Why Striker?

"Glock: The Rise of America's Gun" seems to be a decent read for those interested.

I don't think you can ignore the impact Glock specifically had on the industry and given current production choices across essentially all manufacturers that impact isn't dying down anytime soon.
 
It's true that the impact of glock, and glock alone, will echo through history.

When I first read about it, I went into seizures.. I owned a nylon 66. 30 years later, amazingly, I own a glock, not a newer design, and that is almost entirely because thirty years of listening to fanboys going all mushy about them. I was programmed like a Krishna.
 
@Pond
I seen the name and was reminded of a old video game, I thought your name was taken from, I guess not.

It was a series of games in the 16bit era, about a secret agent fish.
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:D

No, I'm afraid not!
Although my secret agent credentials are, indeed, on a par with those of a fish....
 
Simplicity of design and consistency. Striker fire always has a nice, crisp trigger because its always single action.
Im a big 1911 fan but I recently picked up an HK VP9 and its a sweet shooter. I still love the aesthetics of hammer fired but you cant deny the simplicity and consistency of striker fired.
 
TunnelRat, you must have been that one kid in my Ancient Philosophy 100-series class. Ya know, that guy.

The reason that I used revolutionary steps forward in firearms design in my argument is that they are clear steps, and are also recognizable by someone other than a firearms historian. The nuance of a percussion caps, tape primers, and disc primers is a better example, but lost on most. And would be, well, pedantic.

You don't have to agree with my semantic style, dude. Whenever someone adopts an anti-technological stance, I will call down some thunder on them, rhetorically. Detract or destroy, I don't particularly care. The same mind that questions the value of one technological advancement has within it the same seed of ignorant doubt that causes men to question much larger, more complex issues, be it climate change, the flatness of the earth, the veracity of the lunar landing, or... the public health benefit of vaccines.

A hammer may do the job 'just as well' in so far as they will ignite primers and send rounds down range, but I'll point out that the above listed arguments (ease of manufacture, simplicity of design, simplicity of firing pin acceleration, etc.) actually make strikers incrementally better than a hammer fired system, all things held equally.

I love my P229, and my HiPower, and I love to shoot a 1911 (like playing with someone else's children, I'm all too happy to give it back to them once I've had my fun), but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if I had to grab one handgun, it would be my Glock 19. In part because it is a striker fired system, and being so, much simpler, more robust, more reliable, easier to work on, etc. It is flatly superior to my Sig (though the SRT and match trigger I put in the Sig makes for a strong argument...).

People can and will choose whatever they desire.

In 2017, I'll repeat, the question should be (and is, if you are a larger manufacturer of firearms), 'why hammers?'
 
The same mind that questions the value of one technological advancement has within it the same seed of ignorant doubt that causes men to question much larger, more complex issues, be it climate change, the flatness of the earth, the veracity of the lunar landing, or... the public health benefit of vaccines.
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I think you're reaching quite a bit tbh, but as I said believe what you will.

I have no issue with striker fired pistols. The pistol I'm carrying is striker fired as are the growing majority of those in my safe.

As far as being that guy, yup that's me and I'm here to stay.
 
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There's nothing wrong with being the guy who got the A grades in history, especially if you're also the guy who hit 4.0 dean's list at least every other year or so, and hey, picking the classes run by the notoriously picky PhD professors and "sucking up" to them by looking at them and taking notes as the drone on endlessly about who said what and who shot who networks you in with valuable people on the alumni roll.

Sometimes it gets you a nice looking engraved walnut plaque and a pretty piece of framed paper, as well.
 
In 2017, I'll repeat, the question should be (and is, if you are a larger manufacturer of firearms), 'why hammers?'
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Because there is still a market for them.

Hammers are perhaps the ultimate cocking indicator and usually make decocking pretty simple. Most striker pistols do not have decockers or any way to fire the gun from a decocked condition. Near as I can figure, most TDA guns have hammers and many people still want TDA. I do.

The Walther P99 has most of the features of a DA/SA hammer pistol but loses "simplicity" and probably a measure of economy in the process.
 
I did well and the fact that I did well why I have the job I've had for the past 8 years. Though it was less Ancient History and more General Physics and Mathematical Proof.

At the end of the day though it doesn't make me more "right" about the overwhelming majority of topics covered here. That's part of the reason I got into this in the first place; I wanted something new. The relevance to my background here is that I have developed an intolerance to hyperbole. But it can be an effective literary device.

K Mac summed it up best I think https://thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6466738&postcount=59
 
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One of the sharpest men I know has a couple doctorates from Stanford, one who is amazing in his skills has degrees from Purdue, the most amazing guy that I have ever known has mba and degrees in computer science and engineering. These three guys are blazing smart.

I'm not afraid to admit that these guys are heroes to me.Michael Jordan means nothing to me. These three guys are all staggeringly smart and our country is a better place because of them. One of them, before he retired, literally participated in the creation of the interconnectivity of The entire world. Everyone here will have used equipment that he signed off on at some time. He didn't invent the internet, but his company and his team created huge advances.

Having a degree in general physics would please the check out of me.
 
Originally Posted by 44 AMP
In my opinion, Glock didn't reach the dominant position they did because their product was vastly superior. Their marketing, however, was.
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History is full of good, sometimes superior products that did not become the dominant product in their particular niche. Often due to less than superior marketing. It was the combination of both product and marketing that got Glock to the top of the LEO market, it was not an either or thing.


Today, there are more souls snatched with a Glock handgun than any other, I'd wager to say.
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Other than a disturbing turn of phrase, this is relevant, how??

If Glock's advantages were limited to marketing alone, then those who kill for a living would be using other kit.
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WHO are the people who kill for a living??? Mafia hit men?? Over amped kids just out of Marine Corps boot camp who are still steeped in the training hype??

I DO hope you aren't referring to the police.

You don't have to agree with my semantic style, dude. Whenever someone adopts an anti-technological stance, I will call down some thunder on them, rhetorically. Detract or destroy, I don't particularly care. The same mind that questions the value of one technological advancement has within it the same seed of ignorant doubt that causes men to question much larger, more complex issues, be it climate change, the flatness of the earth, the veracity of the lunar landing, or... the public health benefit of vaccines.
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I do disagree with your semantic style, dude, because it seems to jump directly to extremism, by your own admission, AND, you don't care.
 
I say the following as someone who values function over form.
But I still values form.

There is still the fact that in any product based industry the aesthetics still play a part. There's been a lot of argument about the pros of striker and I largely agree with them, but I find a hammer fired pistol, typically, far nicer to look at than a striker fired gun.

I have an SP-01. I bought it because of the looks. It would never have made the short list if it had not been a well-made gun and a rep' for reliability and accuracy, but the final choice was based on the looks....
 
NASA engineer vs laborer, polymer vs steel frame, old vs new......oh yeah! Striker vs Hammer.

I've​ noticed a few comments about the consistent trigger pull of striker fired pistols. Other than the additional option of double action, the trigger pull is 100% consistent in my DA/SA hammer fired auto and I imagine that goes for most of them. Seems like striker fired pistols are trying their best to mimic the trigger pull of hammer fired auto.
 
Why are striker-fired pistols slowly but surely replacing hammer fired double action/single action pistols?
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They aren’t.

Although not a DA/SA pistol, the 1911 is nonetheless hammer-fired, where the extensive proliferation of the 1911 platform by scores of manufactures chambered in various rounds ensures the continued existence of hammer-fired pistols.

Also, the popularity of the CZ 75 variants and its clones is another example of the ongoing availability of hammer-fired pistols.

And although the M9 is being replaced, the 92 FS will remain in production for the civilian market.

So clearly striker-fired pistols aren’t ‘replacing’ hammer-fired pistols, as hammer-fired pistols remain, popular, in production, and available.
 
Maybe if one could purchase a quality made 1911 style gun without taking out a second mortgage they would still be very popular.
 
So clearly striker-fired pistols aren’t ‘replacing’ hammer-fired pistols, as hammer-fired pistols remain, popular, in production, and available.
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In terms of the majority of handgun sales, they are though. Hammer fired pistols will remain popular for decades to come, but they occupy a smaller market share than they did say 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. It's not a coincidence that HK, SIG, FN, and Beretta all came out with a striker fired option in that same timeframe.

Maybe if one could purchase a quality made 1911 style gun without taking out a second mortgage they would still be very popular.
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Come on. We have multiple threads on this forum about sub $1000 1911s that are still very good.
 
What was the most recently developed hammer controlled semIautomatic handgun, and maybe the one before that?

If, as I suspect, there have been a few dozen striker controlled models released in the past thirty years and only a few truly new hammer controlled designs in that space of time, we can maybe phrase it differently.

The striker fired pistol is the new default design plan.

We really can't say, however, that they aren't being created anymore. The Lcp, for example, is hammer fired. I'm not sure if you could fit a striker mechanism in it.
 
@jdc1244
It's not that strikers have swept hammer guns off the market, It's that few if any "NEW" hammer guns are being designed.

If you look at "new" guns they're nearly all polymer/striker guns and commonly with a split glock style "safe action" trigger. The glock template we'll call it.

Yes the classic's will live on probably forever, the 1911, the m9, browning hi-powers, etc
They'll still be made our options will just shrink.
But that's little comfort to those of us who like metal/hammer guns.

It wouldn't be so bad and im mainly griping about poly at this point.
Is that they all look and feel utilitarian.

Although I will say the Taurus 709 I just bought has some attractive lines on the slide.. it STILL feels like a "tool" in the hand.

When comparing newer guns it's like trying to pick out a ratchet at the hardware store.. hmm do you want craftsman, mac, etc
They all do the same job.

Bottom line they look and feel like tools, They have no soul & most of them are ugly as sin.
 
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