In the age of everything being striker-fired or single-action, it’s tough to be a DA/SA fan. The only companies that seem to recognize DA/SA fans are SIG, Beretta, and CZ, and even they have leaned more into the striker-fired genre as of late. I get why people aren’t fans of DA/SA. You have to deal with two different trigger pulls, which take time and repetition to master.
The brief age of DA/SA firearms was short, and the guns produced during that time period are often considered big, heavy, and unwieldy compared to modern polymer-frame striker-fired designs. CZ has, at the very least, released a hammer-fired polymer-framed gun with the P09/P07 series.
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Still, it’s a tough sell with a lot of modern shooters. While I like DA/SA, I’m not quick to recommend it to most shooters, largely due to a lack of market support. However, I will often discuss the advantages of DA/SA and want to share some of those today. I don’t think these advantages are set in stone, and some may not feel they are applicable to them, and that’s perfectly fine.
There are two trigger pulls and two functional benefits, one for each trigger pull.
The Double-Action As a Safety Mechanism
Confession time. I get a little nervous pointing a striker-fired gun with a pre-cocked or fully cocked trigger at my junk when I carry AIWB. Yep, I’m one of those guys. I don’t believe that AIWB is unsafe by any means; I think people are unsafe. When I toss my SIG P365 in an appendix position, I holster the gun out of my pants, then tuck the whole thing in.
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I shoot and train a lot, enough that I don’t need to worry. I always look at my gun in my holster, and I never do a fast reholster, regardless of the gun or the holster I’m using. Even though I follow every safety step, I’m inherently nervous about the position. Even if you do everything right, something can go wrong.
I don’t feel this kind of fear when I’m dealing with a DA/SA gun for two reasons. I can put my thumb on the hammer and know instantly if there is movement. The heavier trigger is also less likely to be pressed to fire simply by its weight alone.
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Anytime I’m in class and the day is getting near done, I can feel myself slipping, getting tired, sweaty, and that’s when I’m most worried about a light trigger. Typing it sounds silly because following basic safety procedures isn’t hard, but it’s always there, causing me needless anxiety. With a decocked DA/SA gun, I’m focusing less on the needless anxiety and more on the training and shooting.
Speaking of which, the heavy trigger can offer benefits to less-trained shooters during self-defense. Guys who train regularly and take classes will obey the safety rules, but for someone who shoots once a year, it’s good to have a heavier trigger that takes a dedicated press to fire. The downside being that someone who doesn’t shoot much isn’t going to have the skill to manipulate the double-action trigger effectively.
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Still, for me, eliminating a bit of human error is worth it.
The Better Trigger
Once we get past the DA part of DA/SA, we move on to the single-action design. The majority of quality DA/SA pistols offer a shorter, lighter trigger pull in single action than a striker-fired gun. The single actions tend to be crisp, short, and reset quickly.
Keep in mind, this isn’t universal; there are some very refined striker-fired options out there. If we are comparing $500 guns, we get a better trigger with a DA/SA gun.
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The single-actions on DA/SA guns typically don’t compete with SAO guns, but they’re still pretty good. A lighter trigger isn’t the be-all, be-all to accurate shooting. However, it’s again helping erase some human error. The less time you’re on the trigger and the less weight it takes to pull means the less chance you have of making an error.
The lighter single-action requires less force to pull, which can help you adjust your grip on the gun and make more accurate shooting possible.
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The Other Benefit
To avoid the emails of Beretta, SIG, and CZ fans, I will acknowledge that DA/SA guns give you the ability to have a second strike in case the gun doesn’t fire the first time. Sure, it’s a benefit, but with quality ammunition, how often is that a problem?
Don’t get me wrong, I shoot plenty of cheap, crappy ammunition. The DA part of DA/SA comes in handy with hard primers. However, from a practical perspective, I don’t see it as a big advantage when using quality defensive ammunition. It’s highly unlikely it’ll ever be all that handy.
The DA/SA Life
Things in the gun industry are cyclical, but I don’t have much hope it’ll make a comeback anytime soon. A man can hope, but it seems like the Nocturne series is our best bet in the modern era. I do think DA/SA has some advantages, but they certainly aren’t universal. Still, it’s nice to have options.
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