All your tips for DA accuracy . . .

[Prof Young]

So I bought a DA/SA gun for carry as I just didn't like carrying an SA with one in the pipe, hammer cocked and safety on. Only to discover that I am a crappy shot, even at close range, in the DA mode.

So I am practicing that first DA shot a lot. What can I do to be come a better shot in DA?

Live well, be safe
Prof Young

[agtman]

So I bought a DA/SA gun for carry as I just didn't like carrying an SA with one in the pipe, hammer cocked and safety on. Only to discover that I am a crappy shot, even at close range, in the DA mode.

So I am practicing that first DA shot a lot. What can I do to be come a better shot in DA?

Sell or trade-in your DA/SA for a DAO pistol. One type of pull, smooth and consistent like a revolver, but without a revolver's hammer cocked SA mode.

[WyMark]

I don't know about tips, but I shoot my P228 the same in DA as in SA. Draw, point, pull the trigger. Don't think about it or try to anticipate it, just pull the trigger till it goes bang.

[Sarge]

The Benefits and Proficient Use of the DA/SA Autopistol

[Rangerrich99]

Borrow/rent/buy a DA revolver and dry fire/shoot at least 50-100 rounds out of it in DA only, as a warm-up before every range session. It's really just a muscle memory thing. It might take several sessions for that muscle memory to develop, but sooner or later it will happen.

Your trigger finger will eventually get used to the DA pull and your first DA shots will be about as accurate as any SA shot.

[44 AMP]

So I am practicing that first DA shot a lot. What can I do to be come a better shot in DA?

#1 answer is the old joke about "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, son, Practice!"

#2 The gun DOES matter. What are you using?

DO NOT go out and buy a DAO gun. They aren't better, just different. (that's my opinion, others will disagree, they feel differently than I do)

I got a Sig P220 back in 1980 (Browning BDA .45), and after a few years of casual use (several hundred, maybe 1,000 rnds, I never kept track in those days), I noticed that the feel of the DA pull was only about half of what it was when the gun was brand new. I did not measure the pull weight, but it FELT much lighter. NO work was done to the gun in any way, it just got better with use, over time.

That's why I say, "the gun matters". IF your gun is new (newish), the DA pull might be "stiffer" than it will become later.

But the main thing is just, practice.

I don't care for the DAO guns, as I like having options, even if I never use them, I like having them.

[849ACSO]

But the main thing is just, practice

^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^

[HistoryJunky]

You could always buy a P64 or some other gun with an obnoxiously high DA trigger pull. Shoot that for awhile and your lighter pull DA guns will feel easy as butter.

[briandg]

You will either learn or not learn. All you can do is to bust your hump trying to lock that switch into your brain. with an empty chamber, can you run the thing DA for a stretch?

What will happen given enough time and familiarity and skill it will be so ingrained into your memory that the thing will come naturally. Myself, I'm not sure if there was really a point or the dasa models as it won't come naturally to everyone, and training DA only would be far easier, I believe, than burning dasa into memory.

A person can learn to fire DA well. if a person is just hopeless with DA and/or dasa, there is always the striker fired, which I consider to be pretty much the realm of KISS. No safety, no hammer, no long steady pull, just draw the stupid thing and start shooting.

so I say practice and just work that hump into your routine. Remember that in fact the only time you will face that da pull is with the first one. Your trigger is going to land there and you will pull it. Afterwards your finger wil still be on the trigger, and you are going to want to just go with the rhythm of the pull.

[g.willikers]

The transition from the double action first shot to single action subsequent shots can be troublesome, too.
Practicing just the first DA shot might not be all that helpful.
You might want to practice the double or triple tap to really get the hang of it.
Or, as per the previous suggestions, try another pistol design.

[AK103K]

Daily practice is the key, as it is with anything. You dont need anything special to do it, just the gun you have, and thats what you should be practicing with anyway. The nice thing with a DA gun is, you dont have to do anything between "shots" to reset the trigger. Just pull away.

The main thing with DA/DAO shooting is to focus on holding your sight alignment as you stroke the trigger. Dont worry about the trigger, just focus on the sights. Its going to feel strange at first, but once your muscle tone starts to pick up, youre going to find in a short while, it feels very natural, and your shooting will improve, and greatly too.

The transition from DA to SA isnt a big deal, and again, if youre focused on the sights and target, and not worrying on the trigger, youre not even going to notice it.

Youre going to find that that daily DAO practice will make you a better shooter overall too, and not just with your handguns. All your shooting will benefit.

It seems these days, so many are convinced that you need some sort of tuned, aftermarket trigger to shoot well with, and between the internet and the gun writers, etc, its constantly stressed that you do, which I believe it total BS.

In reality, I think its more of the state of things these days, with everything being less physical and more techie. Just look at the kids (and the adults too for that matter) these days compared to 50 years ago, and I think youll understand better.

The more in shape you are, the better youll shoot. That set of muscles that run that trigger finger, arent the only set of muscles that have been atrophying due to laziness.

[kraigwy]

Best advice I can give is put a laser sight on your DA pistol/revolver and dry fire until to can keep the dot from moving.

Remember, when we say double action, its not a slow pull of the trigger in stages, but one constant smooth pull, no stopping.

Again, the laser dot and dry firing is the key. Its cheap and you can do it about anywhere.

Dry fire until you finger cant pull the trigger, then switch hands and dry fire until that hand is too tired, Switch again.

Eventually you'll get where you can drop the hammer without moving the red dot.

[MrBorland]

I shoot a DA/SA revolver almost exclusively in DA mode.

IME, most have issues pulling the DA trigger because they don't pull smoothly and consistently, tending to really yank it hard at the beginning, almost like they're trying to get through the travel as fast as they can (Miculek-types certainly do get through that travel quickly, but they're doing it smoothly, without yanking).

A series of dry fire DA "shots" should be metronome-like - a smooth rhythmic click.click.click, rather than a staccato click....click....click. Matter of fact, it's a bit unorthodox, but I found dry-firing to a metronome to be a big help to my DA trigger speed and/or control.

The ol' coin-on-the-barrel drill is also a decent & remedial test for an inconsistent & yanking DA trigger pull.

[Pgfins]

The great thing about da/sa or true dao is that it brings to light poor shooting fundamentals. That's why so many shooters don't like it, it forces you to train and learn good fundamentals if you want to shoot well. If you can master da/sa or dao, you'll find yourself having excellent fundamentals and will be a better shooter for any manuel of arms.

First and foremost practice dry firing in da a lot. But make sure you find the right spot on your trigger finger placement for the transition of da/sa. Work to press through without the front sight moving. Also you really begin to understand weak hand grip needs to be very firm. Grip in general needs to be solid. To use a simple baseball analogy, anyone can hit a fastball but good hitters can hit the the curveball as well.

Take a look at Earnest Langdon's vid below. He's one of the most well respected shooters/instructors out there.
http://youtu.be/FsoX26OhDCY

[TMD]

Buy a Russian Nagant. After firing a few thousand rounds with its 20# trigger pull any other DA will feel like a hair trigger

[Sarge]

DA revolver shooting can get you used to a long, relatively heavy trigger pull, but there are differences in the grip and trigger finger angle, as well as the manual of arms, that need to be addressed when you go to a DA/SA auto. Today you would be better off to start with a DA/SA auto and be done with it.

Seriously, watch the Ernest Langdon vids I linked above. You'll get more good info from watching those, and applying what you learn, than any other 'short course' I can think of.

[Prof Young]

Thanks for all the advice and the website.
By way of answering questions, I'm using a Bersa Thunder 380 CC model.
I am getting better.
Live well, be safe
Prof Young

[Slowpoke Rodriguez]

As wisely stated previously, PRACTICE.

With DA/SA accuracy problems, it's mostly a trigger squeeze issue.

One drill is the ol' ball-and-dummy drill, if your range facility allows it. Basically, purchase some of the brightly colored plastic dummy rounds and mix them with live rounds in your mag (it's good to have a partner do it for you, so you don't know the order).

As you fire, when the dummies come up, you will have to do a malfunction drill (tap-rack-bang), which is good practice, but you will also get a chance to access your flinch, which may be part of the problem, and also your trigger jerk.

Repeat until you have blisters on your fingers (not really...).

[doofus47]

I have a walther p99 as. I leave it in DA mode when dry firing. I've found that the very light SA mode takes care of itself if I have practiced the basics of DA and its heavy trigger pull.
Get a snap cap, concentrate on grip and trigger control and dry fire your heart out.

[benEzra]

By way of answering questions, I'm using a Bersa Thunder 380 CC model.

That is a great little pistol, and quite accurate. I used to own a Bersa Model 383, which was an earlier generation of the same pistol, I think.

[TheGunGeek]

Dry fire, dry fire, and dry fire (with snap caps) to master the trigger. This is the only way and it will build it into your muscle memory. I usually just cock the hammer with my thumb for single action practice, as I can do so without taking a hand off the pistol.

This is how I mastered the trigger on my Beretta M9A1. I'm now equally accurate in both modes.

[P.E. Kelley]

Lots of excellent advice offered! Bravo guys!!!

I would only add that a very firm grip goes a long ways in helping
to keep the sights on target while pulling the trigger.

[WVsig]

I see you have a Bersa 380 CC. What is the weight of the DA pull? I personally like to bring a DA/SA gun into the 9-10lbs DA pull and 3.5-4lb SA pull range. This can often be done with a simple hammer spring change. At 9lbs using the safety between my ears there is more than enough resistance to keep me out of trouble in DA mode. I personally think that the DA pulls are heavier than they need to be. I am not sure if this can be done with the Bersa. I shoot Sigs, CZs, Beretta's, Sphinx in DA/SA and know how to do the spring change on these but not on the Bersa. You might look around the Bersatalk forum for info.

Here is a great article by Bruce Gray who is one of the best Sig gunsmiths on how to master the DA trigger through dry firing. He is also a world class pistol competitor and trainer.

https://grayguns.com/dry-fire-secrets-of-the-pros/

Here is my take and my personal adaptation on the foundation that Bruce talks about in his article. Trigger control is everything. You need to dry fire your gun in DA a lot. This is not just sitting on the couch clicking away. Too many people practice in a manner unrelated to actually shooting the pistol. IMHO

Put a holster of choice on and stand 6ft from a wall with an UNLOADED GUN and do a proper draw stroke and fire the DA pull. Rinse and repeat. Learn to present the pistol and "prep the trigger" for the DA pull. The more you do it with your particular pistol the more you will learn its characteristics. You can learn to take 7lbs of pull out of the trigger by "prepping" it on the draw while leaving 3lb of "control" before firing.

I always recommend practicing dry firing in the same manner you will actually fire the gun. You build quality muscle memory you cannot get from just sitting yanking the DA pull. You have to concentrate as much while dry firing as you would firing the gun at the range. Do this every single day for 20 minutes for 30 or even 10 days and I can guarantee your draw, presentation and trigger control will improve.

When you go to the range shoot the gun DA then decock and shoot it again DA. Shoot the gun the same way you have been dry firing. You are now adding the live fire component on top of the foundation of good dry firing practice. I often will do this from the draw from my holster of choice 20-50 times depending on my mood. Used to do it more than I do now but still do it to keep the skill. This is where you will see the benefits of your dry firing time.

This is only half of the equation. The next part is the transition to the SA pull. You need to again learn "your" trigger. I again recommend learning to "prep" or "hard prep" the SA shot just like the DA. Once you have fired the DA shot as the gun cycles you can feel the trigger reset. As the slide is moving take the slack out of the trigger. As you get better at "prepping" it you can even take 2 of the 4lbs off the SA trigger. Once the gun has completed cycling with the trigger "prepped" you simply get a sight picture and finish the shot. Rinse and repeat.

Once I have the DA pull on a gun dialed in I then load 3 rounds into a mag. Draw, present and fire the first round in DA, hard prep the second shot, take it and then prep the 3rd, take it. Once I am getting solid results on paper, I progress to more rounds until you can fire an entire mag with satisfactory results.

[TBT]

Sarge nailed it in post #4.

Beat me to it.

[rburch]

I've been using this drill for a while now it is well named.

Dot Torture drill

For my CZ decocker, I make sure to start each bit hammer down, so the first shot each time is double action then any shots after that are single action.

This gives me a mix of trigger pulls and several transitions between the pulls.

Try running it each range session for a while, get to where you can shoot it clean and then start speeding up slowly from there.