Explain pre-cocking please??

[Hokkmike]

Read this about my new S&W .380 BG.

"Not having to be pre-cocked by the slide is a plus for a defensive handgun."

I am not familiar with the notion of pre-cocking. Can somebody explain what it is, why it is necessary, and how it works?

 

[Walt Sherrill]

It isn't necessary, but some of the smaller guns, and some striker-fired guns use the slide action to partially or fully load the hammer or striker spring. Guns that have this process sometimes have a lighter trigger than other guns, but don't have a restrike capability. (Having this in place does NOT guarantee a lightly or smoother trigger, however.) It's done automatically, as a round is chambered.

My Glocks work this way, as does my Kel-Tec PF9.

As for it being a "plus for a defensive handgun" -- that is an ongoing subject of debate. Most will argue that loading the gun precocks it, so it's not an extra step, while any failure to detonate should be treated as a more-worrisome failure, with the bad round ejected, etc.

Having a second strike capability can be good or bad, depending on your point of view. It can be ignored, or used.

 

[2wheels]

They're referring to the hammer or striker needing to be partially or fully cocked by movement of the slide in order to function. Basically, they're referring to any handgun that doesn't utilize a true double action trigger.

Think of something like a Glock... The striker needs to be partially set by cycling the slide, otherwise you can pull the trigger all day long and nothing will happen.

In a true DAO handgun, which IIRC the BG380 is, the hammer does not need to be "reset" by slide movement, simply pulling the trigger will fully cock and release the hammer to fire the gun.

It's considered an "advantage" in some circumstances, because if you have a failure to fire you can simply pull the trigger to try and fire the failed round rather than needing to rack the slide. This is a minor advantage at best, since most people prefer to rack the slide and get a fresh round in the chamber in the event of a failure to fire.

 

[cowtownup]

I'm assuming you have the revolver version of the 380 BG? If that is correct, I'm guessing they are referring to having to chamber a round as opposed to just pulling the trigger on the revolver. I suppose many folks would carry with a round chambered which would even the odds between the two different weapons...


Ah.. I was wrong, what was said above makes sense now... Learn something everyday...

 

[5-SHOTS]

In some guns, like the Glock for example, the stiker (or the hammer in the case of Kel-Tec P3AT, Ruger LCP and similar) is pre-cocked by the action of the slide; the trigger pull completes the cocking and releases the striker (or the hammer) and the gun goes bang. In that kind of pistols if you dry-fire them once and try to pull the trigger a second time, nothing happens; same thing if the gun goes click instead of bang (defective primer for example): you have to go tap-rack-bang to solve the problem.
In a true DAO pistol (like the SIG-Sauer P250) the action of the trigger cocks and releases the hammer and the action of the slide does nothing but eject the spent case and chamber a fresh round.
I don't know if the S&W Bodiguard 380 is a true DAO gun or what; you can verify it by yourself: remove the magazine, rack the slide to unload the pistol, point it in a safe direction and pull the trigger; now pull the trigger a second time: if nothing happens to the hammer, the gun is what someone calls a semi-DAO or a half-DAO, on the other side it's a true DAO pistol.
IMHO pre-cocked (like Glock) or full cocked (like Sprinfield Armory XD) pistols works basically like a single action pistol with a longer, heavier trigger pull, no matters how they call the action.

 

[David E]

S&W is asserting that the extra heavy pull on their BG-380 is actually a positive thing.

It's not.

.

 

[2wheels]

S&W is asserting that the extra heavy pull on their BG-380 is actually a positive thing.

It's not.

.

Haha definitely not, seriously makes me wonder why they bothered to include that manual safety.

 

[Hokkmike]

I'm assuming you have the revolver version of the 380 BG? If that is correct, I'm guessing they are referring to having to chamber a round as opposed to just pulling the trigger on the revolver. I suppose many folks would carry with a round chambered which would even the odds between the two different weapons.. Cowtownup

No, semi version.

 

[cowtownup]

I got that pistol also... it is a true DA...

 

[Vern Humphrey]

S&W is asserting that the extra heavy pull on their BG-380 is actually a positive thing.

It's not.

Reminds me of Sears and Roebuck years ago that had a rifle they advertised as "slight delay after pulling the trigger promotes accuracy."