handgun hammer question

[Rama_das]

is this correct?
a single action hand gun you MUST cock the hammer to fire it?
a double action hand gun you may or may not cock the hammer for it to fire?

i see on tv, jack bauer pointing a handgun at the bad guy, yelling stuff, then cocking the hammer. i'd think a spy would be ready to shoot and kill. therefore i think that his gun would not have to be cocked to fire.

but i know nutting about handguns

[Toad_Sticker]

true.........
It's TV you will learn very little useful about guns there.
And as I have seen some have most of thier firearms education from television.
My favorite is the bad guy with the 1911 with the hammer down. (it is a single action semi auto)
kick his ass before he can rack the slide.
TS

[Rick]

That is mostly correct Rama Das.

There is another type of hammer action called "Double Action Only" (DAO). *In DAO weapons, the hammer is internal and cannot be manually cocked with the thumb.

Not all hanguns with an internal hammer are DAO. In some weapons, the hammer can be internal, but can be cocked by pulling the slide back and releasing it forward.

Usually, with a double action, the trigger pull is much longer and harder than with a single action shot. *

I like a single action trigger myself, but that is just what I'm used to.