General firearms refer to any of various weapons which use gunpowder as an explosive to fire projectiles through an ordnance barrel, often with propellant. They are defined as weapons by the Firearms Protocol and are commonly used for hunting, personal protection, and law enforcement.
Classification of firearms typically depends upon their caliber (in millimeters or inches) and mechanism for loading, unloading, and firing ammunition. Examples include muzzleloaders, breechloaders, levers, bolt pumps, and revolvers in semi-automatic or fully automatic firearms. Look for a Gunbroker to purchase a firearm.
Rifle
Firearms use expanded gas to propel projectiles. Rifles are shoulder-fired long guns equipped with spiral grooves cut inside their barrel (“rifling”) that impart spin to bullets fired from them, giving these guns their name.
Rifles come in all forms – single-shot or repeating, semi-automatic, and fully automatic; these weapons are used by hunters, competitors, and millions of Americans as self-defense weapons.
Caliber (bullet or barrel diameter). The higher the caliber, the more lethal its bullet.
Shotgun
A shotgun is a long weapon designed to fire multiple pellets known as “shot” into an array of patterns for hunting small game and moving targets at relatively close ranges. Additionally, single projectiles known as “slugs” may also be fired for big game hunting.
Shotgun barrels feature a choke that regulates how the shots come out of their weapon, similar to how a water hose’s nozzle regulates how water disperses from it; tightening a tightening it causes longer, narrower spray patterns while opening it widens out water distribution.
Shotguns are ideal for hunting soft targets such as pheasants, ducks, and rabbits at close range. Furthermore, they are effective home defense weapons.
Pistol
A pistol is an increasingly popular handgun choice across many nations and among law enforcement officers alike.
The American Webster Dictionary defines a pistol as “a weapon with one chamber, integral with its barrel.”
Pistols distinguish themselves from revolvers by the absence of rotating cylinders. By contrast, revolvers feature multiple chambers connected via rotating cylinders positioned within an alignment with one barrel for easy rotation. You can also look for an EOTech for your pistol.
Submachine Gun
Submachine guns (SMGs) are automatic weapons that combine the automatic fire of a machine gun with pistol-caliber cartridges. SMGs are commonly employed for close-quarter combat or police work.
Armed with one of their iconic designs such as the MP-38 or MP-40, they have long been utilized by law enforcement, SWAT teams, paramilitaries, and counter-terrorism units for various uses.
Due to their superior range and power, carbine-length assault rifles firing intermediate cartridges have gradually replaced them as standard military issues, though they still play some roles today. Ballistic helmets and body armor have limited their use among military personnel, however.
Revolver
Revolvers are handguns featuring an interconnected rotating cylinder containing multiple firing chambers that can be activated either by cocking the hammer or pulling the trigger and can be fired by either method.
When loaded, each cartridge rim rests against an extractor recessed within the cylinder. As soon as a revolver is empty, its ejector rod pushes back and catches each spent cartridge against its extractor.
Modern revolvers can be quickly and efficiently reloaded using speed loaders, which allow for the rapid insertion of three or six cartridges at once. Some models also come equipped with half or full-moon clips that serve the same function.
Revolvers tend to be less powerful than pistols, yet can still provide self-defense capabilities. If you plan on investing in one for home defense, look for one with a high capacity and superior recoil system.
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