Hammer vs. Striker

[JazzyVol]

How do you prefer to punch your primers?

i’m strictly a Hammer fan for a few reasons but am curious about the grass on the other side and who likes what and why. Do striker fired folks swing both ways or are they striker only?

Cheers,

JV

[Snaveba]

I have both and like both. 

[JazzyVol]

1 minute ago, Snaveba said:

I have both and like both. 

If you had to choose only 1???

[Erik88]

I only own striker fired handguns but there are several CZ's with a hammer I would love to have.

[Garufa]

I don’t have a preference as long as the primer is ignited.

That being said, out of the box hammer fired pistols are far easier to shoot resulting in much better accuracy…for me.

[JazzyVol]

1 minute ago, Erik88 said:

I only own striker fired handguns but there are several CZ's with a hammer I would love to have.

Most of my handguns are CZs or CZ clones(Canik/Tristar). I generally like to tweak and fiddle with stuff and after a little polishing and internal swaps they can achieve some truly incredible triggers! Highly recommend!

[JazzyVol]

1 minute ago, Garufa said:

I don’t have a preference as long as the primer is ignited.

That being said, out of the box hammer fired pistols are far easier to shoot resulting in much better accuracy…for me.

Samesies!

[tercel89]

The only strikers I have now are Glock and SW. My "go to" pistols are Glocks but my hammer guns by Beretta , CZ , and Ruger are just as reliable.  So I guess I go both ways . 

[JazzyVol]

5 minutes ago, tercel89 said:

The only strikers I have now are Glock and SW. My "go to" pistols are Glocks but my hammer guns by Beretta , CZ , and Ruger are just as reliable.  So I guess I go both ways . 

Whatever floats your boat my dude!

[Danger Rane]

As long as it makes the bangy thing go bang I don’t care. I have both, though at the moment my striker fired outnumber my hammer fired 2:1, so I guess my preference swings that way.

[Snaveba]

If I had to choose, it would be hammer fired because if I could only have one pistol, it would be a 1911. 

[Grayfox54]

I had to stop and think about this. With handguns I'm mostly a revolver and 1911 kinda guy.  I realize that almost none of my handguns are striker fired. Even the "hammerless" models are actually just hidden hammers. 

Ok, wait a minute, I got a couple of pocket .25s that are striker fired. I guess that counts. 

[RED333]

My carry is a striker, hammers are for nails!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bigun]

4 hours ago, RED333 said:

My carry is a striker, hammers are for nails!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Striker are for matches and bowling 

[Grayfox54]

11 hours ago, RED333 said:

My carry is a striker, hammers are for nails!!!

Yep, my hammers nail 'em! 

[et45]

I like 1911s and Glocks equally.I bought my first 1911 in 87 and my first Glock in 90.I have around 4-5 of each at the moment.I’ve owned various DA/SAs and striker fired pistols over the years,I’ve even went down the BHP rabbit hole a couple times but I settled on the 1911 and Glock platforms as my go to pistols. 

[Moped]

I have both in my rotation and I don't notice the difference.  I also have revolvers and semi-autos in my rotation.

[scatman]

Owned and shot both for plenty of time, it really comes down to personal preferences. Hammer actions tend to have more reliable safety measures, as well as overall longevity, but striker actions, in the last 5 years especially, have proven to be just as reliable. It really comes down to manufacturers in my opinion. Certain companies produce better styles, for instance, and this isn't me putting this firearm down at all, but when I think of Taurus, I don't think of their semiautos like the G- series, I think of their revolvers, and in my experience I find Taurus to be lacking in the quality department on semis. Glock, as well as Smith and Wesson, are some the best striker actions I've owned. Hammer actions: Sig, HK, CZ, any 1911, are some of the best hammer action semis.

Edited August 21, 2022 by scatman

[JustEd]

Striker for carry 

Hammer for range

Although for IDPA  striker still wins. That is because the precise light trigger pull of a hammer fired gun is of small value when running and gunning   Not having to deal with an external safety while drawing or holstering is an advantage  — for me at least

JMO, your mileage Mary vary

[Choatecav]

6 hours ago, JustEd said:

Striker for carry 

Hammer for range

Although for IDPA  striker still wins. That is because the precise light trigger pull of a hammer fired gun is of small value when running and gunning   Not having to deal with an external safety while drawing or holstering is an advantage  — for me at least

JMO, your mileage Mary vary

I own lots of both hammer and striker.  Personal preference, I like the hammer style (ie. CZ, Sig, etc.) best but I think JustEd has summarized my overall view, quite well.

[Defender]

Prefer hammer, but have both and my current EDC is striker as is my backup.

[Chucktshoes]

Hammers are for pleasure but strikers are for serious purposes. 

[kwe45919]

All striker, all the time. Last hammer style pistol carried was probably 20yrs ago......

My papaws service S&w 19-2 is my only hammer and it's in my dads safe.

[JustEd]

Just to complicate matters, cause I'm good at that;  Is your striker fired gun fully or partially cocked with a round in the chamber?  65%-98%-100%

I know my 1911's are fully cocked, unless I put them in the half-cocked position.

Yeah...too much time on my hands.

 

To the OP, it doesn't really matter if you shoot the gun well.  And feel safe carrying it with a round up.

[aknifemaker]

I grew up with and prefer Hammer fired, but my EDC is striker fired, go figure. There is just more of a selection of nice small EDC striker fired guns available now, so as long as the gun works and shoots well no big deal. I do like an external safety though other than that trigger thing.