The Humble Marksman. Todd Burgreen. Wayne van Zwoll. Login Create Account. December 20th, By Handguns Mag. The series covers a range of personal defense and CCW topics. See links below for the earlier entries:. And, inevitably, the next question is, which is better? So, what is the difference, and which is better? A hammer-fired pistol has a trigger that releases as in the Range Officer Elite or both cocks and releases as with the XD-E in double-action mode a hammer to strike a firing pin.
That firing pin impacts the primer of the chambered round, causing the pistol to fire. A pistol like the is a single-action, which means that the trigger merely releases a cocked hammer. To effectively use this type of pistol for self-defense, that means it ideally should be carried with the hammer cocked and the manual safety engaged.
On the other hand, a pistol like the XD-E has a double-action trigger, which means that the gun can be carried with the hammer down, and a long and relatively heavy pull of the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer the XD-E also can be carried with the hammer cocked and the manual safety engaged. The advantage of a hammer-fired pistol is that they tend to be conducive to accurate shooting and can have very clean and crisp trigger pulls.
A striker-fired pistol is a different animal altogether. With this system, the striker inside the slide is under spring pressure. Live The Armory Life. The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun giveaways! The advantages of a striker-fired system is that they have far fewer moving parts, and often have numerous internal safeties built in that ensure they are very safe. They also tend to be a bit lighter, and are often found in polymer-framed pistols with the unique XD-E being an exception.
So, which is better? Both systems have their pros and cons, and their supporters and detractors. If you can, try both types out for yourself if you are looking to select one or the other in your next handgun. Or, just do what I did — buy one of each! Go to forum thread. These articles are considered to be suggestions and not recommendations from Springfield Armory. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Springfield Armory.
The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly giveaways! No account? Obviously, reading all of it would be a huge undertaking, but if there's a common theme - and everyone from Fairbairn and Sykes to Bill Jordan to Charlie Askins to Clint Smith to Massad Ayoob will say the exact same thing - it's that combat use of a wheelgun is double-action. Present, aim, and squeeze.
Cocking the hammer takes time you don't have in a gunfight. Yes, a 4-inch K-frame doesn't have the capacity of a Glock 19, but you can get shots on target just as fast. With practice, just as accurately. Just throw everything about single-action operation of a revolver in the trash bin of your mind for a moment. Up to six shots, fast, by drawing, aiming and squeezing the trigger. Simple, reliable, and deadly in practiced hands.
A hammerless revolver can also preclude certain legal entanglements if you have to use it in self-defense, though be sure to take that with a huge grain of salt. No matter what, a valid claim to self-defense is a valid claim of self-defense; if you shoot a person under circumstances that aren't, then you deserve the consequences.
There have been a few court cases wherein the prosecution made the trigger pull weight part of their argument for conviction. Let's pause for a moment and flesh that out. Imagine you're being posed with what appears to be a grave threat to your life.
You draw a typical revolver, aim it and cock the hammer. What will typically happen in this instance is your finger will naturally find the trigger. However, the person threatening you decides to wisely chicken out.
The finger of a trembling hand is resting against a trigger with a very light, very short pull. Do the math. In fact, this exact scenario, according to Massad Ayoob in GunDigest , was part of a number of court cases, including New York vs Magliato.
In that case, Magliato was convicted of murder, which was later reduced to manslaughter on appeal. Magliato cocked his J-frame revolver and fired at a man that was brandishing a nightstick, which is a weapon and thus is a threat to life and limb.
He claimed that while the danger was real, the shot that ultimately killed Anthony Giani was set off inadvertently by his finger trembling against the light single-action trigger. You can also see a good discussion of the case at SensibleSelfDefense. That case has been around for some time - it occurred in - and it's fairly well-known that Magliato had all the elements for a successful claim of self-defense. He erred by not calling police immediately afterward, and by using the single-action trigger.
In fact, squeezing the shot off with the double-action trigger alone might have kept him out of prison; his original conviction was basically for negligent homicide. Another selling point of the hammerless revolver is that they're easier and faster on the draw. There's no hammer to snag on clothing or elsewhere; you can pull it straight from your J frame holster or pocket holster and get it into the fight. Most revolvers sold sans hammer from the factory are snubbies, but an old gunfighter's trick is to grind off the spur of a service revolver's hammer.
There aren't any medium or full-size factory revolvers made in this fashion to our knowledge. Smith and Wesson briefly made a variant of their Model Thunder Ranch revolver with a de-spurred hammer, which couldn't be manually cocked.
Taurus Raging Bull. Is it safe to carry a revolver fully loaded? Why is there no safety on a revolver? How much is a Hammerless revolver? Can a revolver fire if dropped? Do revolvers jam? Is a 38 revolver good for self defense? What is a Spurless hammer revolver?
Can a revolver be both single and double-action? What is a side hammer? What are the 5 ruleS of gun safety? Are guns without thumb safety Safe? Can a revolver fire without pulling the trigger? Is 38 special more powerful than 9mm? Is a good for concealed carry? What is the highest capacity revolver? What is the best caliber for a revolver? What is the best gun for home defense? Are revolvers better for self-defense?
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