvers have the spur cut off...so no cocking the gun for me. Seem to do pretty well on double action but it is hard to say as I have no way to compare...

[Toolguy]

I shoot Metallic Silhouette with a 629. That goes from 50 meters to 200 meters. I shoot only DA because I have found that I tend to jerk the trigger trying to make a pinpoint shot doing SA. I also don't "stage" the trigger which means stopping right before the hammer falls and then doing the last little bit separately so it's "like" SA. It takes more effort to get everything moving again after you stop and I'm likely to jerk that part just like SA. I do one smooth controlled pull right through till the hammer drops. So far I've shot 2 perfect scores of 40 out of 40 and lots of 35 - 39. The same for PPC and NRA Action Pistol. Better to do one smooth pull. Also, on the faster courses, you will never be fast by staging the trigger. You will be jerky and slow.

[RevolverJockey]

It is sort of a Zen thing, but I start the trigger pull with an acceptable sight picture and maintain the alignment during the trigger stroke. On a bad day I still make good shots - on a good day I continue to improve the sight picture until the shot breaks. Even at speed it feels like I can watch the shot get better and better. I think Warren is right and Brian E talks about it in his book - the key to revolver is to start pulling and keeping a continuous even pull. The good thing about revolver is this is something you can practice at home. Set up something at 50 yards and see what a difference a little dry fire will do at your 50 yard precision shots.

Lee

[Blueridge]

I have always shot at all competition distnces in DA. I never really considered cocking the hammer for long (beyond 25 yds) shots. I just practiced until I got good enough to make the shots consistently. All of my practice has been live fire, as I never had the urge to dry fire practice. To each his own.

[M1911]

In the past, I tried SA on some hard shots. But I don't do that any longer -- I just use DA. SA just takes too long to thumb cock, and in the stress of a match switching from long DA to short, light SA just doesn't work well for me.

[sargenv]

If the stage allows it, I try to barricade the gun but shoot DA only.. when I shoot the standards, I practice DA and do fairly well (IMO).. the last time I scored in the mid-20's.. with the regular standards, I can usually manage anywhere from the 22-40 range..

[West Texas Granny]

Too long to cock the hammer? How much time are you folks consuming when you cock the trigger on your revolver?

[Toolguy]

For me, half to one second usually to make a good aimed shot, Carmoney and others are a good bit faster.

[M1911]

Too long to cock the hammer? How much time are you folks consuming when you cock the trigger on your revolver?

I haven't timed it, but it really is slow for me. I have to cock the hammer, reacquire my grip and reacquire my sights, when I could have just pulled the trigger DA.

Edited January 21, 2012 by M1911

[Kevin Pledger]

Too long to cock the hammer? How much time are you folks consuming when you cock the trigger on your revolver?

When I am shooting a AP match, and want to be consistant with my shots in the time allowed, I find that you cant afford to cock the hammer for long distant shots, as your grip and sight picture will change and then you waste precious time getting this back when its much easier to do a one smooth trigger pull and be constantly focused on the target.

All my revolvers are DA which solves my problem.

Cheers ....

[wlktheduk]

It depends, for me, on the game that I am playing.

During the 1980's/1990's when I was spending a lot of trigger time at PPC matches, I used double action (DA) trigger for all my STRONG HAND shooting. BUT (and there is always a but) at both the 25 and 50 yard lines, there is a part of the barricade stage that is fired with the WEAK hand.

During those stages (18 shots at 25 yard and and 24 shots at 50 yards) you will fire "6 shots standing left hand from behind the barricade; and 6 shots standing right hand from behind the barricade." (NRA Police Pistol Combat Rules) I am left handed, so when I had to fire "right hand from behind the barricade" that meant that I was firing with my weak hand at either 25 or 50 yards.

I found that (for me) cocking the hammer and firing single action for those 6 shots with the weak hand, resulted in more 9 and 10 ring hits at 25 or 50 yards. Granted the time limits for those stages is very generous (90 seconds for 25 yards and 2 minutes, 45 seconds for 50 yards)

In USPSA revolver shooting, where I hold a "B" classification, I fire all my shots double action only. I can only recall a few shots that I had to take at distances past 20 yards, and the A-zone of a USPSA target is a much larger scoring area then the 10-ring of a B-27 target.

In IDPA Stock Service Revolver, Sharpshooter classification, I fire all my shots double action. Ranges in IDPA are almost always short, and again the -0 zone of an IDPA target is a large area.

(That doesn't mean I can't miss the whole target )

[professor]

You've got to practice to the point that DA only is faster and as accurate as cocking for a SA shot. Long range DA should only take about an extra 0.1 second compared to a typical shot. I can't transition to cock and SA shoot in that time allowance.

[joedodge]

competition guns shouldnt have spurs ive only been shooting revo a short while but spurs are for midnight cowboys as carmoney would say. get a good action job and sights and practice a smooth pull with good sight alignment.

[ShootsinRain]

WWJD

What would Jerry do?

[quedude]

The action is the answer to all your ?s

[GlockCanMan]

Double action only. I can stage the trigger if needed as I apply pressure to the trigger. I have tried it single action only and find out that I am not as accurate even on long shots because my finger is trained for double action and my shot is off.