Your pick, hammer or hammer less?

Definitely a hammer!

Both. But I do prefer striker fired over hammer for concealed carry.

Hammer

Hammers belong on revolvers (lol sorry). Most have some sort of visual or easier way to tell. My pps shows a red dot, my glock 36 is easier, the extractor protrudes and sliding trigger finger up a bit easily feels it. My ppq shows red at rear of extractor too but poor design as not visible in lower light.

The glock is easiest and way more effective than seeing a hammer but unlike a hammer when you feel the glock extractor u know it is ready to rock, a "cocked" hammer is just that, it tells you nothing about a round in the chamber.

You can de-cock, while loaded, with a hammer. You can tell if it's cocked, with a hammer.

Dibbs, yes but most except maybe 1911's would still go bang or not (you wouldnt know) if trigger is pulled. This is an interesting thread to me. Admittedly I am still too shy to carry anything with round in the chamber. Different thread though.

I can't make up my mind ..... Both have advantages and drawbacks. I like my Sig 365 but my 1911 and Sig 2022 also .....

Brutuskend said:

I prefur a hammer for "safety" reasons. Only because you can quickly tell if it's ready to rock.

You?

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Dibbs said:

You can de-cock, while loaded, with a hammer. You can tell if it's cocked, with a hammer.

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Now you guys got me thinking of single action Ruger MK and Browning Buckmark pistols.

Plus, true DAO pistols like my RM380 and many others.

Edit: Had to delete a whole post about revolvers LOL

For semi autos I like hammers

I own both types and like both types. If I could only onw one pistol though, it would be my Glock 19.

Hammer. Absolutely hammer. I don’t really even like a shotgun that’s hammerless. Bolt rifles I can tolerate because you see the end of the striker sticking out and know what your dealing with. Revolvers, semiauto handguns, lever guns...

I have both and I like both with my semi-automatics. No strong opinion either way.
Most of my revolvers do have an enclosed hammer, which I like for front pocket carry.

DAO hammer. Sadly there aren’t many to choose from these days.

Either one.

Gun designers moved away from exposed hammers on rifles and shotguns over 100 years ago for a lot of reasons. Striker fired long guns have long ago proven to be more reliable. The better question is why did manufacturers keep using them on pistols for so long. I understand revolvers, and have no issue with them on classic pistols like the 1911. I'm not interested in selling my classic pistols with hammers, but there is no reason to have them on a modern pistol.

I prefur a hammer for "safety" reasons.

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That hammer actually makes the gun more dangerous. There are more AD's with exposed hammer lever actions than all other types combined. Mostly when being unloaded or trying to un-cock them. Exposed hammers can catch on brush or clothing and allow the gun to be unintentionally cocked without the person carrying it knowing.

In true life or death struggles at face to face distances clothing or hair can get between the hammer and firing pin and prevent the gun from firing. If a gun is dropped in a struggle, or used as a club an exposed hammer can be damaged making the gun inoperable. An exposed hammer is another opening for dirt and debris to get into the guns internals and cause problems. Modern striker fired guns keep all of the moving parts protected inside of the gun with fewer openings for dirt to get inside.

you can quickly tell if it's ready to rock.

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All of my pistols are "ready to rock" all the time. No reason to look at a hammer, but I can look at either the trigger or loaded chamber indicator on my pistols if I want to.

LaneP said:

Either one.

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Ditto.

jmr40 said:

Striker fired long guns have long ago proven to be more reliable.

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Yep that's why ARs and AKs have hammers.

Hammer:

Virtually all my experience with autoloaders is with hammer-fireds, and most of them have had the hammers exposed and accessible. All of my guns that have done regular carry duty have hammers. My one striker-fired purchased for potential carry, a Taurus G2C, hasn't been tried out yet, despite my having gotten it maybe almost two years ago.

So, due to that familiarity, I prefer a hammer-fired auto. However, I really don't consider them to be "safer" in my hands than a properly-handled striker-fired would be.

Hammers are for revolvers, give me striker pistols any day.

I prefer DA/SA hammer fired pistols with decoker-only lever but in my little collection striker fired pistols balance the hammer fired ones.
1) SIG-Sauer P226 AL SO, DA/SA hammer fired with decoker-only lever.
2) Walther P99 AS, DA/SA striker fired with decoker-only button.
3) Taurus G3, SA/DA striker fired with external optional thumb safety lever.
4) Grand Power Q100, SAO striker fired without external safety lever.
5) Pardini GT9-1, SAO hammer fired with external thumb safety lever.
6) Norinco TT-Olympia, SAO hammer fired with external safety lever.

I have both and really don't have a preference. I will say that I've owned several hammer guns thatde-cock when you engage the safety, and after all these years without an incident, my backside still puckers watching the hammer fall knowing there is a live round in the chamber.

Both . Like front wheel drive vehicles, manufacturers don’t build striker fired firearms because there better , it’s because there cheaper to build .

For carry? Striker fired.

Hammers have their place. But it's a small place, and an unlikely situation that would make me prefer them.