What Is A Single-Action Pistol? (Explained)

New shooters have a hard time understanding all of the differences between firearms. This can be very confusing and intimidating when you first walk into a gun store interested in becoming a gun owner.

A term you will often hear is “single-action pistol.” This post will explain the meaning and significance of these styles of handguns.

Here is the full breakdown of what a single-action pistol is, and what are the benefits of a single-action pistol.

What is Single-Action?

There are two types of hammer-fired pistols. Single-action and double-action.

Single-action means that it is a type of gun where when you pull the trigger only one action takes place, the hammer is released.

So on single-action guns, you must manually cock the hammer back first before you can shoot the gun. You may have seen scenes in cowboy movies where the gunfights show the actors pulling the hammer back.

Also in Hollywood, you will hear the noises of a gun being cocked for dramatic effect.

If you know about guns you will laugh when in movies and TV you hear a cocking sound on a gun that doesn’t have a hammer. I find this annoying but let’s continue.

Older guns have historically used single-action or single-action only (SAO) style firing mechanisms.

They are a primitive design when it comes to firearms technology but they still hold a place in the gun world.

Common Types of Single-Action Pistols

1911s and revolvers most commonly use the single action-only design.

Single-Action Revolver

A revolver that is single action only requires the shooter to manually cock the hammer back with their thumb.

This will make the shots more accurate, but causes you to shoot slower.

Hunting with handguns is popular and you will often see large caliber revolvers with long barrels made for this purpose and they are normally always single action.

They are also simple to clean and take care of but might not be ideal for new shooters. I personally only bought a single-action revolver just for collecting.

With all of the modern more sophisticated firearm designs available today, a single-action revolver is only for very specific use cases.

Loading single-action revolvers also takes a long time because you can only load a single round one at a time.

Single-Action Semi-Automatic Pistol

Now let’s explain semi-automatic single-action pistols. You can easily identify and pistol as a single action if it has a hammer on the back of the slide.

If you do not see a hammer on the pistol, that means it is a striker-fired pistol.

Semi-autos are the most popular style of handguns in use today. Military and law enforcement moved away from revolvers a long time ago and adopted semi-autos.

They are popular because of the increased ammo capacity and how slim the profile is. Reloading semi-autos is a lot faster as well.

A great feature of semi-autos is that when you rack the slide back chambering a round. This action simultaneously cocks the hammer back. So there is no need to manually cock the hammer back.

The cycling of the slide when firing will cock the hammer back automatically. This design allows you to just keep pulling the trigger and shooting without thinking about cocking the hammer back.

1911 pistols are the most popular semi-auto single-action pistols.

Benefits and Uses of Single-Action Pistols

Here are the benefits of using single-action pistols and why you might consider getting one or training with one.

Beginner Friendly

When it comes to the fundamentals of shooting a gun, it can be a lot to take in at once. New shooters have a lot to learn and simplifying and slowing the process down can help.

Learning to shoot with a single-action handgun is helpful to get a baseline down.

They also can be great to explain how guns essentially work. Semi-autos can look complicated and scary to the untrained eye.

Practicing the motion of cocking the hammer back and explaining the current condition of a firearm will help prevent mistakes. This will also increase knowledge retention.

When I would train first-time gun owners they have a lot of questions and I noticed that a single action is easier for them to grasp at first.

Shooting a handgun accurately and safely is not easy. Proper safety techniques, hand placement, sight alignment, and trigger squeeze are easier to understand and learn with a single-action pistol.

The light trigger pull on a single action will also make it easier for beginners to be accurate letting them have more fun in the process.

If they are having fun they are more receptive and interested in learning more.

As responsible gun owners, it is also our job to teach and educate.

Competitive Shooting

Nothing can beat the accuracy and speed of a good single-action trigger. For this reason, competitive shooters will only use single-action guns or double/single guns.

There are also a lot of subclasses of shooting that allow certain types of guns to participate.

Cowboy action is a popular type of competitive shooting that requires single-action revolvers.

Single-action pistols can be tuned and polished by a gunsmith to increase their performance.

If you want the lightest possible trigger for competitive shooting then single action is the way to go.

Hunting

When it comes to hunting you don’t normally think of using a handgun. You’d be surprised how popular it is becoming.

Single-action revolvers can be chambered in larger calibers because of the cycle loading design and not auto loading.

Longer barrels with the added benefit of a light single-action trigger make these accurate even at long distances.

Scopes can also be mounted on hunting revolvers.

Survival

If you are backpacking or doing any kind of camping, a large caliber single-action pistol is the best gun to have on you.

In the rare event of a bear attack, a 9mm pistol won’t cut it.

A 44 mag will kill any animal you might encounter in a life-or-death situation. A revolver is very rugged and uses fewer parts than a semi-auto and will hold up to the harsh environments of mother nature.

For this reason, they are a great choice for a survival bag or a truck gun.

Collecting

This is my reason for owning single-action pistols. I love revolvers and 1911s and I don’t use them for home defense or concealed carry because I have other stuff for those roles.

The rich history and engineering of single-action pistols is interesting and I like owning a piece of that history.

I also look at these types of guns as value and a store of wealth in a sense. I believe they will continue to go up in value and would like them to be a family heirloom that gets passed down through generations.

Single-action pistols have a certain aesthetic to them and are beautifully engineered and designed.

To put it simply, they are just cool!

Disadvantages of Single-Action Pistols

There is always a tradeoff and because of the dated design, other types of guns perform other jobs better.

Single-action guns have their limitations and disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages are debatable, though. Let’s take a look at three common ones.

Negligent Discharge

A negligent discharge is when you fire the gun when you don’t intend to. This is a huge safety concern and very scary if it happens.

Because of having to manually cock the hammer on some single-action pistols, the hammer can slip and cause the gun to fire.

Now on modern single action, most of them will have a safety feature to prevent the gun from firing in that situation.

Most guns will fire if you drop the hammer by mistake.

Proper training will prevent this but in life, mistakes happen, and having a striker-fired pistol will prevent accidentally dropping the hammer.

Some semi-autos will have a decock lever but this always makes the gun more complicated.

The lighter trigger on single-action pistols is sometimes referred to as a “hair trigger” and can be pulled by mistake.

Again there are always pros and cons to everything when it comes to firearms.

Home Defense

The limited capacity and how slow it is to shoot make this a no-go for my home defense.

If I ever need to use a gun in self-defense or home defense, I want to have as many rounds as I can.

A single action is slow to shoot and slow to reload.

A semi-auto pistol that is double action the first shot, then single action after is better for shooting quickly and home defense though.

Concealed Carry

For concealed carry, I would stay away from all guns with an external hammer and strictly recommend striker-fired pistols.

Most people will want a subcompact gun for concealed carry because they are smaller and lighter while having good capacity.

A small gun with a small hammer is harder to manipulate, especially in stressful situations. Your dexterity also decreases with a smaller gun.

The hammer on single-action pistols is also a snag factor that could get hung up on clothing and other stuff.

There are so many better options for concealed carry. Streamlined pistols that are slim with no thumb safety or extra controls work the best.

For carry you just want a point-and-shoot gun essentially.

Double Action Pistols

Double-action pistols refer to two actions when you pull the trigger. First, you start to squeeze the trigger and the hammer will start you to move back. This is the first action.

Second, you keep pulling the trigger until all the take-up is gone and you reach the wall. You pull through the wall and the trigger will release the hammer firing the gun.

Some guns are double-action only. This is rare but it means the hammer will not lock back.

Click here to learn more about double-action pistols.

Are Single-Action Pistols Good?

Single-action pistols are the best for accuracy which is why they are the best for hunting, competitive shooting, and training. They are not great for concealed carry.

I love the historical value of them and love collecting them.

Single-action pistols have their place but if you want currently the best gun for self-defense or concealed carry get a modern striker-fired pistol.

Here is some more info on the best striker-fired pistols I suggest for concealed carry. They are Sig P365X, Glock 43X, Springfield Hellcat, Ruger Max-9.

I have full reviews and buyer guides of them at the links.

Furthermore, if you are new to firearms and want to learn more about what pistol might be right for you, check out the guide on the Best 9mm Pistols.

Giveaways

One of the coolest things we do here at First World Crusader is giveaway free gear to our readers.

It allows us to create better content, educate more readers, and share the love of firearms.

*Every $1 you spend at the store is 1 entry to win a piece of gear (excluding any special promotions).

Check out our Shop page to get some swag and enter the giveaway automatically.

*Every comment you leave on one of our articles is 1 entry to win.

Please help us build a strong community by participating.

We highly encourage you to read and review all official rules for the sweepstakes of your choice.

To view all of the information and which item is next to giveaway, learn more at our Giveaways page.

Do you prefer single-action pistols? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Every comment you leave on one of our articles is 1 entry to win in our giveaways.