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Originally Posted by Bill Douglas
Excuse my extreme ignorance... But.
What is the difference between a single action trigger and a double action trigger in a semi auto. I once used a revolver and I had to pull the trigger HARD to pull the hammer back and didn't like this action - is this related to single/double action?
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Double-action on a semi-auto means it can be fired with the hammer down. The trigger has several times the pull weight as on single-action, but cycles the hammer from down to back to down. Look at a standard 1911. You can only fire one with the hammer already back. Look at a standard SIG Sauer or H&K. Most of them can be fired either way (assuming there's a round in the pipe). With the modern handguns, there's usually a block in the firing pin so that it cannot move, even if dropped or the hammer drops, unless the trigger was pulled.
Now there are single-action only and double-action only semi autos. On a DAO, when you rack the slide back, the hammer automatically drops down when the slide returns. But because of the firing pin block, it's totally safe.