By Jeremy S. (not ours):
I know, striker-fired is the future (like gender-less bathrooms and free college), and hammer-fired guns like my personal favorite, the Beretta 92, are relics of an ancient past. It is just a matter of time until all of those antiquated guns with those pesky external hammers take their place alongside pagers and Palm Pilots in the dustbin of history, right? I sure hope not, let me explain why . . .
I fully recognize the benefits of the modern striker-fired pistol; namely, consistency of trigger pull and simplicity of operation. Additionally, this is in no way meant to try to persuade people not to use striker-fired pistols. This is simply my attempt to explain why I “cling bitterly” (where have I heard those words before?) to the more classic hammer-fired designs, and to make clear that there are practical reasons why I do so beyond my natural abhorrence for change.
First, I believe that DA/SA pistols with external hammers are inherently safer. I know that guns don’t shoot by themselves—if they did I would be under constant attack in my own house. But it’s impossible to deny that it’s more likely to unintentionally pull a five pound trigger than a 10-12 pound trigger. Though I majored in liberal arts, I’m sure there is some law of science governing that principle.
As all of the “operators” are currently shouting at the screen, “My trigger finger is my safety!” True, if you don’t put your finger on the trigger, it can’t fire. In a perfect world that’s very easy. But, as the recent case with the NYPD cop who inadvertently shot a man in a darkened hallway attests, mistakes can happen in the real world; even for those who have professional training.
Second, re-holstering is a much safer affair for DA/SA pistols with external hammers. In addition to the heavier trigger pull of a de-cocked pistol decreasing the likelihood of mistakenly snagging the trigger during insertion in the holster, the ability to place your thumb on the hammer provides a second line of defense against unintentionally perforating your lower extremities.
For those who appendix carry that’s especially significant considering the extremities in question are of great importance to most men; not to mention the proximity to the femoral artery, too. If you don’t believe me, just go to your Google machine and search for Larry Vickers’ ban on appendix carry in his classes. In his comments on the matter, the highly respected firearms guru specifically referenced the safety issues endemic to appendix carry when you “add in a pistol like a Glock or an M&P.” Hmmm. What do those pistols have in common?
Lastly, there’s just something about shooting a hammer-fired pistol that feels right. I think of it like driving a stick shift. Yes, an automatic is easier to learn, is more conducive to texting while driving (not that I have ever done or condone that), and saves you from those embarrassing stalls. But there is something missing; the relationship with the car is non-existent.
Or for the carnivores among us, compare it to the difference between a propane grill and the glorious aroma and flavor of charcoal. It requires a little more work, some extra time and practice, but the end result is gastronomical greatness. For me, mastering the DA pull of the Beretta 92 was much the same, it took a little bit of time but was certainly not an insurmountable obstacle and the end result was worth the struggle. Every shooter should be intimately familiar with his or her firearm so practice should not be shied away from in any case, no matter the firearm in question.
For all of the reasons, I’m a hammer kind of guy and the truth is, I’m in some great company. Think of all those who preferred the hammer; M.C., Thor, Jesus (a bit of a stretch, but he was a carpenter, right?). How can you go wrong with company like that? Though I admit there are some fantastic striker-fired pistols on the market that are accurate, reliable, and affordable, I hope that gun companies don’t stop developing new hammer-fired pistol technology. Unfortunately, the future doesn’t look great based on current market trends. Nevertheless, in my house it will always be hammer time.
A hammer simplifies dry firing practice (with or without snap caps).
Meh not all that much. Sure you can manipulate it without expecting the snap cap and its slightly easier to thumb a hammer back than half running the slide, but ultimately they are about the same. Just don’t run the slide the entire length as most all striker fired guns only require a slight backwards movement of the slide to set the striker.
You don’t have to break your grip with hammer fired pistols. I know it seems minor, but I end up dry-firing with a laser cartridge more with my P226 than my P320 for this reason.
So my pager AND 1911 are obsolete?
I prefer the safety of a higher degree of accuracy performance under stress that the striker trigger affords me.
Striker fired guns without safeties do require one to have consistent safety discipline, carry in a safe manner and not be a clumsy idiot.
While I agree and love my hammer fired CZs, the NYPD has 12 lb pound triggers in their Glocks, a shorter trigger travel sure, but the weight doesn’t seem to matter.
Yup. And the Asian-American officer whose ND killed a man was just cut loose with no jail time by an Asian-American judge. Coincidence I’m sure.
I think you could rewrite that as government police officer and government judge and your point would still hold.
Never attribute to racism that which is adequately explained by cronyism.
Well that is the worst of both worlds. You get none of the benefits of a hammer fired (being able to have a light single action or carrying cocked and locked with a safety if you have one) and you get no benefits of a striker fired (you have the DA trigger pull essentially every single time). NY isn’t exactly setting the bar for sensible policy and they never have been.
While pull “weight” gets all the love and attention, what really matters is the total amount of work needed to break a shot. Extremely simplified, weight times post-slack pull distance. A 2 pound trigger in a Glock would be very easy to inadvertently discharge. A trigger that retained a consistent two pound weight, while needing to be dragged from New York to LA before breaking, would be an honest to goodness pain to discharge, even intentionally.
Like most things cooked up by “administrators” in Bloombergistan, all that is accomplished by the silly Glock connector, is making a gun highly specialized for a fairly light trigger pull MUCH harder to fire accurately Intentionally, while doing virtually nothing to make it harder to fire UNintentionally.
To reduce likelihood of unintentional discharge, the operator needs to feel that he is pulling the trigger, before it breaks. DA revolvers, and DA semis, provide that feedback. On a single action guns, no matter how heavy the pull, the first hint you get that your finger is on the trigger and exerting critical force, is BANG! (Or perhaps Click! if you’re not shooting one of Gaston’s wonders… 🙂 )
Does anybody know if all police issued glocks have such a heavy trigger pull? I’ve contemplated buying one but a heavy pull like that would turn me off.
If you get a good deal do it, you can swap the trigger for a stock Glock or better pretty cheap
I support diversity. I have guns of all common action types, and I will protect their right to be different until the day I die. 🙂
Hopefully you support diversity in handgun calibers as well 😉
Sure, but if one of those guns is a striker fired gun, the day you die is likely to be the next day you try to holster it or breathe on it, because striker guns go off so easily. 😉
<ducks>
I don’t see them ever going away. They may be going out of fassion for the time being but they will never die out completely. If that were the case nobody would still be making SAA pistols.
I hate to get Freudian and all, but it seems a striker fired pistol seems to lack a certain part of the anatomy which makes them feminine.
I hate to get all botanist, but the female part of a flower is the pistil, so all pistils are feminine. And pistols are only one vowel away.
On that topic, I prefer round butts to square butts. On revolvers and women.
It’ll be hilarious if the leftists ever get their free college, then realize all their degrees are worthless. By all means, destroy higher education even more than you already have. (That is of course, ignoring the fact that’s it’s fiscally impossible anyways)
I agree, but can’t for the life of me figure out what relevance that has to the topic of hammers on pistols.
My bad, I missed that little bit in the first paragraph…
“That is of course, ignoring the fact that’s it’s fiscally impossible anyways”
Not completely true, you just have to pay everyone at those higher learning institutions next to nothing in order to bring down the costs.
You don’t think, that by doing that, we would effect the quality of said education?
More likely there would be “free universities” and then “private universities”, where the quality would be dramatically different, and the job market would behave accordingly. Kind of like the difference between a VA hospital and any other hospital, ever.
That is just rude. You should be able to swing it simply by following Dem rules, pay everybody the same, namely $15 per hour, the same as I am sure Hillary will insist on for herself and her cabinet, SCOTUS, Congress, etc. Think of the simple beauty of it! Tenured professors and janitors paid the same as the president!
The vast amount of corruption at Universities , even State Universities has reached the obscene. Its no wonder the power elite do not want government controlled higher education. At Kent State they pay the University President over 4 million a year not including perks. No one needs to make that kind of money period. At Akron University the President had a million dollars worth of renovations done to his paid for residence and he even had them pay for a rare ancient olive jar imported from Greece.
Courses have been extended sometimes by years just to squeeze out every penny possible from the hapless financially raped students.
Due to the obscene high cost of education many young people have not even bothered to even fathom ever attending higher education not wishing to incur life long debt, especially since the chance of even finding a job in the U.S. has become an obscene joke. Classes are taught not by trained, experienced professors but by graduate students which is often compared to the blind leading the blind or by computer without a human being in the room to answer any of the students questions.
European style Socialistic education all paid for would enable many more young people to get a higher education providing we cleaned up the vast corruption in our Universities that has led to substandard education.
Yesterday a study done said that most graduating High School students even lack the basic skills to attend a University. No wonder the rest of the civilized world with free education to all is passing us up in technology, science and medicine and those countries often are many time smaller and less rich than the U.S. is but they on the other hand do not spend 51 per cent of their tax dollars on endless wars of conquest, rape, and pillage. We have become the new 21st century Nazi’s who fight wars for the enrichment of the power elite and the impoverishment of the working class people.
Sure why not. Good entry too. I’ve had both in my 5 years of gun ownership. I don’t really have a preference-it just has to work.
In my house also.
Its the safety issue that cuts striker fired pistols out for me. Whenever I care about having a consistent trigger pull, I go with a 1911.
I also find the phrase: “modern striker fired”, really annoying. It’s almost like people have no concept of history, nor knowledge of the Savage model 1910, or that the Mauser rifles have been striker fired since 1874!
I like striker fired in a bolt-action rifle, but that is because one can safely lower the striker, just by closing the bolt slowly while holding the trigger. This is the way I always carry a boltgun in the field, and sling it muzzle down. But a pistol has no such option, and I will not carry a pistol with an empty chamber, so that leaves cocked and locked, DA/SA, or DAO. I like all three of those options, but I don’t like a striker fired pistol. If someone else does, fine. I just won’t let that one cover me with his muzzle.
But people using other pistols can muzzle you all day long if they want?
I always watch everybody’s muzzle discipline anyway. I was more meaning I watch the striker fired fans EXTRA closely….
The Canik TP-9SA was that silly de-cocker on the top. If you’re into that sort if thing.
Maybe the phrase, “modern striker-fired” is used to differentiate between those ancient examples of the technology that you cited, and modern iterations thereof. Just like when people say “modern sporting rifle”, they’re not saying that sporting rifles didn’t exist before the AR-15.
The only substantial difference I see between a Savage 1910 and a Glock are the plastic parts, and a lever in the trigger. And the plastic is not in improvement in function, its a way to make them cheaper, and thus increase corporate profits. Not really an “improvement”, unless one happens to be one of the few recipients of all that extra money.
I’m not a huge fan of polymer guns, but plastic is an improvement in some ways. Plastic is lighter and doesn’t corrode. Plastic is cheaper, which can mean more company profits, or it can mean lower cost to the consumer (i.e. guns like the Ruger 9e – a quality full-size pistol for $300). Plastic makes modular pistols like the SIG P320 a realistic possibility (sure, you could do it with metal, but the cost would make it a pointless exercise).
I agree with Stinkeye except on one point, no, the plasticky pistol is not always cheaper as you can many times count on the greed factor to kick in. HK pistols although in great demand are one of the biggest rip offs price wise out there. You can easily pay up to and beyond $1,000 dollars for one, plasticky frame, and junk MIM cast parts and all.
It goes even farther back than that. The Dreyse Needle gun introduced by the Prussian Armyin 1841 is effectively a striker fired weapon.
How do you re-cock the striker rifle without losing the cartridge in the chamber? Why not just carry chamber empty?
I haven’t seen every rifle bolt out there, but most of them cycle the striker when you either lift the lever or push it back down. You don’t need to draw the bolt back all the way.
With cock on open you don’t draw the bolt at all.
Most military bolt-action rifles are striker fired. Most also have some way to manually cock them that doesn’t involve cycling the action. For example, Mosins have that protruding round knob at the back that you can pull to cock.
Bolt actions that cock on open can be lifted and closed to re-cock. I still won’t carry one de-cocked. A friend of mine had an ND at the range while lowering the bolt on a live round with the trigger pulled — thankfully his muzzle discipline is beyond reproach. Granted he probably lowered the bolt too quickly– but he knew the dangers, he was being careful, and it was a stress-free environment. I won’t take that risk, especially in the woods. If I have time to raise and lower the bolt, I have another .05 second to cycle it fully and chamber a round from the magazine.
The Canik’s decocker is utterly pointless, as the chambered round will be ejected when the slide is necessarily cycled to re-cock the striker.
Suggesting that the NYPD is better trained than the AI?
You came to the wrong neighborhood.
Have both. Carried both. Really liked my Steyr S9-A1 and Glock 26 but I’m really getting to like the Lionheart LH9 and Sig P938 SAS I’m carrying now.
I see the appeal for some of DA/SA, but for me it’s literally impossible to manage that double action trigger pull because of a childhood injury to my trigger finger. Single action is fine and striker fired is fine as well, but the long, heavy double action pulls, if I cancan manage them even once, take five or more seconds. Afterwards, my finger is so fatigued I can’t repeat the motion. This completely precludes revolvers for me as well.
Fortunately, there are plenty of striker fired and single action guns out there, so I’m not too limited.
I didn’t mention it, but ofc there are disabilities and other reasons why a striker fired might be the best option for a certain individual. Like, my sister is simply unable to rack a slide without riding it forward and causing FTFs. But she has no problem pulling a DA revolver trigger, so that’s her choice. If I had a problem with my index finger, I would probably go 1911 SAO all the time. Best triggers ever designed, at least judging by the feel.
I didn’t mean to suggest that a striker fired fan just has to be a careless newbie, yet that is the way it usually comes out anyway. I always watch newbies extra close anyway. People new to something are always less knowledgeable, one can’t learn years worth of skills overnight. Its not the newbie’s fault that they are new and sometimes more careless, it’s just the way it is.
“People new to something are always less knowledgeable”
That is not “always” true. As a matter of fact, the learning curve with firearms and firearm safety in particular can be handled in a five minute conversation. Skill may take a long time but how much knowledge is really required to know that, point the gun at something and pull the trigger and you will destroy that something? How many experienced shooters have earned an IGOTD award?
I carry a striker fired gun, not because I don’t know what I am doing but precisely because I do. I am a newbie, but guns are easy. They are designed that way. Know the action. Know the manual of arms. Know the safety rules. Five minutes tops with each type of weapon. Done.
I can teach your sister to not ride the slide in about ten seconds.
I have striker fired and a Beretta 92A1. If I could only have one gun it would be the Beretta.
“But it’s impossible to deny that it’s more likely to unintentionally pull a five pound trigger than a 10-12 pound trigger.”
Then watch me do the impossible.
Anybody who can “unintentionally pull a trigger” (like an NYPD officer) is just as likely to do it with a Glock as he is with a 1911. Witness the numbers of NDs from LEOs using anything from AR pattern rifles to “NY Trigger” Glocks.
Personally, I don’t deploy a firearm until I’m ready to shoot something. If you like to go around, pistol in hand, while you coon-finger it while not intending for it to go off, you WILL have an ND, no matter what style trigger it has.
I’m with this guy. Another plus the DA has over striker is the ability to give a dud or hang fire a few more strikes before the tap and rack.
I always answer the constant trigger pull argument with this: manually cock the hammer. If bad things are happening and you have time to unholster and take aim, pull the hammer back for an oh so easy trigger pull. If bad things are happening and you only have time to spray and not aim, I’m sure you won’t notice that first pull of the trigger was heavier than the rest. Adrenaline and all.
“… re-holstering is a much safer affair for DA/SA pistols with external hammers.”
This is the most compelling reason, in my opinion, to have a double-action/single-action pistol with external hammer — especially one that has a decocker.
Now, if only a U.S. manufacturer (cough, cough, Ruger, Smith and Wesson, Kel-Tec, cough) would actually make such a handgun.
Sig and Beretta still makes them in the US. Doesn’t Smith still make the PPK series for Walther for the US market?
A single action hammer at least has a bit of a workaround, you can wedge your thumb under the hammer.
A liberal arts major? But, but people can’t succeed with those! Everyone knows that liberal arts majors live in their parents’ basements forever! [/sarc]
Nice article, by the way.
Great topic.
For me…i can simply reach the hammer on my fn .45 and go from da to sa in a flick.
Like from my vehicle to an atm late night plus i still have an external saftey that is easy to come off on the draw and hit the decock and I’m back on da…..easy.
This pistol works for me.
I know other folks that run Israeli style, thats great for them but i prefer a chambered round to edc.
It’s whatever works for you….right.
The potential for an ND exists for all firearms. My main beef with striker-fired pistols is the requirement to pull the trigger to disconnect the sear when cleaning or taking down the pistol. Glocks and others have that problem; M&Ps and others do not, instead relying on a small lever to disconnect the sear. It’s just safer.
This required trigger pull not only violates Rule 2, but also has facilitated a lot of NDs. It’s a design defect that probably would have been remedied years ago, except that the manufacturers who use that design are concerned that changing it will be an admission that it was unsafe and will be used against them to find liability.
Springfield eliminated the trigger pull in the XD/m.
I thought corrective measures were generally inadmissible to prove that there was a mistake that needed to be corrected–precisely for that reason, so manufacturers, etc will go ahead and fix problems.
This is one of the reasons I bought a Ruger SR40C. I prefer to only pull the trigger when I want to fire.
Hammer fired pistols are going the way of the revolver with it’s obsolete technology. Oh wait…
Glad to see other Beretta 92 guys still out there. I don’t care what the Army grunts say, my Beretta has held up way better than my striker fired plastic fantastics. After about 40,000 rounds, someone suggested I might want to change out the locking block and recoil spring – just because.
Not a fan of the safety/decocker on the FNX45. Too close to the hand, the hand is in the way when decocking, and I could see accidentally bumping it to safe. It’s pretty easy to move, not stiff. Kind of a shame with all that gun, to have control in ab awkward spot.
I disagree, my fn fits perfect.
Even on the run i haven’t experienced the bumping safety thing you mention…..never had that problem with my m 16 or when i ran an m 60 or any other weapon system.
You just run your gun enough you just feel it.
And if it ever did …..just solve the issue on the move.
I’m glad it works for you, but no amount of practice is going to make me want to grip it lower or like the control that close or in contact with my knuckle
Always wanted the FNX. Changed my mind when I lucked into a deal on a GLOCK. My concern isn’t accidentally moving the lever on to safe. It is decocking it when trying to take it off safe. It is the same lever in the same direction. What could go wrong?
The decocker on FNX requires far more effort to activate than flicking the lever from safe to fire. I have that gun, and I had a similar concern, but after playing with it I have concluded that it is unfounded. Even in rapid fire drills, I never accidentally decocked it.
Of course, it being DA/SA, it’s not really a big concern in any case – if you carry it cocked and locked, and you accidentally decock it when unholstering, the gun is still operational and will fire when you pull the trigger – it’s just that it’ll take more effort to pull it.
Yep. I mean, I have mine mainly for enjoyment and due to future supply uncertainty, for which it’s great. OK price, +P rated, epic capacity, and the grip and trigger work for me. And good point Int19h that accidental decock would be somewhat self correcting in the natural course of things.
But for serious business, too busy I think. It’s like a luxury RV when for some purposes one might want a sports car.
The analogy to manual vs automatic is an apt one. Stryker fired pistols are great, but they’re almost too easy for my taste. There’s also the look, which is just a personal matter, but I love the looks of hammer fired pistols like the FNX, CZ, 1911, and Beretta 92.
Also, you can intimidate people that don’t think you are serious about shooting them by cocking the hammer for dramatic effect.
You can do that with Glocks too, I saw it in a movie once.
But if you can’t you can just james bond carry, and rack a round into the chamber from the same magazine about 3x between gun fights to show you’re ready, just like in Spectre.
Between my G17 and M9 I’d definitely grab the Beretta first. While I’m not as good with that first DA shot I can keep it in the area when firing quickly and then follow up even quicker. Firing slow it’s about the same to me whatever action I’m shooting. I do prefer shooting DA on my revolver so that helps, along with the model D spring from Beretta.
Plus I think the hammer really helps to balance out the look and feel of a gun.
I’ve found that I can shoot my revolvers fine in DA slow fire, but if I need to make fast accurate shots I’m much faster thumb cocking every shot. I’m sure with enough practice I’d be Jerry Miculek, but for the time being DA is a <10 yard affair for me.
Taken out 7 carpenter bees so far this spring with my Crossman Vigilante .177. air revolver. Three of them on the wing. SA is far more accurate for me. Longest shot was from elevated position off my second floor deck to the ground level patio. I sprayed WD40 in the bee hole in the brick molding and when it came out, it hit the ground and was crawling around when I shot it. Best shot was from the patio to the roof line on a flying target. It was a head shot and instant kill with the first round. I waste too much ammo in DA so I would rather track the bees with the hammer back and pay attention to background objects such as the neighbor’s house or my windows. I could trap or poison them but shooting them out of the air is so much more fun.
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=62EEB3FCDE5FEAB5!57813&authkey=!AAGXrCD0zZgQcpc&ithint=folder%2c
Imagine the bee carnage you could inflict with a brand new shiny Match Champion!
“As all of the “operators” are currently shouting at the screen, “My trigger finger is my safety!” True, if you don’t put your finger on the trigger, it can’t fire. In a perfect world that’s very easy. But, as the recent case with the NYPD cop who inadvertently shot a man in a darkened hallway attests, mistakes can happen in the real world; even for those who have professional training.”
And this paragraph negates your point since NYPD LEO duty weapons have… a 12 pound trigger pull. Yes, the cop involved had the 12 pound trigger pull that you cite will make incidents less likely. Its a software/training issue vice a hardware issue.
Shit. Where does this leave my revolvers?
Someone should make a striker fired revolver just to be different. Maybe Chiappa could incorporate that into the Rhino to make it the world’s ugliest handgun.
I have both an M9A1 and a G19 and I like both for different reasons. The M9 stays by my bedside where I’d like to have the long DA trigger pull if I’m groggily woken up by something going bump in the night. The G19 (or a G23 too) are my EDCs.
I don’t quite buy that the heavy DA pull of a “hammer gun” reduces negligent discharges, nor do I know how we realistically can study it. A while back I looked around the net for what the clenching pull was of a hand under fight/flight and sympathetic response and found some article indicating that it was upwards of 25 lbs of pressure. That seems pretty reasonable to me just thinking about it. So unless we are all going to install 25+ lbs trigger or striker springs in our guns, then the difference between a 12 lbs DA “first” pull on an M9 seems (according to my admittedly limited investigation) fairly meaningless over the 5.5 lbs striker pull of a G19.
There was a case not all that long ago of something (not a trigger finger) snagging a Glock’s trigger on reholstering…bang!
So the operationally operating operator response is moot in this case.
Of course that could happen on any gun that doesn’t have a) an external safety that is b) on and c) working. But the “put your thumb on the hammer” trick would have saved this guy…if his Glock had a hammer.
I nearly wrote an article very near to this. Have nothing to fear, USPSA production was dominated by hammer fire guns at the nationals gear survey last year. There will soon be a stigma among gamers that hammer fired guns are “better” and that will eventually work it’s way to store clerks and the gun buying public et all.
That said, hammer fired guns are better.
BOOM!
So long as I can carry my striker-fired handgun into the gender-less bathroom between my free college classes, I can live with that future…
Seriously tho – horses for courses. Love hammer fired guns, but I personally shoot striker fired with greater accuracy. I could train to improve, no doubt, but I can also spend that time training other skills.
Have you shot a CZ?
When I have gun money again, I’m looking at picking up a CZ 75B SA. Single action means I can handle the trigger (see above), and it’s a nice trigger at that.
I have had 3 cz75 best pistol out there. More accurate than the shooter for sure! I have a cz compact clone made by Tristar $275 that shoots better than a Kimber “custom shop” at $1,400. Seriously. All of my pistols have a hammer.
3lb trigger SAO with ambi safety for the win
But practically i cant find one that gives me the reliability, capacity and lightweight of GLOCKs
So glock all the way
CZ P07/ P09. Stock trigger starts a hair under 4LBS in single action. They are heavier than Glock, slightly, but in the same ball park Ambi safety parts shipped with decocker. Way softer shooting, and the P09 is 19+1 with flush fit mags in 9mm.
I grew up with a hammer, becoming very familiar with them as my first pistol was a p226. I have more recently dabbled in the striker fired pistols, and really like glocks a lot, but find myself less comfortable when carrying something without a hammer and a decocker.
Yeah, i’m with ya man. Love my strikers and all, but ultimately my CZ’s are what i feel most comfortable with and enjoy the most, and the FNX45 sits on my night stand for a reason.
That FNX458sc again. Where does one get those?
Walther style dasa striker fired is nice too. I love my MR9.
My own tests with pre-loaded striker fired guns such as the Glock and Walther P99 have shown extremely weak ignitions systems compared to hammer fired guns. I seated a high primer deliberately in an empty case and the Glock and Walther would not fire it off despite as many as 3 tries in a row. I tested if I remember correctly about 9 hammer fired guns and they all went off on the first try.
Pre loaded striker fired guns many times have open firing pin channels as well, read that Glock, and that lets in burnt powder, too much oil that can freeze or congeal in cold weather and dust , lint and dirt which again coupled with already weak striker energy results in a misfire.
Some hammer fired guns like the Beretta 92 and Walther P30 have manual safeties that can be locked on when loading and unloading coupled with take down levers that make it mandatory you lock the slide back during takedown. Compare this to the unsafe Glock design that makes you pull the trigger with the slide forward. If you forget just one time in your life to check the chamber you end up blowing off your hand or arm. Neat eh? Yep, Glock,the gun designed by a Moron for Morons’.
As Massad Ayoob stated some time ago studies have show that police departments that dropped the Glock and went over to heavy double action only pull guns like the double action only Beretta had accidents go way down both in regards to Cops shooting themselves and or innocent people they only pulled over to give a ticket to or to question about something.
I could write you pages on accidental Cop shootings with the Glock including the lady Cop who put a Glock under her pillow and of course after she fell asleep it went off. Or the Police Chief who reached across the desk for his Glock and when he dragged the pistol across the desk toward him his Glock pistol did what all Glocks do, it snagged the trigger and he blew off one of his fingers. Par for the course. I could give you more tragic examples of Cops accidentally shooting innocent people with the unsafe Glock pistol but I am not in the mood to list all the tragic stories tonight especially before I retire for the night.
Remember safeties were designed on all machines for a damn good reason, they save lives and prevent serious accidents other wise we would not need back up safeties on lawn mowers to prevent adults from backing over their own children or we would not have safety glass on automobiles. But the Morons among us, that are legion, will say “just don’t have an auto accident, then you will never need safety glass or the really asinine response, “the best safety is between your ears” pure Darwinism that denotes those who make such a statement. Most eventually leave this earth rather suddenly and unexpectedly, not to us but just to them.
I remember seeing some years ago a picture of a Chimpanzee with a Glock in his hand. The caption read “The typical Glock owner”. That picture really said it all.
Great car analogy with the auto/manual transmissions. Old school stick shift will never go away despite all the new high-tech advancements in trannies. Strikers and hammers…. better to own both.
Ever since carrying a cocked and locked 1911, I find a lack of trust in a handgun that does not have a Hammer!
one of the reasons is I can immediately tell if firearm is cocked!
With a DA/SA hammer down and a stiffer trigger, if situated in an Adrenalin soaked encounter, trigger pull will not matter; the hard part is not shooting more than necessary! Same scenario try stopping then holstering a pistol with a light trigger! also during dry fire practice have you heard an unintentional firing pin drop!
People like what people like so do your thing!
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