Author Topic: Fear Not the Double Action Shot  (Read 19760 times)

Offline DeftSpecter

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 6
Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« on: April 17, 2016, 08:54:56 AM »
Ernest Langdon helps shooters develop their double action trigger skills.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsoX26OhDCY Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZplH6zreQI Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nod5qLlSGUM Part 3


« Last Edit: April 17, 2016, 08:56:41 AM by DeftSpecter »

Offline Tom Moeller

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 1
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2016, 08:07:49 AM »
Thank you for posting.  I love my DA first shot but the transition has been slow in smoothing out.  These vids will help get my mind right.

Offline frgood

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 429
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2016, 09:08:20 AM »
Excellent Series. He answered a question that I have been asking since first running my CZ 85 two years ago. I always thought about beginning the trigger press while bring the sights on target. Mr. Langdon confirms my question and with solid logic and a path for training.

Offline J Mercurio

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 64
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2018, 10:45:03 PM »
I would say one mistake many shooters make when firing a double action shot is they try and pull the trigger to slow and deliberate. They are better off pulling the trigger straight through at the same speed.  Get a good sight picture, grip the gun firm and pull through, don't forget to follow through.

Offline Rodolfo Fierro

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 640
    • TRAIN 2 SHOOT
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2018, 11:11:20 AM »
I would say one mistake many shooters make when firing a double action shot is they try and pull the trigger to slow and deliberate. They are better off pulling the trigger straight through at the same speed.  Get a good sight picture, grip the gun firm and pull through, don't forget to follow through.
I disagree, Pause when the sights move off target, reacquire the target and continue with the trigger squeeze.
(I have taught over two thousand students to shoot.)

Offline frgood

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 429
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2018, 04:17:17 PM »
I was assuming J Mercurio was referring to those shooter that have a too slow trigger press. If the press is taking three seconds, the sight is guaranteed to drift. In USPSA competition, when one calls their shots and the sight drifted, I've been told that their press was not straight back nor smooth.
Can I assume your advice/training program is for precision shooting?

Offline Smac

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 24
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2018, 05:26:41 AM »
After watching the first video you can tell the trigger on his Berretta has seen some serious trigger work.

Offline Rodolfo Fierro

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 640
    • TRAIN 2 SHOOT
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2018, 05:53:40 AM »
I was assuming J Mercurio was referring to those shooter that have a too slow trigger press. If the press is taking three seconds, the sight is guaranteed to drift. In USPSA competition, when one calls their shots and the sight drifted, I've been told that their press was not straight back nor smooth.
Can I assume your advice/training program is for precision shooting?
FRGOOD, yes, I am talking about learning double or single action trigger pull. 
Competitors in shooting sports are way beyond just learning to press the trigger.  My advice is to get the hits on the target.

Offline frgood

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 429
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2018, 12:51:14 PM »
Thanks Rodolfo for the clarification.

I just wanted to clarify for the newbie passerby's. As A beginner, I read a lot of posts and have difficulty determining if the advice is for me or another situation. As a result, I make a lot of mistakes as I learn to trust the ability to discern information.

Much appreciated.

Offline alimasag2418

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2018, 11:46:28 PM »
Train DA shooting with a revolver. Pulling the hammer back is a no-no. 7-8 lbs. or more trigger weight is a great practice. Watch the front sight when the hammer fall. You'll eventually learn to keep the gun trained at the target without sight movement. Save some money by dry firing with snap caps. Good exercise for muscle training too.

Offline J Mercurio

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 64
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2019, 10:23:08 PM »
Rodolfo Fierro ,, If you teach students to pause when the sights drift, you're going to introduce anticipation because they're going to rush the trigger pull when the sights are perfect which we all know is not necessary.  Realistically, sights don't drift that much to make a difference unless you're shooting small targets at long distances.   I would recommend a new shooter shooting a dbl action pistol to first learn to pull the trigger without disturbing the sights.  Snap caps or dummy rounds are a great aid.  Once they accomplish this, the next step is to discover how pulling the trigger affects accuracy.  In my experience, pulling the trigger through smooth and uninterrupted is the best recipe for success.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2019, 10:35:22 PM by J Mercurio »

Offline Rodolfo Fierro

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 640
    • TRAIN 2 SHOOT
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2019, 07:04:06 AM »
Train DA shooting with a revolver. Pulling the hammer back is a no-no. 7-8 lbs. or more trigger weight is a great practice. Watch the front sight when the hammer fall. You'll eventually learn to keep the gun trained at the target without sight movement. Save some money by dry firing with snap caps. Good exercise for muscle training too.
I think it will clarify my method if I describe it better.  I taught everything that Alimasag2418 mentioned with a double action gun with a laser.  When the laser starts to move away from the bulls eye, pause and get back on target.  There is no need to rush, just resume trigger squeeze.  After only a little practice the trigger stroke starts to smooth out.  The number one objective is to keep the gun pointed at the bulls eye, not how smooth you can pull the trigger.  That is the result of learning to pull the trigger without disturbing the sight picture.  The laser is great for showing you how much the gun is moving, before and after the hammer falls.

Offline J Mercurio

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 64
Re: Fear Not the Double Action Shot
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2019, 06:52:37 PM »
From an article on Brian Zins... The keystone to Brian Zins’ ultimate mastery of this fundamental is he starts pulling his trigger before he has a perfect sight picture. Yes, he actually starts shooting before he’s on target, knowing that by the time the gun goes bang, he’ll be dead on. 

If your shooting slow fire, you need to realize the gun will never stop moving..however, you can control the movement and squeeze through the arc of movement..