Can somebody explain "pre-cocking" to me?

[Hokkmike]

Read this about my new S&W .380 BG.

"Not having to be pre-cocked by the slide is a plus for a defensive handgun."

I am not familiar with the notion of pre-cocking. Can somebody explain what it is, why it is necessary, and how it works?

[rellisonii]

Sounds like it is a double action. Pulling the trigger also cocks the hammer. For example a 1911 is single action, the hammer is cocked when the slide is racked. If hammer is lowered you need to manually recock before firing. A Beretta 92 can be shot single or double action. When decocked you can pull trigger and it will cock and release hammer. When the gun fires the slide will cock hammer for next shot and next shot would be single action (release hammer only) instead of double action ( cocking hammer and release hammer). The bodyguard is double action only, so the hammer is not automatically cocked with the slide.

[PA1749]

Yes, striker fired pistols are cocked to fire the next round when the slide moves backward and then forward again. With hammer fired pistols, the firing pin is always in the fire position. The hammer hits the pin and pin strikes the primer. IMO, hammers are better. I was firing some cheap ammo with hard primers out of my bodyguard one day. The first hammer strike did not fire the round. I pulled the trigger again and the round fired. This happened at least 5 times. This would have not been possible with a striker fired system.

[Dave_n]

There is also a slightly different system in the Walther P99 (at least in my 9 and 40 versions) whereby you can move the trigger to what is effectively the SA position and then have a consistent trigger pull, rather than DA/SA. Dave_n

[ROCK-IT3]

Yes, striker fired pistols are cocked to fire the next round when the slide moves backward and then forward again. With hammer fired pistols, the firing pin is always in the fire position. The hammer hits the pin and pin strikes the primer. IMO, hammers are better. I was firing some cheap ammo with hard primers out of my bodyguard one day. The first hammer strike did not fire the round. I pulled the trigger again and the round fired. This happened at least 5 times. This would have not been possible with a striker fired system.

While this is true on some striker fired pistols, it is not true on all of them. The Taurus striker fired pistols do not require the action of the slide to pre-cock the striker. The trigger pull cocks and then releases the striker, allowing for what Taurus calls "second-strike" capability, the ability to just pull the trigger again on a round that didn't go "BANG" the first time. It is one of the plusses of a Taurus over some other striker fired pistols, such as the Ruger LC series.

[sprrdhawk44]

I'm not a big believer in "second strike" capability. If I pull the trigger and the gun fails to fire, I'm going to clear the malfunction, not keep pulling the tigger in hope that it will fire eventually.

[ROCK-IT3]

I'm not a big believer in "second strike" capability. If I pull the trigger and the gun fails to fire, I'm going to clear the malfunction, not keep pulling the tigger in hope that it will fire eventually.

In a small, concealable, defensive pistol such as a Ruger LC9 or a Taurus PT709 Slim, you only have 7 or 8 rounds. When I have had a failure to fire with factory ammunition, I cannot recall that round not going off when the primer was struck a second time. It is inherently much faster to pull a trigger again than to clear a misfire, regain a sight picture, and then pull the trigger again. With an extremely high likelihood that the round will go off on the second strike, I believe (read: my opinion) that the second strike capability is more of a lifesaver than a hindrance. If it does not go off the second time, then tap, rack, and try again, but as I said, I don't recall a factory round not going off the second time. I have a hard time imagining the time required for a second trigger pull would be the difference between life and death. If you are in that deep, then the time to rack and try again would probably also be the difference between life and death. I'd rather give the second strike a chance for that reason, as well as saving another round in a low-capacity pistol.

[internet troll]

Is it similar to foreplay?

[SSG Retired]

There is no such thing as "pre" . You can not pre cock a gun, it is either cocked or it isn't. You can not pre heat an oven, it is either heated or it isn't.

[Gunsnwater]

There is no such thing as "pre" . You can not pre cock a gun, it is either cocked or it isn't. You can not pre heat an oven, it is either heated or it isn't.

Per heating an oven means bring it to temp empty then put the food in rather then starting off cold with the food in. It makes a difference. Glocks are half cocked by slide moving, then trigger completes the striker cocking and releases. Cdn in the current shotgun news ad has police trade in sigs. The ad states they are per cock. I was wondering myself if that ment the hammer was left on half cock after slide return.