A bit off the subject, but since we have so many knowledgeable gun owners here, I thought I’d ask.
Can someone explain, in non-technical terms, the difference between single action and double action? I’ve looked it up on a couple of websites, but I still didn’t quite get it.
Thanks in advance!
It can get a little complex in guns like the Glock but basically, single action is when you manually cock the gun either by pulling the slide or thumbing the hammer back.
Double action is when you cock and fire the gun with a single pull of the trigger.
Double-action can be fired one of two ways: either by cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger, or by pulling the trigger all the way through the action. Single actions must be cocked first.
The famed Colt Peacemaker (Single Action Army) is an example of a single-action pistol. Most modern revolvers are double-action.
It’s easier to picture with a hammer fired weapon. Single action just drops the hammer. Double actions cocks the hammer then drops the hammer in the same pull.
Hammer fired is a little more complicated, there is single action, double action and variants that fall somewhere in between.
There is DA/SA, DA only and SA only.
In DA only, the trigger cocks and fires the gun. Usually a heavy long trigger pull.
In DA/SA, the DA mode is same as above, but the next shot is SA where the slide has cocked it and the trigger releases to fire the gun. The SA us usually a lighter shorter trigger pull.
In SA only, the hammer has to be cocked, usually by the slide, cocking is possible by pulling the hammer back (on a chambered round), but unlike the DA/SA, this is not safe in a SA pistol. If your thumb slips you could fire the gun and send the slide back to tear off your thumb.
Then there is striker fired, read the article for detail, but it is somewhere between DA only and SA only in feel. The trigger can only be cocked so to speak, via the slide, with rounds in the mag, pull the slide back and release it. You are now ready to fire. The trigger pull is far lighter than a DA only and heavier than a SA. Glocks have a factory trigger pull of 5.5 lbs, Many SA pistols have 3+ lbs pulls and many DA’s can be as much as 12-13 lbs. When firing a striker pistol, the trigger travel and pull is the same every shot.
All the above is referring to semi auto pistols. I like the striker fired pistols for self defense. They are simple and have a constant trigger. For fun or target work, I prefer some form of SA.