Basic types of firearms

Currently, there are many ways to categorize firearms. They can be divided into two categories: long guns, including rifles and shotguns, and handguns, including revolvers and pistols. According to the general rule, rifles and shotguns are pressed against the shoulder and fire large-caliber projectiles from long barrels. On the other hand, pistols and revolvers are smaller-caliber weapons with shorter barrels, designed for one or two-handed shooting.

Pistols

This type of weapon is ideal for concealed carry because it is lightweight, has a strong impact, and is highly accurate. The barrel is short with thick walls that allow the weapon to withstand high pressure. The barrel's interior is rifled (a spiral network of grooves), which causes the bullet to spin as it passes through, significantly stabilizing its flight.

Pistols come in various sizes: full-size, compact, sub-compact, and micro-compact/pocket. They all share common features. All modern semi-automatic pistols are powered by a detachable magazine. They are also designed to handle one caliber, though in many styles of that caliber.

• Full-size pistols are the largest standard-size pistols available. They have barrels from 114 mm to 127 mm in length. They are also large enough to comfortably fit the whole hand on their grip. Examples include the Glock 17 and most standard 1911 pistols.
• Compact pistols are smaller than full-size pistols. Their barrels range from 89 mm to 114 mm in length. Their grip may be the size of a full-size pistol or slightly shorter. An example is the Glock 19 pistol.
• Sub-compact pistols are smaller than compact pistols. They have barrels from 89 mm in length or less. Their grip is much shorter and generally only accommodates about two fingers comfortably.
• Micro-compact/pocket pistols have been around for a long time, with their latest versions being micro-compacts. These pistols have barrels of 76 mm or shorter and can easily fit in pockets.

There are various types of pistols depending on the trigger mechanism:

• SA (Single Action) - the firing mechanism must be manually cocked or is cocked during the manual reloading of the weapon.
• DAO (Double Action Only) - the firing mechanism is cocked during the first phase of pulling the trigger, and at the end of the trigger's movement, the firing mechanism is released and the shot is fired.
• DA/SA (Double Action/Single Action) - the firing mechanism can be cocked before the first shot as in SA mechanism (not in all designs) and DAO, with cocking for subsequent shots occurring during reloading due to the energy of the propellant charge.

The most important parts of this weapon are: the frame, barrel, slide, magazine, recoil spring, and the trigger-ignition mechanism.

Revolvers

Revolvers differ from pistols by one short feature. They contain a cylinder in which several chambers hold individual cartridges. The cylinder rotates with each cocking of the hammer and aligns the next chamber with the barrel.

There are different types of revolvers:

• SA (Single Action) - before firing each shot, the hammer must be manually cocked, which also rotates the cylinder.
• DAO (Double Action Only) - during the first phase of pulling the trigger, the cylinder rotates and aligns the next chamber with the barrel; the revolver does not have a visible hammer.
• DA/SA (Double Action/Single Action) - the firing mechanism can be cocked as in SA and DAO mechanisms.

The single-action mechanism does not require much effort to pull the trigger, while with a double-action revolver, more pressure is needed on the trigger. It's important to note that there are revolvers with both single and double action functions. DAO revolvers, due to the lack of a hammer, make it easier to quickly draw the weapon from a bag or clothing.

The main elements of a revolver's construction are: the frame, barrel, cylinder, and the trigger-ignition mechanism.

Rifles and Carbines

This category of firearms is so diverse that it could take dozens of pages to describe.

Rifle is a long firearm designed for shooting at long distances with projectiles of high muzzle energy. It has a long, rifled barrel with thick walls, allowing it to withstand high pressure. Unlike a shotgun, a rifle is more accurate and can shoot projectiles over greater distances. This makes rifles ideal for both hunting and sport shooting. Most rifles are automatic or semi-automatic, though some are manually operated. In semi-automatic rifles, after each shot, the rifle automatically reloads, and the trigger mechanism, unlike in automatic rifles, only allows single shots. In bolt-action rifles, the shooter must manually reload after each shot.

The key parts of this weapon are: the frame, stock, barrel, bolt group (e.g., lock, slide), magazine, recoil spring, and the trigger-ignition mechanism.

It is important to remember that rifles are much heavier than pistols, so any rifles or carbines (rifles with shorter barrels) equipped with ammunition for traditional pistols (9mm, .40-cal, .45-ACP) will generate significantly less recoil than a pistol and therefore are more pleasant to shoot.

Carbine is a firearm created by modifying a rifle without changing the general layout of its construction. Modifications often include shortening the barrel, reducing the weight, reducing the caliber, eliminating the bayonet, and using ammunition with different parameters. They use what is called intermediate ammunition, which is stronger than pistol ammunition but weaker than rifle ammunition (the most popular types are 5.56×45 mm and 7.62×39 mm).

The key parts of this weapon are: the frame, stock, barrel, bolt group (e.g., lock, slide), magazine, recoil spring, and the trigger-ignition mechanism.

Shotguns

A shotgun is a long firearm with a smoothbore barrel. The shotgun's barrel is thinner than that of a pistol, so it doesn't withstand as much pressure. Shotguns are a particularly versatile type of firearm due to the ability to use various types of ammunition containing pellets (ranging from a few to several dozen lead or steel pellets, which makes hitting the target with at least some of them easier), rubber projectiles, slugs, incendiary rounds, and many others.

Shotguns are primarily used in hunting and shooting sports for shooting shot or slugs. However, due to their ability to use a wide range of ammunition, they are increasingly used for special operations by the police, military, and similar organizations.

The main parts of a shotgun are: the frame, stock, barrel, bolt group, magazine (tube), and the trigger-ignition mechanism.

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