stupid question

[dc0120]

Ok here is a stupid question from a newbie, can someone explain decocker?

 

[kokapelli]

A lever that allows you to safely lower the hammer on a live round in a double action/single action pistol.

 

[RNB65]

A lever on the side of the gun which lowers the hammer to an uncocked position.

 

[psychophipps]

A decocker is a lever that lets you return a DA/SA firearm to DA mode once the hammer has been cocked.

Mark(psycho)Phipps( HAHAHA! )

 

[JaxNovice]

Even someone as new to firearms as I am can tell you that there are no stupid questions. my father always told me that it is better to ask what you feel is a stupid question than it is to make a stupid mistake.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Sorry, the picture was bigger when i saved it

 

[LightningJoe]

There are no stupid questions. Just stupid answers.

 

[possum]

i have to agree there are no stupid questions, and i was gonna tell you the answer but everyone has hit the nail on the head already. What a good group of people we have here. Some varients of handguns are decoker only, which just returns the hammer to the down position, to the da position safely without the hammer striking the firing pin. Some have a decoker that doubles as a safety, still lowers the hammer but is also a safety. like the berreta 92, and varients of the h&k just to name a couple.

 

[lee n. field]

And to get even more detailed -- not all guns have a decocker. 1911 and clones come right to mind. CZ-75 and clones as well. This lets you carry the gun cocked but with safety on (since the decocker (always? I know of no exceptions but I am far from expert) is part of the safety, and actuated when the safety goes on). Decocking with these guns is done by manually lowering the hammer, carefully.

And, at least one decocker is potentially unsafe to use (50s era Commie milsurp CZ-52).

Oh, yeah, and lets tell him about the Daewoo system, too, just to confuse things even more.

 

[Prince Yamato]

For instance, take a Beretta 92FS. The SAFETY acts as the decocker. Put hammer in the cocked position, safety off. Gun is ready to fire. Click safety on, gun "decocks". Some guns are decocker only (beretta 92G and some Rugers). You can also do a manual or (as I like to call it) the "Hollywood style" decock. with gun cocked, push hammer down, as if to "over cock" (no such thing, but you get the idea). Gently engage the trigger. Let our thumb slowly ride the hammer back to the resting/safe/decocked position.

Personally, I don't get why you'd want a gun available as decock only, when you could have a manual safety in the same place that also decocks. Some people will say, "so that it is always ready to fire" to them I say, "just leave the safety OFF...duhoy".