I can’t shoot double action revolvers!

[Member 34319]

A trigger job can help, depending on how bad the trigger is from the factory.

In every revolver I've owned, there has been a point in the double-action pull of the trigger where it could be 'staged'.

Using an unloaded gun, slowly pull the trigger (double action). Pay close attention to what you feel with your trigger finger. There should be a point at which you'll feel a sort of pause in the movement of things. That's where the trigger is 'staged'.

Completing the pull of the trigger from that point is pretty close to pulling the trigger after you've cocked the hammer back. You can compare the feel of it on your revolver. Stage the trigger, then pause and hold that position for a second, and then complete the pull. Then cock the hammer and compare how that feels in comparison. It should be close to the same.

Once you get the feel of a particular revolver's trigger, you can stage the trigger fairly quickly, and then fire the gun. Eventually, you'll just roll smoothly past that 'staging' area.

An exercise that helped me was to balance something on the top of the (unloaded) gun, and then slowly work the trigger. Dry-firing a gun over and over, while keeping something balanced on top of it, can help you learn to work the trigger smoothly without shaking/wiggling the gun.

When you're very familiar with the revolver's trigger, go out and burn up some ammunition. But do it slowly, with your hand(s) resting on a support. You'll gradually learn to shoot double-action very well - but it takes time.

View attachment 1021546

I feel a stage in the SP101, not really I the Taurus. Kind of reminds me of a compound bow pull. It sort of eases up and then a little more it clicks. I'll definitely give this some practice. Thanks!

 

[orygun]

Forget the Taurus. Just shoot it single action. They are terrible in DA.

@Howard1955 hit it right on the head and probably said it far better than I can.

And Practice, practice, practice. Dry fire the heck out of it.

One other thing, use 38 Specials for practice. Nuthin's fun when it hurts. 357 Snubbies usually hurt.
Mine does. I can shoot 38 Specials all day. The snap of the 357 is really something in a little gun. But if I need to use it, I guarantee you I won't feel the recoil.

Don't give up. 357 Snubbies are the kind of gun you'll carry when you might not otherwise carry one.

 

[WillametteWill]

Lots of good advice. I'll throw my $.02. Double action revolver shooting may be like a single malt Scotch for some, and acquired taste. I spent some time at the range today with my S&W M60 2" at 10 yards. All double action and 40+ out of 50 in a paper plate, the others not far out. I've also been carrying and shooting it for 36 years now...emphasis on shooting it. Is it a "fun" range gun? No, but again, like a smoky peated scotch from Islay, you get used to it.

I don't remember the last time I shot any of my revolvers single action. Nothing against those who do, just enjoy getting the most of out my revolvers in DA. Small revolvers are about the worst guns for new shooters, needing to master a long, usually hard trigger pull, suboptimal grips and short sight radius typically with marginal sights...what's not to love?

And when my wife hears a salesMAN at a gun counter recommending one of these to a new lady shooter it takes every bit of strength in me to prevent her from throat punching them.

If you shoot your revolvers better in SA and enjoy them this way, carry on and have fun!!!

 

[orygun]

I was one that suggested way back when that my wife check out an Airweight snubbie. (38 Special)
Two weeks later she bought it. She shot it "ok enough" and used it to kill a deer that had been struck by a car, but as soon as she saw our daughter's Tiffany Blue Glock 43 she snapped one of those up.
The up side? I get to use the Airweight whenever I want.

 

[3006shooter]

2 daughters have SP101's. I replaced the factory 14lb hammer springs with 12lb wolff springs. While I was at it, did the same thing to my GP100 and SRH. Made an incredible difference. Now we all can shoot DA

 

[RMc]

Mastery of the double action begins with pulling the trigger with the first distal joint of your trigger finger. This gives you the best leverage to control the longer and heavier trigger stroke of the double action.

Think about it. We are taught to pull the trigger with the pad of our trigger finger. And this works for the short, relatively light trigger of most firearms. Not so for double action triggers. There you need better leverage.

I say this as one who finds it easier to hit with the smooth roll of a double action revolver trigger than any other handgun type.

 

[Gunner3456]

Try as I will, I can not get my 1919 model T to track straight and smoothly at 65mph on the freeway.

Someone told me that there are modern cars with entirely different designs that would solve my problem. Nope. Not me. If it was good enough for my grandpa, it's good enough for me.

Cheers

 

[OldBroad44]

You're describing three problems. One is a flinch from shooting a little .357 snubby with full .357 loads. Suggestion: Don't. I can't shoot a J frame snubby SW well DA. But I can do DA well with a medium frame K or L frame SW snubby. Buddy, my EDC, is a SW 686 snubby. But Buddy doesn't hurt me when I shoot him.

Second problem. You're unable to shoot well DA when shooting guns notorious for lousy DA that us folks who are good DA shooters with the right guns can't shoot well DA either. Small guns with small working surfaces, such as J frame smiths, are hard for even very dedicated revolver shooters to shoot well DA. The equivalent sized Rugers normally have heavier rougher triggers than the SWs. And there is a reason why many of us revolver people politely say nothing when people talk about Taurus revolvers. Suggestion: If you want to be able to shoot a snubby revolver DA, get a SW medium frame snubby such as a 66 or 686. If you want to stick with the size of the SP101, forget revolvers and go get a semi auto. If you want to shoot any .357 load, go for the 686 snubby. Put a crimson trace grip on it. Now you've got enough mass to handle recoil (36 oz), a smooth trigger, and the laser is the perfect tool to teach you to shoot well both SA and DA. Don't bother wasting your money trying to get the SP101 or Taurus to shoot well DA. Sell em.

Third problem. Even with an appropriate gun, it takes some practice to learn to shoot well DA. The business about a two stage trigger is not very typical of revolvers except when they haven't been fired much DA. If you put snap caps in them and dry fire DA a few thousand times, the 2-stage effect will usually vanish. In an emergency you want a fast smooth DA pull followed by a clean release of trigger all the way to the forward starting position. Now with the laser turned on, and snap caps loaded, dry fire DA.

And here's the five critical things you will learn.
1. You have to hold the gun very hard to keep it on target through a full DA trigger pull.
2. Even firing right handed with two hands, if anything you grip the gun harder with your left hand than your right. And your grip on the gun when firing with one hand is really fierce.
3. Initially you must focus on moving your trigger finger directly back toward your palm rather than pulling off to one side or other, which will pull the gun off. Find a grip that makes this automatic. I don't suggest curving left thumb over right hand behind the hammer. First, this is a bad habit to develop if you also shoot semiautos, as left thumb can get hit by slide. Second--you need your powerful left thumb over on the left side of the grip countering any tendency for your trigger finger to push gun toward the left during the trigger pull.
4. Hang onto the gun and keep it pointed straight while releasing trigger and letting it move all the way forward.
5. Its useful to practice dry firing DA to strengthen your griping muscles, trigger finger muscles, and in the case of heavy guns like 6" .44mags or bigger, your arm muscles.

 

[gmerkt]

I've always considered the DA feature in SA/DA revolvers as being a kind of emergency default. For when you don't have time to make a studied SA shot. Most such emergency shots are made at fairly close range, so pinpoint accuracy is less important than immediacy. Not saying people can't get good at DA shooting, just my theory about the basic intent of the two modes.

 

[Knobgoblin]

Try as I will, I can not get my 1919 model T to track straight and smoothly at 65mph on the freeway.

Someone told me that there are modern cars with entirely different designs that would solve my problem. Nope. Not me. If it was good enough for my grandpa, it's good enough for me.

Cheers

Pretty funny.

What would be funnier is seeing a 2015 Corolla still on the road in a hundred years.

 

[leverite]

Couple thoughts from a guy raised on DA/SA revolvers.
1. FWIW...after changing out the hammer spring my Taurus 66 shoots nearly as smoothly as my new Ruger Gp100.
2. I can stage many DA's by putting the first joint of my trigger finger on the trigger. This allows the tip of my trigger finger to touch the back of the trigger guard at exactly the stage point. After a very short pause complete the trigger press. Getting that feel point down allows smooth, accurate, and rapid 2 stage DA shooting.
Like learning to play a musical instrument, perfect practice makes perfect.

 

[OldBroad44]

I've always considered the DA feature in SA/DA revolvers as being a kind of emergency default. For when you don't have time to make a studied SA shot. Most such emergency shots are made at fairly close range, so pinpoint accuracy is less important than immediacy. Not saying people can't get good at DA shooting, just my theory about the basic intent of the two modes.

For very accurate shooting such as when hunting, what is optimal is a light crisp trigger with no creep or overtravel. However, in an emergency when you might have to point your gun at a bad guy ready to shoot if he goes for a weapon or leaps toward you -- but not if he doesnt-- the light crisp SA trigger is too likely to go off almost by itself. You are full of adrenaline and your muscles are now all stronger. you cannot tell exactly how much pressure to put on the trigger to fire it. Semiautomatic manufacturers usually put 5 or 6 lb triggers or worse on their SD guns that also have creep in them before firing. This means you are much less likely to fire unintentionally in a crisis. But the heavy trigger greatly limits your accuracy for distance shooting or hunting.

The revolver gives you two modes. A very long DA trigger pull for crises when not firing prematurely is critical, and a second very light trigger mode for maximum accuracy.

I also find DA better for moving targets.

 

[CLT65]

I bought a couple of old police surplus S&W Model 10s a couple years ago. They were not pretty externally, but excellent inside. Those old Smiths really have amazing triggers. For $230 each I couldn't pass them up.

Last year I finally tackled that 5-gallon bucket of .38 brass that had been sitting in my garage. I melted down about a hundred pounds of range-scrap lead, cast and powder coated a mountain of bullets, and loaded 5,000 rounds of 125gr .38 Special target ammo.

My teenage son and I go to the range and shoot the heck out of those old guns. I tend to shoot them in double action only and they are a real pleasure to shoot. He's been getting pretty good with them too.

I know I've read several times over the years that professionals who train people in firearms generally recommend to shoot double-action revolvers in double-action only. They say to practice, practice, practice the method that you'd use if you ever had to use one for real.

I don't know about that myself, as I really only use mine at the range for fun, but it has been fun to learn and practice.

 

[po18guy]

Boy am I just a bad shot with one.

I own a few, and I for the life of me can't shoot them worth a damn in double action.

I usually bring my Ruger SP101 with me on trips (vacation and or camping), it's stainless, doesn't require magazines, and can be loaded with stout 357 loads. So I figured I'd give it some much needed range time as it's been a bit since ive last shot it. I remember why I don't shoot it often. Anything past 5 yards, I'd be lucky to hit it in double action. My 38 special LSWC loads where ok, they aren't ghost farts, but I did the best with those. I shot 40 full power 357 loads, HUGE FIREBALLS LOL, but the best I could do is some wild 8" or larger group. Some 5 shot strings with those I was definitely pulling off target and missing the 12" x 12" target altogether. I was definitely anticipating recoil and F'ing up something by doing so. I did shoot a few 5 shot strings single action, and low and behold the groups with all ammos tightened up dramatically.

So after about 300 rounds of misc 38/357 I called it quits and moved on to the 8 shot Taurus 22lr.

And…

Pretty much the same thing. I was all over in double action. I even tried Colibri rounds and shot them horribly in double action. I know this gun can shoot as in single action it prints small groups with most CCI products.

So, thanks for listening to me complain about my day of shooting. I did hit some paper with one of my ARs as well and got a very nice 10 shot group at 50 yards with the Primary Arms GLX 2x prism optic. Made the earlier part of the range day less noticeable.

If you've read this far, got any pointers for shooting double action? I was really thinking about buying a tiny concealable revolver for pocket carry, but this has me thinking I may need to reconsider.

Is a trigger job worthy?

Or should I just shut up and shoot it more?

Thanks,

Reno

Prolly been said, but squeeze the trigger slowly. In a good revolver, you can feel the cylinder pre-time, and after that it becomes essentially a heavy single action pull. Practice this until you got it. Use snap caps and watch the cylinder as you pull. With the snap caps in, watch the cylinder from the side and pay attention to the tactile sense of your trigger finger. You can feel the mechanism if you train yourself and pay attention. Then practice. It's like guitar, or anything else that initially confounds. Practice.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Don't snatch the trigger. Concentrate on the front sight.
Concentrate on having the hammer fall when/while you have a good sight picture. See above.

Also, if you're "target shooting" (or any other kind of shooting) a DA revolver, shoot DA. Always shoot double action.

 

[UnionMillsNW]

I have a Ruger SP101 and it had the worst factory trigger I've ever experienced (including my old Cobra Derringer!)

I bought a trigger spring kit from M*Carbo and got to work... a LOT of burrs from the factory. After some polishing and new springs the trigger pulls like butter. It's a joy. Really amazing what you can hit when you're not wrestling with the trigger.

After that it's a matter of practice. Buy some snap caps and work on the slow steady squeeze. Don't pause when you're drawing back the trigger.

Follow the rest of the shooting fundamentals and you'll tighten that group in no time.

 

[orygun]

Try as I will, I can not get my 1919 model T to track straight and smoothly at 65mph on the freeway.

Someone told me that there are modern cars with entirely different designs that would solve my problem. Nope. Not me. If it was good enough for my grandpa, it's good enough for me.

Cheers

Model Ts don't track well at any speed!

 

[Certaindeaf]

Try as I will, I can not get my 1919 model T to track straight and smoothly at 65mph on the freeway.

Someone told me that there are modern cars with entirely different designs that would solve my problem. Nope. Not me. If it was good enough for my grandpa, it's good enough for me.

Cheers

You can't shoot unless you can shoot a double action revolver well.

 

[WillametteWill]

You can't shoot unless you can shoot a double action revolver well.

This nice quote caused me to reflect...
I grew up on DA revolvers. As an LEO started with a S&W M15 4". Shot it a lot, dry fired a bunch as well. When we switched to Semiautos the conversation was about how to get people to shoot those guns well! Most agencies when to some type of DA/SA with the thought that officers were used to the longer, heavier DA pull for the first shot (at least part of the theory). @OldBroad44 noted many great reasons for not using SA shooting for defensive use and the issues with light triggers.

Talking with new officers in the academy that are not gun people so no preconceived notions or training scars, many note when they are introduced to revolvers (which they do at the academy where I still teach on occasion) they shoot revolvers much better than the new semiautos. They have the benefit of shooting larger guns with tens or thousands of rounds through them so the triggers are smoooooth. Not like picking up a J Frame.

Good discussion here...

 

[thorborg]