Exactly how does a striker-fired weapon work?

[Nightcrawler]

Somebody asked me this and I don't have an answer.

How, exactly, does a striker fired weapon work? What steps are in between the pulling of the trigger and the firing pin hitting the primer?

What's the difference between the XD and the Glock?

 

[hksw]

Basically, instead of a hammer falling and hitting a firing pin which flies forward to hit the primer, there is no hammer, the firing pin (striker) is under spring tension, and when released, the firing pin flies forward to hit the primer.

The Glock's striker is 'half-cocked'. That is, it is partially drawn back of its full rearward travel. The trigger finishes the travel by drawing the striker back the rest of the way before releasing it. Sort of like a double action except, of course, the double action's trigger works the hammer during it's entire travel instead of just part of it.

The XD's striker is at it's full rearward position. The trigger just releases it to allow it to fly forward. Much like a hammered gun set at single action, the trigger merely releases the hammer.

 

[JohnKSa]

Most, if not all, bolt action rifles are striker fired. They fall into the category of the XD where the trigger does nothing but release the striker to spring forward. The older designs cocked the striker on the closing stroke of the bolt. You could really feel the striker spring tensioning as the bolt went home.

 

[New_comer]

I imagine striker fired systems much like a "slingshot" of the firing pin.

Steps required: Pull back against spring tension (rubber band) , then release to let fly the firing pin (pebble).

Glocks and XD's are pre-tensioned after racking the slide. That way, only a small amount of pull is what's needed to release pin. After releasing the pin, the recoiling slide action will load up the spring again, ready for the next firing cycle. If the round's a dud, shooter must reload manually (T-R-B), as the gun is inutile since it can't strike again.

The XD I tried has a much better trigger than the glock, IMO. Buttery smooth is what it's like, compared to a "sproingy" feel with the Glock 26 I tested.

Other than that, they're similarly pre-tensioned strikers.

And similarly UGLY!

 

[Handy]

Linear hammer

The best way to think of a striker is that it is a hammer that operates in a straight line. It has a mainspring and a tab that the sear pushes against and releases. And like the hammer in many older revolvers, it has a firing pin built into its tip. Also, like a regular hammer, a striker can be DA, SA or both.

Once you look at it that way, you won't confuse a striker with firing pins or anything else.


Oh yeah, the Glock and XD are pretty different. The Glock is mostly DA (the striker at rest does not have enough tension to detonate a primer) and the XD is cocked all the way. The two guns have similar trigger feels, but for completely different reasons. The Glock uses an extra spring to lighten the trigger pull, while the XD does something to increase it.

 

[agony]

neat little animation:

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Nightcrawler, where are you located in the UP? I have relatives from St. Ignace to Gladstone.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I go to Northern, up in Marquette. Don't know what happened. The weather was in the sixties a couple days ago, now we've gotten more than a foot of snow, twice that up in Calumet, my mom tells me. Yuck.