SA, DA, SA/DA, Trad. DA????

[6Gunslinger]

Ok, this may seem like a really stupid newbie question, but here goes anyway.....

I understand SA & DA as it refers to revolvers, but when looking at autoloaders I think I may be confused.

I've seen 1911s that are labeled SA but they don't have to be cocked everytime like a SAO revolver.... so why is it only labeled SA and not SA/DA?

and what is traditional DA?

ok, when you guys are done laughing at this question maybe I will get a response that doesn't make me feel like a total moron.... but I probably deserve it.

thanks

 

[hexidismal]

First off, don't be hard on yourself. Wanting to learn is never stupid. And anyone who would mock you for asking is a fool. Teaching and learning from each other is what will keep us our gun rights in the long run, and that's what THR is here for.

Ok, so.. the 1911. The reason a 1911 is an SA gun is because, much like the SAO revolvers you mentioned, the hammer cannot be cocked by the trigger mechanism, and must be cocked back for the trigger to function and fire the gun. Because it is a semi-automatic though, the recoiling slide does that job of cocking the hammer for every shot. For a gun to be double action, the working mechanism of the gun must allow for a pull of the trigger to both fully cock the hammer and fire the gun. As for the term "traditional" DA, this generally refers to a revolver type double action. Wherein every shot will be a double action pull, but allows for a manual single action shot. As opposed to an SA/DA where the first action can be double and every follow up shot single automatically, or a DAO gun where every pull must consistently do the job of both cocking and releasing the hammer.

 

[6Gunslinger]

thanks man, I appreciate the kind words and your explanation was extremely easy to understand, thanks so much man. the friendly nature of everyone I've come across with here is awesome and its nice to see that people who know things are willing to share and increase the hobby rather then just keeping it to themselves and mocking others.... unfortunately I can think of a lot of groups that are like that. thanks again

 

[Coronach]

Hexidismal has it. In a semi-auto, double or single action refers to the number of actions the trigger can perform. A 1911 trigger can only drop the hammer, so it is single action. The hammer must be cocked, either manually or by the slide. A DA (or, more correctly, DA/SA) can be either double or single (double for the first, single for each consecutive, or single after a manual cocking). Double Action Only is exactly what it says, you forgo one of the biggest advantages of the semi-auto (the cocking of the hammer) in order to get a consistent trigger pull (double action each time).

The water gets muddied when you look at some of the newer designs. Glock's system, for example, is striker fired (no hammer), and each pull of the trigger is responsible for pulling the striker back partways and dropping it. The striker has to partially cocked already by slide action (either pulling the slide back to load the gun, or by reciprocation of the slide after firing). So...is that double or single action?

Many of the polymer duty guns use some similar process. The gun cannot fire without slide action (a single action characteristic), and yet the movement of the trigger is responsible for finsihing the cocking action and dropping the hammer/striker (two actions). DA and SA don't really apply; it's something else.

Mike

 

[MikePGS]

To make things even more confusing, Taurus has a SA/DA system in which its traditionally single action, but if for some reason the primer fails to ignite then it will switch to DA allowing you another shot simply by pulling the trigger. And many guns are available in multiple configurations so you can pick if you want the particular model to be DAO (Double Action Only) SAO (Single Action Only) or DA/SA. Its a bit confusing at first, but you'll get the hang of it. Pretty soon you'll be explaining this to someone who feels like a newbie to if that makes you feel any better. Not that you should feel bad in the first place because as its been famously said the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked.

 

[Bobo]

Check out the sticky on "Trigger Mechanisms..." at the top of this forum.

 

[1man]

Glocks, Springfield XD and Kahr are along the lines of S/A firing mechanisms. Any true/real D/A firearm can fire with the press of the trigger without manually cocking the hammer or resetting the striker so the weapon can fire again should a misfire result from the first attempt to fire.