MTMilitiaman
Member
Striker fired firearms are neither rare nor new. Most bolt action rifles are technically striker fired. Striker fired handguns tend to have lower bore axis. Sitting lower in the hand means the recoil has less leverage over the wrist so it recoils less. It is noticeable when you get used to shooting Glocks and then try to shoot a 1911 or a SIG. You push the pistol out and end up looking right at the back of the hammer about 1/2 inch below the rear sight because the hammer fired gun sits that much higher in the hand. Striker fired guns tend to adhere to the KISS philosophy and most achieve their superb reputations for reliability much the same way the Kalashnikov series assault rifles did. Brutally simple mechanisms and as few parts to break as possible. They are mass produced utilitarian tools for those who appreciate function over form. There is nothing on a Glock that you can't fix or replace yourself with a simple pin punch and a Ptooma manual or 10 minute Youtube video. No hand fitting. It's like Legos for adults. They also tend to have consistent triggers with short resets. You'll never mistake a Glock trigger for a tuned 1911 trigger, but 6 pounds with a consistent pull and a short reset is perfectly workable for defensive applications. I prefer it over any of the DA/SA pistols simply because two distinctly different trigger pulls on the same handgun is clown shoes. Some do have manual safeties but most don't. I believe FN, S&W, Ruger, and possibly even the XD have versions available with external safeties. I say that if you are uncomfortable carrying a handgun without a manual safety, you may be relying on the safety too much.
Combine these advantages with the advantages with the advantages in weight and capacity, as well as grip modularity and temperature neutrality of the polymer frames that accompany most striker fired pistols, and it is easy to see why striker fired pistols are rapidly eclipsing hammer fired pistols. Glock may not have been the first striker fired pistol or the first polymer framed pistol but they were the first to achieve acceptance in the market place and they are now the pistol by which all others are judged. When even Larry Vickers and others with a lot of experience with the 1911 are admitting they primarily carry polymer framed striker fired pistols like the M&P and Glock, and that their extensive and enviable collections of 1911 mostly occupy the safe, you might want to consider that bandwagon.
Combine these advantages with the advantages with the advantages in weight and capacity, as well as grip modularity and temperature neutrality of the polymer frames that accompany most striker fired pistols, and it is easy to see why striker fired pistols are rapidly eclipsing hammer fired pistols. Glock may not have been the first striker fired pistol or the first polymer framed pistol but they were the first to achieve acceptance in the market place and they are now the pistol by which all others are judged. When even Larry Vickers and others with a lot of experience with the 1911 are admitting they primarily carry polymer framed striker fired pistols like the M&P and Glock, and that their extensive and enviable collections of 1911 mostly occupy the safe, you might want to consider that bandwagon.
