Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Is a single action more accurate than a double action?

I would appreciate input on whether a single action revolver is tighter and more accurate than a double action or is accuracy related to other factors. Thanks so much.

No.



No.



More a function of the tightness of the individual revolver. How smooth is the trigger pull? How light is the trigger pull? How fine are the sights? How is their ability to be regulated? How is the forcing cone? If anything, the shorter hammer fall of the double action may account for some slight gain in accuracy over the longer drop-time of the single action. In reality, most likely other factors are much more dominant.

Apples and Oranges. Let me say upfront:i'm more a 1911 and Glock guy than revolvers,2.If Smith&wesson shut the doors tonight,i'd be a happier man.A single action in therory would be less accurate(longer hammer drop etc.)in therory,but you can't tell.

Most of my revolvers (probably half of all my handguns) are double action revolvers. I do have a few single actions. (Daveaverageguy-I really like my 1911's too. and will admit to owning a Glock.)I don't consider myself a terrific shot with a handgun, but I do know the fundamenatals, know what I can hit and can call my shots pretty well. I think the longer hammer fall of the single action revolvers is really noticeable compared to a double action revolver or a 1911. I would think that, given all the intricacies of handgun marksmanship, even if a given single action and a given double action revolver were equal in mechanical accuracy, the single action would be harder to shoot accurately. YMMV

Ruger did a lot to promote center fire handguns with the adj sighted BH/SBH single action. I tend to lean toward them in big bores, but I'm kinda looking for a .44mag in a short barreled Redhawk.

I had a friend that was scary accurate with a .357 Colt Python. He could match my open sighted rifle shooting out to 50yds.

By design, the Single Action should be more accurate because there is not "lockup" per-se. The cylinder is as secure in the front as it is in the back. Most DA revolvers either lock in the front or the back, which means one side is more secure than the other.

Some DA revolvers lock up in both the front and the back.

Now, there's the theory.

Reality: It all comes down to the precision of manufacture. The two most accurate revolvers I have ever shot were the Freedom Arms Casull and the Taurus Raging Bull. Both were manufactured with strong attention paid to the lock up. The Casull is beautifully made and line bored. But in my experience, the Raging Bulls will either match or exceed the accuracy of the Casull.

I've also found S&W revolvers to be more accurate than Colt or Ruger single action revolvers. Why, because they are made with more precision where precision is needed.

Westerner,

I'll be the picky bastid and say "yes", a single action is more "accurate" than a double action. However, a single action doesn't necessarily shoot with more "precision".

Accuracy includes the human factor, precision does not.

The major factors in revolver shot-to-shot precision are the dimensions of the cylinder and barrel, and their alignment. Everything else falls under 'shootability' (the human factor).

It's been my experience that my most accurate shooting comes when I shoot in single action mode. That is, shooting single actions as designed and shooting DA's by cocking the hammer before squeezing the trigger. I have real accuracy problems shooting DA's in DA mode. I'm too shaky and too herky, jerky.

Yes. Every time the SA is a Freedom Arms...

All variables being equal with the exception of whether or not the hammer drops single or double action, the single action shot will normally be the easiest to hit with. On the other hand, I have a friend who can shoot a double action revolver in slow fire in a manner that I have difficult achieving in single action fire with his same gun.

Revolvers shouldn't shoot as accurately as they do. It's a testament to revolver design dating back to the 1830s, that they are simply astonishingly accurate! I have a 51 Navy replica that will group as tightly at 10 yards as any firearm I own, semi-auto, revolver, double action or single action. Moving farther away from the target demonstrates that the roundball projectile begins to suffer from some stability issues that a good conical shaped bullet doesn't.

I have a S&W Mountain Gun that shoots reasonably good groups double action. Strangely, the groups I get single action with it aren't so impressively better to make me eschew the use of double action when target shooting for grins.

At the same time, I have a Ruger Flattop .44 Mag that will shoot rings around any other large bore pistol or revolver I own, even though the single action hammer drop seems ponderously slow.

Finally, I have a cheap Cimarron (ASM) Peacemaker in .44 special that has what I'd call excessive side to side play in the cylinder when locked up. It doesn't spit any lead but I don't like the play. On the other hand, it's exceptionally accurate and one of my go-to guns when I want to test "my" ability and loads.

Dan

Dan,

Good points. From an engineering standpoint, the swing out cylinder DA revolvers just shouldn�t shoot well. Yet, when revolvers ruled the National Matches, it was always a swing out DA revolver that was in the winners circle (either S&W or Colt); they just shoot better than they have a right too. It�s also been my experience that an out of the box revolver will almost always outshoot an out of the box auto. Now, as I get older, the autos are closing that gap. Basically, autos are getting better and revolvers are getting sort of worse.

Biggest factor is still the operator.

Defensive purposes, I'll take the auto.

Hunting, the revolver.

Has to do, mostly, with the cartridge available, but a bit more accuracy from the revolver don't hurt. SA or DA, whichever one feels best and shoots best. And, yes, I own both (as well as a few autos). Regardless, the operator is the greatest variable in handgun accuracy.

I think Kevin says most of it.

I'm a revolver guy, pure and simple. I only own two semi-autos and, well, let's just say a few more revolvers than that.

Both the SA and DA action designs have strong and weak points. The strong of the one usually offsets the weak of the other, but in the main, it's just about a wash. That's doubly true when shooting in SA mode (no pun intended!) only.

I own true very, very accurate revolvers. One is my admittedly customized Ruger flattop 41 Special, and the other is a colt Officer's Match 38 Special. Both of them are -there's no better way to say this- special.

For me, I see revolvers in three basic categories:

Defensive - In this role, I like a S&W model 10 or 13, 3" with Spegel grips, tritium front sight dovetailed in, which gives windage adjustment, and I like the hammer bobbed. I use this gun with .38 Special +P ammunition which makes for a very effective defensive revolver.

Hunting - Either DA or SA revolver. In SA, I like a 5 1/2" Ruger Bisley in either .41, .44 magnum or .45 Colt.

Target - I like many of the target grade revolvers from Colt and S&W. Colt officer's match in .22lr or .38 Special. K-22 or K-38 Masterpiece, 1950 or 1955 target...the list goes on. Regardless, Colt and S&W made some exceptional target revolvers, most of which saw their height during the 1950's.

I consider myself a revolver guy. There are a couple of issues here: mechanical precision of both the single action and double action revolvers, and the ability to hit with each.

Mechanical precision is generally a factory manufacturing issue, but as an example, .45 Colt Rugers are famous tight chamber throats. Reaming can go a long way to improving accuracy.

Ability to hit is a function of many things, like grip shape, trigger pull and hammer fall. Both single action and double action revos can have good triggers, you can adapt to the grips, but the longer hammer fall of the single action requires better (longer) follow-through than the shorter hammer fall of the double action revo.

If shooting is done off hand or supported field positions, I think sight picture and trigger control will determine which is better. You can shoot most any DA revolver in SA mode if you desire, so if that is the way you want to shoot, choose the revolver with the sights you can see the best, and the trigger that breaks clean with no creep. Then shoot it a lot.

I tend to shoot DA revolvers DA more accurately then SA. But that's just me. I don't have as much time into the SA guns so it isn't a fare comparison. Lately I've shot field pistol silhouettes with a scoped 6.5" Blackhawk in .41 Mag a few times. It has a very good SA trigger. The best I've tried on any blackhawk. The more I use it the better I get, but I need more time to train myself the SA stroke. It looks promising and I need to work with that gun, so I'll continue to use it on silhouettes.

The goal for me is to shoot up to my gun. This could take a while.

I shoot a Redhawk in .44 mag. My handloads are designed for accuracy and hunting. I can keep them all in a kill zone for deer out to 75 yds with open sights. At 50 yds, I can hit a soda can 6 out of 6. That said, my brother shoots a SBH. He can shoot his as accurate as mine. However, in bear country, I like the comfort of DA. That quick second shot may save a life(mine).


In a ransom rest, you may see some accuracy differences, but with the human factor thrown in, not sure you could see a difference.