What does single action and double action mean?
Similarly, what is the difference between single action and double action?
Overall, the biggest difference between single action and double action weapons is what the trigger does when you pull it. When you pull the trigger of a single action weapon, it simply drops the hammer. In a double action weapon, pulling the trigger both cocks and drops the hammer.
Then, is a Glock single or double action?
The Glock is neither a single or a double action pistol. This gives the Glock the safety of a self-cocking or double action pistol but with a trigger pull which is only a bit heavier than a single action and is consistent for every shot.
A glock is both "pre-cocked", and a double action. The striker is pulled just slightly rearward under the tension of its own spring when the slide is allowed to go forward. However, when you pull the trigger you add an additional "cocking", if you will, to the striker. This is what makes it double action.