SA, DA/SA, DOA

10348 Views 40 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Janq, Mar 15, 2006

Jeremy

Discussion Starter · Feb 7, 2006

What is the advantage/disadvantage of the different action types. What significants is there between them? I know what they mean but what do they actally do? What do you guys prefer. Like I said before, I'm just turning to handguns mostly. I've shot different types, I own a few but don't really know much about them. I'd like to make a semi imformed decision when I buy my next 1

1 - 20 of 41 Posts

Ducman

· #2 · Feb 7, 2006

SA is the only way to go. You have the same light crisp trigger pull each time. You can shot faster and more accurately

The rest were designed for people with poor trigger discipline

DA/DAO Heavy and long trigger pulls required by lawyers for people that don't know enough to keep their finger off the trigger until they are ready to fire

jamz

· #3 · Feb 7, 2006

Advantages of single action guns (I assume you mean pistols here and not revolvers) are same trigger pull, ususally pretty light. Almost always single action guns have a safety that must be switched off in order to fire it.

DAO guns almost never have safeties, and rely on a long hard trigger pull to prevent accidental firing. So it really depends on what kind of life the gun is going to live.

I have a few of each, the DAO guns are great in a pocket, where there is a chace of it gettin gbanged aournd a bit, but they are not that much "fun" to shoot- they are pretty much SD pistols only.

My SA guns are more pleasurable to shoot, and in a 1911 platform are actually my primary carry.

Best bet is to shoot a bunch of guns and buy the one you like the best.

Adler

· #4 · Feb 7, 2006

Ducman said:
SA is the only way to go. You have the same light crisp trigger pull each time. You can shot faster and more accurately

The rest were designed for people with poor trigger discipline

DA/DAO Heavy and long trigger pulls required by lawyers for people that don't know enough to keep their finger off the trigger until they are ready to fire

What do you mean by poor trigger discipline? I think it takes more talent to shoot a DAO gun than a single action only. If by safety you are right however I am a fan od DA/SA combo guns. Best of both worlds...and unless its a series 80 firing system I wouldnt ever carry one. Firing pin safety is a must in any carry piece anymore. But for target the 1911 is one of the top guns, but I like the Sig 210 better. I can afford or justify the price of either a race 1911 or 210 though. Id just buy a Glock 17L if I wanted a target gun.

Ducman

· #5 · Feb 7, 2006

By poor trigger discipline, I mean keeping your finger off the trigger until you are on target and intend to shoot. So, yes the safety aspect.

I also agree that it take more skill to shoot a DOA accurately and quickly than a SA.

But many (mainly lawyers and beurocrats) have found it acceptable to insist on heavy triggers instead of proper training. The harder the trigger pull is, the harder it is to get sued

Janq

· #6 · Feb 7, 2006

I'm wih Ducman in regard to SA, and prefer it as well.
Thats not to say that DA/SA, DA, or DAO/DAK sucks or can't be shot with accuracy as obviously thats not true in real life practice.

- Janq

Thumper

· #7 · Feb 7, 2006

Need to also mention Para's LDA Light double action as well

It's a odd thing to get used to if your used to normal 1911 single actions.

The best way to describe it is a looooong soft pull back till you feel all the slack go away then a further squeeze of a few degrees with just a bit of resistance and it fires.

It's long and soft , then crisp, a strange description but the best I can do.

I do prefer a single action BTW.

Janq

· #8 · Feb 7, 2006

The Para LDA is nice and _butery_ smooth in pull, but that pull is so damn long.
If my state outlawed SA (hey don't laugh, it's Mass.) then I'd definitely go to Para for my 1911 fix.

- Janq

Adler

· #9 · Feb 7, 2006

speaking of long and single action...Ruger's p series is the longest damned singel action pull I have ever felt. I shoot it and think.....ok when the hell is thing going to go off?

Thumper

· #10 · Feb 8, 2006

I was also thinking of this and a great example come to mind.

I have a sig 229 and I equipped it with a LaserMax unit. Which replaces the stock recoil guide rod with a laser unit in its place. It's a fantastic training feature, When comparing pulling a trigger from a double action vs. single action mode, it is amazing to see how much that dot moves on a target down range. Heck you can even see that red dot moving when your breathing.

You have to think of how much further your moving your trigger finger and all the muscles in your hand flexing, trying to control your point of aim. With Double Action, that dot is moving all over the place. Defiantly much less movement on Single action.

But in the spirit of the original post , if it's a question of CCW or defensive measures what would you carry and how. You get into theories of what's thought to be safer. It depends on where Jeremy is going with this.

I hadn't heard Ma. doing away with SA. I suppose you have to turn in that little envelope with the empty shell casing in it? I also hear that hasn't solved 1 single crime yet. Everyone thinks Crime Solving is like TV shows now a days.

Ruger has always been a good value , but I disagree with Bills stance on higher cap magazines.

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Jeremy

Discussion Starter · #11 · Feb 8, 2006

No CCW or defence, just plinking. I pretty much decided on a Sig p226 but wasn't sure about the difference in action types. thanks for all the info

Janq

· #12 · Feb 8, 2006

Thumper,

I was speaking hypothetically, as in a if this fantastical and crazy thing were to occur then this is how I'd play it.
I know of no effort in MA by the states iron gloved IG to ban SA's.
Although if ever such a subject were to come up for real I would not at all be surprised.

- Janq

bassplayrr

· #13 · Feb 8, 2006

I like SA for range guns (lighter more consitant trigger pull) and a DA/SA for a nightstand gun. The biggest reason being spring wear. I don't like the idea of using my 1911 as a nigtstand gun and leaving it cocked and locked for extended periods of time. There may be no foundation for my concern, but it bothers me to have the mainspring compressed for that long. So, I prefer a DA/SA that I can chamber and decock and leave in my nightstand with no worry of mainsring wear.

-Chris

ldivinag

· #14 · Feb 8, 2006

Jeremy said:
No CCW or defence, just plinking. I pretty much decided on a Sig p226 but wasn't sure about the difference in action types. thanks for all the info

nie thing about the sigs is that you can convert a DA/SA to a DAO with a couple parts...

me, whenever at the range, i spend time decocking after each shot. i burn up like 2-3 mags like this.

Shad

· #15 · Feb 8, 2006

bassplayrr said:
I like SA for range guns (lighter more consitant trigger pull) and a DA/SA for a nightstand gun. The biggest reason being spring wear. I don't like the idea of using my 1911 as a nigtstand gun and leaving it cocked and locked for extended periods of time. There may be no foundation for my concern, but it bothers me to have the mainspring compressed for that long. So, I prefer a DA/SA that I can chamber and decock and leave in my nightstand with no worry of mainsring wear.

-Chris

I do the same thing. I use my 1911's for general purpose shit, and keep my USP in my nightstand decocked at night. I don't leave firearms in unlocked places when I'm not home, though. Last thing I need is someone breaking into my house stealing shit that I'll miss.

bassplayrr

· #16 · Feb 8, 2006

Shad said:
I don't leave firearms in unlocked places when I'm not home, though. Last thing I need is someone breaking into my house stealing shit that I'll miss.

Yeah, I should have specified that as well. i would never reccomend leaving any pistol (or any firearm) cocked and locked, or even loaded with no round in the chamber, around the home when you aren't. When I wake up and head off to work in the morning I unload any loaded firearms and place them in my safe.

-Chris

Janq

· #17 · Feb 8, 2006

To add to this...

In MA it's illegal to do so in general and een if you are home it's illegal to store a weapon with ammo in it's magazine be it inserted within or near a gun. Also ammunition may not be stored unsecured. The only allownace for as much is if the weapon and ammunition is within direct control (not access) of the appropriately licensed owner or user.
Bed stand storage and gun behind the door stroage/stowage is expressly not allowed and even if you were to have a break in and use it properly to ones defense one would face charges of illegal storage of a firearm. This scenario occurred to a guy here in WMass last year just before I moved here.

Other states are less stupid...err I mean specific about in the home firearm storage, check your own local and state laws to be sure.
Here in MA the advised work around toward this is to keep a revolver for home defense and to store ammo within a speedloader which as per current law is not consdered to be a magazine.

I installed Springfield Armory 'Integrated Locking System' (I.L.S.) mainspring housing disablers on all my 1911s just to stay within the latter of the law toward state safe strorage/stowage laws. Even then I can't use them in the event of a break in because ammo cannot be stored in a magazine and must be secured. :\

- Janq

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jamz

· #18 · Feb 8, 2006

bassplayrr said:
The biggest reason being spring wear. I don't like the idea of using my 1911 as a nigtstand gun and leaving it cocked and locked for extended periods of time. There may be no foundation for my concern, but it bothers me to have the mainspring compressed for that long. So, I prefer a DA/SA that I can chamber and decock and leave in my nightstand with no worry of mainsring wear.

-Chris

Security and legal reasons aside, it is perfectly mechanically safe to leave a 1911 style gun cocked and locked pretty much forever. I don't think any of my 1911s, once having come into my posession, have ever been stored or put away in any other state.

Lots of stories of 1911s staying C&L for forty or fifty years, and firing just fine.

I don't know about any other makes of pistol though.

Janq, I never knew about that section of the MA laws. You able to dig up a reference on that? I would never admit it, but "someone I know" may or may not have had loaded mags in the safe in MA all the time back when he used to live there

bassplayrr

· #19 · Feb 8, 2006

That's good to know, just in case. In the meantime, I have bad luck, and she is my baby, so I'm not going to test that theory. :laugh:

-Chris <--- wuss

jamz

· #20 · Feb 8, 2006

:wink:

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