Striker Fire rather than Hammer Fire?

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dlombard

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Do we understand the reason many Smith & Wesson semiautomatics are typically Striker Fire? I began to notice that whether it's the newer Sigma/"SD" series or M&P, or the older Gen3 semiautos, they appear to be mostly Striker Fire. The only other "major" make along those lines is Glock. Otherwise, when I look at SIG Sauer or Beretta, their flagship model lines are Hammer Fire. I'm wondering about the history, if anyone knows it of why non-revolver S&Ws seem to be Striker Fire.

Could also be a misconception on my part as I'm not familiar with all non-1911 semiautos S&W has made in recent decades...

I'm also curious to know about any advantages and disadvantages as such beyond the obvious (i.e., you can--for whatever reason--take a DAO firearm and by cocking the hammer, simulate single action triggering if I'm not mistaken).
 
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There were no striker fired 3rd gen pistols. Perhaps you are thinking of the DAO models where the hammer is partially obscured by the slide.

Anyways, the striker fired guns are plastic and cheaper to make. Unlike Sig and Beretta, the current company calling itself s&w has chosen not to offer a hammer fired semi auto pistol, other than their 1911 line.

As far as I can tell, the appeal of the striker fired guns - to some - is their light weight, cheap price and "same trigger pull for every shot". Even though the pull is spongy or gritty. Regards 18DAI
 
Not much to add to 18DAI's response. The current industry trend is toward more plastic and more striker-fired pistols. S&W is already there, in with both feet. Sig is not that far behind. The P320 is said to show their future direction. Beretta is going down the plastic/striker-fired road as well. :o

Like it or not plastic and striker-fired is our future. :(

dlombard said:
You can--for whatever reason--take a DAO firearm and by cocking the hammer, simulate single action triggering if I'm not mistaken.
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I'd never even thought about that until I read your post this morning. :confused: I didn't think it possible but I decided to open up the safe and try it anyway rather than look foolish posting an incorrect response. :p I was right. It didn't work. :o Not with my DAO 3rd Gens anyway! :cool:
 
There are plenty of other striker fired guns aside from S&W and Glock. The only company I can think of of the top of my head that does not offer a striker is CZ.

All 3rd gens are hammer fired. Some are DAO and some are SA/DA. Some of the DAO have a flush hammer so they may spear to be striker fired.

Advantages are that you get a consistent trigger each and every time. DA/SA is typically 10 lbs pull on double action and somewhere around 5 lbs in single action. Strikers are all about 5lbs.

I like both but I like striker better. All hammer fired guns feel differently and I don't care for the trigger pulls. Beretta and CZ seem to be heavier than S&W 3rd gen or Sig. There is no consistency, for me anyway. I can pick up 5 different CZ or Beretta and each will feel like it has a different trigger pull weight in double action. S&W also seem smoother in their DA pull. Where as striker fired guns all feel the same......with a few exceptions lately being the HK VP, Sig 320 and Walther PPQ.

A lot comes down to what you want your gun to do and how you view it. If you're into target shooting, feeling your gun, playing with it then striker fired is probably not for you. If you view it as a training and self defense tool then you look at it more practically and performance trumps feelings

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I have a Ruger LC9S. Great trigger. Woudnt want it on my Model 52
or Model 41, but dont carry them. I like the Ruger even better than my
Gen 4 Glock, that has a very long trigger pull. Like someone said, what
all the major manufacturers are making is what you are going to buy.
I personally love my compact 9.
 
Call me an old curmudgeon but handguns have thumb cockable hammers and plastic is for the grips. I bought a Glock 21 and after a single full magazine at its first trip to the range, it went back to the store as a trade-in on a Sig 220. Did not enjoy my excursion into the land of plastic, striker fired handguns. Glad to be back into the land of metal frames and hammers!!!
 
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BigBoy99 said:
Call me an old curmudgeon but handguns have thumb cockable hammers and plastic is for the grips. I bought a Glock 21 and after a single full magazine at its first trip to the range, it went back to the store as a trade-in on a Sig 220. Did not enjoy my excursion into the land of plastic, striker fired handguns. Glad to be back into the land of metal frames and hammers!!!
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I guess we both are then; while I think you dislike them more than I do they are not my preference either.
 
I have and enjoy both...prefer the DA/SA of the earlier guns. The pull on a 39-2 in DA is similar to but heavier than my revolvers and I don't have any trouble with the first shot. Reset is outstanding on Smith's pre-fantastic plastic autos...if you haven't paid attention or had a chance to shoot one you may be surprised.

I'm a firearms enthusiast who's hobby happens to have self defense applications so I approach it from that angle. I will carry any of my guns and have confidence in my ability with both traditional DA or striker fired. Spend enough time behind most any gun and you can be proficient with it. :)
 
There are some outstanding striker fired pistols. The two that come to mind both have second (and subsequent) strike capability: with all variations of the Heckler & Koch P7s counting as one (all steel) and the Walther P99/S&W99 counting as the the other. All are accurate and have terrific triggers.
 
Many moons ago when the Glock was a new thing, my neighbor took me out to try his new glock wunder 9. My first impression was it had the worst trigger I had ever put a finger on. Fast forward to just a few years ago I decided to give the plastic wunder guns a second chance and picked up an M&P 45. The trigger was horrid, after a Burwell trigger job it was just atrocious. The gun itself worked well, and was acceptable in the accuracy dept. I eventually learned how to use the mushy trigger. When I had the chance to trade the M&P straight up for a DA/SA 4506 I jumped at the chance and never looked back.

It seems that the plastic striker fired guns with stamped sheet metal innards are here to stay, because they are cheap to make, there is a huge profit in it for the manufactures, and a large segment of the shooing population has come to believe that heavy mushy triggers are normal.
 
Smith357 said:
It seems that the plastic striker fired guns with stamped sheet metal innards are here to stay, because they are cheap to make, there is a huge profit in it for the manufactures, and a large segment of the shooing population has come to believe that heavy mushy triggers are normal.
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Amen. There's the long and short of it right there. :o
 
Smith357 said:
large segment of the shooing population has come to believe that heavy mushy triggers are normal.
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I don't see how they are mushy or heavy. 5lbs vs 10 lbs DA. Weight pull is the only thing that bothers me. 10 lbs should not be. It's stupid heavy for a defensive pistol, or target. I like my 5lbs or so consistent strickers. Don't notice mush or spongy or springy.

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Kahr striker fired pistols have a longer smooth pull;like a DA revolver only smoother. Also lower bore axis helps with muzzle flip.
 
An SD40VE is a Striker Fire pistol with a relatively heavy trigger pull of about 8lbs. and is called "SDT" ("Self-Defense" Trigger) by S&W, I suppose with the idea that you're not going to pull unless it's an SD situation. And then, if it is, the trigger weight isn't going to matter given the adrenaline inherent to the situation. Last thing a person would want to be, though, is confused by trigger travel and the change in weight. For instance, I Like the idea of a 92FS as an HD weapon. Except for the fact that unless you carry it cocked with the safety off (bad idea), the second trigger pull will be noticeably different than the first. Training is everything and so ultimately, I would imagine that's the sort of thing one learns to overcome... You know you're on pull #2, and, you're taking the safety off every time you draw. It's not as plug-and-play as your "just do it" style guns (like a Glock or the SD series S&Ws), so if that's what someone is looking for, I can imagine that Striker Fire would be their preference.
 
When God created the heaven and the earth there were Model 41s Model 52s L frame revolvers and 65 Mustangs. I have all of those, Then along came the plastic and bean counters and they said "no longer shall great things be built, because we cant make enough money on them and all those craftsman at ye Smith and Wesson are gone, and also people will buy crappy cars that all look alike, and they were pleased" And all the
people had to suffer. Thats the way it is folks. I love 50s music,60s cars
and all OLD guns. But I am old and when I die, everybody will say...
"what the hell was wrong with him?"
 
I was at the trap range a couple of days ago just for practice so I didn't know the guys I was shooting with. The round began and after the first clay the guy to my right complained to me that he thought they were flying too high and was looking for me to agree. There was a bit of a breeze in our face so I suppose they were lifting a little. I shrugged and my only comment was that we have to shoot the bird wherever it goes. He grumbled a couple of more times during the round and seemed irritated that the birds weren't flying "perfectly" to his expectation. After the round he was conversing with the puller about it and complaining that the last puller he had ruined his round and on and on. Apparently he can only shoot well when everything is perfect.

I say this in the context of triggers. There are as many different triggers as there are guns and while it is fine to have a preference it seems to me that a person can either shoot guns well or they can't. If a person can only shoot well with a gun that has a certain "perfect" trigger for them then I wouldn't call them good with guns...maybe good with their gun but not overall.

I own all different types of guns and enjoy the variety they offer. Nothing wrong with a favorite type of trigger but the world of guns is a lot more fun when you embrace them all! I shoot them all pretty well, too.:)
 
They'll look at your estate and say.....

Leon Narozny said:
When God created the heaven and the earth there were Model 41s Model 52s L frame revolvers and 65 Mustangs. I have all of those, Then along came the plastic and bean counters and they said "no longer shall great things be built, because we cant make enough money on them and all those craftsman at ye Smith and Wesson are gone, and also people will buy crappy cars that all look alike, and they were pleased" And all the
people had to suffer. Thats the way it is folks. I love 50s music,60s cars
and all OLD guns. But I am old and when I die, everybody will say...
"what the hell was wrong with him?"
Click to expand...

.."Nothing here but a lot of old stuff.":(
 
TTSH said:
Amen. There's the long and short of it right there. :o
Click to expand...

Not quite. While Sig did come out with the P320, they're still coming out with metal guns as well. The P210 is being rereleased later in the year and they're also a year out from restarting the Sig Mastershop in the US. That will bring a lot of X5s back to the market, possibly with a lower price like the P210.

Meanwhile, S&W is allergic to money. Unless of course every "operator" feels naked without their 460VXR or .500 mag. :confused:
 
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