d/a pistols

[mred]

Why is the d/a semi auto so popular other than round numbers? What are the other advantages versus s/a if any?

[DoubleJ]

I'm not sure about round numbers, but I know some people like the DAO triggers in Glock(et al) because they feel they are less likely to have an AD with a long heavy pull. you can't just jerk the trigger a bit, it has to be a deliberate pull of the trigger.

one of my guns is a SA 1911style, so I like the short trigger, but that's just me.

[AEA]

I have a kahr K9 that is D/A and I didn't think I would like it when I bought it (being a 1911 guy).

But after fooling with it awhile, I really began to like it.
You do not have to think about any safety or hammer catching on the inside of your pocket. It is truly the point and click pistol.

[mred]

1911 guy myself and I never liked a long pull or considered to try it after the good one. Thanks.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have pistols with both styles of trigger, and carry them all. I prefer the SA triggers, but I appreciate that the DA trigger obviates the need for a safety mechanism. FWIW, one of my pistols is DA/SA and can be carried decocked. I carry it any which way.

[GrandSporTA]

I recently went from a Kahr CW 40 to a Kimber Ultra CDP II and I love the 1911 more than the DAO. The trigger is shorter, plus it comes with 2 safety's. All around, its just a way better make of a gun.

[mred]

The Kimber is very nice, wish I could afford it. Colt Defender would be my second choice.

[joe817]

I've had several DA/SA guns over the years, gosh about 6 or 7. I currently have a DA/SA and really like the ability to carry safely a round in the chamber in DA mode. After the first round it converts to SA mode. It does take some getting used to, but it's my personal preference. I've owned many of the SAO guns and they were great too.

I've never had a DAO semi, and have wondered about them. But that is a popular action now days, so I can't fault it at all. I don't think it's for me, but I say that as I've never owned one. Who knows? I might change my mind if I had one.

(the above comments refer to semi-automatics only)

[Liberty]

People like them cause they are simple, draw aim and pull the trigger,
trigger is the same every time.

I like the DA/SA works for me, but they make different actions because people are different.

[dicion]

I recently went from a Kahr CW 40 to a Kimber Ultra CDP II and I love the 1911 more than the DAO. The trigger is shorter, plus it comes with 2 safety's. All around, its just a way better make of a gun.

Actually, Technically There's 4 different safety mechanisms on that fine handgun (I happen to own one of the Ultra Kimber family )

1) Half Cock (some would argue against this.. but some revolvers don't have this feature, so therefore to me, it is an added safety.) that grabs the sear in case of a hammer hook failure, or early release in manual cocking. (There's a saying that your thumb should never touch the hammer on a 1911, no matter what they do in the movies.)
2) Slide/Thumb Safety that blocks the sear.
3) Grip Safety that Blocks the Trigger.
4) Firing Pin Safety That prevents the firing pin from traveling forward to strike the primer.

Now I know that activating the grip safety both unblocks the trigger (traditional grip safety function) AND releases the firing pin safety simultaneously in the Kimber Design, but they are, indeed, 2 separate safeties, fulfilling 2 separate functions, when the grip safety is not depressed.

There's also another 'safety' that's not really a safety. An exposed hammer. You can see, just by looking at a 1911, if pulling the trigger will make it go 'click' at the least, 'bang' at the most.

[mr.72]

The trigger is shorter, plus it comes with 2 safety's. All around, its just a way better make of a gun.

Allow me to disagree 100%.

To each his own. It's not like Kahr forgot to put a manual safety into the gun. The "lack" of a manual safety on a CC pistol is a feature, not a bug.

I doubt I will ever buy a pistol that is not DAO. I have no interest in owning a gun that requires me to learn a new habit in order to make it functional when I need it. Aim & shoot. Hard to screw that up.

[srothstein]

And, after all this, I think we have the answer to the first question posted. Why is the double action pistol so popular? Because we each have different tastes and look for different features. As long as there are two people who shoot, there will be a market for different styles of pistols.

This also reveals the answer to the second question. There is no true "technical" advantage to either style of pistol. The advantage is that some people feel one is better for them than the other.

I have had sa autos, sa/da autos, dao autos, and single action and double action revolvers. I have not yet owned a dao revolver (think shrouded hammer). I like anything that goes bang when I pull the trigger, and apply Jeff Cooper's advice about rifles to all firearms. The only interesting rifle is an accurate rifle. In addition to going bang reliably, I have to be able to hit my target with the bullet. If I am trying for bulls-eye accuracy, I find a single action target revolver (EDIT: actually, double action fired in single action mode) to be best (my experience so far is that the old S&W 1955 Target in .45 acp with a 6 inch barrel was the most accurate pistol I have ever owned). If I am shooting for combat, I don't worry nearly as much about pinpoint accuracy and look at the round and second shot capability more. I prefer the 1911 for this, but I am equally confident in my old .357 revolver, the Glock, the original S&W wonder nine (model 59) and my current north American Arms Guardian.

Your personal experience may differ, and as such, your tastes and desires may differ. And that gets us back to why all the different styles are still popular.

[Rex B]

I pocket carry exclusively.
I prefer DA/SA, with SA my 2nd choice.

If I could find a DA/SA or an SA in the same size and similar weightas my LCP or P3AT, I'd buy it.

Even the Colt Mustang Pocketlite doesn't quite get there. It's noticeably thicker and heavier.

[DoubleJ]

As long as there are two people who shoot, there will be a market for different styles of pistols.

It's like that ol' joke about Dr's and light bulbs.

5, one to do it, and 4 to stand around and say, "Well, I'd do it like this."

[sawdust]

I don't know if my 2 cents is worth anything, not having a lot of experience or basis of comparison. I have just recently returned to the world of firearms after a many year absence. 3 months ago, my interest was re-kindled, and Istarted going to a local gun range. I have just sent in the paperwork for my CHL.

At the range, I initially rented a Glock 9mm or .40 for use. In a re-familiarization mode (my last experience, long ago, was with 1911-type), I had difficulty with the DA-only and long trigger pull of the Glock. I would "get tired" of the long trigger travel and waiting for the click, and I kept trying to jerk the trigger back. Even though it had been years since I had fired a semi-automatic, I was still expecting a fast snap of the trigger. Muscle memory must stay around a long time.

I have since purchased a Bersa Thunder 9 HC. I immediately liked the DA-SA/SA approach. In normal operation, the first shot is DA, with a not-so-bad trigger pull. Subsequent shots are SA. Since there is an exposed hammer, you can cock it on the first shot for SA mode, if you choose. There is also a manual safety/decocker, which lowers the hammer and disengages the trigger. So far, I have found nothing about the Bersa to not like.

By the time I have acquired my 233rd firearm and have more experience, I may change my mind.