DA or SA? which do you prefer?

[troy_mclure]

im not too much of a revolver guy.

i dont really go out looking to buy them, but if i see a great deal on something i like ill snap it up.

i have owned 5, i traded one and gave one away, which leaves me 3.

except the 2 i got rid of, all have been SA.

its not so much that i like SA better, it just seems that the best deals that i come across are SA guns.

 

[shortwave]

Which do you like better...?

SA for hunting, DA for SD.

 

[Webleymkv]

I prefer DA myself. I've shot DA revolvers much more than SA and the "plowhandle" grip of most SA revolvers feels foreign to me. Also, I find fiddling with a loading gate to be a bit of a pain. I'd imagine that someone who cut their teeth on SA revolvers would probably feel differently.

 

[rclark]

Prefer? would feel differently . Well now,

Sold off my last DA.... All I have is SAs... and there will be more SAs . Okay, have to confess that after I sold my last DA (Ruger SRH), I did buy another one this year ... a CA .44Spec Bulldog just cause I needed a small revolver for CC.... But otherwise it's SA all the way....

 

[Doyle]

I've only got 1 SA left and I'll unload that soon (although I've had it for about 25 years). I just never could get any kind of real accuracy out of a SA. The required hand hold just doesn't feel right.

 

[pac.coastie]

well my only revolver is a j-frame ccw piece, and for that purpose i bought an internal hammer gun, therefor it is double-action only
...which by coincidence is the same as the SIG 229dak i carry at work

 

[stevieboy]

I own a bunch of double action revolvers (S & W) and no SAs. That having been said, I love shooting SA, particularly in the larger calibers such as .44 magnum and .45 colt. The SA revolvers that I've fired in these calibers (Ruger Blackhawk, Virginian Dragoon) seem to handle them especially well and accurately. With the bigger rounds rapid fire is pretty much a non-starter, so that they just go really well with SA guns.

 

[WVfishguy]

I loved the SA in my younger days, shot so many rounds out of my .44 magnum Super Blackhawk that my right hand thumb joint is deformed.

But I recently sold my last single action - a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt I bought new in the mid 70s. I didn't put on the rubber grips until last year, when my bones just could no longer take the recoil of those old plow handles.

I am too old, have arthritic fingers, and simply don't want the hassle of reloading a single action (forgive me, Skeeter! )

BUT - that Ruger was my bedside gun for two decades. It always fired when I pulled the trigger, unlike many other guns I've owned.

 

[jimbob86]

SA. I learned to shoot w/ a 1911. I still prefer to shoot my revolvers SA. I CAN shoot DA, but I am better SA..... and nearly as fast: Only hits count.

 

[The Great Mahoo]

First, are we simply talking action? or the style of the gun?

There's just something elegant about the SAA design. Sleek and classy, a true work of art in its own right.

As far as function, though, I tend to favor DA. I like some movement in the trigger to have a deliberate pull. SA is nice for target and plinking, but I like the DA for any real use.

 

[temmi]

In a revolver I like a DA... but tend to shoot SA.

But with a DA you have a choice.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

I like DA/SA revolvers the best. I don't own a SAO or a DAO revolver and likely won't because I like using both type actions.

I target shoot mostly in SA but also practice shooting in DA for self defense.

 

[DiscoRacing]

DA only for me... had a SA once... didnt like it... sold it.

 

[Terry A]

Good question

I like them both really. DA for sure, I think, is better for self defense. SA just looks so good though, especially with custom grips.

Push.

 

[Buckeye!]

Ruger 50th Anv. 357 mag

This is my only SA I have at this time..

I guess I perfer DA or DAO for self defense..
But for hunting or stomping in the woods I like a TUFF AS NAILS Blackhawk...

 

[AzShooter]

I like DA. The gun will not fire by accident with all the stress that is going through your mind. It doesn't take a lot of effort to pull the trigger so, when you buy the gun make sure you practice with it.

 

[Win_94]

I prefer double action even though I shoot them like a single action.

 

[Eagle0711]

For SD double action is the way to shoot. I was out practing about 20 yrs. back and a State Cop stopped to see what was going on. He advised me to shoot DA only because if cocked and bumped it could fire. It was akward at first, but now I enjoy DA. If you need help try a book by Bob Nichols- The Secrets of Double Action Shooting. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York NY 1950. Best, Lyle

If you can't shoot faster than the other guy, shoot straighter. Chic Gaylord

 

[Big Bill]

DA for SD and SA for hunting (and Cowboy Action shooting).

 

[stevieboy]

Hey, WVFishguy, my right thumb is deformed too, in my case from shooting way too many .357s over the years (I don't know how many thousands of rounds). A price that I've paid gladly for years of pleasure.

As for my choice, I'm pretty much strictly a da revolver guy. So much so that I don't even fire my da revolvers in single action. That having been said, I admire a well-made SA revolver. The other day I shot my friend's Blackhawk (.45 Colt) and caught myself wondering if I was missing out on something . . . .