What best describes a striker-fired pistol?

What best describes a striker-fired pistol?

• A. A pistol that uses a hammer to strike the primer.
• B. A pistol that uses a striker to fire instead of a hammer; many rely on trigger safety mechanisms.
• C. A pistol with no trigger.
• D. A pistol that uses rimfire primers.

Answer: (B)

A striker-fired pistol uses an internal striker that is cocked inside the slide and released by the trigger to strike the cartridge primer, instead of an external hammer delivering the strike. Because there’s no visible hammer, many models have a consistent trigger pull, since the trigger’s action is to both cock and release the striker. To prevent accidental discharge, these pistols often include trigger safeties or firing-pin safeties that only allow the striker to release when the trigger is deliberately pressed. This description matches how striker-fired designs function, unlike hammer-fired pistols that rely on an external hammer to strike the firing pin, or concepts that imply there’s no trigger or that rely on rimfire primers.

A striker-fired pistol uses an internal striker that is cocked inside the slide and released by the trigger to strike the cartridge primer, instead of an external hammer delivering the strike. Because there’s no visible hammer, many models have a consistent trigger pull, since the trigger’s action is to both cock and release the striker. To prevent accidental discharge, these pistols often include trigger safeties or firing-pin safeties that only allow the striker to release when the trigger is deliberately pressed. This description matches how striker-fired designs function, unlike hammer-fired pistols that rely on an external hammer to strike the firing pin, or concepts that imply there’s no trigger or that rely on rimfire primers.