9:33 AM
DB Production Company
So you’re
new to guns and you have some questions?
Well, I’m glad you came here. I’m
sure you’ve heard the terms Single Action, Double Action, and Striker Fired thrown
around before, but do you know what they mean?
These
terms are describing the action of handguns.
Action meaning how the trigger interacts with the hammer (or striker),
and how the hammer interacts with the firing pin. Perhaps you may be unfamiliar with the parts
that I have just named. Don’t worry, I’ll
show you some pictures now, but in a future post and video, I’ll go over all of
the basic handgun parts.
DOUBLE ACTION
So
let’s start with double action. Double
action (also shown as DA) is very common in modern day handguns. They are especially common with
revolvers. On a double action handgun,
when you pull the trigger, the hammer moves back with the trigger, and when
they reach their breaking point, the tension on the hammer and trigger is
released, the hammer slams forward, and it hits the firing pin.
This
is also common on some semi-automatic handguns like the Sig P226, but like most
double action revolvers, these firearms also have the ability to fire in single
action as well. We will get into that in
a second. For now, let’s cover Double
Action Only.
You
may see the phrase Double Action Only (shown
also as DAO) thrown around a lot typically with something that does not have an
exposed hammer. Examples include the SCCY
CPX-2 or the Smith
and Wesson Model 340PD. What this
means is simply the handgun can ONLY fire in double action. When you pull the trigger, the hammer moves
with it. It does not have the ability to
be fired in single action as well like many modern day revolvers and semi-autos
can. So what is Single Action?
SINGLE ACTION
Single
action (SA) is not the most common action anymore. It was most common in old school revolvers,
and now in modern day adaptations of old school revolvers. One of the most famous firearms today that
still uses single action exclusively is the 1911. Single action means the hammer must be in the
“cocked position” (must be back) for it to fire. If the hammer is forward, pulling the trigger
like on a double action will do nothing.
You
ALWAYS see this in the movies where the main character will be dramatic and
pull the hammer of some gun back with his/her thumb. That is taking a double action, and turning
it into single action. So do you always
have to pull the hammer back? Maybe yes
for an old revolver, but on a semi-automatic handgun, the slide of the firearm
will move back and forward with each shot.
When the slide moves back, it pulls the hammer back with it, allowing
you to fire again.
STRIKER FIRED
So
now we’ve come to Striker Fired. This is
what is featured on most of the polymer wonder pistols out there today. So far double action and single action have
something in common: they both use hammers to strike a firing pin. Striker Fired handguns do not use a
hammer. Instead, they use what’s called
a “striker”.
Basically
what a striker is, is a different version of a firing pin. It has a latch on the bottom that gets pulled
back when slide is pulled back, and when the trigger is pulled, that latch is disengaged,
flies forward, and strikes the bullet.
Like a Single Action handgun, the “hammer”, which in this case is a “striker”
has to be pulled back to fire. Since you
cannot pull a striker back manually, you have to pull the slide back to engage
the striker.
When
the handgun fires, the slide will move back then forward re-engaging the
striker. Now the process can be
repeated.
CONCLUSION
There
you have it. You have mastered the
knowledge of what Single Action (SA), Double Action (DA or DAO), and Striker
Fired is. See the video below for more
details and visuals about all this. Was
something not clear? Do you have another
question? The Random Firearm is here to
help! Ask in the comment section below,
or head over to our Facebook
page and ask them there. You can also find
us on Twitter and YouTube!
