Hammer action vs. Striker action??

[MET]

I am brand new to handgun sport shooting,never fired a handgun and have a few questions.

Does a hammer action and striker action feel the same at the trigger?

What do most people prefer? Why?

I assume the hammer action is more reliable?

Sorry for the questions,I want to fully understand important handgun details before I purchase!

Thanks,Jeff

It seems I overlooked the Newbie FAQ board,sorry gents/ladies!

 

[Master-G]

I am brand new to handgun sport shooting,never fired a handgun and have a few questions.

Does a hammer action and striker action feel the same at the trigger?

What do most people prefer? Why?

I assume the hammer action is more reliable?

I can't think of anything specific to the type of ignition (either hammer or striker) that would influence the trigger feel. There are other things in the design of a handgun that would make more of a difference. As for reliability, a hammer design would not necessarily be more reliable--for example, Glocks are striker-fired and are extremely reliable. You could probably make an argument that striker fired handguns are more reliable since the mechanism is contained within the slide and is less exposed to getting fouled up with dirt. In reality, though, the reliability for both types is probably about equal.

For me, I would not let that type of ignition alone determine which handguns I looked at--if you can, try a bunch of good ones and see which ones you like best. For me--most of mine are now hammer-fired, although I've owned striker-fired ones in the past and would have no hesitation to own one in the future.

 

[nelly]

Personal preference is HUGE here - DO you prefer to drive a manual or automatic? Small car or large? Front wheel or rear wheel drive?

Hammer fired designs are one of three potential types: Single action only (hammer must be cocked, then a very short trigger pull initiates firing), Traditional Double Action (first shot requires a long, heavy trigger pull that both cocks, then releases hammer... hammer is then cocked to the rear, and pistol is in single action mode), or, Double Action Only (where the #### and release of the hammer is performed each time the pistol is to be fired).

Striker designs generally have the striker partly cocked by the cycling of the slide to chamber the first round from the magazine, then each trigger pull afterwards will pull the striker back to full #### before releasing it.

For me, all the striker designs feel sort of like shorter, lighter double action hammer designs.

Again - Preference is huge - All can be reliable, in a quality pistol.

As you are brand new, try to find a CGN member near you, to see if they will have you out to the range to try a few different handguns. The newbie section should show someone near you that is interested in welcoming new shooters.

Cheers,

Neal

 

[SLANTO]

Even the P99 has a sort of double action type striker that can be de-cocked to a longer double action type pull or fired a a single action. Again the main difference is that striker firearms typically have a lower bore axis the hammer fired firearms which gives you a very different feel to how the pistol is held, aimed and recoils in your hand. All modern firearms will have good reliability but as everyone will tell you try as many as you can before you buy because the better and more natural the feel of the gun in your hand the easier it will be to shoot.

 

[IM_Lugger]

generally guns with a hammer do have a nicer SA trigger and a more reliable primer ignition...