When hunting with a revolver do you cock the hammer back and shoot or do you just pull the trigger and shoot double action for the first shot at a standing animal?
I know a guy that is a very good champ at target shooting and won lots of championships and i asked him about this one day and he claimed that slowly squezzing the trigger while concentrateing on the sights/target was allways more accurate for him?What are your thoughts?I like to cock the hammer back and take that one clean shot with easy crisp trigger pull and have never had any trouble shooting eitherway,just prefer the single action style .....and allways thought of double action shooting as a close range /really in a hurry style/ of throwing as much lead at one time & as fast as possible,kinda like the saying..when theres lead in the air theres hope?I never really thought of it as precision shooting?Does it really matter if you have the time to concentrate and not rush the shot,say like on a feeding deer or Boar at say 35 yards or say 75 yards?What is your style?
Also does it matter if your useing a scope?I have never shot anything except iron sights on revolvers....also iam talking shooting without a rest,you dont have allday to make the shot,your hunting and have the fairly quick chance at a trophy to shoot either style ,standing up shooting freehand out of a stand or on the ground still hunting.

Here is a pick of my new S&W32Long 1903 model built in 1915,isnt it a pretty clean condition unit to be so old?Small game /varmints/Targets are gonna hate it

Depends, I have shot game both single and double action as well as both styles of revolvers being scoped. Sometimes I am able to use a rest (preferred method) sometimes I have no time to find a rest and will either pass on the shot if I know I can't make it or do it offhand.

The key is to get out and practice enough to know your abilities and improve on them.

Beautiful revolver!

Back to your point, IMO a hunter owes a duty to himself and the game to try for his best shot and a clean kill, which equals a reasonably slowly pulled single action shot IMO.

In my opinion, being able to cock the hammer to single action has a good reason. First shot accuracy! Also second and third shot accuracy. I shot at a buck a few years ago through a small hole in brush at about 55 yd,s. He bolted and never got 25 yd,s before I put another shot in him, SINGLE action from my SRH. I was ready to shoot sooner but needed time to pull a lead. No need though, the first shot took out his heart.
We practice a lot but to shoot double action takes 10X more practice. Then you would want a lighter mainspring, trigger spring and a lot of custom polishing inside to make it smooth and easy. Then you want the hammer to stop at full cock so the shot can be finished close to a single action feel.
I have never seen the need for double action but then I never had a bear breathing in my face.
When a deer is getting close to a shooting position, I slowly cock the hammer so it doesn't hear the noise. I am ready before the chance to shoot comes up. At that point I don't want to wait for the hammer to slowly come back while fighting a steady sight picture. Deer don't seem to like to wait around while I target or stunt shoot. It is gun season and they are not feeding at 10 yd's like they do in archery season. We are average hunters, not demonstration shooters, I hunt to kill!
If double action was so easy, why are there no double action shotguns or rifles?
It is on revolvers IN CASE IT IS NEEDED for protection. As long as the hammer will cock single action, I will forever hunt that way.
Sure, I can hit good double action at close range however my question will always be WHY?

I carefully tuned my old M28.It has a clean 2.5 lb single action pull and a very smooth 9 lb double. I always use single.BTW you can hold and carry your revolver cocked safely - Hold it in your left hand with fingers around the trigger guard and left thumb under the hammer.
If you are hunting with gloves make sure you practice with gloves as they might effect grip and POI.

Cool .32!

Virtually all of my hunting revolvers are DAs, and I never shoot them DA, and would only in a pinch. Especially with the first shot, I will shoot it SA.......

I too would shooting the first shot single action on a deer or hog that is standing. Most of my hunting with a revolver is after hogs and the situation is almost always chaotic, with follow up shots the norm and often mutiple targets, I think such shooting is easier to do double action. I am confident in making good hits at moving targets at close range, under 20 yds, with my revolver and the loads I use.

That said, I know what your friend is talking about and I know of some excellant shooters who almost always shoot double action.

Whitworth wrote:

quote:

Virtually all of my hunting revolvers are DAs, and I never shoot them DA, and would only in a pinch. Especially with the first shot, I will shoot it SA.......

Ditto for me. In plinking, etc., I do shoot some DA, but in hunting, that first shot is always going to be SA unless some giant grizzly is trying to eat me, and that's a little unlikely considering that I live in south central Texas.

MS, no difference but it is a close range deal.
Last year (2007) I shot one running buck at 55 yd's with my 45-70 BFR, A button buck walking at 50 yd's with my .475 and a standing doe at 76 yd's with my Vaquero. This year I shot one walking at 40 yd's, Another that stopped for a second at 35 yd's and the last at 45 yd's.
Counting archery, Bioman, Marko and I killed 10 deer with 10 shots.
I did not have a shot that I would trust to double action. If I had one standing at 10 yd's and didn't move, yes I could kill it double action but my question is still WHY when I can cock the hammer? Sure, a pig running around like crazy might be different but the first shot I make would still be single action so that I would not need more shots unless it was to save my leg or a dog or if I bumbled into a fight with dogs. But then you have to pick a shot very carefully to keep from hitting a dog---no thanks! Still time to cock the gun unless it charges.
I don't quick draw and shoot from the hip on deer either.
Years ago I shot several running rabbits with a cap and ball revolver, funny I seen no use for double action as fast as I had to cock the hammer, swing and shoot.
When I think of a 9 pound double action trigger pull when I have 1-1/2# single action, I have no doubts what I will use.
Every post I read complains about bad trigger pulls on Rugers, mushy, creepy and guys hate them! Everyone hates the RH trigger and gets them fixed. Everyone tunes a rifle for a clean, crisp pull but then they think nothing of a 9# revolver trigger, double action.
No, I will cock the hammer when hunting. I am not Jerry or Bob!
The average hunter will miss or cripple an animal fooling with double action.

Well, you know your limitations and I'd not ask you to exceed them. I've shot too many double action for it to be a fluke or a stunt, so we'll just have to respect each other's opinions on this one.

MS, I consider you better then the average hunter and there are some others here too. My comments are not for those that can do it. I am just not going to encourage anyone to try it unless they have a lot of practice and gain confidence enough to be sure.
I SURE don't have enough practice that way.
On top of that, I have to guard my lead supply which means less shooting. I found out last week that the scrap yard will not sell anything to the public anymore. I am afraid of the day I have to buy lead full price.
Marko, do you hear that? We might be in dire straits. We REALLY need a boolit trap! Or a lead magnet!

i always cock the hammer first while hunting one of my DA's

oh yeah nice 32

I always cock the hammer while hunting with one of my DA's. I like the light trigger pull.

It's all about practice anyhow.......we've chosen a more difficult path with handguns, so we need to practice that much more.

Whatta mean practice??????

Point tahget pool trigga!

Hol da gun sideways, scare da deer!

quote:

Originally posted by MS Hitman:
Depends, I have shot game both single and double action as well as both styles of revolvers being scoped. Sometimes I am able to use a rest (preferred method) sometimes I have no time to find a rest and will either pass on the shot if I know I can't make it or do it offhand.

The key is to get out and practice enough to know your abilities and improve on them.

Beautiful revolver!

Precisely.....

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
It's all about practice anyhow.......we've chosen a more difficult path with handguns, so we need to practice that much more.

Exactly.... I have a snubbie that's double action only and with practice one can learn to hit rather well that way

Would that be your deer revolver?

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
Would that be your deer revolver?

Maybe.. Maybe not... If it is suitable for self protection against dangerous 2 legged preditore then it should take a Deer.

Although I do have a few other DA revolvers as well, here's a few













And a view of the massive Rehawk compaired to the S&W both in 44 Mag

That top photo features three deer revolvers.......

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
That top photo features three deer revolvers.......

Oh Heavens, did I REALLY see factory loads in that picture? What a let down!

JWP475 Nice collection
I allways cock the Hammer back and shoot single action,i like the lighter trigger pull for sure,i can shoot either way and allways practice a few rounds double action,but wondered what the majority of you hunters prefered...also do you load all 6 rounds in a 6 shooter or do you still do it the old safer way of the hammer down on a empty chamber?I usually keep the hammer on a empty chamber unless i know or pretty sure iam fixing to do some shooting on a varmint/stand hunting or biggame animal/finishing shot,stand hunting,but just to carry 99% of the time..i only load 5...This is why...I use to shoot archery with a friend that was trout fishing with 2 of his friends way out in the mountains/boon docks/ about a good hour from the nearest paved road,he was getting in the truck on the passenger side and his 357 magnum he had on his hip holster went off and the bullet went all the way down his leg and out his upper ankle!
He got to save his leg but it was pretty much useless and he swore to me he had no idea how it happened...but it did,he had a round under the hammer...He almost bleed to death before they could get him to the hospital but he made it and lived thru it all,but his leg was a mess and the wound was horrible looking....I always remember him saying he had a live round under that hammer & it was a revolver...

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk1:

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
That top photo features three deer revolvers.......

Yup, that was the whole idea......

I always cock the hammer on my single actions.They seem to work better that way!!!

Does he remember hitting the hammer of the revolver with something? If the revolver had been cocked by brushing clothes or a branch against it and fired then an empty chamber under the hammer is useless because the cylinder had rotated. You are far better off with a well fitted holster and safety strap over the hammer to prevent unintentional cocking. Personally, I don't leave any empty chambers in the cylinder.

That is not possible with a Ruger. BFR or S&W. These are safe fully loaded. The trigger MUST be back for that to happen. With a Colt SA or a Colt clone you never put a round under the hammer.
Only the old Rugers are bad with six shots.
You never said what kind of gun was used.

If you take a Ruger or BFR and pull the hammer almost all the way back until the cylinder rotates but the hammer is not cocked and goes forward, it will NOT fire unless the trigger is back too.

And if you put pixie dust on ships they will fly.

They make of revolver was not identified in the above post. I still say a well fitted holster and safety strap is about the best protection for carrying a handgun.

It was a early Tarus.70s-80s-era..

quote:

And if you put pixie dust on ships they will fly.

Try it, it is not possible. As long as the trigger is not held back there is no way the hammer can hit the firing pin.
My guns reach full cock at the same time the cylinders lock up so I have to just release the sears and let the triggers go before I let the hammers drop. The transfer bar is all the way down when the hammer hits the frames.
The S&W also has a trigger activated transfer bar.
You have to pull the triggers to make the guns shoot, there is no other way.

I'm not familiar enough with the older Tarus revolvers to know whether or not they had the transfer bar mechanism or not. It the revolver discharged, something sure had to ignite the primer.

Yea,I figured he hit something on the door of the truck jumpimg up into it as he was on the door side,he said he was in shock and we tried to figure what happened,he just said that gun wasnt safe fully loaded and he really didnt know how it went off,his leg was a wreck.Poor guy wasnt but about 23 years old,but at lest they didnt have to aputate it..It could have been a Llamma commachee?I know it was one or the other cheaper type clones,but i think he said Tarus,it was around 1983 so it was a while back& i never saw it,just relateing what he told me..
My brother in law is a s&w fan from way back and he told me he actually took a board and hammer and tried to make his go off with just a primed case and it never would/banging on the hammer down on the primed case,he claimed the smith & wessons were fine to keep fully loaded,Iam with you guys,i like a strap across my hammer to help keep that baby held down,i have lost enough stuff out Hikeing but never my revolver
I use a Bianchi leather shoulder holster as much or more than a hip holster...