HAMMER FIRED V/S STRIKER FIRED PISTOLS

[Jeet3]

Dear friends,

I am personally a fan of the hammer fired pistols and yet I have both kind of pistols:

My Stoeger Cougar 9mm 1.gif

AND

Raven P25.jpg

What kind is your preference? Kindly shed some of your knowledge on this subject.

HERE ALSO IS A VIDEO FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION



Thanks all.

[dr.jayakumar]

Though i have tried very few handguns,i prefer a hammer fired pistol than a striker.maybe the looks?
regards
dr.jk

[saleem]

Nice and informative video but i would like to add further that one other reason for hammered pistols being more popular is that if you are carrying a round in the chamber, all you have to do is pull the hammer back with your thumb and shoot. This is particularly useful when one is preoccupied with some other job like driving etc.

[Jeet3]

Nice and informative video but i would like to add further that one other reason for hammered pistols being more popular is that if you are carrying a round in the chamber, all you have to do is pull the hammer back with your thumb and shoot. This is particularly useful when one is preoccupied with some other job like driving etc.

Saleem,

The Stoeger that I have (picture posted above)can be used in DA mode upon going from safe mode to fire with the decocker lever for the first round in the breach, therefore I do not have to cock the hammer. The subsequent shots are the in semi-auto mode as you keep pressing the trigger. Upon firing the final round or when I want to cease firing I can simply use the decocker again and bring the gun back to safe non-firing mode while de-cocking the hammer.

[Mark]

It can be argued that from a practical or functional point of view there is really no difference between the two. You can debate on the merits of single action vs double action, but both types of guns can use a striker or a hammer. Personally, I have both types of handguns so I can't really choose one over the other. Not counting my muzzle loading rifles, only 2 of my other rifles have external hammers.

[Jeet3]

Mark,

My query was also in order to know how safe are blowback / striker fired systems in comparison to hammer fired?

Kindly put some more light into this. The above is the reason which is keeping me from buying a Glock or a Ruger.

Thanks.

[Mark]

In regards to safety, on design will be as safe as another. I sup pose I could say that I do like a manual safety and am not a fan of the Glock type of system that just has the safety built into the trigger, but there are literally millions of happy glock owners out there so while it may be my opinion it may not be accurate.

As I mentioned earlier, no one ever even suggests rifles with external hammers are better or worse/ more or less safe than ones without hammers and I suspect it is the same with handguns.

[Jeet3]

In regards to safety, on design will be as safe as another. I sup pose I could say that I do like a manual safety and am not a fan of the Glock type of system that just has the safety built into the trigger, but there are literally millions of happy glock owners out there so while it may be my opinion it may not be accurate.

Yeah. Like dropping the gun and finding out you can no more have kids. That is my concern, not that I am getting married any soon or later Mark!

[Mark]

Jeet,, in regards to getting accidentally dropped a striker fired gun is most often safer than one with an external hammer that is liable to get a strike when it hits the ground.

[Jeet3]

Thanks....Mark. I have hammer fired Stoeger. Wow! I have to be careful now that you have warned me. Thanks my friend.

God Speed

[xl_target]

I don't believe Mark was telling you that your Cougar is necessarily more unsafe than striker fired guns. He was just mentioning that an exposed hammer can be impacted if the gun is dropped. Some older hammer fired handguns could go off if dropped in this way. Most modern handguns cannot.

Your Cougar has a mechanical firing pin block that is pushed out of the way only when the trigger is pulled all the way back. Only at this time will be firing pin be free to move and strike the primer. At all other times, there is a piece of metal that intrudes into a cutout in the firing pin, preventing it from moving forward. Now mechanical systems can always fail but if you keep your finger off the trigger till you are lined up on the target, your gun cannot go off by itself.

[Jeet3]

As I have said before XL, you are THEEEEEEEEEEEEEE' best. Thanks a billion my friend. Mark was truly right as well and I do owe him one. Yet XL, how truly safe are blowback / striker fired guns? Is there a firing pin block or something that can keep them from an accidental discharge? Could you explain or post me a URL which can in fact explain how these mechanisms work? I am planning on signing up for a gun-smithing course as well. Would you have any suggestions?

Thanks XL

[xl_target]

Not all striker fired handguns use the blowback design. Most modern striker fired handguns like the Glock, use a locked breech type of system that does not require the high slide mass of a typical blowback gun like a Hi-Point. For that reason most blowback guns are generally only made in smaller calibers or else they would require large weighty slides like the Hi-Point.

Yes there are firearms that are inherently unsafe but almost any firearm made in the last 30 or so years can be considered reasonably safe.

There is no reason why one type of gun should be more safe or unsafe than the other. How safe any firearm is depends on the safety features that a manufacturer incorporates into the design. One should evaluate the design and features of any firearm depending on how it will be used. A firearm that can be used perfectly safely on the range might cause issues when carried concealed. One should evaluate the suitability of each firearm depending on how it is going to be used and how the manufacturer has designed it.

That being said, the biggest cause of unsafe actions performed with any firearm is the user who violates one, or all four of the rules of firearms safety. Unfortunately many gun owners today have no clue about the four rules of firearms safety.

[soul]

This is very subjective and based on individual preference. Both have their strong followers.

I started with striker fired handguns, predominantly polymer based such as Glocks, Sig, Springfield, HKs. Initially lack of traditional safety was a concern, but the simplicity of these guns is one plus especially when its a carry gun. At one end you have double action, heavy trigger based guns with no safety then you have Glock like trigger safety, then trigger plus grip safety in Springfield XDM, then manual safety. If basic safety rules are followed, there is no safety issue as such.

My personal issue with double action, hammer fired guns is the long take-up of the trigger and the hesitation of hammer dropping. It seems to affect accuracy for me, but it seems to work out well for others.