Why the dislike for striker fired pistols?

I've never owned a newer plastic gun. My dad has an XD and an S&W Sigma, both in 9mm, that I've shot a fair bit. A friend also had an M&P Pro 9mm that I shot a little bit.

There's a lot to like about all of these guns-they hold a lot, go bang every time with pretty much everything they are fed, are easy to maintain, and shoot where they are pointed.

All of that aside, they don't do anything for me. The Pro 9 had the best trigger I've ever tried on a plastic gun, but it was still nowhere near as good a single action revolver. The XD trigger is okay, and the Sigma trigger can only be described as awful.

At the end of the day, I don't get excited over them and there are other things that I'd rather spend my money on.
 
I've owned 3 glocks a 19 and 2 26s and I think 2 or maybe it was 3 kahrs......over the past 20-25 years.........

No hate ...... just "no like".......

the Glocks "seemed" too thick and chunky; especially the 26s....

the Kahr's I had were sized for pocket carry..... but I never mastered "pocket carry w/ Wrangler's.....LOL.. Khar in a belt holster.....??????..........might as well just carry my old faithful 3913 in a Sparks Summer Special...


...always went back to my 3913/14s and 2-3 " inch K-frames.....for carry guns

I started out shooting with K-frame Smiths.......shooting all double action and I like the long double action pull on my "civilian" carry guns.
 
Because I'm old school. ;)

I only have one polymer pistol, an HK USP .45

It's Hammer Time!!!
 
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That's because you have the wrong background. However, it is very easy to read a post in ANY color, simply by highlighting it.

I think that that should make the color a non-issue.

Actually, it's because he has the correct background to see white, as do I. Your purple, not so much.
 
THANKS guys! But, wrong background? Background appears grey with white text here on my laptop...signed-in or not. The options area above the "Message:" box I'm typing in right now shows "Verdana", "3" and the "A" over a heavy black line...which I thought weird. Oh, and I've never made any changes either, so I assumed...yea, bad word ;), that's the default :o. No? BTW, reinforcing that assumption...there I go again ;), is the fact that my Droid phone, my wife's desktop and a third computer ALL appear the same: grey background/white text...again, signed-in or not.

OP, apologies for the drift :o.....
 
Both sides of this issue have been pretty much raised on this thread. Having used a Glock, I know it has some great qualities, plus I tend to shoot pretty well with it. That said, it's a gun that probably should be carried without a round in the chamber and stored that way as well. And though I normally don't like magazine safeties, the Glock should probably have one. If, in a scuffle for your gun, the magazine safety lets you hit the magazine release, then the gun can't be used against you. When cleaning the gun, it also would prevent accidental discharges once the magazine was removed. An external safety on the Glocks seems like an obvious good idea, as well, but Glock has consistently resisted it. But why? Cocking the gun and walking around in ready condition with the pistol stuffed in a holster seems to me to be an accident waiting to happen. This is what many gun owners find unsettling about concealed carry and striker-fired pistols in general. On the cheaply made striker-fired Raven .25acp and Jennings J-22 pistols (both excellent pistols capable of great reliability), the manufacturers were very adamant about not walking around with the pistols in ready condition. You carried it until you needed it, then you jacked a round into the chamber. Keeping the firing pin spring under constant compression didn't seem like a good idea.

Hammer-fired guns are much better designed guns, but more expensive to make, yet I see plastic striker-fired guns with no effective safeties going for at least as much as good hammer-fired pistols. The logic of that, frankly, eludes me. A hammer blow by a high density spring (similar to that in a revolver) seems to be an obviously better idea than using a design that incorporates a long, low density spring that requires more frequent replacement. Then comes the safety issue. I just don't see any advantage of carrying a striker-fired pistol, personally, but they're here to stay.

By the way, regarding the fellow who accidentally shot himself in the car with a Glock and lived, here's a story from 2011 where the Glock owner wasn't so lucky.

A Spotsylvania County man inadvertently shot and killed himself Sunday in the parking lot of a Giant food store where he and his family had gone to return a movie, authorities said.

The 45-year-old man apparently reached down to buckle or remove his seatbelt and inadvertently pulled the trigger on a Glock 40-caliber handgun he was carrying, said Capt. Elizabeth Scott, the public information officer for the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

The weapon fired a round into his hip, delivering what would prove to be a fatal wound, Scott said.

“He’s undergoing an autopsy right now, but ... it obviously hit a major artery,” Scott said.

The man had gone to the Giant store, in a shopping center at the intersection of Plank Road and Harrison Road, about 4:45 p.m. Sunday to return a movie to a Redbox kiosk, Scott said. She said his wife got out of the van to drop off the movie, but at least two children were inside when the round was fired.
Again, these types of discharges just don't happen with hammer-fired pistols, or even striker-fired pistols that don't put the "safeties" on the trigger. These things should prompt Glock and other manufacturers to put real safeties on their pistols. Just jack a round into the chamber, activate the safety and snap it off if you have to fire.

.
 
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Where should I start?

1. To me, a Glock/MP/Springer striker fired handgun is like packin' a M70/77/98/700 type action in a pistol without a safety in a thing hangin' on your belt. The rifles mentioned have a manual (blocking) safety that holds the striker from following forward. The G/M/S don't.

I'm scared of the striker pistolas! I don't trust them to hold the striker back in case of an impact of any sort.

The Glocker's say that there IS A SAFETY (in the trigger face that ONLY blocks the trigger when the so called "Safety" is depressed before the trigger is pulled (gimme a friggin' break, the fargin' striker can still release if the "SAFETY" is depressed or not!!!!!!)

While I do admit that I can shoot my buddy's G17 REAL WELL, I'll take a hammered gun any day.

I shoot G's/MP's/S's well, but I shoot M39/59 Smiths, 1911's, BHP'sand Sig's better.

Don't even get me started on the "Polymer" BS!

Bye the way, the ONLY reason Mfg "G" has never lost a lawsuit is because they pay out big time in settling lawsuits BEFORE they go to court. Show me a case where Mfg "G" has EVER won a lawsuit!
 
People get very opinionated the more they learn about the fire control systems of firearms. Personally, I've never been a fan of striker fired pistols, but Glock has certainly proved that the design can be hugely successful. Just about every large mfr. is building a SFP (striker fired pistol) these days.

I'm an old timer and started with revolvers in the 60's. Back then some people thought that you should never carry a round under the hammer because some single action revolvers could be fired by a sharp blow to the hammer. Hammer blocks have been around for a long time but I still hear that occasionally.

I was in the military for awhile and they trained us to carry our side arms in condition 3 even though the 1911 has a safety. Now just about everyone carries in condition 1. Obviously the common wisdom today is a 1911 is safe to carry in C1 when you would be put on report for that in the 60's. I used to hunt a lot when I was in high school and I never carried a rifle or shotgun with a round in the chamber. I always waited until I had game in view, or my dog told me to go to C1. I still do that.

Now I'm not seeing any safeties on the new SFP's and that concerns me. Just because people have accepted that as the norm doesn't mean it's a good idea. I think SFP's have become popular for several reasons. The reason, I believe, is they are less expensive to build and require less training to use at a basic level. SFP's have already been received well by LE agencies who have shrinking budgets and civilians who want inexpensive pistols. The military probably won't spec a SFP without a safety but I'm just guessing here.

I've noticed that cars are still built with mechanical e brakes and aircraft have redundant hydraulic systems. Does anyone wonder why?
 
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“Why the dislike for striker fired pistols?” you ask:

Unfortunately it often seems to be a matter of stubborn hidebound ignorance, with an...all too frequent, streak of combative arrogance :p:D

Then there's the seemingly ceaseless, overenthusiastic, ignorantly myopic prattle of the endless procession of Glock fanbois that seem to enflame some into…just as mindless, counter-action :p:D

There are also those who are so absolutely brilliant as to know just about…alright not just about, EVERYTHING there is to know about every gun of every type and description. Such individuals…of-course, have what mere mortals would call an opinion…about every gun of every type and description. These individuals are eager to nit-pick at anything with pronouncements…not opinions mind you, pronouncements, as if said pronouncements were a word for word quote from the tablets some bearded dude in a robe brought down from a mountain somewhere east of here…a long time ago :p:D

There is a pseudo-sub-set of the above…sitting all alone in the basement of mom’s house in their underwear, who’ve randomly adopted this subject and through the anonymity of the internet, can and do post as if they are actually someone the masses should listen to…all because they possess the kind of Google Foo that enables them to argue anything at any time on the internet…and back it up with Wiki-references :p:D

There's also the segment that...having become almost semi-proficient with a particular type of pistol become frustrated when they can't "perform" to the same imagined level of proficiency...immediately upon picking up a striker fired plastic fantastic, so they naturally blame the striker fired plastic fantastic :p:D

An additional segment...sometimes confused with the previous group, are those who actually might have spent some time at International/Bullseye/2700 games who have convinced themselves that even duty/defensive pistols must have a 2 to 3 ½ lb. short stroke trigger with an overtravel stop...that breaks like the proverbial glass rod :p:D

Finally, there are the desperate attempts by some to conceal the very fact that they're actually terrified of the most popular duty/defensive pistol out there :p:D

Did I miss anyone :p;):D

You seem to have analyzed just about everyone but yourself. But then people who do that generally don't like looking in the mirror. ;)
 
“Why the dislike for striker fired pistols?” you ask:

Unfortunately it often seems to be a matter of stubborn hidebound ignorance, with an...all too frequent, streak of combative arrogance... :p:D
Read the whole post, and I suddenly feel so...so enlightened...:)

I've owned a couple of Glocks (second generation) that I liked very well but but had to sell for financial reasons, and a Kel-Tec P32 I couldn't shoot worth a damn but thought was a decent backup gun for the money.

I have nothing against striker-fired pistols. In my old age I only own revolvers and prefer them, but if I had the money I'd probably have at least one SFP and some Smith traditional DA/SA's.

Maybe that qualifies as stubborn, hidebound wishy-washiness. :rolleyes::D
 
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You seem to have analyzed just about everyone but yourself. But then people who do that generally don't like looking in the mirror. ;)
I wouldn't take things that seriously, here. If there's a market for a gun, people will buy it. I just think that Glock is making a serious mistake by not putting an external safety on their guns. Why would they resist?

Glocks have been frozen in the ground, boiled in water, dragged on concrete and asphalt, thrown out of helicopters and left in sea water. Very impressive EXCEPT that it's prone to accidental discharges. Why? Because the ONLY safety on the gun is on the TRIGGER. If one takes a Smith & Wesson 645 hammer-fired auto, cocks the gun with one round in the chamber and the hammer back, is it safe to carry?

No! Because someone/something might accidentally hit the trigger, causing an accidental discharge. But what if Smith & Wesson removed the external safety and put one on the trigger? Would that make the loaded and cocked pistol safe to carry? Although I couldn't get my Smith to accidentally "discharge" (as mine was not loaded and the takeup was not crisp and immediate) I still would not feel comfortable carrying it. Nor do I think Glock owners would be comfortable carrying the Smith that way.

That said, what they're doing by carrying their Glocks with a round up the snoot and only a light pull of the trigger to trip it is pretty much the same. If you Glock owners don't agree, take a look around the Internet and see what kind of accidental discharges people with Glocks are experiencing. Why the company isn't sued more often is beyond me.
 
I've got a Kindle and am reading a book entitled GLOCK: AMERICA'S HANDGUN by Paul Barrett. It's not just a glowing story about the development and rise of the Glock pistol, it was an embarrassingly suck-up work that ballyhoos all the good points of the gun while ignoring all the negative aspects. You can drop it and it won't go off, Barrett reports, unless, of course, you drop it and instinctively try to catch it and accidentally hit the trigger as at least one police officer has done and which resulted in his death. Barrett also declared that Glock didn't have an external safety so as not to confuse its users. Really? This from the same people who say users can be trained to use one of the most simple but complicated (and dangerous) pistols on the planet! He also reports Glock's humongous disdain for the American revolver.

Striker-fired pistols are popular with manufacturers because they're cheap to make and rely wholly on springs, which require frequent replacement. Like many Europeans, they completely discount both the power and durability of the revolver itself, insisting on calling all autos "pistols" and all revolvers "revolvers."
 
P

I've noticed that cars are still built with mechanical e brakes .....

Increasingly not so, much to my chagrin. My SUV has a proper between the seats handbrake, but the one on my car is some kind of electronic gadget. If it hangs up there is a protracted procedure involving partial dismantling of the console to release it. Good luck with that on a rainy night far from home.
 

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