Single/Double Action Pistols (Beretta) Vs. Single & Double Action (S&W), Which is Better?

I read the post about single action vs. double action pistols. But I was wondering about the single/double action pistols.


I was thinking about investing in a "Beretta Cheetah 85 J85F212M, 380 ACP, 13 Round".





Are the combination action pistols better than the single or double action pistols buy themselves?

Single/Double Action Pistols (Beretta) Vs. Single %26amp; Double Action (S%26amp;W), Which is Better?
This is pretty much a question of personal preferance. The conventional double action auto pistol with the hammer at rest, will first move the hammer all the way back. As the trigger is pulled and after it reaches its full lenght of travel, will release the hammer to fire the pistol. As the slide moves reward after the pistol fires to eject the spent case and load a new round will also move the hammerall the way back and leave it ******. This means that for the next shot there will be a lot of take up on the trigger before it engages the sear in order to release the hammer to fire the pistol. The bottom line here is that the trigger pull is very different between the first shot and all following shots. It can be mastered, but does requrie quite a bit of work.





The DOA or Double Action Only pistol will not cock the hammer after each shot and therfore the trigger pull is the same for every shot. But the typical DOA pistol will have a long and heavy trigger. On a defensive pistol, espically for a novice shooter this is not necessarly a bad thing as it is a deterent to accidental discharges.





Striker fired pistols such as the Glock and the Springfield XP, have a consistant trigger shot to shot that are usually shorter and lighter than a DOA pistol. I believe that these are a better choice for the person who is somewhat more dedicated to training. Most folks can shoot this type of pistol better without the long and heavy trigger pull.





Single action autos normally have light and short trigger pulls. They are the easiest for most people to shoot well, but under the stress of an armed confrontation this type of pistol is proably the one with the most possibility for an accidental discharge. While I personally favor this type of action, I shoot thousands of round in practice and compitition every year that most people don't do. I think the single action auto should only be chosen as a defensive pistol by those who are committed to take the time and expense of becoming intamitaly familar with them. If you cannot commit to that, I'd stick with a striker fired pistol.





(The darn spellchecker doesn't seem to work with lenghty answers so please excuse my spelling!)





Good luck.
Reply:Becoming efficient with a Single/Double action pistol takes a bit of mastery. Mainly because the first shot is usually around 12lbs and the shots after that are around 3-5 (all depends on which pistol.)





It's also a personal preference. I personally have taken a liking to Double Action Only(DAO)





The benefit to a DAO is the consistent trigger pull.





You should probably go to a range and rent a few guns...





Glocks are the best of both worlds.
Reply:This debate has been going on forever and is not likely to be settled anything soon. Proponents of the single-action on the first shot claim it is far and away more accuratel. Proponents of the double-action (n double-action first shot only then single-action) claim that first shot may save your life. Truth is somewhere in between. I like both but for a service weapon I prefer the Glock safe action (a type of double-action only) or the double-action like the Beretta 80s series (the .380 acp 13 rounders like the 84 with the double stack magazine, the 85 with the single stack magazine, or the 86 with the single stack magazine and the tip-up barrel). I actually own the 84 Beretta with the double action first shot and double stack, 13 round magazines. (I think the one you are describing, the Cheetah 85, is actually a single stack 9 round magazine with ten total shots with one in the chamber).





Good luck.





H
Reply:better is the person holding it if your hand is accurate with your eyesight''