Striker Fire rather than Hammer Fire?

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I won't own a striker fired handgun. Every one I've ever tried has had a terrible trigger that felt like plastic. I also like to see if a hangun is cocked. Not as obvious on a striker fired at a glance. Just my opinion from an old wood and steel guy.

Pretty much go along with this.

I would also add that the safety features and safe handling procedures of many hammer-fired guns are obvious and simple. I fully recognize that millions of LEOs carry striker-fired pistols, and very few of them have problems with them. Nevertheless, unlike LEOs, I don't have to carry a gun, at least not to keep my job. Therefore, I am not willing to take any more risk than necessary in handling the things. On most revolvers and hammer-fired autos, it is easy to control the hammer when holstering. Even on a newer Centennial, one can put a fingertip behind the trigger.

For everyday carry, I want a gun with hammer. I can get what I want.

 

[Rick_A]

Sig and Beretta have continued military usage spurring their sales. Some CZ's have NATO certification as well as a growing reputation for excellence in sporting circles as well as from owners. The prices seem to increase with the popularity.

Everything has a place. There's nothing wrong with diversity.

 

[Rick_A]

We have these between the wife and I.

A mix of single action, double action, and striker.

What they all have in common is they work and shoot well and are some of the best of their kind.
20160428_092713 (1) by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr
20160428_092059(1) by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

The safety concerns are completely unfounded. They're all as safe as their user. If a safety or decocker is required from a mechanical standpoint, so be it. If it isn't there's no point in having one.

 

[DanHend]

DanHend, what do you mean by a "full apex M&P a year ago"? Does that mean you bought an M&P and had a full Apex FSS trigger kit installed? I know that I bought the M&P Pro with the 5" barrel and had the Apex FSS trigger kit installed. I have no regrets and wouldn't trade it for any other striker fired gun on the market. Regards, Elliot45

I bought one that had the Apex DCEK and RAM. I had their flat trigger installed after I bought it. It was still... ok. It felt great in the hand, but was a so-so shooter. I ended up trading it in towards my Sig Legion SAO.

The PPQ is better in except for sights and accessories. It is more Glock 19-sized as opposed to the commander 1911-size of the M&P.

 

[mfholmes]

When the corporate entity calling itself S&W tried to develop a new generation of "safe" handguns that satisfied the gun control idiots and were jeered into submission by the real shooting sports buyers they settled instead on easy, cheap striker fired models with long mushy triggers. I love my Shield40 for its light weight and small size for EDC, but I consider it a "throwaway" that I wouldn't want to use beyond 15 feet. So when I take it to the range for a little target practice I also take my 3rd gen 5906 or a full size 1911 style Para Ordnance so that I feel like I've actually been doing some real shooting. The S&W striker fired lines are pretty much just cheap carry pieces that anyone can own without worrying about shooting themselves in the foot. Other than that, 18DAI pretty much said it all in the very first post.

 

[Model 15-4ever]

Back in the day.... when we were transitioning folks from the DA revolver to the DA/SA pistol (S&W 459, SIG P226), the most difficult teaching aspect was the two different trigger pulls of the DA/SA auto. Making two good shots at speed was very difficult for most shooters. Either the first shot was pulled, or the second one yanked due to the sudden difference in trigger travel. From a pure shooting standpoint, it is a foolish system. But under the shooting protocols of the time, it was designed to prevent accidental discharges.

I prefer the SAO 1911, but it is not for everyone. I also use the striker/poly guns and find them very efficient. My stock M&P45 shoots as well as my 1911s on combat courses of fire, although the 1911 carries concealed much better.

The SD9/40 has been mentioned. I like this pistol a lot as a polygun. The "self defense trigger" is indeed a piece of marketing gibberish to explain a very poor trigger. I generally stay away from aftermarket **** on firing mechanisms, but I did try an Apex trigger on the SD40 and it made all the difference. The trigger pull is now similar to a light DAO hammer pistol and very consistent. After hundreds of rounds it has been very reliable. Not an install for an amateur, however.

 

[macumazahn]

That's how I feel

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 too love old guns and old cars, there is nothing better than an all metal pistol or revolver, I have a weakness for all S&W 59 series pistols all generations, to me the last of the great pistols, besides plastic is what squirt guns are made of

 

[5Wire]

Some of the best and most reliable pistols manufactured have been striker fired beginning decades ago and there is nothing intrinsically cheap or shoddy about them either. What silliness.

Durability? Modern polymers used in high quality firearms may well outlast steel with much less maintenance and as Ruger demonstrated in a video—which I saw but cannot find— polymer can be harder to deform than steel but easier than steel to regain shape if deformed.

Something wrong with that?

 

[Arik]

Pretty much go along with this.

I would also add that the safety features and safe handling procedures of many hammer-fired guns are obvious and simple. I fully recognize that millions of LEOs carry striker-fired pistols, and very few of them have problems with them. Nevertheless, unlike LEOs, I don't have to carry a gun, at least not to keep my job. Therefore, I am not willing to take any more risk than necessary in handling the things. On most revolvers and hammer-fired autos, it is easy to control the hammer when holstering. Even on a newer Centennial, one can put a fingertip behind the trigger.

For everyday carry, I want a gun with hammer. I can get what I want.

Striker fired is pretty obvious and simple. It shoots when the trigger is pulled. Same as how do you know if an AR is chambered? You don't, you either check or you assume it is and don't pull the trigger

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[5Wire]

Striker fired is pretty obvious and simple. It shoots when the trigger is pulled. Same as how do you know if an AR is chambered? You don't, you either check or you assume it is and don't pull the trigger
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I have pistols with visible loaded chamber indicators and may also be sensible to the touch.

Some shoot if the striker is already cocked and a manual safety is off.

Some shoot by pulling the trigger, to fully cock and fire.

Some shoot by pulling the trigger, to fire and fully cock the striker.

Some don't shoot if a cocked striker is decocked and the trigger released.

Some don't shoot if a cocked trigger is decocked and a manual and/or grip safety is on.

Not to mention magazine disconnects.

Checking anyway is not a bad thing.

 

[Rick_A]

My wife has an M&P Shield. I have a compact 1911. Mine shoots noticeably smoother and is a little easier to shoot well...it also has a minor advantage in mechanical accuracy. That said it's bigger, ten ounces heavier, and much more difficult for the average person to field strip. The wrong magazine can completely ruin the reliability and regular recoil spring changes are much more critical.

Mine is an enthusiasts gun. Hers is simple, practical, half the price, and gets the job done just as effectively. Those two really contrast the difference between modern guns and the classics we all love.

There's nothing wrong with sticking to your guns and preferences...but let's not be so deluded as to think of the cheaper gun as any less a tool.

 

[goldenboy]

The 'hammer' doesn't look like a 'hammer' in my 5943. It looks like it's plastic and that it might hit a striker type thing. Is that right????

OK, what's the difference in reliability, repeatability and all of those other 'billities' between hammers and strikers? Which one works better and why???

Hammer hits the firing pin. Firing pin is different than a striker.

A firing pin is a lightweight part, which serves to transfer energy from a spring loaded hammer to the primer, while a striker is usually heavier, and is directly connected to the spring providing the energy to impact the primer. Strikers combine the functions of hammer and firing pin in one. Some firing pins are attached to the hammer, as in revolvers, because there is not sufficient space for a striker to be utilized.

 

[supervisor]

S&W Performance, H&K VP9, WaltherPPQ

Try any of these striker fired firearms and the trigger should make you say "these are excellent"
As a LEO I have carried the MP40 for 5 years. I'm in a 200+ man department and during last years qualifications there was not one misfire, stovepipe or any other problems and a lot of high scores. I think striker fired guns are a step up just like a percussion cap over a flintlock even though some will disagree. The ergonomics of the before mentioned MP is so far above our older S&W 59's it's not funny.

 

[supervisor]

Smith still makes great all metal revolvers in their classic series and they were made by craftsmen. As far as cars I remember my 1969 Chevelle SS began to rust out in three years but My 2001 GMC truck looks new. Don't confuse panacea with value.

 

[Gunsnwater]

Wasn't he all about the 1911 and, really, not a whole lot else?

Bren Ten, Scout and 1911

 

[BigBoy99]

I fear the day of the disposable hand gun is not far away, may even be here now.

They all are disposable!

Just ask the gang-banger who has just committed a murder and is running away, throwing his handgun into the storm sewer.

 

[TTSH]

Try any of these striker fired firearms and the trigger should make you say "these are excellent" As a LEO I have carried the MP40 for 5 years. I'm in a 200+ man department and during last years qualifications there was not one misfire, stovepipe or any other problems and a lot of high scores. I think striker fired guns are a step up just like a percussion cap over a flintlock even though some will disagree. The ergonomics of the before mentioned MP is so far above our older S&W 59's it's not funny.

Oh Lordy...

 

[Rickster49]

striker vs hammer fired pistols.....

Right off the bat I will admit that having a good to excellent trigger is a huge factor in my handgun shooting enjoyment...I will also agree that for a self defense pistol likely to be used at close range (say 20 feet or less) trigger action is not very important....That being said I MUCH prefer a double or single action semi auto pistol over striker fired. This is especially the case for plinking or target shooting at ranges over say 50 feet. Why is that? Because (in my experience) to get a good to excellent trigger break in the single action mode of a semi auto pistol is relatively easy to accomplish. I have experienced just the opposite with striker fired pistols. Now I really like my Smith MP40 and SD9VE pistols but I had to spend hours on the work bench just to get a decent trigger on those guns. Compared to my FNP 40 and Beretta Storm 9mm which had good triggers to begin with and excellent triggers after a little bench time. Thus, for me at least, I much prefer a DA or SA semi auto for most of the shooting I do....

 

[magicmanmb]

The only polymer pistols I own that are striker are SW99 in 9,45 & an M&P in .40SW that was issued. Triggers on the 99's are great M&P after a few hours and 500 rounds is still crappy & cheap feeling. I have gone to my 4506 & 1911 Rock Island because I fired it & it broke like glass. I just traded for a hammer fired FNP in .45 not even catalogued any longer but it's smoother than any Glock and as accurate as my CZ.
Friend tried to trade me a Glock23 for a PA63 in 9x18 and I said no thanks. I changed the springs on the trigger,

 

[Topgun434]

Everyone has a favorite, but after 10 rounds if you are a shooter, you are accurate with either.