Single and Double Action Defined

[USBP1969]

Years ago I was served as a Firearms Instructor at the Federal law Enforcement Training Center for my agency. There were 24 of us at that time from different federal agencies as well as retired military staff who had been shooters of renown. After a year or so serving in that position a staff member pretty much felt that they could answer any question that came along regarding firearms, marksmanship or tactics.

One day a student raised his hand during the basic orientation lecture and asked me the question, “Why do they call one trigger pull ‘double action’ and the other ‘single action’ when single action takes two actions to fire and double action takes but one?”

I had to tell him that I didn’t know and would get back to him. After the class I asked the other staff members who exhibited the same response.

It took a while, but I found out. The words “Single” and “Double” refer to what the trigger does when it is pulled. In single action one thing occurs when the trigger is pulled, the weapon fires. In double action two things occur when the trigger is pulled, the weapon is both cocked and fired with one pull of the trigger.

If you are saying, “Hey, I knew that,” then good for you, but just maybe someone out there has wondered the same thing as I did when asked that question.

Respectfully,
kent

 

[Stophel]

On a double action gun, pulling the trigger performs two actions. Rotating the cylinder and cocking/firing (on most DA revolvers, the hammer doesn't really "cock" per se, but on something like a Starr revolver, it did, and there was a secondary trigger which then let the gun off, if I'm remembering correctly....). On a single action gun, pulling the trigger will only fire the gun (after it was manually cocked). It only performs one, single action.

 

[Manco]

I've always thought of double-action as meaning the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer, with the turning of the cylinder and the cocking of the hammer considered a single, combined action. Either view is equally valid, in my opinion, although I've heard a couple of knowledgeable people say that double-action meant that there were two ways in which to fire the revolver, as opposed to only one way with a single-action. I'm not sure whether I can buy that, but it is an interesting and reasonable view (although it's incompatible with other terms, such as double-action-only). Does anybody know for sure, in historical terms?

 

[Jim Watson]

You would not want to have tried that angle with Jeff Cooper.
He was of the opinion that either hammer cocking or trigger cocking was "single action" and a "double action" was a gun like a S&W revolver or CZ75 that could be shot either way.

Pretty much a case of everybody being out of step but him, though.

 

[Stophel]

I never was too big a fan of His Most Serene Highness Jeff Cooper.

"He was of the opinion that either hammer cocking or trigger cocking was "single action" and a "double action" was a gun like a S&W revolver or CZ75 that could be shot either way."

Yes, you could shoot it either single action, or double action!