How to Tell the Difference Between Single and Double Action Guns

Single Action

• 1

  Make sure that the gun is unloaded. Release the cylinder and check to make sure it contains no bullets. If the gun has a magazine, release the magazine to make certain no bullets are inside it, and check the barrel by pulling it back to make sure no bullets are there also.

• 2

  Cock the hammer with your thumb.

• 3

  Pull the trigger, then attempt to pull the trigger again. If you cannot pull the trigger again, you know that the gun is a single action. The only way to pull the trigger again would be to cock the hammer.

Double Action

• 4

  Check to make sure the gun is unloaded. Follow the same steps in the above section to determine this.

• 5

  Cock the gun with your thumb.

• 6

  Pull the trigger.

• 7

  Attempt to pull the trigger again. If you are able to do so, you know that this gun is a double action gun. Double action means that you can fire the gun again without manually cocking the hammer each time.

• 8

  Use caution with any gun, but especially double action guns. Because they are ready to fire again after pulling the trigger, you must be ready to fire, be aware of where your gun is pointing, and whether your target is free. Because you have to manually ready the gun to fire between each shot with a single action gun, there is more time to prepare between each shot.