Guns: The Double Action Trigger

I have to admit, for the longest time, I was leery of the double action trigger (or "DA trigger" for short). DA triggers are mostly found these days on revolvers, as most of the world has adopted single action or pseudo single action triggers in their handguns. It wasn't until I realized that my ideal pocket carry gun was a DA-only revolver that I dedicated myself to trying to learn how to shoot the DA trigger properly.

In truth, trigger control is fairly consistent across all trigger types. Align the sights, and press back on the trigger far enough for the hammer to fall, all while trying not to move any of the other fingers in your hand except the trigger finger. Simple, right? But the first time I took out my S&W 642, I had trouble nailing an 8" wide target at 10 yards. Something was decidedly different here than with a standard single action trigger.

That something is movement. While most single action triggers "break" after reaching a certain pressure, there is no such defining point in the DA pull. I don't believe the weight of the trigger pull has anything to do with it - a 12 lb single action trigger would still be easier to learn than a DA trigger, simply because there's less movement involved. The "dime trick," putting a dime across the top of the barrel of the gun and dry-firing without the dime falling off, is a good exercise. Even better is simply dry-firing at a stationary target and seeing how much the front sight moves during the pull.

I don't agree with those who instruct people to "stage" the trigger of a DA gun (that is, pull on the trigger slowly and stop midway, holding it there until you press harder for the final release). First of all, a good DA trigger shouldn't really "stage" at all - an ideal DA would be buttery smooth and free of any hitches when depressing and releasing the trigger. Second, staging is much slower than learning how to shoot properly, and in a defense situation, you'll want to shoot as quickly and accurately as possible.