Never owned one but when I read about the Walther Q5 Steel Frame I went and placed an order. While at the gun store I picked up an HK VP9SK so I could start learning about these things. The first thing I noticed is that the striker has an indicator to show when the gun is “cocked”. What’s with that?

I’ll have to do some studying but isn’t a striker fired gun like a double action on the trigger pull? With a double action/single action one can let off the hammer, can one do that with a striker? I don’t like a safety and I rely on the double action as the safety. Is the striker like carrying cocked and locked with the safety on?

Don’t mean to start an argument about cocked and locked, I just don’t like it. Like I said, I will have to study a little but in the meantime I though I would get info from the Sf.

Striker fire guns almost all have some degree of "cocking", even Glock. The degree to which the striker is drawn back by the normal cycling of the gun varies from minor (Glock) to almost entirely cocked (XD). But it sure is less scary looking...

Well, I did some looking. These damn things are always (mostly) cocked and locked. I would never have guessed, now I got to find out how safe they are.

Almost all use some sort of drop safety. Many use a trigger safety. They're perfectly safe. There are millions in circulation and being carried by all manner of people all over without issue. The biggest downside over a DA/SA gun would be that the trigger requires less force and therefore if actuated accidentally, could go off more easily. Keep your fingers off of it and watch out for snags.

There's nothing inherently single or double action about striker guns. The Glock is especially a 1.5 action (partially precocked.) The Walther PPQ is (AFAIK), fully cocked, which is a big reason it's trigger is so good. I think the HK VP70Z (the first poly striker gun) was full DA. It had something like a 17 lb trigger pull.

I do find it annoying when the lawyers and marketing folks decide to call a single action gun double action only just because it's a striker. SIG P320 I'm talking about you.

I seriously doubt many lawyers or marketing folks could tell a sao from a da-sa from their sex organ.

What’s interesting is that the PPQ’s predecessor, the P99 did have a decocker in the AS trigger version. It could be fired in the normal striker fire mode, or decocked with a button on the slide and fired in double action mode.

The XD is 100% SAO. Pulling the trigger just releases the striker, it does not do any cocking like on a glock.

Can you even call them 'cocked and locked' since there is rarely a manual safety beyond a trigger dingleberry.

Safe, really? They've been used safely for DECADES. Besides, the shooter is the only "safety" that counts.

quote:

Originally posted by RichN:
I do find it annoying when the lawyers and marketing folks decide to call a single action gun double action only just because it's a striker. SIG P320 I'm talking about you.

Well I thought it was ATF back in the day that determined that Glocks were technically DAO. If the striker isn't full cocked upon chambering a round and it's the pulling of the trigger that completes the cocking of the striker, then "DAO" is about the only classification the action can be, whether it's Glock, SIG, S&W or whomever.

quote:

Originally posted by ACP1:
Well, I did some looking. These damn things are always (mostly) cocked and locked. I would never have guessed, now I got to find out how safe they are.

Google Glock leg.

Bob

Yes, Glock leg. A condition caused by the shooter prematurely engaging the trigger. Duh.

I agree that some people are simply not competent enough to handle a pistol without a manual safety. They should carry rocks instead, but they'd probably whine after dropping a rock on their foot.

So...Should revolvers also be avoided for safety's sake? I have a particular one that has a double action weight of pull that is just about equal to a stock third gen Glock.

My one Glock and my CZP10C are plenty safe for my needs.

I love the ability to go 'cocked and locked' on some steel pistols I own, but they should not be compared with striker fired, plastic pistols .

quote:

Originally posted by soggy_spinout:

quote:

Originally posted by RichN:
I do find it annoying when the lawyers and marketing folks decide to call a single action gun double action only just because it's a striker. SIG P320 I'm talking about you.

Well I thought it was ATF back in the day that determined that Glocks were technically DAO. If the striker isn't full cocked upon chambering a round and it's the pulling of the trigger that completes the cocking of the striker, then "DAO" is about the only classification the action can be, whether it's Glock, SIG, S&W or whomever.

But on the P320, and some others, the pull of the trigger does not cock the striker. The striker is already fully cocked and pulling the trigger only releases it. Saying that all strikers are double action is like saying all hammer fired guns are single action. One has nothing to do with the other.