When a firearm cycles it goes through the process neccasary to fire. Step 1. A round is loaded into the firing chamber. 2. The trigger is pulled / fire sear disengages. 3 firing pin falls to strike the primer. 4. The cartridge fires. 5. Spent casing is ejected manually or mechanically. 6. Refer back to step 1.
In the case of semi automatic pistols all steps are mechanical except the intial loading and the pulling of the trigger, these REQUIRE human intervention in the cycle. It is easy to tell when a semi auto pistol cycles properly because you can see the slide (the long top half) of the firearm push to the back (ejecting spent casing) then ram forward (loading next cartridge into firing chamber). This is usually pretty hard to see with the naked eye but when slowed down it becomes very obvious.
I'm a little rusty when it comes to guns, but doesn't a double action pistol explain sequential shots? Or are you solely referring to the fact that you cant see the shell eject? Because (personally) I wouldn't trust a cellphone camera to catch something like that.
No on the 1st and I have a lot of doubts about the camera phones on the 2nd. To clear up some of your 'action problems', to put it poorly, i present to you the following.
I will miss a spots here and there but i will give you the summary of "Actions" (those in the know, correct where needed).
SAO, Single Action Only... think of wild west revolver or the ubiquitous model 1911 (world war 2 pistol). The hammer (spur above the hand) had to be manually pulled back (cocked) to fire each self-contained cartridge (cartridge or round from here on out). The 1911 had to be cocked only for the initial firing of the first round. The pull of the trigger on both firearms resulted in a Single Action of dropping the hammer/ firing pin to hit the primer and ignite the process which propels the projectile.
DAO. Double Action Only... google Sig 250... all DAO have an inaccessible hammer or in some cases no hammer at all. The reason for this is because of its nature, the DAO does not require any manual manipulation of the "hammer" to fire besides loading a round into the firing chamber (pulling the slide pack with a loaded magazine). The magic, again, takes place during the trigger pull. As the shooter pulls the trigger the mechanisms and linkages work together to 1st cock back the hammer/ firing pin and the 2nd stage of the trigger pull is to release the hammer/firing pin. BOOM! (pun) You have your two actions and only two.
SA/DA. Single Action & Double Action (notice the absence of "only"). this is basically a hybrid of the two. Most Sig pistols and a lot of the cool HK, FN pistols have this. Simple, best of both worlds... to some.
Striker Fired! To get you started, the pull of the trigger is necessary for the firearm to 'fire' not saying the other actions are any different but the specific design is to make sure HUMAN intervention is REQUIRED for ignition or else it is negligence on the part of 1 of 3 parties. Here is a type of action that seems new and cool and EVERYWHERE (GLOCK) but has been around as long as the Colt 1911. The details of striker fired pistols are a tad more involved in their mechanisms and workings as machines than i care to go into (so many varieties) that i would rather point you and your google-fu in the direction of "Striker Fired Pistols". To name a few but not all Glock, SW M&P, Springfield XD, SW, Sigma, Kahr Arms, Kel-Tec and many many others.
None of the above actions or firearms are more dangerous than the other. THEY ARE ALL DANGEROUS IN UNSAFE AND IRRESPONSIBLE HANDS.
view the rest of the comments →
wild_injun ago
When a firearm cycles it goes through the process neccasary to fire. Step 1. A round is loaded into the firing chamber. 2. The trigger is pulled / fire sear disengages. 3 firing pin falls to strike the primer. 4. The cartridge fires. 5. Spent casing is ejected manually or mechanically. 6. Refer back to step 1.
In the case of semi automatic pistols all steps are mechanical except the intial loading and the pulling of the trigger, these REQUIRE human intervention in the cycle. It is easy to tell when a semi auto pistol cycles properly because you can see the slide (the long top half) of the firearm push to the back (ejecting spent casing) then ram forward (loading next cartridge into firing chamber). This is usually pretty hard to see with the naked eye but when slowed down it becomes very obvious.
deathcomesilent ago
I'm a little rusty when it comes to guns, but doesn't a double action pistol explain sequential shots? Or are you solely referring to the fact that you cant see the shell eject? Because (personally) I wouldn't trust a cellphone camera to catch something like that.
wild_injun ago
No on the 1st and I have a lot of doubts about the camera phones on the 2nd. To clear up some of your 'action problems', to put it poorly, i present to you the following.
I will miss a spots here and there but i will give you the summary of "Actions" (those in the know, correct where needed).
SAO, Single Action Only... think of wild west revolver or the ubiquitous model 1911 (world war 2 pistol). The hammer (spur above the hand) had to be manually pulled back (cocked) to fire each self-contained cartridge (cartridge or round from here on out). The 1911 had to be cocked only for the initial firing of the first round. The pull of the trigger on both firearms resulted in a Single Action of dropping the hammer/ firing pin to hit the primer and ignite the process which propels the projectile.
DAO. Double Action Only... google Sig 250... all DAO have an inaccessible hammer or in some cases no hammer at all. The reason for this is because of its nature, the DAO does not require any manual manipulation of the "hammer" to fire besides loading a round into the firing chamber (pulling the slide pack with a loaded magazine). The magic, again, takes place during the trigger pull. As the shooter pulls the trigger the mechanisms and linkages work together to 1st cock back the hammer/ firing pin and the 2nd stage of the trigger pull is to release the hammer/firing pin. BOOM! (pun) You have your two actions and only two.
SA/DA. Single Action & Double Action (notice the absence of "only"). this is basically a hybrid of the two. Most Sig pistols and a lot of the cool HK, FN pistols have this. Simple, best of both worlds... to some.
Striker Fired! To get you started, the pull of the trigger is necessary for the firearm to 'fire' not saying the other actions are any different but the specific design is to make sure HUMAN intervention is REQUIRED for ignition or else it is negligence on the part of 1 of 3 parties. Here is a type of action that seems new and cool and EVERYWHERE (GLOCK) but has been around as long as the Colt 1911. The details of striker fired pistols are a tad more involved in their mechanisms and workings as machines than i care to go into (so many varieties) that i would rather point you and your google-fu in the direction of "Striker Fired Pistols". To name a few but not all Glock, SW M&P, Springfield XD, SW, Sigma, Kahr Arms, Kel-Tec and many many others.
None of the above actions or firearms are more dangerous than the other. THEY ARE ALL DANGEROUS IN UNSAFE AND IRRESPONSIBLE HANDS.