DA to SA transition

[mjkten]

Looking for suggestions on learning to make that DA to SA transition better. 

First shot is usually a good one, but slow. 

Anything to focus on would be appreciated. 

Shooting a CZ SP-01. 

[RJH]

for me it was dryfire and in livefire: draw, shoot two, repeat.  Didn't seem to be much of an issue really 

[mjkten]

I guess I'm too picky about that first shot, letting perfection (such as it is on my level!) be the enemy of good enough.

[Trinimon]

Like RJH, for me was lots of dry fire practice. I use a laser training cartridge I bought from Aliexpress and the iTarget app on my phone to track my shots and then slowly increasing the speed. A seasoned shooter friend of mine told me I should already be prepping that DA trigger when I'm punching the pistol out towards the target from the draw so that by the time your sights are lined up, there's not much left on the trigger than to break the shot. SA after that is a walk in the park. This works if your technique is to draw up into a high-ready position and punch out your pistol towards the target.

 

If you tend to cast the pistol up from a draw, this might be an unsafe technique to use esp without lots of practice (even so) just in case you break the shot if you over cast and your muzzle is pointing above the berm.

Edited April 26, 2018 by Trinimon

[mjkten]

I use the push toward target technique, don't think too much about pre-loading the trigger. 

But I practiced a quicker DA trigger pull that was not a jerk, but a firm smooth faster pull. 

Shot in an IDPA match this morning and didn't really notice the transition.

[Jay63]

Just some thoughts. While learning pick the easiest target to take your first shot on. That way you won't spend a lot of time trying to make that first shot perfect. Once you do this for a wile you will forget about the first shot and never notice a difference. Your DA pull can't be to heavy. If competition striker fired guns have a pull around 5-1/2 lbs strive to have your DA pull to be about that. I dry fire as follows, draw and make the first shot in SA, then I preform a reload then make my second shot DA.

[MemphisMechanic]

13 hours ago, mjkten said:

I use the push toward target technique, don't think too much about pre-loading the trigger. 

But I practiced a quicker DA trigger pull that was not a jerk, but a firm smooth faster pull. 

Shot in an IDPA match this morning and didn't really notice the transition.

 

Personally I did this with my tanfoglio and it took care of everything:

 

Practice the hardest fastest “90% of the way to a fullblown slap” triggerpull in DA. Find the grip pressure that lets you row the trigger the hardest without moving the sights and practice DA  shots coming out of the holster really agressively, like that.

 

Then learn SA by spending the rest of your dryfire session in single action like this:

 

 

You learn to work from the holster with the first drill. Then you tape the hammer in the right place so that your dead SA trigger moves the correct amount, and do dryfire El Prez and the like with lots of trigger presses.

 

At the next match, everything will feel natural.

 

[mjkten]

Thanks guys, great advice. 

My DA pull is pretty nice (CGW) and the weight won't be too much of an issue. 

 

I've never thought of taping my hammer back to allow the SA movement like that. 

I'll definitely try that one!

And the 90% thing sounds like something I was edging my way towards, thanks again for the tip.