Safe action
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The "safe action" is a special constant double action which GLOCK developed to be used in the vast majority of their pistols. The action is very similar to the quick action used by Walther and other pistol manufacturers. The system consists of a striker-engaged firing pin (rather than a more traditional hammer-engaged). It uses additional precautions to prevent the firing pin from moving or being struck if the firearm were to be dropped or shaken; it has a physical firing pin safety just for this reason. It is specifically designed so that the firearm will only fire when the trigger is pulled.
[edit] Controversy
Glocks designed with the safe action have no external safeties. Many users find this disconcerting, especially those familiar more traditional firearms such as the M1911. Manual (external) safeties can be a blessing and a curse, depending on the user. For the standard shooter, the assurance of setting a switch on a firearm which prevents it from shooting is good. Others, such as those in law enforcement, feel that the gun should be ready to fire once out of a holster, and forgetting to disengage a safety in a tense situation could be fatal and, with this firearm, is preventable. Even though it provides for immediate usage, it is susceptable to untintended trigger manipulation, unlike a manual safety. 1 In this incident, the safe action system failed when the trigger was caught by the fence, discharging the weapon.
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