Hunting shots, single or double action?

[WARPhEAGLE]

I bought my first deer caliber pistol this past summer, and  plan to hunt with it this coming season. (SRH .44mag). One thing that bothers me, is that wheather I shoot it single or double action, I notice the "click" as the gun cocks that seems to me might send a deer scampering. (I anticipate using it mostly is thick areas, taking bow-range shots). How do you guys with DA revolvers shoot? Just curious. TIA.

[MS Hitman]

Depends on how well you can shoot your revolver double action.  If you can't hit with it (and some folks can't), then you are worse off than you would be by easing the hammer back.  I hunt a great deal with single action revolvers and have found the noise alerted the deer on a couple of occassions, but not so that I wasn't hauling the meat out shortly thereafter.

[Varmint Hunter]

I've shot many whitetails with either a S&W 29 or a RH in 44mag. I have always cocked the hammer back as you would when shooting a single action revolver.
Only once, when the deer was practically in my lap, did the click of setting the hammer spook the game away. At hangun distance they are very tuned into your scent and that is what usually has them on high alert. Many hunters uunderestimate the importance of being scent free during close encounters. IMO
VH

[Ka6otm]

Hey guys,

Do what the cops have done for years when cocking a double action and they didn't want the bad guys to hear it.

Pull the hammer back about 1/4" and while continuing to cock the gun slowly, pull the trigger all the way back to where it stops.

Slowly release the trigger while still holding the hammer with your thumb.  When the trigger is completely released, take your thumb off the hammer.

It doesn't make a sound.

Ka6otm

[Varmint Hunter]

In the academy you were prohibited from cocking the hammer. All "combat" firing was done double action. Hammers were completely ignored on revolvers.
Pulling the trigger all the way back without the intention of firing sure doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
VH[/b]

[Tom W.]

:eek: Ka6otm, you are advocating a VERY BAD IDEA.Should your thumb slip while doing this, someone may be dragging YOU out of the woods. Most hunting is done in cold weather, and it doesn't take a very long time to lose some control of your hands if they have been exposed for any length of time. :shock: The situation compounds itself the longer you stay on the stand. I don't believe anyone needs to kill a deer so badly as to put themselves and others at risk of getting killed or maimed.

[Zeus]

Even cocking the gun as described, it will still make noise.  As far as I know, there really isn't a way to do it without it making some noise.  The small clicks that you are talking about will usually not make a difference.  They may hear it but usually, they don't just automatically take off running.  GS

[globemountain]

I hunt with Redhawks and Super Redhawks.  One thing I do when I'm cocking the gun to fire single action is to put my other hand on the cylinder to sort of muffle the click of cocking.  I worried about that clicking sound when I first started hunting with a revolver so one day I did a test...
I was hunting with my 45 Colt RH and had a spike buck coming toward me.  I chose not to take this animal but wanted to see how much I could get away with cocking the gun.  I carefully cocked it several times, once with the buck directly under my tree stand, and he never ran off.  I guess the key is you have to practice with your gun unloaded and learn the quietest way to cock it.  Also you have to approach cocking your gun in much the same way a bowhunter draws his bow....

My 2 cents..............

[Mikey]

Fellas:  I don't think it is the hammer/sear that 'clicks' when you bring the hammer to full cock, I think it is the cylinder lock that seats, and clicks, when the cylinder is fully indexed.  I've tried a number of different ways to cock the hammer back on my revolvers without making any noise but it seems that no matter how I work the hammer or trigger, what makes it 'click' is the cylinder lock - or whatever ya'll call that little gizzy at the bottom of the cylinder well that locks the cylinder into position for firing.  

I think the only way you can get away from that noise without spooking your intended game is to learn to shoot accurately using double action only.  That way, the 'click' you hear is drowned out by the muzzle blast and your intended target doesn't hear that part of the action working.  But, as some of the other fellas said, that noise is minimal and does not often alert the animal to your presence.  Something like a shotgun shell being chambered sure does, but not so much the click of a double/single action revolver.  Hope this helps.  Mikey.