Chapter 2: Know your firearm

How the rifle and handgun fire

1) a cartridge is inserted into chamber 2) the action is closed, and the firing pin is pushed back and held under spring tension 3) trigger is squeezed, releasing the firing pin, which moves forward with great force, causing it explode. 4) The spark from the primer ignites the gunpowder. Gas converted from the burning powder rapidly expands in the cartridge. 5)The expanding gas forces the bullet out of the cartridge and down the barrel with great speed 6) the rifling in the barrel causes the bullet to spin as it travels out of the barrel. The bullet's speed and escaping gases produce a "bang"

How the shotgun shoots

1) a shotshell is inserted into chamber 2) closing the action pushes the hammer back and holds it under spring tension 3) pulling the trigger releases the hammer. the firing pin strikes the primer, producing sparks. 4) heat and sparks from the primer ignite the gunpowder. gas converted from the burning powder expands in the shell 5) the expanding gas forces the wad and shot out of the plastic body of the shell 6) the escaping gases produce a "bang" as the wad and shot leave the barrel 7) the wad quickly opens and falls away. the shot cluster spreads. this spread is called the shot string.

Gunpowder

A chemical mixture that burns rapidly and converts to an expanding gas when ignited. Modern smokeless powder will burn slowly when ignited in the open ( outside of case ). Black powder is less stable and can be explosive when impacted or ignited in the open.

Firing pin

A pin that strikes the primer of the cartridge, causing ignition.

Wad

A seal and/or shot container made of paper or plastic separating the powder from the slug or shot in a shotshell. The wad prevents gas from escaping through the shot and holds the shot together as it passes through the barrel.

What is ammunition?

Also known as "ammo" , the term ammunition is what fires out of the firearm. Ammunition varies depending on the firearm. Rifles and handguns use a cartridge, which contains a single bullet. Shotguns use shotshells, which contains a single slug or a large number of small bullets such as shots, or pellets.

Primer

An explosive chemical compound that ignites the gunpowder when struck by a firing pin. Primer may be placed either in the rim of the case (rimfire) or in the center of the base of the case (centerfire)

What is a firearm?

Firearm- a mechanical device that uses pressure from burning powder to force a projectile through and out of a metal tube.

Bore

Inside of the firearm barrel through which the projectile travels when fired.

Receiver

Metal housing for the working parts of the action.

Other firearm parts

Other parts of a firearm include: bore, breech, firing pin, and receiver. (Definitions below)

Breech

Rear end of the barrel

The basic parts of a firearm

STAR THIS TERM!!! You must know these!! The 3 basic parts of a firearm are: action, stock, and barrel. ( the definitions are below)

Stock

Serves as a handle on the firearm. People may recognize this as the back of a firearm.

Shotshells

Shotgun shells ( shotshells ) use a slug or shot as the projectile(s)

Basic parts of ammunition

The basic parts of ammunition include: case, primer, gunpowder, projectile, and wad. ( See definitions below )

Case

The container that holds all the other ammunition components together.

Action

The heart of the firearm. These are the moving parts that load, fire and eject the cartridges. Muzzleloaders use locks rather than actions,

Barrel

The metal tube where the projectile travels through

Projectile

The object(s) expelled from barrel. A bullet is a projectile, usually containing lead, fired through a rifle or handgun barrel. A slug is a solid projectile, usually of lead fired through a shotgun barrel. Shot is a group of lead, steel, tungsten alloy, or bismuth pellets fired through a shotgun barrel.

How a firearm works

They work different ways ( see below )