With the help of my gun-loving husband, I have been exploring the world of firearms lately. Just for you, dear reader, I fired a shotgun for the first time yesterday. Shotguns come in pump action, break action, and semi-automatic. Less commonly you will find revolver action and bolt action shotguns. Today we focus on pump…
Bolt action guns come in rotating bolt or straight pull. The straight pull requires only a pull back and push forward to operate. This is accomplished with spring-loaded ball bearings that lock into a groove in the bolt’s housing, or with lugs radiating from the bolt.
Rotating bolts most commonly come in three types. The Mauser has two locking lugs just behind the bolt head, enabling it to withstand higher pressure cartridges. Some models have a third locking lug as a safety feature. The Mauser cocks the action with the upward rotation of the bolt. This is called cock on opening because it cocks with the opening of the bolt.
The Lee-Infield type of rotating bolt action is a cock on closing action because it cocks when the bolt moves forward.
The Mosin-Nagant action is another cock on opening system, but it has a separate bolt head which rotates with the bolt and the bearing lugs, whereas the Mauser bolt head is part of the bolt and the Lee-Infield has a stationary bolt head and a rotating body.
Bolt action rifles may have an internal magazine loaded by hand, a detachable magazine, or no magazine, with the latter requiring individual loading of bullets into the chamber. Bolt action rifles generally limit capacity to two to ten rounds to keep the magazine flush with the stock and to limit the weight of the gun. The magazine may take the shape of a tube or box.
To load the Henry lever action rifle, you rotate the follower and lift it out of the feed tube. This makes room to load seven rounds in the feed tube one by one. Return the follower into the feed tube and rotate it until it locks in place. Looking at the picture on the top of this article, you will see a familiar-looking trigger guard setup on the underside of the gun, plus a really big loop attached to the back of the trigger guard. The lever action rifle works by pulling down this lever, which opens the action to eject the last cartridge used. You then push the lever back into place, seating the next round. You must repeat this action with each shot.
A flash in the pan: the part of a flintlock musket that held the firing powder was its pan. Sometimes the primer flashed but did not explode, so the action did not result in a bullet being shot. Various political candidates have proven themselves to be a flash in the pan because they look brilliant for a brief moment but never accomplish anything.
A real pistol: pistols are quick to load and shoot. If you are a real pistol, you are fun loving and high spirited. Granny Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies was a real pistol.
We explain the parts of the revolver with: muzzle, barrel, cylinder, trigger, grip, sights, trigger guard, hammer, cylinder release, crane, ratchet, ejector rod, and firing pin.
We have broken down our Sig Sauer P320 into its parts: grip module, slide, trigger assembly, recoil spring, takedown lever, and barrel.
The AR-15 style rifle is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle closely related to the military M16 and M4 Carbine rifles. Between 1994 and 2004 some varieties were classified as “assault weapons” and were illegal under the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act.