double action

weaponry

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Last updated

June 25, 2026

Quick Summary

A double-action firearm is capable of being cocked and fired with a single pull of the trigger. This contrasts with single-action firearms, where the hammer must be manually cocked before the trigger can be pulled to fire the weapon.1

In revolvers, a double-action mechanism means that pulling the trigger both cocks the hammer and rotates the cylinder to the next chamber, allowing for a quicker follow-up shot. This design was developed in Great Britain in the mid-1800s and became practical with the advent of self-contained metallic cartridges.2

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small arm
Revolvers
…ejection of spent cartridges and double-action cocking. By linking the trigger to the hammer-cocking and cylinder-revolving mechanisms, double action permitted a pistol to be fired with a simple pull of the trigger. This mechanism was first introduced on a cap-and-ball revolver, the English Beaumont-Adams of 1855, but it was quickly…
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…ejection of spent cartridges and double-action cocking. By linking the trigger to the hammer-cocking and cylinder-revolving mechanisms, double action permitted a pistol to be fired with a simple pull of the trigger. This mechanism was first introduced on a cap-and-ball revolver, the English Beaumont-Adams of 1855, but it was quickly…
Read More