Thus sayeth LittleBillyInfidel:
“Ok, so my Lugar must be a Double/single action= first pull long, all others easy? What does “PARABELLUM” refer to?”
I don’t know anything about your particular handgun but in a single action like a 1911 when the slide is pulled back, it also pulls the hammer back. Thus, the handgun trigger is ready to fire it just needs to have the sear release the hammer which requires very little effort on the part of the trigger finger.
Most single action auto-loading handguns have either a trigger safety or a trigger decocker or both. When you decock the trigger, either by using a decocker or by slowly lowering the hammer manually, you must recock the hammer to fire. This recocking requires more effort since you are working against the hammer spring. This is a double action trigger pull. A single action only does not have the mechanical ability to recock the hammer by pulling the trigger, only a single action/double action does.
Since single action is cocked special care must be used if in a holster. I personally think having a single action “locked and cocked” in a holster is dangerous unless you handle your handguns every week. Even then I wouldn’t do it. If I were carrying a 1911 it would not be cocked in my holster. Since the 1911 is singe action only, the only way to recock the trigger once it is decocked is by either racking the slide (which will eject any round already in the chamber) or using the thumb to manually cock the hammer.
On a double action only handgun there may not be any provision to allow the hammer to be cocked without pulling the trigger or using your thumb to manually cock the hammer. Old wild west movies where the cowboy pulls the hammer back for every shot are single action revolvers. A hammerless revolver for example where you cannot cock the hammer manually, is double action only. All of this can be a bit confusing but there it is.
I compete in a course of fire called Steel Challenge. No one is asking me for my autograph just yet but I’m just a few seconds shy of being classified Master in open revolver. So I’m a known competitor on a national level. I say this to illustrate the fact that I know most if not all of the top revolver shooters active in Steel Challenge in the USA. All of them shoot double action only. With enough practice, it is possible to shoot a double action revolver very fast and very accurate. Key world— practice.
In Steel Challenge, which is basically speed shooting, i compete in both open revolver and iron sight revolver. I also do a little bit of competition in ICORE which is revolver action shooting. All of my competition revolvers are double action only. True they have tuned actions which make them ammo fussy (I handload all of my competition ammo—10K+ rounds per year). When I carry, either a revo or an auto loader, it’s always a double action only. Not trying to tell others what to do just telling others what I do. I make no claims to being an authority.
Parabellum is another name for the common 9mm handgun round we all love to shoot. If you shoot a modern 9mm handgun you are buying 9mm or 9mm parabellum ammo they are the same. 9mm, BTW is not a straight case cartridge like 38 Special. There is a slight taper to the 9mm case. It also headspaces on the case mouth. This means that when the cartridge is chambered it is stopped from going right on down the barrel (before firing) by the case mouth. A 38 Special (or 357 Magnum) heasdpaces on the rim. It is the cartridge rim that holds the cartridge in the chamber before you fire it. This is one of the things that allows revolvers chambered in 357 to shoot the shorter 38 Special cartridge, the headspacing on the rim.
Thank you for this and I’m going to take the proper time to study it!
As per your competition, do you have any sponsors? Also, do you know if there are any outdoor sports shows that focus on what you do or that you like or watch?
The reason I ask is that I’m a Broadcast TV Producer (retired) but am an expert in branded television marketing. I’d be curious to see if there’s anything out there per programing. I wouldn’t hesitate to make a few well placed phone calls to check interest of advertisers. It’s easy for me to get shows to air.
Anyway, just curious as I think there would be a market and your skills/competition sound interesting.