What is the technical function of a disconector?

Question

...on a firearm.

Thank You

Answer 1

In an AR15, when you pull the trigger and the rifle fires, the gases will push the bolt carrier to the rear and reset the hammer.  The disconnector  holds the hammer back while you are pulling the trigger, preventing the hammer from falling and causing a semiauto to act like a full auto or worse and allowing hammer follow to occur and produce an out of battery fire which can result in a "kaboom"....

A Colt 1911 has an automatic disconnector which both prevents it from firing fully auto if the trigger is held and also prevents it from firing until the slide has completed its travel all of the way forward after firing.

Some handguns have a "safety disconnector" which does not allow the hammer to fall if the magazine is removed by breaking the connection between the trigger and sear.

Answer 2

Shooting without a disconnector can lead to a "run away gun" situation, where even cycling the weapon can start it shooting until the magazine runs dry.

Answer 3

The job of the disconnector is to force you to release the trigger between each shot by NOT permitting the trigger to release the hammer and/or sear until you have released the trigger allowing it to 'reset'.  The job is the same on rifles, pistols, or shotguns.

This makes your weapon fire in semiauto mode rather than fullauto.

Answer 4

the disconnector disconnects hammer, sear, and trigger.

If the disconnector breaks or is missing you wind up with a uncontrollable discharge rate.

An example of this is in the 1970's Remington had a batch of 1100's that the disconnector would break and you would get a double shot every once in a while.

I have one of these, and about every three or four years I have to have a new one put in.

It's not fun thinking you are going to shoot a duck and then have the dang thing empty itself, kinda ruins a hunt as I have to break the shotgun down so I don't get in trouble.