Pistol Basics 2

Front 1

All firearms fundamentally take the form of a tube known as a what?

Back 1

Barrel.

Front 2

What is a typical chemical propellent?

Back 2

Gunpowder.
The projectile is the bullet.

Front 3

How is the bullet projected?

Back 3

When gunpowder is ignited, there is creation of a hot and high pressure gas, which forces the projectile out of the open end of the barrel at high velocity.

Front 4

What did muzzle loading involve?

Back 4

The gunpowder and then the projectile were put into the barrel from the open or muzzle end of the barrel.

Front 5

With respect to muzzle loading, how is loading performed today?

Back 5

The powder and bullet are combined into a single unit, called a metallic cartridge, which has as well a pressure sensitive component referred to as a primer or priming compound. This compound ignites the powder.

Front 6

All pistols that fire metallic cartridges are breech loading firearms. TRUE/FALSE

Back 6

TRUE. This is a firearm in which the cartridge is loaded into the rear of the barrel, or breech.

Front 7

What are three major components of breech loading pistols?

Back 7

Frame, barrel and action.

Front 8

What does the action determine?

Back 8

How the gun operates, and is the collection of parts that serve to fire the gun.

Front 9

Action components are involved in loading a cartridge, closing and or locking the breech. TRUE/FALSE

Back 9

TRUE. It is also involved in cocking the hammer or striker, and extracting and/or ejecting the fired caseload.

Front 10

Virtually all pistol actions have 1 or more safety mechanisms. TRUE/FALSE

Back 10

TRUE.

Front 11

Specific action types have a variety of components to close and/lock the breech. Give some examples.

Back 11

A slide in semiautomatic pistols:
Bolt in bolt action pistols.
In revolvers, the breech is closed not by a separate component, but by a part of the frame called the recoil shield.

Front 12

What else do revolver actions include?

Back 12

The cylinder, which has chambers that hold the cartridges, and for cylinder rotation.

Front 13

What is considered the central component of most pistols?

Back 13

It is the FRAME.

Front 14

What is attached to the Frame?

Back 14

The stocks or grips and the barrel(s).

Front 15

What are modern pistol frames made of?

Back 15

Steel, aluminun, titanium and more commonly, polymer materials.

Front 16

In most pistols, the barrel is usually made of what?

Back 16

Steel.

Front 17

What is the bore?

Back 17

The hole or size(lumen) of it, that projects through the barrel.

Front 18

What is meant by "spiral rifling?

Back 18

The bore has spiral rifling. This spins the bullet for stability and accuracy.

Front 19

How is rifling formed?

Back 19

It is formed by creating shallow grooves in the bore surface. The slightly raised areas between the grooves are called "Lands."

Front 20

What forms at thr rear of the bore?

Back 20

It forms chambers, which accept particular cartridges.

Front 21

What is the forward end called?

Back 21

The muzzle.

Front 22

How long do some pistol barrels vary?

Back 22

2-15".

Front 23

The Trigger is aterm used to denote what?

Back 23

The entire mechanism that releases the part of the action(usually a hammer or a striker)) that causes the cartridge to be ignited.

Front 24

What happens with single action firearms?

Back 24

The trigger directly releases the cocked hammer when it is pulled.

Front 25

How might other trigger mechanisms differ?

Back 25

The trigger releases the spring loaded hammer, firing pin or striker through an intermediary mechanism such as a "sear or trigger bar".

Front 26

In general, firearm safety mechanisms are of two types. What are they?

Back 26

Active and Passive.

Front 27

Define active safety mechanism.

Back 27

These mechanisms must be intentionally activated and deactivated by the shooter.

Front 28

Define passive.

Back 28

The mechanism functions more or less automaticly.

Front 29

Most commonly, active safety mechanisms take what form?

Back 29

They take the form of a lever, sliding button, that can manually be moved to a safe position to prevent firing as well as a "fire" position permitting the gun to be discharged.

Front 30

What form(s) might passive mechanisms assume?

Back 30

Grip safety, that prevents firing unless the gun is properly gripped.
Others might prevent the hammer from contacting the firing pin, or the firing pin from contacting the cartridge, unless the trigger has been pulled fully rearward.

Front 31

What is a decocking mechanism?

Back 31

Found in many double action semi-automatics, these serve to drop the cocked hammer to the down position.

Front 32

In conventional and semi automatic pistols, how is the breech closed and locked?

Back 32

By a component called a slide.
This rides on horizontal rails in the frame

Front 33

What about breech closing or locking mechanisms in revolvers?

Back 33

They have no separate mechanism. Behind the cylinder is a flat face in the frame, called the "recoil shield". This supports the head of the cartridge in the chamber that is aligned with the firing pin and the barrel.

Front 34

What are the seven steps of the cycle of operation?

Back 34

1. Firing
2. Unlocking
3. Extraction
4. Ejection
5.Cocking
6. Feeding
7. Locking

Front 35

What is extraction?

Back 35

The pulling of the spent cartridge case rearward out of the chamber, usually by a part called an extractor.

Front 36

What is ejection?

Back 36

The forcible throwing of the spent case clear of the action by a component called the ejector.