When shopping for your first or next semi-automatic pistol, you have plenty of makes and models to pick from but only a few action types. In this realm, there are hammer-fired and striker-fired handguns. Hammer-fired pistols are available in single-action or double-action. Striker-fired handguns can be double or single-action, as well as somewhere in the middle. But how do these actions fire the handgun, and what does that mean for you as a shooter?
Hammer Fired Pistols
Hammer-fired pistols have been around since the dawn of the auto pistol, but so too have striker-fired handguns. It is only recently that striker actions have become so popular. But there are plenty of hammer-fired pistols out there, each with its own virtues and disadvantages. Hammer-fired pistols use either an external or internal hammer that is cocked by the slide. External hammers also allow the end user to thumb cock the hammer. The hammer is powered by a mainspring in the backstrap of the grip and falls when the trigger is pulled. The slide then automatically recocks the hammer. Two general types of hammer-fired handguns exist: single-action or SAO or double-action pistols in DAO and DA/SA configurations.
Single Action
Single-action handguns require the hammer to be cocked to the rear in order for the pistol to fire. With the hammer resting against the frame, you can pull the trigger all you want, but the pistol will not fire. The trigger accomplishes a single action, which is dropping the cocked hammer. Most handguns that are single-action feature a spurred hammer and a short trigger. Any number of 1911 pistols and Browning Hi Powers follow this formula. But there have long been concealed hammer handguns that are also hammer-fired. The Colt 1903 and the Smith & Wesson EZ models look like striker-fired handguns because they do not have an external hammer you can see. But they do have a hammer that is sealed within the slide.
More recently, competition-ready models like 2011s have hit the market. Makers like CZ and Beretta have also released single-action-only versions of their heritage double-action designs for shooters who wish to take advantage of the single-action short trigger release.
As competitors have long known, it is easy to run a single-action pistol quickly on the clock. On the practice range, that same short trigger pull can equate to tight groups and high confidence. The downside of single-action pistols is more obvious in a concealed carry or home defense format. As it takes little effort to press the trigger, most single-action pistols have a manual safety so the pistol can safely be carried in a proper holster with the hammer cocked. A cocked external hammer also invites ingress and debris to collect over time, requiring more conscious maintenance.
Double-Action
Double-action hammer-fired pistols came about because of the deficiencies with single-action guns. In the early decades of the auto pistol, it was not considered safe to carry a handgun fully loaded. Mechanical safeties could get brushed, and short triggers could lead to more negligent discharges in an era of lax trigger discipline. Many pistols were not made with drop safeties, which made carrying with a round in the chamber that much more dubious.
The double-action pistol allows the user to carry the pistol with a round in the chamber without the need to fumble with a manual safety. The Walther PP and PPK pistols at the turn of the 1930s represent this trend; one copied on most double-action designs. Most double-action pistols are classified as double-action/single-action. They feature an exposed hammer and a trigger that both cocks and drops the hammer in double action. The kicker is that extra action requires a longer trigger pull to accomplish. Fortunately, that added a level of safety that made it possible to carry without the safety engaged. Pistols like the PPK have a safety that doubles as a decocker, allowing you to drop the hammer without setting off a cartridge when you are done shooting and want to make the gun safer.
Some handguns, like the Beretta 92 G, have a decocker only. This allows the user to decock the pistol but keep the safety off, whereas older designs stay in the safe position until the shooter decides otherwise. There are other pistols that use a recessed hammer that can only be fired in double action for every shot. The Sig Sauer P220 series DAK and P250 pistols, as well as the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard, are three such examples. These models have a consistent, heavier trigger pull and lack an exposed hammer that can be snagged on clothing when the hammer is resting against the frame.
The chief disadvantage of double-action hammer-fired pistols is the long and heavy trigger pull. While excellent from a safety standpoint, it takes practice to pull all the way through while keeping your sights still. DAO designs have the virtue of having the same consistent trigger pull throughout, while DA/SA handguns require follow-through with two different trigger presses. On those handguns, the external hammer is cocked after the first shot, and each subsequent shot will be a single-action with a shorter, lighter trigger.
Striker-Fired Handguns
Although hammer-fired pistols are praised for being simpler, that is simply because hammer-fired firearms were the default operating system even before we had modern ammo. Striker-fired handguns are just as simple, with some of the virtues of single-action and double-action hammer-fired handguns but without the potential ingress point of having a hammer.
All pistols have firing pins. In the case of the hammer-fired pistols, the hammer hits a floating firing pin in the frame to set off the ammunition. With striker-fired handguns, the firing pin is held under tension against the trigger’s sear, which would otherwise interface with a hammer. When the trigger is pulled, that tension is released, and the round is fired. The slide recocks the striker as it comes rearwards like it does the hammer in hammer-fired handguns.
Single-Action and Double-Action
Like hammer-fired handguns, striker guns can have strikers that are fully cocked like a single-action or not cocked at all as in a double-action. Others are somewhere in between. Double-action striker-fired pistols date back to the old Austro-Hungarian Roth Steyr Model 1907. It was a striker-fired handgun, and as the trigger is squeezed, the exposed striker is cocked and then released. This type is exceedingly rare, but Canik has kept the concept alive. The benefits of a double-action striker-fired pistol, like a hammer-fired model, are that it takes a purposeful trigger pull to set off, and you can strike the same round a second time if it fails to go off on the first strike.
As a class of handguns, the most popular models are not true double action or single action, but recently single action striker-fired handguns have taken off. The adopted Sig M17/M18, as well as versions of Sig P365, are two notable examples of striker-fired handguns that feature a crisp trigger paired with a manual safety similar to a hammer-fired single-action.
Somewhere in Between
The Glock Safe Action trigger has been widely copied by their competitors, but the principle remains the same. Do without the manual safety needed with a single action and have a mushier trigger without going for double action types of trigger weights. When the slide is manipulated, the striker on a Glock pistol is not completely cocked. Pressing the trigger the rest of the way finishes the cocking of the striker before releasing it. This allows the user to have a trigger pull that is easy to manage without being unsafe but allows you to fire the pistol quickly without the need to remember a safety. It also has a consistent trigger pull, which can’t be said for DA/SA hammer-fired pistols. Although Glock is the most popular brand that has a striker action like this, Smith & Wesson, Walther, Springfield, and most other manufacturers have coopted the idea to some extent.
Hammer Fired vs. Striker Fired: Which to Pick?
Choosing between hammer-fired and striker-fired pistols is going to depend on your priorities and other barriers to entry, such as price and availability. For example, a competitive shooter might want a single-action hammer-fired pistol for a smooth and fast trigger release. But that same shooter might not want to worry about a safety on his daily carry handgun. You might carry in such a way that a good double-action pistol is the only way to feel safe, let alone be safe. Striker-fired handguns can strike a balance between the two or fill the shoes of both types of hammers-fired pistols, although there aren’t as many models that can do so. The compromise choice of a striker gun may be the best fit for some and an unsatisfying one for others. Between these models, there is no right choice but only the right choice for you.
