Firearms

Legal definitions – include rifles, muskets, carbines, shotguns,

pistols, revolvers and all deadly weapons from which bullets,
balls, shots, shells, or other missiles may be discharged by
means of gunpowder or other explosives. This term also
includes air rifles except such as being of small caliber and of
the limited range used as toys. The barrel of any firearm shall
be considered a complete firearm for all purposes hereof.

Technical definitions – an instrument used for the propulsion

or projectiles by means of the expansive force of gases coming
from the burning gunpowder.

Other Definitions (Firearm)

o pistol or revolver with a barrel less than 12 inches

o rifle with a barrel less than 15 inches
o shotgun with a barrel less than 24 inches
 designed to expel a projectile by the action of an explosives
and firearm muffler or firearm silencer or any part of such
weapon
Classification

1. according to gun barrel or internal construction

a. smooth-bore
b. rifled-bore
2. according to caliber of projectiles
a. artillery – projectile is more than one (1) inch in
diameter
b. small arms – projectiles have less than one (1) inch in
diameter
3. according to mechanical construction
a. single shot –fire only one shot for every loading
b. repeating arms – fire several shots in one loading
c. bolt action type –reloading is done by manipulation of
the bolt
d. automatic loading – feeding of the chamber takes after
each shot
e. slide action type (trombone) – back and forth
manipulation of the under forearm of the gun
f. lever type (break type) – reloading by the lever action of
the firearm
4. according to use
a. military use
 b. pocket and home defense firearm
c. target and outdoor men’s firearm
5. unusual or miscellaneous type – unique in mechanism
and construction

 paltik pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns

 gas guns – for firing tear gas
 traps - designed to be in the woods and left where
animals will encounter them
 cane gun, knife pistols or Freakish Device - designed
for another purposes
 tools - tool using cartridges to drive stud, punch holes
 zip guns - homemade guns and made of any form
 multi-barreled guns - having three or four barrels all
mounted in one receiver; some with different gauges of
shotguns
 liberator - made by U.S. government for use in
occupied countries and fired the .45 cartridge, single
shot, and smooth bore
 flare guns - for sending signals and enabling to see
enemies in the dark
 harpoon guns - barbed spear in hunting large fish

Machine guns – shoots or is designed to shoot automatically

or semi-automatically, more than one shot without manual
reloading by a single press of the trigger.

Shoulder Arms

1. Rifle – to be fired from the shoulder; designed to hit target

at a greater or longer distance.
2. Musket – ancient smooth-bore and muzzle loading which
shoot a single round lead bullet
3. Carbine – shot barrel rifle not longer than 22 inches
4. Shotgun – designed to fire a number of lead pellets or
shots in one charge
Hand Arms

1. revolver – it has a rotating cylinder serving as magazine

2. pistol – designed to fire a single projectile through a rifled-
bore for every press of the trigger; semi-automatic loading

 Double Action - weapon in which pressure upon the

trigger both cocks and releases the hammer
  Single Action - pressure upon the trigger releases the
hammer that must be manually cocked
 Automatic - when the mechanism is so arrange that it will
fire continuously while the trigger is depressed
Air Rifle -designed to shoot pellets by means of
compressed air

Nomenclature and Mechanics

The three main parts

Revolver Pistol

barrel assembly barrel assembly

cylinder assembly slide assembly

frame or receiver frame or receiver

Rifle Shotgun

barrel assembly barrel assembly

magazine assembly magazine assembly

stock group stock group

Auxiliary parts of pistol

1. recoil plug
2. barrel bushing
3. slide stop pin
4. recoil spring guide
5. recoil spring

Safeties of the Cal. . .45 Automatic Pistol

1. grip safety - mechanical safety

2. thumb safety - applied safety
3. disconnector - automatic safety
Advantages of a Revolver

1. everyone is use to it or know it

2. safer for inexperience
3. trigger pull is better than ordinary automatic
4. misfire does not put a revolver out of action
5. would not jam

Disadvantages of a Revolver
 1. bulky to carry
2. grip or handle is as not good as pistol
3. hard to clean
4. slower to load
5. harder to replace worn out parts
6. replacement or worn out parts is not accurate due to
improper lining

Advantages of an Automatic Pistol

1. better grip
2. more compact for the same fire power
3. easier to load
4. worn barrel could easily replace
5. greater number of shots
6. easier to clean
7. greater fire power
8. no gas leakage in its operation
Disadvantages of an Automatic Pistol

1. ammunition must be perfect

2. misfire stops the functioning of the gun
3. magazine is under tension if the gun was stock in a long
period of time
4. cannot use black load
5. poorer trigger pull
6. magazine requires jacketed bullet
7. more dangerous due to after one shot it is always cocked
and loaded
8. not adopted to reloading, throws away empty shell
9. ejects empty shell towards the face of the firer
10. empty shell on the ground remain as evidence
11. cannot be fired from pocket without jamming

Nomenclatures and Functions

barrel - initiates the path of the bullet

frame - houses the internal parts
cylinder - serves as chamber and magazine
yoke - pivot connection between the frame and cylinder
extractor - pulls the empty shells from the cylinder
simultaneously
extractor rod - activates the extractor and serves as a
locking device
center pin - serve as a locking device for the cylinder
 center pin spring - holds the center pin in a locked
position
side plate - provide access to the internal parts
side plate screws - hold the side plate and yoke in place
hammer block - safety device that prevents hammer blow
to primer
double action sear - built into weapon to allow double
action fire
hammer - strikes the blow that initiates or ignites primer
bolt - disengages center pin to allow opening of cylinder and
blocks hammer
thumb latch - actuates bolt to release the cylinder
hand (pawl) - rotates the cylinder when the hammer is
cocked
cylinder stop - stops and holds the cylinder in alignment
for firing
trigger - activates the parts necessary to fire the weapon

trigger guard - guards the trigger from unnecessary action

to avoid accidental firing
rebound slide - returns trigger, activates hummer block
and locks hammer
trigger spring - provides energy for return movement or
rebound slide
trigger level - contacts rebound slide to return trigger
forward
mainspring - provides energy to the hammer to activate
firing mechanism
strain screw - controls tension on the mainspring
trigger stop - prevents excessive rearward movement after
hammer release
rachet - helps in the withdrawal of the cartridge or shells
from the chamber of the cylinder
cylinder notch - helps hold the cylinder in place and
aligned for ready firing