Advanced DA/SA Technique for striker-fired shooters

[Mike C]

I am hoping this thread will help me and other shooters who have more experience with striker-fired guns get the most out of their DA/SA guns.

Here's my story: I'm hoping for advice and links to resources about learning to shoot a double-action gun (e.g. CZ) at the highest level. Because the Sig p320 can fire if dropped, I have recently switched to a CZ Shadow 2 for USPSA competition, and have only a month to learn how to shoot this gun before I go up against other M class shooters at Production Nationals.

One good article to start this off with is Ernest Langdon's Fear Not the Double-Action Shot.

I'm no Langdon or GJM, nor an M class shooter so take this for what it's worth. I am a LEM/Striker guy and have been working hard with a VP9 for almost a year now straight, (on and off before) but having recently been playing with the PX4 compact every day for the last few weeks the biggest and most helpful info I found was in Langdon's video. I believe it is the one you posted. Once you start the process of pulling the trigger don't stop. It pays to be aggressive with the trigger on the first shot working a press out or micro press as GJM said. Side note, I love this about the LEM and TDA guns. Once I stopped treating TDA/LEM guns like a two stage trigger my accuracy at speed improved across everything I shoot. The most baffling part is I now seem to be more accurate on the first shot with a DA pull than anything else. I am at the point now where I want to hate DA/SA and just stick with what I have been using but damn they are fun to shoot, you really get the best of both worlds. Good luck prepping for nationals, I wish you the best and I hope you kick some ass.

[Clusterfrack]

And finally, when it comes to the Nationals I will give you two main thoughts.

One, Be Brutally Accurate!
Two, Don't Shoot Scared!

Excellent advice! This reminds me of a conversation I had with Gabe a while back after a rifle match:

Clusterfrack:
I and my partner took 3rd at the USMC Scout Sniper Challenge... I was one of only two this year to clean the know your limits stage, and was the only one last year. This requires shooting really well and also not being a pussy :-)

Mr_White:
Shooting well = powerful. Not being a pussy = powerful. Shooting well and not being a pussy = shooting without doubt, and usually a dominating performance.

[GJM]

While we use words like DA/SA, LEM, 1911 and striker to describe platforms and their trigger pulls, in my mind, I just think of them as short, medium and long in travel, and light, medium and heavy in weight. So I vary how long and how hard I press, but otherwise I run them all the same.

[Mike C]

While we use words like DA/SA, LEM, 1911 and striker to describe platforms and their trigger pulls, in my mind, I just think of them as short, medium and long in travel, and light, medium and heavy in weight. So I vary how long and how hard I press, but otherwise I run them all the same.

Man that is spot on. It's a pity it took me so long to understand this.

[Clusterfrack]

Dryfiring now, second session of the day. Feeling much better already. Thanks for all the help dudes. I hope more good advice keeps rolling in.

[ranger]

Good luck at the match!

[Bummy425]

Not to freak you out, but keep an eye on your hammer. Friend just got a shadow 2 and the hammer cracked in first 400 rounds. He is still using it cracked, that was a couple of weeks ago that happened. Take a spare gun or hammer!

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[YVK]

I try to keep pushing my gat at a target when I break the DA shot, especially when shooting a small target. It is almost like a sensation of hyperextending myself forward, even though I don't generally shoot with hyperextended elbows. This is something that I developed myself empirically after being frustrated with shooting 2 inch dots at speed out of holster. This actually goes back to my LEM times but I just re-confirmed it with my DA guns too. I feel that it helps to keep staying on the target while that longish break happens. The way I think of this is that in order to see my sight lift off the target I need to be sure that that sight is still on the target before it starts to lift. Since it is easier to displace it off the target during the DA shot, I need some extra effort to keep holding that sight pic after I acquired it. Actively pushing it forward helps me to stay on the target a ton, as long as I don't forget about it. Don't know if this makes sense or if it is helpful to others.

This being a Utah location match, I will be very surprised if there is not a one-handed standards stage. Just a reminder to hit that DA with WHO/SHO.

See you at the match!

[spinmove_]

Honestly, just press the trigger to the rear without disturbing the sights regardless of what state it's in. Dry firing both helps a lot. Controlled pairs in live fire help with the transition if you happen to have an issue with it.


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[Clobbersaurus]

GJM covered most everything but I will add a few things about dry practice that helped me (Take this for what it is worth, I'm only a B trying hard to make A);

Use tight par times on small targets from the draw to really refine your DA trigger press at speed. You need to be ruthless in your self assessment and shot calling when doing this, and be very focused on ensuring you are not allowing yourself to mash the trigger and disturb the sights just to make your par time. You need to gradually work to push that par time lower, but to start out you may need to be much more generous than you normally would.

Don't fall into the trap of only working the DA trigger during dry fire. DA press the first shot only, don't allow it to fully reset, then work the dead trigger as you would in SA. This is harder to do than you might think. Don't endulge the urge to do it, or you will find that you will slap the crap out if the trigger unnecessarily in live fire. You have a great SA trigger now, use it to your full advantage.

Edit: When working movement with multiple targets and/or reloads you will obviously have to come off the trigger, allowing it to reset. That is ok, just DA press the first shot and SA press the rest of your targets from that position.

That's about all I have to add. I think you will find DA/SA guns very rewarding to shoot once you begin to master them.