What does striker fired mean

This is mostly because the design needs very little innovation and has served their owners well for numerous generations. A single-action semi-automatic pistol needs to be manually cocked the first time and then will arm itself after each shot by using the recoiling slide to cock the hammer.

In contrast, a double-action semi-automatic pistol will cock the hammer and fire the round with the first trigger pull and then be single-action for every subsequent shot since the recoil of the slide will cock the hammer for the following shot.

A single-action revolver will need to have the hammer manually cocked between every shot. Whereas double-action revolvers have triggers that cock the hammer and fire the gun with every pull. It should be noted that double-action triggers usually have a high trigger pull weight since the trigger has to both cock the hammer and drop it as well. This can be off-putting at first but with practice, one can become accustomed to it fairly quickly.

Some of the pros of having a hammer-fired handgun are external safeties that can be used to lock the hammer in place, decock the hammer safely, or lock the firing pin from being released. Due to the higher pull weight of a double-action, some prefer this type of pistol for carrying because it requires a more deliberate trigger pull in order to fire a round. In the same vein, some find single-action pistols to be easier to shoot because the weight of the trigger pull is incredibly low so there is less movement that can affect your accuracy and aim.

Some find that they shoot straighter with single-action as opposed to other types of handguns. I think of the typical Glock like an entry-level Jeep Wrangler.

Not much to look at, but more capable than you would expect. But, that Jeep will get you just about anywhere you need to go in just about any conditions. They can get about any job done that needs to get done with a handgun. You might not be the fastest or the best looking while doing it, but the job will get done. There are plenty of choices out there for shooters to make when they select their next handgun, and pistols that are striker fired are one of the most popular choices.

So there must be something that makes these guns attractive. What they are is practical. I think one word best summarizes what makes striker fired guns stand out compared to other types of handgun actions:. When you compare a striker fired gun to traditional double action, double action only, and single action handguns, it is the simplicity that helps them shine for shooters of all ability levels and over a wide variety of applications.

The heart of a Glock 17 is its striker fired action. The striker is held under the spring tension until the safeties are defeated and the trigger is pressed. A handgun with a striker fired action is efficient because it tends to have fewer parts than guns that are hammer fired. The striker takes the place of both the firing pin and the hammer. This makes disassembly and reassembly simpler and leads to greater reliability and longer times between necessary service.

The design of striker fired handguns allows for a reduction in the number of controls as well as internal parts. Most striker fired guns also delete the manual thumb safety, which again means fewer parts and simpler operation. They do. Both internal and external safeties prevent the gun from firing unless the trigger is pressed. In a striker fired action, the striker is pushed to the rear then placed and held under spring tension when the gun is loaded.

The operation of the action is linear in nature. This generally requires that the bore of the gun is raised farther above the hand.

From an efficiency standpoint, a design difference tends to increase the leverage that acts on the hand when the gun recoils. The typical striker fired gun reduces this leverage and reduces felt recoil. Less felt recoil can result in faster follow up shots, as the sights lift from the target less under recoil and return to the target more quickly. Unlike hammer fired actions, the striker from this Gen 2 Glock 17 operates in a straight line which helps keep the barrel of the gun close to the top of the hand.

This in turn reduces the felt recoil. But they are shootable. When compared to double action and traditional double action guns, most striker fired guns have very usable triggers straight out of the box.

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