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You might want to ask yourself too, what kind of action do you want, single or double?

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What's the difference?

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From Wiki:

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Standard modern semi-automatic pistols are usually double action (DA), also sometimes known as double-action/single-action (DA/SA.) In this design, the hammer or striker may be either thumb-cocked or activated by pulling the trigger when firing the first shot. The hammer or striker is re-cocked automatically during each firing cycle. In double-action (DA) pistols, the first pull of the trigger requires roughly twice as much pressure as subsequent firings, since the first pull of the trigger also [censored] the hammer (if not already cocked by hand). The Beretta 92F/FS, a full-sized, service, semi-automatic pistol is an example of this style of action. A common mode of carry for DA semi-automatic pistols is with the magazine full, a round chambered, and the gun holstered and uncocked with the external safety unengaged or off. An alternative carry mode, and the mode often used after firing just one or two cartridges, is with the magazine partially full, a round chambered, and the gun holstered, and cocked with the external safety engaged or on.

In contrast, a single-action (SA), semi-automatic pistol must be cocked by first operating the slide or bolt, or, if a round is already chambered, by cocking the hammer manually. The famed Colt M1911 is an example of this style of action. All SA semi-automatic pistols exhibit this feature, and automatically [censored] the hammer when the slide is first "racked" to chamber a round. The normal mode of carrying an SA semi-automatic pistol is Condition 1, popularly known as cocked and locked (see photo of Springfield Armory M1911A1 above). Condition 1 (a term popularized by Colonel Jeff Cooper) refers to having the magazine full, a round chambered, the hammer fully cocked, and the thumb safety engaged or on, at least for right-handed users. For many single-action, semi-automatic pistols, this procedure works well only for right-handed users, as the thumb safety is located on the left side of pistol and is easily accessible only for those who are holding the pistol in the right hand.

On many SA semi-automatic pistols, there is also a hammer position known as "half-cocked.". Squeezing the trigger will not fire the gun when it is in the half-cocked position, and neither will dropping the gun in this state cause an accidental discharge. During WWII in the Pacific Theater, an unofficial and unapproved carry mode for the SA M1911 by left-handed US soldiers in combat was carrying the gun with the magazine full, a round chambered, the action in half-cocked position, and the thumb safety (accessible only to right-handed users) positioned in the off (or ready-to-fire) mode. The primary advantage of the half-cocked position versus the uncocked position in that particular scenario was added sound suppression, a secondary advantage being the avoidance of accidental discharges if the gun were accidentally dropped. Cocking the gun from uncocked to fully cocked was much noisier than turning the safety off for right-handed users, or cocking the gun from half cocked to fully cocked for left-handed users. In general, however, single-action, semi-automatic pistols should never be carried cocked with the safety off. Many modern SA semi-automatic pistols have had their safety mechanisms redesigned to provide a thumb safety on both sides of the pistol, thereby better meeting the needs of left-handed as well as right-handed users.


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In double-actions, the first shot can require so much more force than the subsequent shots as to change your grip or style of shooting. It has also been said that they are not as safe as single actions that have their hammer cocked but their safety on. (Jeff Cooper, et al.)

I used to have a single-action 9 mm, the CZ-9 I think it was? Czech gun. I think Cooper said it was the best 9 mm made, at least partially because it was single-action. There are lots of people who are not fans of double-action semi-autos. Since the beretta 9 mm became a standard sidearm in the armed forces, though, more people have gotten used to double-action, and the 9 mm cartridge, and both are a lot more popular than they used to be.

A consideration also is, if married or whatever, if you want your wife or girlfriend to be able to use your gun in self defense too. A big heavy gun may be too intimidating for her to use, and hard for her to control without a whole lot of practice. And one that requires a heavy first trigger pull, like a double-action, may not be ideal either. Plus, you have to account for hand size.