firearms

there are many reasons people might own guns...self defense, hobby, and occupation are probably the main reasons...i own them, because i enjoy shooting...defense is secondary and just against the zombie variety...i don't know why, but i always gravitated towards guns...most kids' interest in guns don't go beyond toy guns, but my dad saw that i liked them and took me shooting when i was about 9 or 10...ever since then, i knew that i would eventually be a gun owner and have shooting as a hobby...most of my learning came from reading gun magazines...before the internet, i had 3 main magazine subscriptions...car and driver, guns and ammo, and popular mechanics...i also got time and autoweek, but i think those were free subscriptions through some mail in program like columbia house (i remembered to send in the post card to not have them ship me cd's after the initial free ones, so i didn't get jacked)...i learned the basics about guns from those magazines and got practical experience at the range...eventually, i would like to learn to reload (make my own ammo) and even build custom guns...for now, here are the fundamentals of firearms

firearms have the same basic mechanism...some type of hammer is engaged with the pull of the trigger...it impacts the primer, which sets off the propellant that pushes a bullet out of the barrel

http://science.howstuffworks.com/revolver2.htm

for the most part, modern firearms can be broken down into 3 categories:

1. rifles
2. shotguns
3. handguns

rifles and shotguns differ mainly on the type of ammunition they fire..rifles fire cartridges refer to the entire package of shell, bullet, primer, and propellant...shotguns shoot shells...shells consist of plastic tube with shot shells(pellets) or a slug...rifles also have grooves or rifling in the barrel that impart a spin to the bullet as it exits the barrel to improve flight through the air...shotguns usually don't have grooves but some that are designed to shoot slugs also have grooves

12 guage birdshot shotgun shell

transparent shotgun shell

shotgun slug

various cartridges

handguns are similar to rifles in that they also shoot cartridges and have rifling but are smaller and can be used with one hand (gangsta side holding is poor form...probably why they always end up hitting innocent bystanders instead of other gang members)

the next way to distinguish a gun is by the action...the action refers to the moving aspects of the gun...how it loads the next round, fires, and ejects the left over casing

handguns breakdown into 3 groups...revolvers, semi-automatic, and automatic...revolvers are the dirty harry type guns...in a double action revolver, the trigger causes the hammer to cock back and hit the primer while rotating the wheel to the next round...in a single action revolver, the hammer has to be cocked manually...like in the old cowboy western movies...you see them pulling back the hammer back manually before shooting...semi-automatics are the more modern looking guns...each trigger pull fires the round, ejects the case, and loads the next round...one trigger pull equals one shot...there are single and double action semi-autos and that refers to whether the hammer is cocked after the shot, but i don't want to go into that level of detail...automatic handguns are less common, and illegal in california (all automatic firearms are illegal in california)...automatic means that the gun will continue to fire as long as the trigger is pressed

rifles break down into semi-auto and auto as well...one trigger pull equals one shot or fire as long as the trigger is pressed and there is ammo...you also have lever-action and bolt action rifles, where the shooter has to manually eject and load the next round after firing...below is a bolt action and lever action...you can see the bolt jut out to the side...you have to pull that out and in after each shot...a lever action has a lever on the bottom like you see in westerns

bolt action

lever-action

shotguns can also be semi and auto...they also come in pump or lever...everyone is familiar with pump action shotguns, so i won't post anything...lever action shotgun is like the one aaahhhnold had in terminator 2

the next area to cover is the caliber...for handguns and rifles, the caliber measures the diameter of the bore...usually in fractions of an inch or in metric...for example, a .44magnum has a bore that is 44ths of an inch wide...however, width isn't the only thing...even within same calibers, they can be customized to have more gun powder, different weight bullets, etc...all of that would alter the characteristics of the round, but that is too much detail for this post

also, the number is sometimes more for distinguishing the cartridge than the actual measurement...a 357magnum is really .38in, and that is why i can shoot .38 special in my .357magnum lever rifle

shotguns are measured in gauge...it's a round about way to measure the diameter of the barrel as you can see below

http://science.howstuffworks.com/shotgun3.htm

that covers what i think are the basics...i might add more posts that go into more detail, but this seems like a decent primer

now that you know the various types of guns, you might be able to see that there is a method to the way i choose the guns i buy...my goal is to get at least one of each of the following...one semiautomatic handgun (i have 3 and there are other reasons as to why i chose these), one shotgun (got one recently and interested in getting a semi-auto one too), one lever action (have one), one bolt action (don't have one yet), semi-auto rifle (don't have one yet, and i want 3...one in each of the popular calibers...7.62x51mm nato/308winchester/, 5.56x45mm nato/.223 remington, and 7.62x39mm nato), and one revolver (don't have one yet...probably a .357magnum to go with my lever gun)...guns are like cars...different guns have different uses...i have other reasons for choosing the guns above, but the main reason is that variety means more fun at the range :)