Good DAO Options in 2023?

[CraigS]

Way back when we started shooting and had pretty much settled on Beretta 92s the DA shot was difficult. Then I watched the Langdon series posted above. Then I went to the range and forced myself to shoot 2 boxes of ammo all in DA. That made a tremendous difference. In the last 5-6 years Langdon has really gotten to be the leader in B92s and having hammer springs available in ranges from 10# to 16# plus his TJIBs, the DA shot is almost nothing to worry about. Our idpa 92s w/10 or 11# springs and NP3 TJIBs all have 5# or less DA pulls. And they are super smooth. A 13# spring in our defense guns gets the DA weight up to 5.5# but still super smooth. I just shot a match last Saturday and the 3rd or 4th stage had first shot a 6 inch steel at about 12yds. I had to concentrate to make that hit. But afterwards I realized that for the other 5 stages, I didn't even think about the DA first shot.

[MistWolf]

Kahr is a striker

Although very smooth and similar to TDA only

Strikers can be DAO, DA/SA, SAO or partially cocked, just like hammer fired.

[Tuefelhunden]

As a mostly DA/SA user (HK's in my case presently) I recognize longer distance shots with accuracy in DA can be intimidating and are more difficult. However, I subscribe to the practice of DA for closer in quick shots from draw and thumbing back the hammer for longer first shots in SA if time allows just like a revolver. I think this can equally apply to both competition and defensive situations. How much time do you have and the distance of the shot being the deciding factors. It's more complicated than a good striker for sure but not that hard with repetition and practice to be proficient. As for decocking repetition/safety, I always found Berretta and then Sig P-series to be the most intuitive.

Kahr is about the perfect DAO pocket sized pistol but I've always struggled with the magazine release being too easy to accidentally release both in hand and in pocket so I continue to wait for unobtanium.

[That Guy]

I subscribe to the practice of DA for closer in quick shots from draw and thumbing back the hammer for longer first shots in SA if time allows just like a revolver.

Have you tried this out on the range? I recall one Drill of the Week we had on this forum where you had a target at 50 yards. You started from the shooting position of your choice with your pistol already in your hand, and had 3 seconds to shoot the target. Single round per repetition with multiple reps, if I recall correctly. I made a complete mess out of the exercise when trying to thumb cock the hammer, whereas when I just shot double action I had fairly good results for me (something like half in the -0, with the rest being -1 hits on an IDPA target). Since then I have had the opportunity to shoot at a half size steel target from extended ranges several times, and while the double action press is a bit slower than a single action press, it's no trouble at all at least up to the 50 meter line. (Past 50 meters my hit ratio on that target drops way down really fast, regardless of which trigger press I use. I've told myself it's probably just because I can't see the sights clearly and not because I suck at shooting pistols or anything like that. ) These experiences have taught me that in most circumstances at least I am probably better off just pressing through the DA trigger pull, rather than trying to do something I don't normally practice.

Granted, I'm working with a nice Beretta trigger and not a H&K one.

[frozentundra]

I really, really like the triggers on the double action SCCY pistols. I keep trying to screw up the courage to buy one, but so far I've always come to my senses in time.

I wish HK would buy the SCCY patents. I'd happily pay $700 dollars for one that was reliable, durable, and had a decent optic mount.

YouTube gun influencers can take their "good triggers" and go sit on them.

[Chuck Whitlock]

IIRC, Claude Werner has had favorable experiences with SCCY pistols.

[TicTacticalTimmy]

SCCY recently updated their guns with metal triggers, G43 sight dovetails, and no finger grooves. I would really like to try one out. I wish they would come out with a larger pistol, their guns seem to me to be too big for pocket carry and unnecessarily small/light for AIWB.

[medmo]

Just my 2 penny’s worth. The challenges of “two different trigger pulls” and the “transition” is blown way out of proportion. Look, if I can shoot the TDA system pretty well then pretty much anyone can. You pull the trigger straight to the year as you clean up your sight picture. The first pull is going to be longer than the rest. I just ran out and banged a few rounds through my PX4CC. Six rounds, 40 yards, three two round stings, 1st DA and 2nd SA. The next is a B8, all 10 rounds shot DA. Shoot, decock, repeat. 94, not bad considering shot cold and I ran through it quickly. Also, the “decock” problem. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around that one. Ever hear someone say that the safety on a 1911 is a problem because someone might forget to throw it back on? If someone did forget to decock, they would be in the same situation as a lot of folks who carry SFA pistols that have a decent trigger. I’m sure the undecocked decocker would be noticed when reholstering with the hammer thumbed.

[L-2]

I quickly scanned through the responses and didn't see "GLOCK" mentioned.
I think many folks might think of double-action-only, aka DAO as only having a hammer-fired semiauto.
I realize the Glock doesn't have a hammer system but it does have the option of its NY1 and NY2 springs which will provide a "DAO-like" trigger feel:
https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/SP07412
https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/SP07405
https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/47337
https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/39651
https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/39324

Instead, Glock also has "plus" aka "+" connectors which will give a heavier trigger pull, but without a "DAO" feeling reset.

No responses needed. I just wanted to point something out which nobody else seems to have mentioned yet.

(Of course, there are also revolvers which can be used in a double-action mode, but may not have the same semiauto calibers, but there are some with semi-calibers, and won't be mag-fed.)

[medmo]

Way back when we started shooting and had pretty much settled on Beretta 92s the DA shot was difficult. Then I watched the Langdon series posted above. Then I went to the range and forced myself to shoot 2 boxes of ammo all in DA. That made a tremendous difference. In the last 5-6 years Langdon has really gotten to be the leader in B92s and having hammer springs available in ranges from 10# to 16# plus his TJIBs, the DA shot is almost nothing to worry about. Our idpa 92s w/10 or 11# springs and NP3 TJIBs all have 5# or less DA pulls. And they are super smooth. A 13# spring in our defense guns gets the DA weight up to 5.5# but still super smooth. I just shot a match last Saturday and the 3rd or 4th stage had first shot a 6 inch steel at about 12yds. I had to concentrate to make that hit. But afterwards I realized that for the other 5 stages, I didn't even think about the DA first shot.

Hitting the nail on the head. If someone wants to shoot a TDA pistol, or any other action pistol, proficiently they can't rely on luck. They will have to put a little work into it. I usually start with a few strings one shot DA, then a few 2 strings DA and SA for warm up. LTT works some serious voodoo magic for Beretta pistols. Ernest recommends not going below 12# hammer springs for the 92 platform carry guns due to gunk build up in the firing pin channel.