GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OF FIREARMS

1. SMOOTH-BORE FIREARMS – firearms that does not contain rifling or perfectly

smooth from end to end. E. g. shotguns and muskets
2. RIFLED-BORE FIREARMS – firearms that contains rifling or the bore is out
longitudinally with a number of groves. E. g. pistol, revolvers and rifles.

MAIN TYPES OF FIREARMS

1. ARTILLERY – firearms that propel projectile more than one inch in diameter. E.g.
cannons, mortars, bazooka

Browning M2 Machine Gun

Gatling Gun

Developed during the American Civil War

(1861-1865) as the first practical machine gun, the
Gatling gun initially fired 350 rounds of ammunition
a minute. Later versions of the gun fired 1200
rounds a minute. The Gatling gun was primarily
used on the American frontier in the 1880s and in
the Spanish-American War (1898).

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 2. SMALL ARMS – firearms that propel projectile less than one inch in diameter. E.g.
pistols, revolvers,
rifle, submachine
guns, shotguns

Five Categories of Pistol

A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel,
though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word
was introduced in ca. 1570, when early handguns were produced in Europe, and is derived
from the Middle French pistolet (ca. 1550), meaning a small gun or knife. In colloquial usage,
the word "pistol" is often used to describe any type of handgun, inclusive of revolvers (which
have a single barrel and a separate cylinder housing multiple chambers) and the pocket-
sized derringers (which are often multi-barrelled).

The most common type of pistol used in the contemporary era is the semi-automatic pistol,
while the older single-shot and manual repeating pistols are now rarely seen and used
primarily for nostalgic hunting and historical reenactment, and the fully automatic machine
pistols are uncommon in civilian usage due to generally poor recoil-controllability and strict
laws and regulations governing their manufacture and sale.
{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol}

1. Single Shot Pistols

These guns are pretty self-explanatory. The gun is
designed to fire one single round at a time. The gun
is then manually reloaded and then can be fired
again. The most common gun in this category is the
small derringer pistols. There are also hunting
handguns that fit this category as well. While they
can perform well with the single round they
produce, they are slow to reload and not designed
for long term use.

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2. Multi-Barreled Pistols
Once again the name is self-explanatory. These guns are
a small improvement on the single shot pistols because
they enable the shooter to fire more than one shot
without having to reload. Many of these guns are archaic
but modern versions exist such as Arsenal Firearm’s
AF2011-A1 double barrel pistol. There are derringer
pistols that also fit this category should this be of
interest to you.

3. Semi-Automatic Hand Guns

In the modern day we now have semi-automatic

hand guns. These are the most commonly seen
guns in the firearms industry and the standard for
law enforcement, military and civilians alike. A
semi-auto gun uses the energy of the fired round
to automatically reload the chamber for the next
shot. Most use recoil energy to reload the next
shot but a few can use gas from the fired round to
cycle the gun. These are magazine fed and allow
the shooter to carry a large number of rounds as well as extra magazines for the gun.
Handguns such as the venerable 1911 and the Glock are common examples of semi-auto
guns.

4. Automatic Hand Guns

The last category we will look at is more of a

technicality. Automatic handguns are fully automatic
weapons capable of rapid and consecutive fire with
one simple depression of the trigger. These are by no
means common and are very heavily regulated by the
ATF. While they serve little purpose in the self-defense
realm, they are incredibly enjoyable to shoot. One of
the most well known in this category is the Glock 18.
It is a super-fast shooting handgun that has made
more people giggle than Saturday morning cartoons.

5. Double Action/Single Action (DA/SA)

With these pistols the initial trigger pull draws

the hammer to the rear as well as causes the
hammer to fall forward firing the round. These
pistols have two distinct trigger “pulls.” The
initial pull is significantly heavier than the
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following pull because it is drawing the hammer back. Once fired, the recoil of the slide cycles
the action and allows the trigger to be used simply to release the hammer. This can be seen
in pistols such as the Beretta 92 used by the US Military.
{https://www.gunbroker.com/c/article/types-of-pistols-top-things-you-need-to-know-
about-before-you-buy/}

Revolver
The defining characteristic of a revolver is the revolving cylinder, separate from the
barrel that contains the chambers. Revolvers typically have 5 to 9 chambers, and the first
issue is ensuring consistency among the chambers, because if they aren't consistent then the
point of impact will vary from chamber to chamber. The chambers must also align
consistently with the barrel, so the bullet enters the barrel the same way from each chamber.

2 KINDS OF REVOLVERS

1. Single Action - it is a type of revolver that the firer need to open the hammer
manually before pressing the trigger to release the hammer for firing. You can also
make this firearm fire rapidly by pressing the trigger permanently while the other
hand of the firer swipe the hammer as fast as he can so as to produce firing rapidly.

Colt Walker Revolver

The Colt Walker is named for Captain Sam Walker

of the Texas Rangers, who helped design the revolver. The
original Walker is the rarest and most valuable of the Colt
Paterson revolvers. It is not certain whether this model
was ever produced commercially.

2. Double Action – it is a type of revolver when you

press the trigger, the hammer will also open until
to the extent that the trigger fully press the
hammer will also release.

Loading and unloading

1. Front-loading cylinder
The first revolvers were front loading (also referred to as
muzzleloading), and were a bit like muskets in that the powder
and bullet were loaded separately. These were caplocks or "cap
and ball" revolvers, because the caplock method of priming was
the first to be compact enough to make a practical revolver
feasible. When loading, each chamber in the cylinder was
rotated out of line with the barrel, and charged from the front
with loose powder and an oversized bullet. Next, the chamber
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was aligned with the ramming lever underneath the barrel. Pulling the lever would drive a
rammer into the chamber, pushing the ball securely in place. Finally, the user would place
percussion caps on the nipples on the rear face of the cylinder.

2. Fixed cylinder designs

A fixed-cylinder Nagant M1895 with gate open for loading
In many of the first generation of cartridge revolvers
(especially those that were converted after manufacture),
the base pin on which the cylinder revolved was removed,
and the cylinder taken from the revolver for loading. Most
revolvers using this method of loading are single-action
revolvers, although Iver Johnson produced double-action
models with removable cylinders. The removable-cylinder
design is employed in some modern "micro-revolvers"
(usually chambered in .22 rimfire), in order to simplify their
design. These weapons are small enough to fit in the palm
of the hand.

3. Top-break cylinder
An IOF .32 top-break revolver
In a top-break revolver, the frame is hinged at the bottom front of
the cylinder. Releasing the lock and pushing the barrel down
exposes the rear face of the cylinder. In most top-break revolvers,
this act also operates an extractor that pushes the cartridges in the
chambers back far enough that they will fall free, or can be removed
easily. Fresh rounds are then inserted into the cylinder. The barrel
and cylinder are then rotated back and locked in place, and the
revolver is ready to fire.

4. Tip-up cylinder
Smith & Wesson Model 1 Third Issue open
The tip-up revolver was the first design to be used with
metallic cartridges in the Smith & Wesson Model 1, on
which the barrel pivoted upwards, hinged on the forward
end of the topstrap. On the S&W tip-up revolvers, the barrel
release catch is located on both sides of the frame in front of
the trigger. Smith & Wesson discontinued it in the third
series of the Smith & Wesson Model 1 1/2 but it was fairly
widely used in Europe in the 19th century, after a patent by
Spirlet in 1870, which also included an ejector star.

5. Swing-out cylinder
A swing-out cylinder revolver.
The most modern method of loading and unloading a revolver is by means of the swing-out
cylinder. The first swing-out cylinder revolver was patented in France and Britain at the end
of December in 1858 by Devisme. The cylinder is mounted on a pivot that is parallel to the
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chambers, and the cylinder swings out and down (to the left in
most cases). An extractor is fitted, operated by a rod projecting
from the front of the cylinder assembly. When pressed, it will
push all fired rounds free simultaneously (as in top-break
models, the travel is designed to not completely extract longer,
unfired rounds). The cylinder may then be loaded, individually
or again with the use of a speedloader, closed, and latched in
place. {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver#Top-
break_cylinder}

TYPES OF FIREARM ACCORDING TO MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION

1. SINGLE SHOT FIREARMS – those types of firearms that is designed to shoot only one shot.

2. REPEATING ARMS – this type is loaded with more than cartridge into the chamber when
it is fired rather having to perform this operation by hand.

3. BOLT ACTION TYPE – a firearm in which the breech closure

a. in line with the bore at all times,

b. manually reciprocated to load, unload and cock,
c. and is locked in place by breech bolt lugs and engraving
abutments usually in the receiver.
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the
weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing
of the breech (barrel) with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of
the weapon (for right-handed users). As the handle is operated, the bolt is unlocked, the
breech is opened, the spent shell casing is withdrawn and ejected, the firing pin is cocked
(this occurs either on the opening or closing of the bolt, depending on design), and finally a
new round/shell (if available) is placed into the breech and the bolt closed. Bolt action
firearms are most often rifles, but there are some bolt-action shotguns and a few handguns
as well. Examples of this system date as far back as the early 19th century, notably in the
Dreyse needle gun. From the late 19th century, all the way through both World Wars, the
bolt-action rifle was the standard infantry firearm for most of the world's militaries.

In military use, the bolt action has been mostly replaced by semi-automatic and
selective fire weapons, though the bolt action remains the dominant design in dedicated
sniper rifles. Bolt action firearms are still very popular for hunting and target practice.
Compared to most other manually-operated firearm actions, it offers an excellent balance of
strength (allowing powerful chamberings), simplicity, and potential accuracy, all with a light
weight and low cost. The major disadvantage is a slightly lower practical rate of fire than

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other alternatives, but this is not a critical factor in many types of hunting and target
shooting.

The first bolt-action rifle was produced in 1824 by Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse,
following work on breech-loading rifles that dated to at least the Ferguson of 1776. Von
Dreyse would perfect his Nadelgewehr (Needle Rifle) by 1836, and it was adopted by the
Prussian Army in 1841

4. LEVER ACTION TYPE – designed wherein the breech mechanism is cycled by an external
lever generally below the receiver.

The first significant lever-action

design was the Spencer repeating rifle, a
magazine-fed lever-operated breech-
loading rifle designed by Christopher
Spencer in 1860. It was fed from a
removable seven-round tube magazine, enabling the rounds to
be fired one after another, and which, when emptied, could be
exchanged for another. Over 20,000 were made, and it was
adopted by the United States and used during the American Civil
War, marking the first adoption of a removable-magazine-fed
infantry-and-cavalry rifle by any country.

5. SLIDE ACTION OR PUMP ACTION TYPE – a firearm which features a movable forearm
which is manually activated in motion parallel to the barrel by the shooter. Forearm motion
is transmitted all the functions of the firing cycle assigned to it by the design. It is also known
as pump action firearm.

6. SEMI-AUTOMATIC TYPE – a firearm requiring a separate pull of the trigger for each shot
fired, and which uses the energy of discharge to perform a portion of the operation or firing
cycle, usually the loading portion.

a. Blowback – in firearm, an automatic and semi-automatic firearm design, that directly

utilizes the breech pressure exerted on the head of the cartridge cases to activate the
mechanism. In ammunition, a leakage of gas rearward between the case and chamber wall
from the mouth of the case.
In "blowback" operation, the bolt is not mechanically locked at the moment of firing.
The bolt is relatively massive and is kept forward by spring tension alone. This simple design
is mainly seen in firearms designed around relatively low-power cartridges, where spring
tension and the mass of the bolt (or slide) are sufficient to keep the bolt forward until
chamber pressures have receded to a safe level.

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b. Gas operated
M16 rifle

In a gas-operated mechanism, a portion of the

combustion gases propelling the bullet within the
barrel are diverted and used to unlock the bolt and
cycle the action rearward. In most designs the gas
port is located relatively close to the muzzle, which ensures that chamber pressure has
dropped to a safe level before the breach is opened. There are two primary mechanisms used
to achieve this. The first method, called a "gas piston," uses the high pressure gas ported from
the barrel to drive an enclosed piston back against an operating rod or linkage (they are often
one piece), which in turn unlocks the bolt and drives it rearward, ejecting the spent case and
cocking the hammer or striker spring. The bolt moving rearward also compresses a strong
recoil spring which subsequently returns the bolt forward, stripping a fresh round from the
weapon's magazine and forcing it into the chamber in the process. The AK47/74 uses this
piston-based mechanism.

The second method of operation, called direct impingement, is somewhat simplified.

Here, the tube carrying the high pressure gas ported from the barrel emerges inside the
action of the rifle, where it mates up with a "gas key" which is integral to the bolt carrier.
Thus, the bolt carrier itself functions as a piston. The AR-15 and its military versions, the
M16 and M4 Carbine, are the most common and well-known weapons which utilize this
system.
c. Recoil operated
Recoil-operated arms operate similarly to blowback arms, except that the bolt is
mechanically locked or "delayed" in some manner at the moment of firing. In some designs,
the barrel is locked to the bolt and travels a short distance rearward with it until it unlocks,
allowing the bolt to continue rearward in its cycle. In other systems, the bolt is delayed by
spring-loaded rollers. The delay function allows higher-powered chamberings, since it
ensures that chamber pressures have dropped to a safe level before the breech opens.

7. AUTOMATIC ACTION TYPE – a firearm design that feeds cartridges, fires and ejects
cartridges and there are cartridges available in the feed system. Continuous firing in a single
press of the trigger.

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8. MACHINE GUN TYPE – primarily used only in military combat and will seldom be
encountered by the firearms technician, and has a capability of continuous firing.

9. SUB-MACHINE GUN – is a light, portable machine gun which uses pistol size ammunition.
It differs from a pistol in that it has a shoulder stock which may not fold but is designed to
be fired by the use of both hands.

10. SHOTGUNS

A. SINGLE BARRELED SHOTGUN – it is loaded with a single shotgun cartridge, closed,

fired and then loaded by the shooter.

The
Break
Action
Single
Barreled

B. DOUBLE BARRELED SHOTGUN – the two barrels may be side by side or they may
be one over the other. Each barrel may have its own trigger.

A view of the break-

action of a typical
double-barrelled shotgun, with the action open and the
extractor visible. The opening lever and the safety catch can
also be clearly seen.

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 The Side-by-Side Double Barreled

Over/Under Double Barreled

C. PUMP ACTION SHOTGUN – operates in the same manner as a slide action rifles, by
means of a sliding lever under the barrel.

D. AUTO LOADING
SHOTGUN –
these are the
same as auto-
loading or self-
loading shotguns in that the recoil action reloads the gun from the magazine without
any effort on the part of the shooter.

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 E. LEVER ACTION SHOTGUN - It was fed from a removable seven-round tube
magazine, enabling the rounds to be fired one after another, and which, when
emptied, could be exchanged for another.

11. FALLING BLOCK ACTION TYPE

Ruger No. 1 single-shot rifle falling-

block
rifle with action open

A falling-block action (also known as a sliding-block action) is a single-shot

firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the
breech of the rifle and actuated by a lever.

When in the top position, it is locked and resists the force of recoil while sealing the
chamber. In the lower position, it leaves the chamber open to be loaded by a cartridge from
the rear. After loading, the lever returns the block to the top position to lock the breech in
place to seal the chamber. It is a very strong action, used in heavy artillery as well as small
arms.

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12. BREAK ACTION TYPE - one whose barrels are hinged, and rotate perpendicular to the
bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of ammunition. A separate
operation may be required for the cocking of a hammer to fire the new round. Break open
actions are universal in double-barrelled shotguns, double-barrelled rifles and combination
guns, and are also common in single shot rifles, pistols, and shotguns, and can also be found
in flare guns, grenade launchers, air guns and some older revolver designs. They are also
known as break-open, break-barrel or break top actions.

A view of the break-action of a typical double-barrelled

shotgun, with the action open and the extractor visible. The
opening lever and the safety catch can also be clearly seen.
Military-style semiautomatic rifle
Many semi-automatic-only versions (also known
as "sporting" or "civilian" versions) of fully automatic
assault rifles are available, and their external appearance
can be nearly identical to their automatic counterparts.
However, modern semi-automatic rifles are designed so
that they cannot be converted easily to fully automatic fire. In the U.S., BATF regulations
require that semi-automatic rifles be manufactured so that they cannot accept parts or
modifications that would allow them to be capable of fully automatic fire.

References:

• Forensic Ballistics by Manlusoc,2012

• Forensic Ballistic by Erdulfo M. Grimares, 2003
• Hughes, David (1990). The History and Development of the M16 Rifle and Its
Cartridge. Oceanside: Armory Pub. ISBN 9780962609602.
• W. Hays Parks, Colonel, USMC, Chief of the JAG's International Law Branch (1985-09-
23).
• "Winchester Ranger Talon (Ranger SXT/Black Talon) Wound Ballistics". McCarthy v.
Olin Corp., 119 F.3d 148 .
• BARIŞ GÜN and ILHAN GÜVEL. Rifling By Flow Forming.
• Sam Fadala (2006). The Complete Blackpowder Handbook: The Latest Guns and Gear.
Gun Digest. ISBN 0896893901. Chapter 18, The Cloth Patch
• Miller, Don. How Good Are Simple Rules For Estimating Rifling Twist, Precision
Shooting - June 2009
• Ezell, Edward Clinton (1983) (in English). Small Arms of the World. New York:
Stackpole Books. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-0880296014.
• "National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) for Law Enforcement,"
Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, July 3, 2001

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