1.
Mare's Leg
–
The Mares Leg was the name given to a customized shortened rifle used by Steve McQueens character on the television series Wanted, Dead or Alive. McQueens character was named Josh Randall, and the gun has also referred to as a Winchester Randall. Mares leg is now a term for a Winchester Model 1892 with a shortened barrel. The term mares leg was introduced in 1957 in the TV series Trackdown, Steve McQueen and his mares leg went on to star in the CBS TV series Wanted Dead or Alive. The barrel was cut to a length of nine inches, McQueen was involved in the final design, suggesting the duck-bill hammer and enlarged lever loop, and initiating a redesign of the custom holster. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms was not consulted before the program aired, during filming three guns were made, each with an enlarged loop on the cocking lever. After filming started, the size of the levers was made smaller on all 3 guns, the second and third guns bore octagonal barrels instead of a round one. In a continuity oversight, a gun sometimes changed partway through a given scene, while the guns were chambered for the. 44-40 round, McQueen wore more impressive looking. 45-70 rounds in the loops of his gun belt. In season one a doctor, after removing a bullet fired from the Mares Leg from the back of a criminal, as of the 1980s, one of the original guns was on display at the Fort Spaghetti Restaurant and Museum. Another is in the Autry National Center of the American West, there have been a number of toys based on the Mares Leg, from small cap guns to larger detailed toys complete with a holster. The gun makes an appearance as the weapon of key characters in a film sequel to the McQueen series. The 1987 film Wanted, Dead or Alive starred Rutger Hauer as Nick Randall, Nick keeps his grandfathers Mares Leg in a display case in his office. Similar shortened rifles have appeared in, Once Upon a Time in the West used by Woody Strode in a cameo and my Name Is Nobody Used by a rustler 18 minutes into the film. Boss Nigger used by the main character, the Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. featured Crystal Hawks, a bounty hunter played by Sheena Easton, who used a Mares Leg. Resident Evil 3, Nemesis had main character Jill Valentine use this weapon as an item after defeating the Nemesis a certain amount of times. Here, it is treated as a shotgun, and is given the designation M-37, the Magnificent Seven featured Eric Close as Mares Leg wielding Vin Tanner, reminiscent of McQueens character Vin in the original film. Fistful of Frags as a starter weapon with high damage. Zombieland used by Woody Harrelson throughout the film, Archer Archer uses this gun in this episode
2.
Shotgun
–
Shotguns come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from 5. A shotgun is generally a smoothbore firearm, which means that the inside of the barrel is not rifled, preceding smoothbore firearms, such as the musket, were widely used by armies in the 18th century. The direct ancestor to the shotgun, the blunderbuss, was used in a similar variety of roles from self-defense to riot control. It was often used by cavalry troops because of its shorter length and ease of use. In the 19th century, however, these weapons were replaced on the battlefield with breechloading rifled firearms. The military value of shotguns was rediscovered in the First World War, since then, it has been used in a variety of roles in civilian, law enforcement, and military applications. The shot pellets from a spread upon leaving the barrel, and the power of the burning charge is divided among the pellets. In a hunting context, this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting birds, however, in a military or law enforcement context, the large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close quarters combat weapon or a defensive weapon. Militants or insurgents may use shotguns in asymmetric engagements, as shotguns are commonly owned civilian weapons in many countries, shotguns are also used for target shooting sports such as skeet, trap, and sporting clays. These involve shooting clay disks, known as clay pigeons, thrown in various ways, shotguns come in a wide variety of forms, from very small up to massive punt guns, and in nearly every type of firearm operating mechanism. The common characteristics that make a unique center around the requirements of firing shot. These features are the typical of a shotgun shell, namely a relatively short, wide cartridge, with straight walls. Ammunition for shotguns is referred to in the USA as shotgun shells, shotshells, the term cartridges is standard usage in the United Kingdom. The shot is fired from a smoothbore barrel, another configuration is the rifled slug barrel. The typical use of a shotgun is against small and fast moving targets, the spreading of the shot allows the user to point the shotgun close to the target, rather than having to aim precisely as in the case of a single projectile. The disadvantages of shot are limited range and limited penetration of the shot, which is why shotguns are used at short ranges, and typically against smaller targets. Larger shot sizes, up to the case of the single projectile slug load, result in increased penetration. Aside from the most common use against small, fast moving targets, First, it has enormous stopping power at short range, more than nearly all handguns and many rifles
3.
Law enforcement agency
–
A law enforcement agency, in North American English, is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Outside North America, such organizations are usually called police services, LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs will have some form of restriction on their ability to apply their powers. Sometimes a LEA’s jurisdiction is determined by the complexity or seriousness of the non compliance with a law, differentiation of jurisdiction based on the seriousness and complexity of the non compliance either by law or by policy and consensus can coexist in countries. Other LEAs have a jurisdiction defined by the type of laws they enforce or assist in enforcing, for example, Interpol does not work with political, military, religious, or racial matters. A LEA’s jurisdiction usually also includes the bodies they support. Jurisdictionally, there can be an important difference between international LEAs and multinational LEAs, even though both are referred to as international, even in official documents. An international law enforcement agency has jurisdiction and or operates in countries and across State borders. International LEAs are typically also multinational, for example Interpol, within a country, the jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies can be organized and structured in a number of ways to provide law enforcement throughout the country. A law enforcement agency’s jurisdiction can be for the country or for a division or sub-division within the country. In Australia for example, each state has its own LEAs, in the United States for example, typically each state and county or city has its own LEAs. Often a LEA’s jurisdiction will be divided into operations areas for administrative. An operations area is called a command or an office. Sometimes the one jurisdiction is covered by more than one LEA, again for administrative and logistical efficiency reasons, or arising from policy. The primary difference between separate agencies and operational areas within the one jurisdiction is the degree of flexibility to move resources between versus within agencies. When multiple LEAs cover the one legal jurisdicition, each agency still typically organises itself into operations areas, when a LEA’s jurisdiction is for the whole country, it is usually one of two broad types, either federal or national. When the country has a constitution a whole of country LEA is referred to as a federal law enforcement agency. The responsibilities of a federal LEA vary from country to country. S, a federal police agency is a federal LEA which also has the typical police responsibilities of social order and public safety as well as federal law enforcement responsibilities
4.
Stagecoach
–
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon used to carry passengers and goods inside. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand, widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers. The business of running stagecoaches or the act of journeying in them was known as staging, the yard of ale drinking glass is associated by legend with stagecoach drivers, though it was mainly used for drinking feats and special toasts. The stagecoach was a vehicle pulled by horses or mules. The primary requirement was that it was used as a conveyance, running on an established route. Vehicles that were used included buckboards and dead axle wagons, surplus Army ambulances, on the outside were two back seats facing one another, which the British called baskets. In addition to the driver who guided the vehicle, a shotgun messenger, armed with a coach gun. The stagecoach traveled at an speed of about five miles per hour. The term stage originally referred to the distance between stations on a route, the coach traveling the route in stages, but through metonymy it came to apply to the coach. A fresh set of horses would be staged at the next station, under this staging system, the resting, watering and feeding of the spent horses would not delay the coach. This system based on making fresh horses regularly available along a route had been in use by a number of different civilisations, the stagecoach was also called a stage or stage carriage. Varieties included, mail coach or post coach, used for carrying mail, mud coach, lighter and smaller, with flat sides and simpler joinery. Road coach, revived in Great Britain and Ireland during the half of the 19th century. The first crude depiction of a coach, not necessarily a stagecoach, was in an English manuscript from the 13th century, crude coaches were built from the 16th century. Without suspension, these coaches achieved very low speeds on the poor quality rutted roads of the time, by the mid 17th century, a basic stagecoach infrastructure had been put in place. The first stagecoach route started in 1610 and ran from Edinburgh to Leith and this was followed by a steady proliferation of other routes around the country. A string of coaching inns operated as stopping points for travellers on the route between London and Liverpool by the mid 17th century, the coach would depart every Monday and Thursday and took roughly ten days to make the journey during the summer months. They also became adopted for travel in and around London by mid-century
5.
John Browning
–
He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 20th century, in the development of modern automatic and semi-automatic firearms, and is credited with 128 gun patents. He made his first firearm at age 13 in his fathers gun shop, Browning influenced nearly all categories of firearms design. He invented or made significant improvements to single-shot, lever-action, and slide-action, rifles and his most significant contributions were arguably in the area of autoloading firearms. He developed the first autoloading pistols that were reliable and compact by inventing the telescoping bolt, integrating the bolt and barrel shroud into what is known as the pistol slide. Brownings telescoping bolt design is now found on every modern semi-automatic pistol. Browning also made significant contributions to automatic cannon development, some of these arms are still manufactured, often with only minor changes in detail and cosmetics to those assembled by Browning or his licensees. His guns are some of the most copied guns in the world, Browning was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a two-year mission in Georgia beginning on March 28,1887. His father Jonathan Browning, who was among the thousands of Mormon pioneers in the exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois to Utah. John Moses worked in his fathers Ogden shop from the age of seven, where he was taught basic engineering and manufacturing principles, production examples of the Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle caught the attention of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, who dispatched a representative to evaluate the competition. Winchester bought the design for $8,000 and moved production to their Connecticut factory, Winchester manufactured several popular small arms designed by John M. Browning. For decades in the late 19th Century-early 20th Century, Browning designs and Winchester firearms were synonymous, as was the custom of the time, Brownings earlier designs had been licensed exclusively to Winchester for a single fee payment. With this new product, Browning introduced in his negotiations a continuous royalty fee based upon unit sales, if the new shotgun became highly successful, Browning stood to make substantially more fee income over the prior license fee arrangements. Winchester management was displeased with the change in their relationship. Remington Arms was also approached, however the president of Remington died of an attack as Browning waited to offer them the gun. This forced Browning to look overseas to produce the shotgun, however, Remington would later produce a copy of the Auto-5 as the Model 11 which was used by the US Military and was also sold to the civilian market. The Browning Auto-5 was continuously manufactured as a highly popular throughout the 20th century. This shift marked the end of an era of Winchester-Browning collaboration, John Browning was known as a dedicated and tireless innovator and experimenter who sought breakthrough consumer-oriented features and performance and reliability improvements in small arms designs. He did not retire from his career in his elder years, but dedicated his entire adult life—literally to his last day—to these pursuits
6.
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
–
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The ancestor of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company was the Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson partnership of Norwich, Jennings rifle was a commercial failure, and Robbins & Lawrence ceased production in 1852. Smith designed a much-improved rifle based on Jennings, and the partners also hired away Robbins & Lawrence shop foreman Benjamin Tyler Henry. In 1855 the Smith & Wesson partnership, in order to manufacture what they called the Volcanic lever-action rifle and pistol, sought investors and its largest stockholder was clothing manufacturer Oliver Winchester. The Volcanic rifle had only limited success, the company moved to New Haven in 1856, but by the end of that year became insolvent. Oliver Winchester and his partner John M. Davies purchased the firms assets from the remaining stockholders. After Smiths departure Benjamin Henry continued to work with a Smith development project, the self-contained metallic rimfire cartridge, Henry also supervised a new rifle design based loosely on the Volcanic to use the new ammunition, retaining only the general form of the breech mechanism and the tubular magazine. This became the Henry rifle of 1860, which was manufactured by the New Haven Arms Company, the Henry rifle ensured New Haven Arms success, and together with the Spencer rifle established the lever-action repeater in the firearms market. In 1866 Benjamin Henry, angered over what he believed was inadequate compensation, Oliver Winchester, hastening back from Europe, forestalled the move and reorganized New Haven Arms yet again as the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Another extremely popular model was rolled out in 1873, the Model 1873 introduced the first Winchester center fire cartridge, the. 44-40 WCF. These rifle families are known as the Gun That Won the West. The Model 1873 was followed by the Model 1876, a version of the 73. It was chambered for longer, more powerful cartridges such as. 45-60 WCF. 45-75 WCF, Oliver Winchester died in December 1880, his son and successor, William Wirt Winchester, died of tuberculosis four months later. William Wirt Winchesters widow, Sarah Winchester, used her inheritance, several of these are still in production today through companies such as Browning, Rossi, Navy Arms and others which have revived several of the discontinued models or produced reproductions. The early years of the century found the Winchester Repeating Arms Company competing with new John Browning designs. The race to produce the first commercial self-loading rifle brought forth the.22 rimfire Winchester Model 1903 and later centerfire Model 1905, Model 1907, and Model 1910 rifles. Winchester engineers, after ten years of work, designed the Model 1911 to circumvent Brownings self-loading shotgun patents, one of Winchesters premier engineers, T. C. Johnson, was instrumental in the development of these self-loading firearms and went on to superintend the designs of Winchesters classic Model 1912, Model 52 and Model 54
7.
Gun barrel
–
A gun barrel is a part of firearms and artillery pieces. The hollow interior of the barrel is called the bore, a gun barrel must be able to hold in the expanding gas produced by the propellants to ensure that optimum muzzle velocity is attained by the projectile as it is being pushed out by the expanding gas. Modern small arms barrels are made of known and tested to withstand the pressures involved. Artillery pieces are made by various techniques providing reliably sufficient strength, early firearms were muzzle-loading, with powder, and then shot loaded from the muzzle, capable of only a low rate of fire. During the 19th century effective mechanical locks were invented that sealed a breech-loading weapon against the escape of propellant gases, the early Chinese, the inventors of gunpowder, used bamboo, a naturally tubular stalk, as the first barrels in gunpowder projectile weapons. Early European guns were made of iron, usually with several strengthening bands of the metal wrapped around circular wrought iron rings. The Chinese were the first to master cast-iron cannon barrels, early cannon barrels were very thick for their caliber. Bore evacuator Bore snake Cannon Muzzle Polygonal rifling Rifling Slug barrel Smoothbore
8.
Caliber
–
In guns, particularly firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel, or the diameter of the projectile it fires, in hundredths or sometimes thousandths of an inch. For example, a 45 caliber firearm has a diameter of.45 of an inch. Barrel diameters can also be expressed using metric dimensions, as in 9mm pistol, when the barrel diameter is given in inches, the abbreviation cal can be used. Good performance requires a bullet to closely match the diameter of a barrel to ensure a good seal. While modern cartridges and cartridge firearms are referred to by the cartridge name. Firearm calibers outside the range of 17 to 50 exist, but are rarely encountered. Larger calibers, such as.577.585.600.700, the.950 JDJ is the only known cartridge beyond 79 caliber used in a rifle. Referring to artillery, caliber is used to describe the length as multiples of the bore diameter. A 5-inch 50 calibre gun has a diameter of 5 in. The main guns of the USS Missouri are 1650 caliber, makers of early cartridge arms had to invent methods of naming the cartridges, since no established convention existed then. One of the early established cartridge arms was the Spencer repeating rifle, later various derivatives were created using the same basic cartridge, but with smaller-diameter bullets, these were named by the cartridge diameter at the base and mouth. The original No.56 became the. 56-56, and the smaller versions. 56-52. 56-50, the. 56-52, the most common of the new calibers, used a 50-cal bullet. Optionally, the weight in grains was designated, e. g. 45-70-405. Variations on these methods persist today, with new cartridges such as the.204 Ruger, metric diameters for small arms refer to cartridge dimensions and are expressed with an × between the bore diameter and the length of the cartridge case, for example,7. 62×51 NATO. This indicates that the diameter is 7. 62mm, loaded in a case 51mm long. Similarly, the 6. 5×55 Swedish cartridge has a diameter of 6.5 mm. An exception to rule is the proprietary cartridge used by U. S. maker Lazzeroni. The following table lists commonly used calibers where both metric and imperial are used as equivalents
9.
Gauge (bore diameter)
–
The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the inner diameter of the barrel. Thus there are twelve 12-gauge balls per pound, etc, the term is related to the measurement of cannon, which were also measured by the weight of their iron round shot, an 8 pounder would fire an 8 lb ball. These very large rifles, sometimes called elephant guns, were intended for use in India, gauge is abbreviated ga. ga, or G. The space between the number and the abbreviation is often left out, as in 12ga. Therefore, a shotgun or n-bore rifle has a bore diameter of approximately d n =11.33 Explanation. Divide it by 11.3 to find the volume of the ball, multiply it by 0.75 and divide it by pi, then find its cube root, to find its radius in cm. Multiply it by 2 to find the diameter in cm, Divide it by 2.54 to find the diameter in inches. This simplifies to d n =1.67 / n 3 to find the diameter in inches of the barrel of an n-gauge shotgun. Therefore, if the diameter is in inches, n =4.66 / d n 3 Another source for a gauge size formula can be found in page Shotgun shell#Shotgun gauge diameter formula. Since shotguns were not originally intended to fire projectiles, but rather a compressible mass of shot. The fact that most shotgun bores are not cylindrical also causes deviations from the bore diameter. The chamber of the gun is larger, to accommodate the thickness of the walls. The forcing cone can be as short as a fraction of an inch, or as long as a few inches on some guns. At the muzzle end of the barrel, the choke can constrict the bore even further, so measuring the diameter of a shotgun is not a simple process. Shotgun bores are commonly overbored or backbored, meaning that most of the bore is larger than the value given by the formula. This is claimed to reduce recoil and improve patterning. A 12-gauge shotgun, nominally 18.5 mm, can range from a tight 18.3 mm to an extreme overbore of 20.3 mm. Some also claim an increased velocity with the barrels, up to 15 m/s
10.
Action (firearms)
–
In firearms terminology, an action is the mechanism that handles the ammunition or the method by which that mechanism works. Breech-loading weapons have actions, actions are not present on muzzleloaders. The mechanism that fires a muzzle-loader is called the lock, actions can be categorized in several ways, including single action versus double action, break action versus bolt action, and others. The term action can also short, long, and magnum if it is in reference to the length of the rifle’s receiver. The short action rifle usually can accommodate a cartridge length of 2.8 in or smaller, the long action rifle can accommodate a cartridge of 3.34 in, and the magnum action rifle can accommodate cartridges of 3.6 in, or longer in length. Manual operation is a term describing any type of firearm action that is loaded one shot at a time by the user rather than automatically. For example, break action is a form of operation using a simple hinge mechanism that is manually unlatched by the operator. These are actions wherein the breechblock lowers or drops into the receiver to open the breech, there are two principal types of dropping block, the tilting block and the falling block. In a tilting or pivoting block action, the breechblock is hinged on a pin mounted at the rear, when the lever is operated, the block tilts down and forward, exposing the chamber. The best-known pivoting block designs are the Peabody, the Peabody–Martini, the original Peabody rifles, manufactured by the Providence Tool Company, used a manually cocked side-hammer. The 1871 Martini–Henry which replaced the trapdoor Snider–Enfield was the standard British Army rifle of the later Victorian era, charles H. Ballards self-cocking tilting-block action was produced by the Marlin Firearms Company from 1875, and earned a superlative reputation among long-range Creedmoor target shooters. Surviving Marlin Ballards are today highly prized by collectors, especially those mounted in the elaborate Swiss-style Schützen stocks of the day. A falling-block action is a firearm action in which a solid metal breechblock slides vertically in grooves cut into the breech of the weapon. Examples of firearms using the falling block action are the Sharps rifle, in a rolling block action the breechblock takes the form of a part-cylinder, with a pivot pin through its axis. The operator rotates or rolls the block to open and close the breech, it is a simple, rugged, a break action is a type of firearm where the barrel are hinged and can be broken open to expose the breech. The earliest metallic-cartridge breechloaders designed for military issue began as conversions of muzzle-loading rifle-muskets. The upper rear portion of the barrel was filed or milled away, an internal angled firing pin allowed the re-use of the rifles existing side-hammer. The Allin action made by Springfield Arsenal in the US hinged forward, france countered in 1866 with its superior Chassepot rifle, also a paper-cartridge bolt action
11.
Lever action
–
Lever action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked. This contrasts to bolt-action, semi-automatic, or selective-fire weapons, most lever-action firearms are rifles, but some lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made. One of the most famous lever-action firearms is the Winchester Model 1873 rifle, even Colts Mfg. Co. produced 1883 until 18856403 lever-action Colt-Burgess rifles. Mossberg produces the 464 in centerfire. 30-30 and rimfire.22, probably the first lever-action rifles on the market were Colts 1st and 2nd Model Ring Lever rifles, both Cap and ball rifles, produced by the Patent Arms Mfg. Co. Paterson, N. J. -Colts Patent between 1837 and 1841, the ring-lever was located in front of the trigger. This loading-lever, when pulled, would index the cylinder to the next position, 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, the Henry also placed the magazine under the barrel, rather than in the butt-stock, a trend followed by most tubular magazines since. The Martini–Henry rifle was the rifle of British and Empire forces from the early 1870s to the turn of the 20th century. It was used in areas, either by civilians or by the local military. Variants copying the Martini–Henry mechanism but using more modern cartridges were also produced, john Marlin, founder of Marlin Firearms Company, New Haven, Connecticut, introduced Marlins first lever-action repeating rifle as the Model 1881. This was chambered in rounds such as the 45/70 and 38/55 and its successor was the 1895 solid top design, which we know as the model 336 today. It also gave rise to the Marlin Model 1894, which is still in production today, by the 1890s, lever-actions had evolved into a form that would last for over a century. Both Marlin and Winchester released new model lever-action rifles in 1894, the Marlin rifle is still in production, whereas production of the Winchester 94 ceased in 2006. While externally similar, the Marlin and Winchester rifles are quite different internally, the fledgling Savage Arms Company became well known after the development of its popular hammerless Models 1895 and 1899 lever-action sporting rifles. Unlike most Winchester and the Marlin lever-action rifles, which used a tubular magazine requiring round-nose or flat-nose bullets and this allowed the 99 to use cartridges with spitzer pointed bullets for increased ballistic performance. The 99 was produced in different cartridges and several different model variations. The final models eliminated the very expensive-to-produce rotary magazine, using a box magazine instead. But the 99 was still expensive to produce when compared to the other lever-action rifles
12.
Magazine (firearms)
–
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines can be removable or integral to the firearm, the magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action of the firearm. The detachable magazine is often referred to as a clip, although this is technically inaccurate, magazines come in many shapes and sizes, from those of bolt-action express rifles that hold only a few rounds to drum magazines for self-loading rifles that can hold one hundred rounds or more. Various jurisdictions ban what they define as high-capacity magazines, with the increased use of semi-automatic and automatic firearms, the detachable box magazine became increasingly common. Soon after the adoption of the M1911 pistol, the magazine was settled on by the military and firearms experts. The defining difference between clips and magazines is the presence of a mechanism in a magazine, typically a spring-loaded follower. Use of the clip to refer to detachable magazines is a point of strong disagreement. The first mass-produced repeater was the Volcanic Rifle which used a bullet with the base filled with powder and primer fed into the chamber from a spring-loaded tube called a magazine. It was named after a building or room used to store ammunition, the anemic power of the Rocket Ball ammunition used in the Volcanic doomed it to limited popularity. The Henry repeating rifle is a lever-action, breech-loading, tubular magazine fed rifle, designed by Benjamin Tyler Henry in 1860, it was one of the first firearms to use self-contained metallic cartridges. The Henry was introduced in the early 1860s and produced through 1866 in the United States by the New Haven Arms Company and it was adopted in small quantities by the Union in the Civil War and favored for its greater firepower than the standard issue carbine. Many later found their way West and was famed both for its use at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and being the basis for the iconic Winchester rifle which are made to this day. The Henry and Winchester rifles would go on to see service with a number of militaries including Turkey, switzerland and Italy adopted similar designs. The first magazine-fed firearm to achieve success was the Spencer repeating rifle. The Spencer used a magazine located in the butt of the gun instead of under the barrel. The Spencer was successful, but the rimfire ammunition did occasionally ignite in the magazine tube and it could also injure the user. The new bolt-action rifles began to favor with militaries in the 1880s and were often equipped with tubular magazines. The Mauser Model 1871 was originally a single-shot action that added a magazine in its 1884 update
13.
Iron sights
–
Iron sights are typically composed of two component sights, formed by metal blades, a rear sight mounted perpendicular to the line of sight and a front sight that is a post, bead, or ring. Open sights use a notch of some sort as the rear sight, civilian, hunting, and police firearms usually feature open sights, while many military battle rifles employ aperture sights. The earliest and simplest iron sights are fixed and cannot be easily adjusted, many iron sights are designed to be adjustable, so that the sights can be adjusted for elevation or windage. On many firearms it is the sight that is adjustable. For precision applications such as hunting or sniping, the sights are usually replaced by a telescopic sight. Iron sights may still be fitted alongside other sighting devices for back-up usage, iron sights provide horizontal and vertical reference points that allow the shooter to train the weapon. Rear sights are mounted in a dovetail on the barrel or receiver, closer to the eye of the shooter. Front sights are mounted to the barrel by dovetailing, soldering, screwing, or staking close to the muzzle, frequently on a ramp. Some front sight assemblies include a detachable hood intended to reduce glare, with typical blade or post iron sights, the shooter would center the front post in the notch of the rear sight and the tops of both sights should be level. Since the eye is capable of focusing on one plane, and the rear sight, front sight. At 1,000 m, that same misalignment would be magnified 100 times, sights for shotguns used for shooting small, moving targets work quite differently. The rear sight is completely discarded, and the reference point is provided by the correct. A brightly colored round bead is placed at the end of the barrel, often, this bead will be placed along a raised, flat rib, which is usually ventilated to keep it cool and reduce mirage effects from a hot barrel. This method of aiming is not as precise as that of a front sight/rear sight combination, but it is faster. Some shotguns also provide a mid-bead, which is a smaller bead located halfway down the rib, open sights generally are used where the rear sight is at significant distance from the shooters eye. They provide minimum occlusion of the view, but at the expense of precision. Open sights generally use either a square post or a bead on a post for a front sight, to use the sight, the post or bead is positioned both vertically and horizontally in the center of the rear sight notch. For a center hold, the front sight is positioned on the center of the target, for a 6oclock hold, the front sight is positioned just below the target and centered horizontally
14.
Winchester rifle
–
Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever-action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters, the Model 1873 was particularly successful, being colloquially known as The Gun that Won the West. In 1848, Walter Hunt of New York patented his Volition Repeating Rifle incorporating a tubular magazine, the Hunt rifle fired what he called the Rocket Ball, an early form of caseless ammunition in which the powder charge was contained in the bullets hollow base. Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson of Norwich, Connecticut acquired the Jennings patent from Robbins & Lawrence and its largest stockholder was Oliver Winchester. Smiths cartridge, the.22 Short, would be introduced commercially in 1857 with the landmark Smith & Wesson Model 1 revolver and is manufactured today. Wesson had left Volcanic soon after it was formed and Smith followed eight months later, Volcanic moved to New Haven in 1856, but by the end of that year became insolvent. Oliver Winchester purchased the firms assets from the remaining stockholders. Benjamin Henry continued to work with Smiths cartridge concept, and perfected the much larger, Henry also supervised the redesign of the rifle to use the new ammunition, retaining only the general form of the breech mechanism and the tubular magazine. This became the Henry rifle of 1860, which was manufactured by the New Haven Arms Company, confederates called the Henry that damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week. After the war, Oliver Winchester renamed New Haven Arms the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, the company modified and improved the basic design of the Henry rifle, creating the first Winchester rifle, the Model 1866. It retained the.44 Henry cartridge, was built on a bronze-alloy frame, and had an improved magazine. In 1873 Winchester introduced the steel-framed Model 1873 chambering the more potent. 44-40 centerfire cartridge, in 1876, in a bid to compete with the powerful single-shot rifles of the time, Winchester brought out the Model 1876. The first Winchester rifle – the Winchester Model 1866 – was originally chambered for the rimfire.44 Henry. Nelson Kings improved patent remedied flaws in the Henry rifle by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round, france purchased 6,000 Model 1866 rifles along with 4.5 million.44 Henry cartridges during the Franco-Prussian War. The Ottoman Empire purchased 45,000 Model 1866 muskets and 5,000 carbines in 1870 and 1871, the Model 1866 compelled Russians to develop a new rifle, the Mosin–Nagant, after the war. The Swiss Army initially selected the Model 1866 to replace their existing single-shot Milbank-Amsler rifles, however, ensuing political pressure to adopt a domestic design resulted in the Vetterli Model 1867, a bolt-action design utilizing a copy of the Winchesters tubular magazine, being adopted instead. Due to public demand, the Model 1866 continued to be manufactured and sold until 1899, the Model 1873 was one of the most successful Winchester rifles of its day, with Winchester marketing it as The Gun that Won the West. Still an icon in the day, it was manufactured between 1873 and 1923
15.
Breech-loading weapon
–
A breech-loading gun is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel. Modern mass production firearms are breech-loading, early firearms, on the other hand, were almost entirely muzzle-loading. In field artillery, breech loading allows the crew to reload the gun without exposing themselves to fire or repositioning the piece. The main challenge for developers of breech-loading firearms was sealing the breech and this was eventually solved for smaller firearms by the development of the self-contained metallic cartridge. For firearms too large to use cartridges, the problem was solved by the development of the interrupted screw, breech-loading swivel guns were invented in the 14th century. The breech-loading swivel gun had a rate of fire, and was especially effective in anti-personnel roles. Breech-loading firearms are known from the 16th century, Henry VIII possessed one, which he apparently used as a hunting gun to shoot birds. More breech-loading firearms were made in the early 18th century, one such gun known to have belonged to Philip V of Spain, and was manufactured circa 1715, probably in Madrid. It came with a ready-to load reusable cartridge, patrick Ferguson, a British Army officer, developed in 1772 the Ferguson rifle, a breech-loading flintlock firearm. Later on into the century there were attempts in Europe at an effective breech-loader. There were concentrated attempts at improved cartridges and methods of ignition, the cartridge was loaded through the breech and fired with a needle. The needle-activated central-fire breech-loading gun would become a feature of firearms thereafter. The corresponding firearm was also developed by Pauly, Pauly made an improved version, which was protected by a patent on 29 September 1812. In 1846 another Paris Frenchman, Benjamin Houllier, patented the first fully metallic cartridge containing powder in a metallic shell, Houllier commercialised his weapons in association with the gunsmiths Blanchard or Charles Robert. In English-speaking countries the Flobert cartridge corresponds to the.22 BB, the first centrefire cartridge was introduced in 1855 by Pottet, with both Berdan and Boxer priming. The Dreyse Zündnadelgewehr or Dreyse needle gun, was a single-shot breech-loading rifle using a rotating bolt to seal the breech and it was so called because of its. 5-inch needle-like firing pin, which passed through a paper cartridge case to impact a percussion cap at the bullet base. It began development in the 1830s under von Dreyse and eventually a version of it was adopted by Prussia in the late 1840s. The paper cartridge and the gun had numerous deficiencies, specifically, however, the rifle was used to great success in the Prussian army in the Austro-Prussian war of 1866
16.
Rolling block
–
A rolling block is a form of firearm action where the sealing of the breech is done with a specially shaped breechblock able to rotate on a pin. The breechblock is shaped like a section of a circle, the breechblock is locked into place by the hammer, thus preventing the cartridge from moving backwards at the moment of firing. By cocking the hammer, the breechblock can be rotated freely to reload the weapon, since the early 20th century rolling block rifles in modern steels, suitable for smokeless powder cartridges, have been made for cartridges like the 7x57mm Mauser. The Remington Rolling Block rifle is one of the most successful single shot weapons ever developed and it is a strong and simple action, very reliable, and not prone to be jammed by dirt or rough usage. It was based in part on the breech action produced by Remington during the United States Civil War. That design was re-engineered by Joseph Rider during 1865, and the first firearm based on it, while the Army turned the design down, the Navy committed to purchase 5000 pistols. Many earlier percussion rifles and muskets were converted to rolling block designs in the interim before the development of more modern bolt-action designs, the Swedish-Norwegian Remington M1867 and US Springfield Model 1871 had this action. Bolt action Lever-action Slide-action Break-action Falling-block action Semi-automatic rifle
17.
Winchester Model 1897
–
The Winchester Model 1897, also known as the Model 97, M97, or Trench Gun, was a pump-action shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Model 1897 was an evolution of the Winchester Model 1893 designed by John Browning, from 1897 until 1957, over one million of these shotguns were produced. The Model 1897 was offered in numerous barrel lengths and grades, chambered in 12 and 16 gauge, the 16-gauge guns had a standard barrel length of 28 inches, while 12-gauge guns were furnished with 30-inch length barrels. Special length barrels could be ordered in lengths as short as 20 inches, since the time the Model 1897 was first manufactured it has been used by American soldiers, police departments, and hunters. The Winchester Model 1897 was designed by American firearms inventor John Moses Browning, the Model 1897 was first listed for sale in the November 1897 Winchester catalog as a 12 gauge solid frame. However, the 12 gauge takedown was added in October 1898, the 1897 introduced a take down design, where the barrel could be taken off, a standard in pump shotguns made today, like the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 series. The Winchester Model 1897 was in production from 1897 until 1957 and it was in this time frame that the modern hammerless designs became common, like the Winchester Model 1912 and the Remington 870 and the Model 1897 was superseded by the Winchester Model 1912. However, the gun can still be today in regular use. While designing the new Model 1897, many of the present in the earlier Model 1893 were taken into account. These improvements included, The frame was strengthened and made longer to handle a 12 gauge 2¾-inch shell, the top of the frame was covered so that the ejection of the fired shell was entirely from the side. This added a great amount of strength to the frame of the gun, the action could not be opened until a slight forward movement of the slide handle released the action slide lock. In firing, the recoil of the gave a slight forward motion to the slide handle. In the absence of any recoil, the handle had to be pushed forward manually in order to release the action slide lock. A movable cartridge guide was placed on the side of the carrier block to prevent the escape of the shell when the shotgun was turned sideways in the act of loading. The stock was made longer and with less drop, of these improvements, the slide lock is the one that made the Model 1897 into a safe firearm. This improved slide lock kept the shotgun locked until actual firing occurred which prevented it from jamming in the case of a misfire, the Model 1897 is an external hammer shotgun lacking a trigger disconnector. This means that the user can hold the trigger down while cycling the shotgun, the firearm itself is classified as a slide action pump shotgun. It was the first truly successful pump-action shotgun produced, throughout the time period the Model 1897 was in production, over a million of the type were produced in various grades and barrel lengths
18.
Smokeless powder
–
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery that produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the black powder they replaced. The basis of the term smokeless is that the products are mainly gaseous. Despite its name, smokeless powder is not completely free of smoke, while there may be little noticeable smoke from small-arms ammunition, since the 14th century gunpowder was not actually a physical powder, and smokeless powder can be produced only as a pelletized or extruded granular material. Smokeless powder allowed the development of modern semi- and fully automatic firearms and lighter breeches, burnt black powder leaves a thick, heavy fouling that is hygroscopic and causes rusting of the barrel. The fouling left by smokeless powder exhibits none of these properties and this makes an autoloading firearm with many moving parts feasible. However, they are used as propellants, in normal use. Before the widespread introduction of smokeless powder the use of black powder caused many problems on the battlefield, Military commanders since the Napoleonic Wars reported difficulty with giving orders on a battlefield obscured by the smoke of firing. Verbal commands could not be heard above the noise of the guns, unless there was a strong wind, after a few shots, soldiers using black powder ammunition would have their view obscured by a huge cloud of smoke. Snipers or other concealed shooters were given away by a cloud of smoke over the firing position, black powder is also corrosive, making cleaning mandatory after every use. Likewise, black powders tendency to produce severe fouling caused actions to jam, nitroglycerine was synthesized by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero in 1847. Nitroglycerine is also sensitive, making it unfit to be carried in battlefield conditions. A major step forward was the discovery of guncotton, a nitrocellulose-based material and he promoted its use as a blasting explosive and sold manufacturing rights to the Austrian Empire. Guncotton was more powerful than gunpowder, but at the time was once again somewhat more unstable. John Taylor obtained an English patent for guncotton, and John Hall & Sons began manufacture in Faversham, English interest languished after an explosion destroyed the Faversham factory in 1847. Small arms could not withstand the pressures generated by guncotton, Abel patented this process in 1865 when the second Austrian guncotton factory exploded. After the Stowmarket factory exploded in 1871, Waltham Abbey began production of guncotton for torpedo, in 1863, Prussian artillery captain Johann F. E. Schultze patented a small-arms propellent of nitrated hardwood impregnated with saltpeter or barium nitrate. Prentice received an 1866 patent for a powder of nitrated paper manufactured at Stowmarket. In 1871, Frederick Volkmann received an Austrian patent for a version of Schultze powder called Collodin
19.
Shotgun shell
–
A shotgun shell is a self-contained cartridge typically loaded with multiple metallic shot, which are small, generally spherical projectiles. Traditionally lead was used, but increasingly steel, tungsten or bismuth shot has replaced lead, due to laws designed to protect the environment. An old non-lethal shotgun load consisted of a shell loaded with rock salt, which could inflict very painful, but rarely deadly, wounds. Most shotgun shells are designed to be fired from a smoothbore barrel, a rifled barrel will increase the accuracy of slugs, but makes it unsuitable for firing shot, as it imparts a spin to the shot cup, causing a centrifugal force that makes the shot cluster disperse. Specialty shotgun ammunition includes non-lethal rounds available in the form of slugs made of low-density material, early shotgun shells used brass cases, not unlike rifle and pistol cartridge cases of the same era. These brass shotgun hulls or cases closely resembled rifle cartridges, in terms of both the head and primer portions of the shell, as well as in their dimensions. Card wads, made of felt, leather, and cork, waterglass was commonly used to cement the top overshot wad into these brass shell casings. No roll crimp or fold crimp was used on these early brass cases, the primers on these early shotgun shells were identical to pistol primers of the same diameter. Starting in about 1877, paper hulls started to replace brass shotgun shells, paper hulls remained popular for nearly a century, until the late 1960s. These shotgun shells using paper hulls were nearly always roll crimped, although fold crimping also eventually became popular. Card wads, made of felt and cork, as well as paperboard, were all used at times, gradually giving way to plastic over powder wads, with card wads. Starting in the 1960s, plastic cases started to replace paper hulls for shotgun shells, by the 1980s, plastic cases had largely replaced nearly all paper hulls for shotgun shells. Today, modern shotgun shells typically consist of a plastic case, as noted previously, paper shells used to be common, and are still made, as are solid brass shells. Some companies have produced what appear to be all-plastic shells, although in these there is a metal ring cast into the rim of the shell to provide strength. Often the more powerful loads will use high brass shells, with the extended up further along the sides of the shell. The brass does not actually provide a significant amount of strength, the base of the shotshell is fairly thick to hold the large shotgun primer, which is longer than primers used for rifle and pistol ammunition. After the powder comes the wadding or wad, the primary purpose of a wad is to prevent the shot and powder from mixing, and to provide a seal that prevents gas from blowing through the shot rather than propelling it. The wad design may encompass a shock absorber and a cup that holds the shot together until it is out the barrel
20.
Gunpowder
–
Gunpowder, also known as black powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate, the sulfur and charcoal act as fuels, and the saltpeter is an oxidizer. Black powder firearms are in limited use today in hunting, shooting, Black powder has been replaced for most industrial uses by high explosives such as dynamite. Black powder is assigned the UN number UN0027 and has a class of 1. 1D. It has a point of approximately 427–464 °C. The specific flash point may vary based on the composition of the gunpowder. Gunpowders specific gravity is 1. 70–1.82 or 1. 92–2.08, Gunpowder is classified as a low explosive because of its relatively slow decomposition rate and consequently low brisance. Low explosives deflagrate at subsonic speeds, whereas high explosives detonate, ignition of the powder packed behind a bullet must generate enough pressure to force it from the muzzle at high speed, but not enough to rupture the gun barrel. Gunpowder thus makes a good propellant, but is suitable for shattering rock or fortifications. Gunpowder was widely used to fill artillery shells and in mining and civil engineering to blast rock until the half of the 19th century. Black powder is used as a delay element in various munitions where its slow-burning properties are valuable. The spread of gunpowder across Asia from China is widely attributed to the Mongols, the earliest record of a written formula for gunpowder appears in the 11th century Song dynasty text, Wujing Zongyao. This discovery led to the invention of fireworks and the earliest gunpowder weapons in China, in the centuries following the Chinese discovery, gunpowder weapons began appearing in the Muslim world and Europe. The technology spread from China through the Middle East or Central Asia, the earliest Western accounts of gunpowder appear in texts written by English philosopher Roger Bacon in the 13th century. The most ardent protagonists were Nathaniel Halhad, Johann Backmann, Quintin Craufurd, however, due to lack of sufficient proof, these theories have not been widely accepted. A major problem confronting the study of the history of gunpowder is ready access to sources close to the events described. The translation difficulty has led to errors or loose interpretations bordering on artistic licence, early writings potentially mentioning gunpowder are sometimes marked by a linguistic process where old words acquired new meanings. For instance, the Arabic word naft transitioned from denoting naphtha to denoting gunpowder, saltpeter was known to the Chinese by the mid-1st century AD and there is strong evidence of the use of saltpeter and sulfur in various largely medicinal combinations
21.
Cowboy action shooting
–
Cowboy action shooting is a competitive shooting sport that originated in Southern California, US, in the early 1980s. CAS is a type of multi-gun match utilizing a combination of pistol, rifle, and/or shotgun in a variety of old west themed courses of fire for time and accuracy. Participants must dress in appropriate theme or era costume as well as use gear, winchester 1887 lever-action shotguns and Colt Lightning slide-action rifles are also allowed in competition. Both original and reproduction guns are equally acceptable, all CAS handguns must be single-action, meaning that the hammer must be manually cocked before each shot can be fired. Competition in a CAS match generally requires four guns, two revolvers, a shotgun, and a rifle chambered in a centerfire revolver caliber of a type in use prior to 1899. Some CAS matches also offer side events for single-shot buffalo rifles, derringers, speed shotgun, replica firearms are available from companies such as Ruger, Colt, Uberti, Pedersoli, Stoeger, Chiappa, Pietta, Armi San Marco and U. S. One variant of CAS currently sanctioned by SASS is Wild Bunch Action Shooting, according to SASS, this form uses firearms typical of those used in the taming of the Old West just after the turn of the 20th century. The revolvers used in normal SASS events are replaced with 1911 pistols, lever-action rifles remain in use, as in traditional CAS, originals and replicas are acceptable. In SASS Wild Bunch matches, pistols must be chambered for.45 ACP, rifles must be chambered for cartridges of.40 caliber or greater. Additionally, maximum velocities are limited to 1000 ft/s for pistol ammunition and 1400 ft/s for rifle ammunition. Competitors are required to wear an Old West or Victorian era style outfit, one exception to this is that safety glasses and hearing protection must be worn when shooting. Depending on the standards of the organization, clothing may be historically accurate for the late 19th century or may just be suggestive of the Old West. Some groups allow for similar to that worn by characters in a western B-movie. In SASS-sponsored Wild Bunch shooting, the dress is military clothing of the early 20th century. Participants must select an alias out of the Old West or have an old west flair, aliases are registered with the sanctioning body so they are unique to the participant. Many find it necessary to be creative in selecting an alias as virtually all historical names such as Wyatt Earp, registered names cannot sound the same as another registered name. Competition involves a number of separate shooting scenarios known as stages, stages are always different, each typically requiring ten revolver rounds, nine or ten rifle rounds, and two to eight shotgun rounds. Targets typically are steel plates that ring when hit, sometimes reactive targets such as steel knockdown plates or clay birds are used
22.
Overview of gun laws by nation
–
Gun laws and policy vary considerably around the world. It is illegal in Kenya to own any type of firearm without a gun ownership licence as spelled out under the Firearms Act Laws of Kenya. Anyone who is 12 years or older can apply to privately own a gun, however, such persons must provide in writing to the Chief Licensing Officer stating genuine reason for their need to privately own and carry a firearm. It remains at the discretion of the CLO to make a decision to award, anyone seeking to hold a gun licence must pass the most stringent of background checks that probe into their past and present criminal, mental health and domestic violence records. Failure to pass one of these checks automatically bars one from being permitted to own a firearm and these checks are regularly repeated and must be continually passed for anyone to continue holding the gun licence. Failure to pass any of these checks at any stage, means an automatic, once licensed to own a gun, no permit is required in order to carry around a concealed firearm. In South Africa, the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 regulates the ownership of firearms by civilians, minimum waiting period used to exceed 2 years from date of application. The Central Firearms Registry implemented a strategy that has significantly improved the processing period of new licences. The maximum time allowed to process an application is now 90 days. Gun ownership in the Peoples Republic of China is heavily regulated by law, generally, private citizens are not allowed to possess guns and penalties for arms trafficking include life imprisonment. Guns can be used by law enforcement, the military and paramilitary, the chief exception to the general ban on individual gun ownership is for the purpose of hunting. Illegal possession or sale of firearms may result in a punishment of 3 years in prison. Still, possessing, manufacturing and import/exporting airsoft guns with a muzzle energy not above two joules of energy is legal to citizens in PRCs SARs. A license is issued to people who arent mentally ill or a felon after a rigorous process, explosives and fully automatics are the only firearms that appear prohibited. Other firearms may be stored at home in a locked box, Gun ownership in Taiwan by ordinary citizens is prohibited. There are currently more than 5,000 legal private handgun owners, Gun owners in the Taiwan are required to receive regular inspection every two years and random inspections anytime by the police. Under East Timorese law, only the military and police forces may legally possess, carry, in late June 2008, the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, introduced a proposed gun law to Parliament for urgent debate, pushing back scheduled budgetary discussions. The new law, which would allow civilians to own guns, the United Nations, which has a peacekeeping force deployed in the nation, also expressed concern over the new law
23.
Australian Defence Industries
–
Thales Australia is a defence contractor for the Australian Defence Force, based in Australia. ADI manufactured the Steyr AUG based, F88 Austeyr assault rifle at Lithgow Small Arms Factory, in previous years, ADI was the sole defence contractor in Australia, although this changed with the creation of the Tenix Group company, Tenix Defence. ADI was based on Garden Island Naval Base in Sydney, though they maintained a R&D/Custom production facility in Brisbane. In 2004 they applied to the Australian Equal Opportunities Commission to exclude workers of certain nationalities for security reasons, all ADI operations have been taken over by the company, which is now known as Thales Australia. Thales Australia Website ADI/Thales Smokeless Powder Handloaders Guide Official RAN Anzac Frigate listing Thales Australia Bushmaster page
24.
Norinco
–
Norinco is also involved in domestic civil construction projects. Norinco is also known outside of China for its high-tech defense products, NORINCO has been ranked among the forefront of China’s 500 largest state-owned enterprises in terms of total assets and revenue. In 1993, the import of most Norinco firearms and ammunition into the United States was blocked under new rules when Chinas permanent normal trade relations status was renewed. The prohibition did not apply to sporting shotguns or shotgun ammunition however, in 1994, U. S. Customs agents conducted a sting against Atlanta based importers of Norinco firearms. In August 2003, the Bush Administration imposed sanctions on Norinco for allegedly selling missile-related goods to Iran, nP-30, Tactical version of Colt M1911A1 pistol clone with double column magazines, beavertail grip safety, extended slide release, flat mainspring housing, and extended ambidextrous safety. JW23 is the. 22WMR version JW-20, Semi automatic.22 takedown hunting rifle, variant of the JW-15 with a 2-piece stock
25.
O.F. Mossberg & Sons
–
Mossberg & Sons is an American firearms manufacturer, specializing in shotguns, rifles, scopes, and firearm accessories. Oscar Frederick Mossberg was born on 1 September 1866 in Sweden, near the village of Svanskog in Värmland, Mossberg went to work at the Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. From there he went to work for J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. where he designed a small 4-shot novelty pistol which he patented in his name. Working out of an old barn behind his house, Mossberg, in 1914, Mossberg left Stevens, moving to New Haven, Connecticut in order to work for Marlin-Rockwell. In 1919, when Marlin-Rockwell went out of business, the unemployed 53-year-old O. F, Mossberg and his two sons Iver and Harold started a new firearms company of their own, O. F. Renting a small loft on State Street in New Haven, the Mossbergs began work on a simple four-shot. 22-caliber pocket pistol, the Brownie. Marketed largely to hunters and trappers for the dispatch of wounded or trapped animals. Thanks to the Brownie pistol, the Mossbergs firearms business grew steadily, in 1922, the company introduced the first of a new line of.22 rimfire Mossberg rifles, a pump-action repeater designed by Arthur E. Savage, the son of the owner of Savage Arms Corp. After building a factory in New Haven, Connecticut in 1937, Mossberg continued to produce simple. Mossberg died in 1937, and the continued under his son Harold. In 1960, the company shifted production to a new facility in North Haven a few miles away, Mossberg & Sons has remained a family-owned business to this day, and is the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in America. The Eagle Pass, Texas production facility was enlarged in 2013 to help production. With the addition of 116,000 square feet of space at the Eagle Pass facility. Today over 90% of all O. F, Mossberg & Sons shotguns and rifles are produced at the Eagle Pass, Texas facility. Following the success of the Brownie.22 pistol, Mossberg developed a line of inexpensive.22 caliber rifles, shotguns, from the 1940s through the 1960s, Mossberg produced a HI line of.22 caliber target and sporting rifles. After the end of World War II, Mossberg concentrated on producing sporting long guns for the entry-level sportsman, most of these were bolt-action or pump-action designs. In August 1961, Mossberg introduced the 500 Series pump-action shotgun, designed by Carl Benson, Mossbergs lead design engineer, the 500 was originally intended for use by the entry-level hunter and sportsman but has since become popular for home defense use as well. Variants of the basic Mossberg 500 shotgun have been adopted for use by the U. S. military as well as law enforcement
26.
Chiappa Firearms
–
Chiappa Firearms, Armi Sport de Chiappa, is an Italian firearms manufacturing company based in Brescia. It was founded in 1958 by Ezechiele Chiappa as Armi Sport, total unit production is around 60,000 per year. Its U. S. headquarters are in Dayton, Ohio, Armi Sport is the firearms manufacturing branch. Its target markets are target shooting, Cowboy Action Shooting, reenacting, collecting and it also produces an original revolver, the Chiappa Rhino. The following pistols are available in cal. 45ACP, both variants accept Beretta parts and magazines. Chiappa M9 accepts Beretta parts and magazines, Kimar manufactures unlicensed blank-fire replica firearms, air guns, non-lethal weapons and small caliber guns made in Italy. Its focus is on producing blank-firing guns for training purposes, flare guns, starter pistols and it also provides training for hunting and working dogs. The following revolvers are available in two versions, cal. 9mm R/.380 or 35gr and cal. 9mm R/.380, as well as in two variants. Kimar Python 4 The following pistols are available in two versions, cal. 9mm PAK or cal. 8mm PAK, as well as in two variants, Kimar 75 AUTO Kimar 911 Kimar Mod.85 AUTO Kimar Mod.92 AUTO Kimar Mod. LADY K Kimar PK4 The following model is available in 6 mm as well as in three variants, Kimar Derringer The following model is available in 6 mm and only in black finish. Chiappa manufactures shotguns, including lever-action and triple-barrelled varieties, davide Pedersoli Official website International website of Armi Sport Chiappa Firearms – A Tour of Chiappas Factory in Italy on YouTube
27.
Terminator (character)
–
The Terminator is a fictional character from the Terminator franchise portrayed by both Arnold Schwarzenegger and numerous actor stand-ins digitally overlayed with Schwarzeneggers likeness. The first appearance of the Terminator was as the titular antagonist in The Terminator, in Terminator 2, Judgment Day, Terminator 3, Rise of the Machines and Terminator Genisys, Schwarzenegger is the protagonist instead of the antagonist, pitted against other Terminators sent by Skynet. In Terminator Salvation, the T-800 appears briefly as a T-RIP CGI model, the end credits of the first three Terminator films list Schwarzeneggers character as simply The Terminator, while in Terminator Genisys, he is credited as Guardian. Later films call the newer terminators by their series numbers, the only consistent name for Schwarzeneggers Terminator character has been The Terminator. Kyle Reese in The Terminator and Schwarzeneggers character in Terminator 2 refer to it as a Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, in Terminator 3, the Terminator refers to itself as a T-101, which could be an abbreviation of its model number. In Terminator Salvation, the T2 Extreme Edition DVD, and the Terminator 2 video game he is referred to as an 800 series, trailers and a deleted scene of Terminator 2, Judgment Day identify the Terminator specifically as a Cyberdyne Systems Series 800 Model 101. The T3 extras refer to him as an 850 series Model 101, a T-850, Terminator Salvation has the first on-screen usage of the term T-800, when John Connor sees blueprints of said series endoskeleton. Terminator Genisys is the first to feature the Terminator referring to itself as a T-800, a scene deleted from the theatrical cut, but restored in the Terminator 2 Special Edition, lends the most credence to this explanation. In this scene, John and Sarah shut down the Terminator for modification according to his instructions, when he reboots, the upper-left of his HUD reads Cyberdyne Systems Series 800 Model 101 Version 2.4. Additionally, the original Terminator 2 teaser trailer further verifies this on a monitor during android tissue generation. An identical Series 800 Model 101, having been reprogrammed by the resistance in the future, is the protagonist of Terminator 2, in Terminator 3, Rise of the Machines, Schwarzenegger plays an updated T-850 unit, with the same outward appearance as the Series 800. His character is destroyed at the end of each of these films, the fourth installment, Terminator Salvation, reveals the origin of the 101 Model. Roland Kickinger was cast as the actor but CGI was used to superimpose Schwarzeneggers face from the original 1984 film. The original T-800 is sent to terminate a single target, Sarah Connor, in 1984, to prevent the birth of her son, John and it survives being caught in a truck explosion, though its flesh cover burns away and it is fully revealed as a machine. The Terminator is finally crushed in a press by Sarah after a lengthy chase. However, its damaged main CPU and right arm are recovered by Cyberdyne, the remains of the first Terminator are used in Cyberdynes research to radically advance the companys technology, paradoxically creating the machine intelligence entity Skynet. In Terminator 2, Judgment Day, John Conner recovers the arm and CPU chip of the first Terminator, Schwarzeneggers T-800s role was reversed in the second film. He was reprogrammed by the future John Connor and sent back to 1995 to protect his younger self from the T-1000
28.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
–
Terminator 2, Judgment Day is a 1991 American science-fiction action film co-written, produced and directed by James Cameron. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick and it is the sequel to the 1984 film The Terminator, and the second installment in the Terminator franchise. A second, less advanced Terminator is also sent back in time to protect John, after a troubled pre-production characterized by legal disputes, Mario Kassar of Carolco Pictures emerged with the franchises property rights in early 1990. This paved the way for the completion of the screenplay by a Cameron-led production team, the production of Terminator 2 required a $102 million budget making it the most expensive film made up to that point. Much of the massive budget was spent on filming and special effects. The film was released on July 3,1991, in time for the U. S, Terminator 2 was a critical and commercial success and influenced popular culture, especially the use of visual effects in films. It received many accolades, including four Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Makeup, in 1995, John Connor is living in Los Angeles with foster parents. Skynet sends a new Terminator, designated as T-1000, back in time to kill John, the T-1000 arrives under a freeway, kills a policeman and assumes his identity. Meanwhile, the future John Connor has sent back a reprogrammed T-800 Terminator to protect his young counterpart, the Terminator and the T-1000 converge on John in a shopping mall, and a chase ensues after which John and the Terminator escape together on a motorcycle. Fearing that the T-1000 will kill Sarah in order to get to him and they encounter Sarah as she is escaping from the hospital, although she is initially reluctant to trust the T-800. After the trio escapes from the T-1000 in a police car, in addition, it would create machines that will hunt and kill the remnants of humanity. Finding him at his home, she wounds him but finds herself unable to kill him in front of his family, John and the Terminator arrive and inform Dyson of the future consequences of his work. They learn that much of his research has been engineered from the damaged CPU. Convincing him that these items and his designs must be destroyed, they break into the Cyberdyne building and retrieve the CPU, the police arrive and Dyson is shot, but he manages to trigger several explosives, destroying the lab and his research while sacrificing himself. The T-1000 relentlessly pursues the trio, eventually cornering them in a steel mill. The T-1000 and the Terminator engage in combat, with the advanced model severely damaging its adversary. The T-800 is seemingly shut down until its emergency back-up system brings it back online, the T-1000 nearly kills John and Sarah until the T-800 appears and shoots it into a vat of molten steel with an M79 grenade launcher, destroying it. John tosses the arm and CPU of the original Terminator into the vat as well, as Sarah expresses relief that the ordeal is over, the Terminator explains that to ensure that he is not used for reverse engineering he must also be destroyed
29.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
–
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, producer, businessman, investor, author, philanthropist, activist, politician and former professional bodybuilder. He served two terms as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011, Schwarzenegger began weight training at the age of 15. He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times, Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in bodybuilding and has written many books and articles on the sport. He is widely considered to be among the greatest bodybuilders of all time as well as bodybuildings biggest icon, Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon. His breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982, in 1984, Schwarzenegger appeared in James Camerons science-fiction thriller film The Terminator, which was a massive critical and box-office success. Schwarzenegger subsequently reprised the Terminator character in the later installments in 1991,2003. He appeared in a number of films, such as Commando, The Running Man, Predator, Twins, Total Recall, Kindergarten Cop. In 2015, it was announced Schwarzenegger would replace Donald Trump as the host of The Celebrity Apprentice and he was nicknamed the Austrian Oak in his bodybuilding days, Arnie during his acting career, and The Governator during his political career. As a Republican, he was first elected on October 7,2003, Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, to serve the remainder of Daviss term. Schwarzenegger was sworn in for his term on January 5,2007. In 2011, Schwarzenegger completed his term as governor. Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Styria, and christened Arnold Alois and his parents were Gustav Schwarzenegger and Aurelia Schwarzenegger. He married Aurelia on October 20,1945, he was 38, according to Schwarzenegger, both of his parents were very strict, Back then in Austria it was a very different world. If we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not spared, Schwarzenegger grew up in a Roman Catholic family who attended Mass every Sunday. Gustav had a preference for his son, Meinhard, over Arnold. His favoritism was strong and blatant, which stemmed from unfounded suspicion that Arnold was not his biological child, Schwarzenegger has said his father had no patience for listening or understanding your problems. He had a relationship with his mother and kept in touch with her until her death. Gustavs background received wide press attention during the 2003 California recall campaign, at school, Schwarzenegger was reportedly academically average, but stood out for his cheerful, good-humored, and exuberant character
30.
First-person shooter
–
The first-person shooter shares common traits with other shooter games, which in turn fall under the heading action game. From the genres inception, advanced 3D or pseudo-3D graphics have challenged hardware development, the first-person shooter has since been traced as far back as Maze War, development of which began in 1973, and 1974s Spasim. 1998s Half-Life—along with its 2004 sequel Half-Life 2—enhanced the narrative and puzzle elements, in 1999, Half-Lifes mod Counter-Strike was released and, together with Doom, is perhaps one of the most influential first-person shooters. GoldenEye 007 was a landmark first-person shooter for home consoles, while the Halo series heightened the consoles commercial and critical appeal as a platform for first-person shooter titles. In the 21st century, the shooter is the most commercially viable video game genre. Several first-person shooters have been popular games for eSports and competitive gaming competitions as well, first-person shooters are a type of three-dimensional shooter game, featuring a first-person point of view with which the player sees the action through the eyes of the player character. They are unlike third-person shooters, in which the player can see the character they are controlling, the primary design element is combat, mainly involving firearms. A more important key difference is that first-person light-gun shooters like Virtua Cop often feature on-rails movement, the first-person shooter may be considered a distinct genre in itself, or a type of shooter game, in turn a subgenre of the wider action game genre. Following the release of Doom in 1993, games in this style were commonly termed Doom clones, in time this term has largely been replaced by first-person shooter. Wolfenstein 3D, released in 1992, the year before Doom, has credited with inventing the genre. There are occasional disagreements regarding the design elements which constitute a first-person shooter. For example, Deus Ex or BioShock may be considered as first-person shooters, some commentators extend the definition to include combat flight simulators where the cockpit or vehicle takes place of the hands and weapons. Like most shooter games, first-person shooters involve an avatar, one or more ranged weapons, and a varying number of enemies. Because they take place in a 3D environment, these tend to be somewhat more realistic than 2D shooter games. First-person shooters played on computers are most often controlled with a combination of a keyboard. This system has claimed as superior to that found in console games. It is common to display the characters hands and weaponry in the view, with a head-up display showing health. Often, it is possible to overlay a map of the surrounding area, first-person shooters often focus on action gameplay, with fast-paced and bloody firefights, though some place a greater emphasis on narrative, problem-solving and logic puzzles
31.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
32.
OCLC
–
The Online Computer Library Center is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the worlds information and reducing information costs. It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services, the group first met on July 5,1967 on the campus of the Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization. The group hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, Kilgour wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. The goal of network and database was to bring libraries together to cooperatively keep track of the worlds information in order to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26,1971 and this was the first occurrence of online cataloging by any library worldwide. Membership in OCLC is based on use of services and contribution of data, between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. In 2002, the structure was again modified to accommodate participation from outside the United States. As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside of Ohio, it relied on establishing strategic partnerships with networks, organizations that provided training, support, by 2008, there were 15 independent United States regional service providers. OCLC networks played a key role in OCLC governance, with networks electing delegates to serve on OCLC Members Council, in early 2009, OCLC negotiated new contracts with the former networks and opened a centralized support center. OCLC provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information to anyone, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest online public access catalog in the world. WorldCat has holding records from public and private libraries worldwide. org, in October 2005, the OCLC technical staff began a wiki project, WikiD, allowing readers to add commentary and structured-field information associated with any WorldCat record. The Online Computer Library Center acquired the trademark and copyrights associated with the Dewey Decimal Classification System when it bought Forest Press in 1988, a browser for books with their Dewey Decimal Classifications was available until July 2013, it was replaced by the Classify Service. S. The reference management service QuestionPoint provides libraries with tools to communicate with users and this around-the-clock reference service is provided by a cooperative of participating global libraries. OCLC has produced cards for members since 1971 with its shared online catalog. OCLC commercially sells software, e. g. CONTENTdm for managing digital collections, OCLC has been conducting research for the library community for more than 30 years. In accordance with its mission, OCLC makes its research outcomes known through various publications and these publications, including journal articles, reports, newsletters, and presentations, are available through the organizations website. The most recent publications are displayed first, and all archived resources, membership Reports – A number of significant reports on topics ranging from virtual reference in libraries to perceptions about library funding
33.
Semi-automatic pistol
–
One cartridge is fired each time the trigger of a semi-automatic pistol is pulled, the pistols disconnector ensures this behavior. Additional terms sometimes used as synonyms for a semi-automatic pistol are automatic pistol, self-loading pistol, autopistol, a semi-automatic pistol harnesses the energy of one shot to reload the chamber for the next. After a round is fired, the spent casing is ejected, most pistols use recoil operation to do this, but some pistols use blowback or gas operation. Most types of semi-automatic pistols rely on a magazine to store ammunition before it is fired. Typically, the first round is loaded into the chamber by pulling back. This is called racking the slide or racking the gun, after the trigger is pulled and the round is fired, the recoil operation of the handgun automatically extracts and ejects the shell casing and reloads the chamber. This mode of operation allows for faster reloading and storing a larger number of cartridges than a revolver. Each pull of the trigger on a DAO semi-automatic pistol requires the amount of pressure. The Kel-Tec P-32 is an example of a DAO action, DAO semi-automatic pistols are most generally recommended only in the smaller, self-defense, concealable pistols, rather than in target or hunting pistols. A notable exception is Glock-brand pistols which optimize preset triggers, and this allows for significantly shorter trigger pulls than DAO. The trigger spring can be replaced with a one and paired with a low-strength sear connector resulting in lightened trigger pulls to improve a shooters accuracy. Standard modern semi-automatic pistols are double action, also sometimes known as double-action/single-action. In this design, the hammer or striker may be either thumb-cocked or activated by pulling the trigger when firing the first shot, the hammer or striker is recocked automatically during each firing cycle. In double-action pistols, the first pull of the trigger requires roughly twice as much pressure as subsequent firings, the Beretta 92F/FS, a full-sized, service, semi-automatic pistol is an example of this style of action. A common mode of carry for DA semi-automatic pistols is with the full, a round chambered. In contrast, a single-action semi-automatic pistol must be cocked by first operating the slide or bolt, or, if a round is already chambered, the famed Colt M1911 is an example of this style of action. All SA semi-automatic pistols exhibit this feature, and automatically cock the hammer when the slide is first racked to chamber a round, a round can also be manually inserted in the chamber with the slide locked back. Then the safety can be applied, the normal mode of carrying an SA semi-automatic pistol is condition 1, popularly known as cocked and locked
34.
FN M1900
–
The FN Browning M1900 is a single action, semi-automatic pistol designed c.1896 by John Browning for Fabrique Nationale de Herstal and produced in Belgium at the turn of the century. It was the first production handgun to use a slide, the design was presented to arms manufacturer FN Herstal in 1898, with production commencing the following year. In 1900, a design featuring primarily a shorter barrel. These designations were applied retroactively after FN began manufacture of other Browning pistol designs, production ceased only 11 years later, with a total of about 700,000 units having been produced. United States President Theodore Roosevelt owned a mother of pearl-gripped M1900, eugen Schauman used an M1900 in his 1904 assassination of the Russian Governor-General of Finland at the time, Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov. As initial reports said only that Princip had used a Browning pistol, an Jung-geun used an M1900 in his 1909 assassination of the Japanese Resident-General of Korea, Itō Hirobumi. Communist revolutionaries also used Browning pistols to murder the Russian imperial family in July 1918, a Chinese copy of the gun saw usage during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. The North Korean Type 64 pistol is a copy of the M1900, specimens examined by western authorities were marked with the date of 1964. A silenced variant was produced featured a shortened slide to allow the threaded barrel to protrude far enough to attach the silencer. The weapon is chambered for the.32 ACP, also known as 7. 65×17mm Browning SR, SR denotes semi-rimmed. This model is known by names, including, FN M1900 FN Mle.1900 Browning M1900 Browning No.1 Colt M1900 FN Model 1903 FN1900 pistol
35.
Colt M1900
–
The Colt Model 1900 was a short-recoil operated self-loading, or semi-automatic.38 caliber handgun introduced by Colts Manufacturing Company at the turn of the 20th century. It also marked the introduction of.38 ACP, the round for which it is chambered and it was developed from John M. Brownings earlier prototypes in the late 1890s. The United States military tested the design against other semiautomatic pistols by European makers, the M1900 and variants were also offered commercially. Variants included the Model 1902 Sporting, Model 1902 Military, Model 1903 Pocket, and the Model 1905, the designs of 1909 and later did away with the front barrel link, replaced with a simple bushing, and would become the related, and famed, M1911 pistol. In the Browning design, the slide fitted into rails in the frame, the barrel rode in locking grooves machined into the interior of the slide, but attached to swinging links secured to the frame, one at the front and one at the rear. When the slide is forward, the length of the holds the barrel up. The barrel then stops moving, while the slide continues rearwards, extracting and ejecting the fired case and then returns forward. The barrel is caught, and moved forward with the slide, the M1911, and most other pistols since, found that it was only necessary to use a single rear link and locking grooves in the rear. This approach was found to work well, and saved in complexity, cost of manufacture. The new design featured a new cartridge, the.38 Automatic Colt Pistol. This was a larger caliber bullet than used by other contemporary designs, the.38 ACP was also a much faster cartridge than the.38 Long Colt revolver cartridge in service at the time, which fired a 130 grain bullet at 770 ft/s. Colt was also experimenting with a.41 caliber cartridge for use in the Model 1900, like the.41 Long Colt, this probably used a.400 inch bullet. The prototype.41 caliber Colt automatic cartridge was never produced in production quantity, Colt did produce a few Model 1903.41 cal. pistols, conversions of Model 1902 Military Models, for the cartridge before the development of the cartridge ended. When pushed down the safety blocked the firing pin, when pushed up it performed as the rear sight and this gave an immediate visual indicator of whether the safety was on or off when one went to aim the pistol, without resorting to feeling for the safety lever. The first 1900s were equipped with rear milled slide grooves but when it was found that this could interfere with the safety the milled slide grooves were moved to the front. This safety was used in about the first 3,000 production pistols, Colt then installed a conventional rear sight and eliminated the sight safety although the cut in the slide remained but was plugged. The grooves, remained in the front of the slide, there are earlier sight safety M1900s that were factory retrofitted with the new fixed sight. Although Colt considered a new firing pin safety mounted on the side of the slide with one prototype
36.
Colt M1902
–
The Model 1902 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by famous American firearms designer John Browning and produced by the Colts Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in the early 20th century. The 1902 Sporting model was so similar to the 1900 that it continued the number range. The Colt M1905.45 ACP pistol would be derived from the same lineage, American gun designer John M. Browning wished to join contemporaries such as Hugo Borchardt and Georg Luger in designing a marketable semi-automatic pistol. Browning partnered with the Colts Manufacturing Company which was hoping to capitalize on the interest in service pistol modernization by procuring large and their first collaboration produced the Model 1900, it interested the U. S. The Model of 1902 was basically the same pistol with some improvements meant to address these deficiencies, the Mauser C96,1900 Luger, and Colt 1902s had some occasion to be compared to each other in the field. The Luger, like the Colt, in 1902–1907, was not yet refined, although it was not only beautifully made, but it was ergonomically classic. The Colt was ergonomically the opposite, having poor balance and a grip, it also lacked safety mechanisms. The Colt 1902 sporting model, used in 1904 Swedish tests, was found to be not quite sufficiently reliable. The value of the Colt, however, was that its.38 ACP cartridge was considered superior to both German pistols cartridges and a step in the right direction, the Colt 1902 had room to develop, while the Mauser was already mature and not subject to improvement. However the Colt pistols helped sell the semi-automatic pistol concept in the United States, the M1902 was a short recoil operated pistol derived from the Model of 1900 by the simplification of its internal mechanism and a reduction in the number of internal parts. Browning and Colt also adopted the suggestion of the U. S, Military to add a slide stop to the design. The problematic pivoting rear sight safety of the M1900 which swung back, another shortcoming in the M1900 design was brought out by trials held by the British military, who discovered that the pistol had a tendency to fire when dropped. In the M1902, the firing pins length was reduced to be less than that of the slot it moved in, the Model of 1902 was chambered for the same.38 ACP cartridge as was the earlier M1900 pistol. The M1902 pistol for the most part also shared the same hard black rubber grips which were standard on the Model 1900, however, custom grips were also available, especially on presentation versions. On some early production Model 1902s the trigger, pins, and grip screws were set off with a fire or nitre blued finish, the hammer of 1902 pistols usually had a case hardened finish. Earlier production pistols featured either milled straight line or cross-cut checkered slide serrations on the end of the slide. Neither the Military or Sporting versions of the pistol had a manual safety, the Colt 1902s featured three distinctive hammers for the 1902 sporting model. Two, referred to by Colt as the high spur hammer, eventually, by 1904, at or just beyond serial 7184, the supply of high spur hammers was exhausted and the stub hammer became the norm for the sporting model
37.
FN Model 1903
–
The FN Model 1903, or Browning No.2 was a self-loading semi-automatic pistol engineered by John Browning and made by Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale. It was introduced in 1903 and fired the 9×20mmSR Browning Long cartridge and it should not be confused with the US-made Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless, nor with the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer. Due to its reliability, accuracy, light weight, and quick reloading, the pistol was initially introduced by FN as the Browning Modèle de Guerre or Browning Grand Modèle. FN requested John Browning to prepare a prototype in 1901, FN manufactured a few samples for Norway and Sweden to consider as military weapons. Norway opted for the Colt M1911 pistol in the form of the Kongsberg M/1912, an additional 9,000 pistols were sold commercially before production was discontinued when the FN factory was overrun by troops from the German Empire in August 1914. Sweden obtained a license to manufacture a variant of the design for use as the Husqvarna m/1907. Husqvarna produced military pistols for Colombia when FN was unwilling to resume production in the 1930s, Sweden had manufactured 89,230 pistols when production ended in 1942. Early Husqvarna-produced pistols included the slide marking of either Brownings Patent or System Browning and this practice was discontinued after World War I at the insistence of FN, which had been granted the exclusive right to use John Brownings name firearms marketing. The Swedish military designation was pistol m/07 and it was the standard sidearm until the adoption of the Lahti L-35 in 1940 when it was declared substitute standard. The pistol m/07 was taken out of storage and pressed into service in the 1980s as the bolts of the Lahti L-35 pistols started cracking due to the use of a more powerful 9 mm P cartridge. This was a solution until deliveries of the new Glock 17 were complete. Availability of surplus firearms caused very low demand for new pistol production following World War I, as demand increased through the 1920s, FN manufactured 4,616 pistols as the standard military sidearm for Estonia and several hundred for Paraguay and El Salvador. FN stopped production in 1927 after manufacturing a total of 58,442 pistols, the Estonian pistols were sold to Spain in the 1930s where many saw use in the Spanish Civil War. Some of the Swedish pistols were used by Finland during World War II, modern Firearms Swedish m/1907 Pistol FN pistol model 1903 explained FN pistol model 1903
38.
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer
–
The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer was a short-recoil, semi-automatic pistol, designed by famous American arms designer John Browning. It was a version of the Colt Model 1902 Sporting Model pistol derived from the original Colt M1900. The Colt M1902 Sporting Model and 1903 Pocket Hammer model have significant differences to the military inspired Colt 1902 Military Model although they fire the same cartridge and its design is in no way related to the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless or the FN Model 1903 pistol. At a glance, this pistol is more similar to the later Colt 1911 than to the Colt 1902 Sporting Model from which it evolved. The locking system uses two links vs. the single link of the later M1911, the two links unlocked the barrel in a motion identical to that of a parallel ruler. The drawback to this design was the need for a cross-wedge in the slide near the muzzle, if the slide cracked or the wedge came loose, the slide could exit the frame to the rear, injuring the shooter. The design limited the strength of the cartridge that could be used and it was chambered for the.38 ACP, which is stamped on the slide as Calibre 38 rimless smokeless. The.38 ACP was a less powerful cartridge than the 9×19mm Parabellum. While using a locked breech, the pistols locking design was not very strong, the.38 ACP and the.38 Super use cases with identical dimensions, the only difference being the maximum operating pressures of each. It would be unwise to use new, factory.38 Super ammunition in any pistol based on the M1900 series Colts.38 Super pistols, on the other hand and they may require a slightly less-powerful recoil spring to function normally. Initially popular, the sales of the.38 ACP models dropped off with the introduction of the M-1905 in.45, Colt listed it in their annual catalog until existing parts were used up in the early 1920s.45 ACP. Therefore, the rounded hammer Colt 1903 Pocket Hammers can help date those pistols at a glance to 1903-1907. The first pistols featured the milled pattern similar to the 1902 Sporting Models and this would indicate that only about 1,700 or so 1903 Pocket Hammers had the rear milled slides, making them the earliest and hardest to find of the type. Serial numbers of the 1903 Pocket Hammers started at 19999 in 1903, after that, serials resumed at 20000 and went up to 47227 ending in 1927 when production discontinued. An approximate total of 29,237 were produced which just about equaled the production of the Colt 1900 and 1902.38 automatics, prior to World War I, the pistol filled a niche by providing a relatively more powerful cartridge in a lighter and smaller pistol. However, the Colt 1903/08 Pocket Hammerless in.380 ACP appeared in 1909, the.380 Pocket Hammerless overwhelmed the Pocket Hammer models sales but the 1903 persisted, possibly because the.38 ACP was still a more powerful cartridge than the.380 ACP. Only a scant handful of 1903 Pocket Hammers were used by the military, however, the Model did see significant sales in Mexico prior to and possibly during the chaos of the Mexican Revolution so many of these found their way into military and para-military hands. Additionally, some were purchased for the Philippine Constabulary in the 1920s, goddard, William, The Government Models, Andrew Mobray Inc,1988,1998, ISBN 0-917218-24-8 Colt Automatic Pistols Home Page
39.
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless
–
The Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless is a variant introduced five years later in.380 ACP caliber. Despite the title Hammerless, the Model 1903 does have a hammer and it is covered and hidden from view under the rear of the slide. This allowed the pistol to be carried in, and withdrawn from a pocket quickly and smoothly without snagging, approximately 570,000 Colt Pocket Hammerless pistols were produced from 1903 to 1945, in five different types. Some were issued to US Army and US Air Force general officers from World War II through the 1970s and they were replaced in 1972 with the RIA Colt M15 General Officers Model, a compact version of the M1911A1. In addition to lawful owners, many gangsters of the pre-World War II era favored the Model 1903 and Model 1908 because they were relatively small and easily concealed. It is said that Al Capone kept one in his coat pocket, note, There was also a Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer pistol in.38 ACP, but this design is unrelated. The FN Model 1903 pistol design is related to the Colt Pocket Hammerless, General Officer models were often engraved with the officers name. Recipients included Generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall, and Patton, pattons Model 1908 was embellished with three stars on the grip panels to denote his rank. They came in russet or black leather and were made by ALPCO or Hickock, a cleaning rod and two spare magazines were also included. Generals were issued the Model M in.380 ACP, until 1950, when supply ran out. At that point, they were substituted with.32 models until their replacement in 1972, the Pocket Hammerless was replaced by the M15 pistol made by Rock Island Arsenal in.45 ACP. Today, the Pocket Hammerless is manufactured by U. S. Armament and this pistol was actually fired by action of a hammer striking and driving a firing pin into a center-fire cartridges primer. The hammer was covered by the rear of the slide, the hammerless designation was merely an advertising designation pointing out the pistols particular suitability for concealed carry. Special features include a serrated slide to prevent slippage during manual cycling of the slide, the grip safety is a spring-loaded piece making up the back strap of the pistol. The grip safety, though not solely restricted to them, was a feature of Colt automatic pistols. A magazine safety was added on models, this feature prevents the pistol from being fired with a round in the chamber. In 1908, a.380 ACP version of this gun was introduced, called the Model 1908, it was nearly identical to the Model 1903 except for the bore diameter and the magazine, which held seven rounds. Grip panels were black checked hard rubber, checked walnut, or special order materials, sights were fixed, although the rear sight was drift-adjustable for windage. Metal finish was blued or nickel, and some special-order finishes such as engraved, Type II,32 cal separate barrel bushing, 3 3⁄4 inch barrel, 1908–1910, SN72,000 through 105,050
40.
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket
–
The Model 1908 Vest Pocket is a compact, hammerless, striker-fired, semi-automatic single-action pistol. Manufactured by the Colts Manufacturing Company from 1908 to 1948, it was marketed as a concealable firearm which could be easily tucked into a vest pocket for unobtrusive carry. Created by famed firearms designer John Moses Browning, the Model 1908 followed Browning’s earlier European version, both pistols were chambered for the Browning-invented.25 ACP cartridge. Known as the Model N internally within Colt, the 1908 Vest Pocket is a diminutive 4.5 inches long, weighing a mere 13 ounces, it is fed by a six-round single column magazine. The pistol’s fixed open iron sights were rather small and rudimentary, Colts advertising and marketing literature of the time highly touted the advanced safety features of the Model 1908, including a standard slide-locking safety catch, as well as a grip safety. In 1916 Colt engineer George Tansley invented a safety feature for the pistol, the magazine safety disconnector. This additional safety device was added to production in 1916 or 1917 in the latter 139,000 serial number range, proud of the state-of-the-art technology represented by this advance, Colt included a green brochure marking its inclusion with every Model 1908 sold for a year after its introduction. Additionally, in approximately the 280,000 serial number range, the Vest Pocket was mainly produced with the famous highly polished lustrous Colt royal blue finish, featuring color-casehardening of the safety catch, grip safety, and trigger. A second popular option was polished nickel plate, and various specialty and customer order finishes were available, including gold and silver plating. Standard grip materials available included black hard rubber in both square and round top configurations, and finely checked walnut, all factory grips sported a medallion emblazoned with the famous rampant Colt which was available in two differing styles. More elaborate grip options were offered, such as Ivory. In 40 years of production a total of approximately 420,705 Model 1908 pistols were manufactured, an improved redesign became the Baby Browning, which is still in production. The 1906 FN Browning and the 1908 Colt, The First Vest Pocket Pistols, by Ed Buffaloe
41.
FN Model 1910
–
The FN Model 1910 is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale of Belgium. The FN Model 1910, also known as the Browning model 1910, was a departure for Browning, before, his designs were produced by both FN in Europe and Colt Firearms in the United States. Since Colt did not want to produce it, Browning chose to patent, introduced in 1910, this pistol used a novel operating spring location surrounding the barrel. This location became the standard in such weapons as the Walther PPK. It incorporated the standard Browning striker-firing mechanism and a grip safety along with a magazine safety, offered in both.380 ACP and.32 ACP calibres, it remained in production until 1983. It is possible to switch calibres by changing only the barrel, however, FN never offered packages containing a single pistol with both calibre barrels. A variant of the Model 1910 was known variously as the Model 1922 or 1910/22 and this was a larger model with a longer barrel, slide extension, and a longer grip frame to accommodate an extra two rounds. This model was aimed at military and police contracts and many examples were produced for various agencies, the FN Model 1910/1922 was initially designed for Yugoslavia. 1910/1922 pistols went on to see service in World War Two. These examples carry Nazi production stamps, and most have simple chequered wood grips instead of the horn or plastic grips bearing the FN logo. The FN Model 1922 was also used by the countries, Yugoslavia, Holland, Greece, Turkey, Romania, France, Finland, Denmark. In 1955, the Browning Arms Company introduced the Model 1910 pistol for the American market as the Model 1955, made in Belgium, this model was virtually identical to the European model except for the markings and grips. Importation ceased in 1968 due to the passage of stricter gun-control laws in the U. S, another version, the Model 1971, featured a longer barrel and slide, adjustable sights, a finger-rest magazine, and enlarged target grips. These features were intended to comply with the Gun Control Act of 1968 which had halted import of the Model 1955, north Korea made copies of the Model 1910 without licence as the Type 70 pistol. The weapon is not only for domestic use but also for export. The Hamada Type or Hamada Type Automatic handgun was a semi-automatic pistol developed in 1941 for use by the Empire of Japan during World War II, developed by Bunji Hamada, the pistol took its basic design from the Model 1910 Browning. Production occurred at the Japanese Firearms Manufacturing Company, with minor changes made as the war progressed. Numerous previous sources erroneously cited the FN Model 1900 in.32 calibre as being the weapon Princip used and this has led to confusion over the calibre of the pistol actually used
42.
M1911 pistol
–
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the.45 ACP cartridge. It served as the sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986. It was first used in stages of the Philippine–American War, and was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War. The pistols formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber.45, M1911 for the model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber.45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber.45, Automatic, the U. S. procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during its service life. The M1911 was replaced by the 9mm Beretta M9 pistol as the standard U. S. sidearm in October 1986, but due to its popularity among users, it has not been completely phased out. Modernized derivative variants of the M1911 are still in use by units of the U. S. Army Special Forces. Designed by John Browning, the M1911 is the best-known of his designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design, the pistol was widely copied, and this operating system rose to become the preeminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols. It is popular with civilian shooters in competitive events such as USPSA, IDPA, International Practical Shooting Confederation, compact variants are popular civilian concealed carry weapons in the U. S. because of the designs relatively slim width and stopping power of the.45 ACP cartridge. The M1911 pistol originated in the late 1890s as the result of a search for a suitable self-loading pistol to replace the variety of then in service. Maxim had designed a self-loading rifle in the 1880s, but was preoccupied with machine guns, nevertheless, the application of his principle of using cartridge energy to reload led to several self-loading pistols in 1896. The designs caught the attention of various militaries, each of which programs to find a suitable one for their forces. In the U. S. such a program would lead to a formal test at the turn of the 20th century, during the end of 1899 and start of 1900, a test of self-loading pistols was conducted, which included entries from Mauser, Mannlicher, and Colt. This led to a purchase of 1,000 DWM Luger pistols, chambered in 7. 65mm Luger, during field trials these ran into some problems, especially with stopping power. Other governments had made similar complaints, consequently, DWM produced an enlarged version of the round, the 9×19mm Parabellum, a necked-up version of the 7.65 mm round. Fifty of these were tested as well by the U. S. Army in 1903, American units fighting Moro guerrillas during the Philippine–American War using the then-standard Colt M1892 revolver. The problems prompted the then–Chief of Ordnance, General William Crozier and this led to the 1906 trials of pistols from six firearms manufacturing companies. Of the six designs submitted, three were eliminated early on, leaving only the Savage, Colt, and DWM designs chambered in the new.45 ACP cartridge and these three still had issues that needed correction, but only Colt and Savage resubmitted their designs
43.
Colt Woodsman
–
The Colt Woodsman is a semi-automatic sporting pistol manufactured by the American Colts Manufacturing Company from 1915 to 1977. It was designed by John Moses Browning, the frame design changed over time, in three distinct series, series one being 1915–1941, series two 1947–1955, and series three being 1955–1977. The Colt Woodsman sprang from a design by John Moses Browning and was refined by gunsmiths, without the constraints of the US Government interfering with his design, Browning developed the Woodsman with a short slide, no grip safety and no hammer. These features were in place on his Model 1903 and 1911 designs, there are three series of the Colt Woodsman and each series had three models, Target, Sport and Match Target. The Target Model was the model of the Woodsman and featured a 6 barrel with adjustable front. The Sport Model was designed as a sidearm for hiking and camping in 1933 and had a 4.5 barrel. Original versions were made with a front sight in the first series, but by the latter half of production. The Match Target Model debuted in 1938 and featured a barrel with a one piece wrap-around grip known as the elephant ear. A Bullseye Icon was rollmarked into the slide lending the nickname Bullseye Match Target, in 1941 as the US entered World War II, Colt ceased civilian production of the Woodsman but delivered 4000 Match Target models to the US Government as late as 1945. These pistols had a one piece grip and were marked Property US Government. Colt resumed production of the Woodsman in 1947, the three Models remained the same, but were built on a longer heavier frame and had a magazine safety, automatic slide stop and magazine release located at the rear of the trigger guard. Special versions were made for the United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force and 75 Match Target Models for the United States Coast Guard, the Air Force models had no special markings and most were sold as surplus through the Director of Civilian Marksmanship Program. The bulk of the Marine and Coast Guard versions were destroyed, Colt changed the design of the Woodsman in 1955. The three Models remained the same, but the markings, grips and sights underwent slight changes, the most significant was relocating the magazine release from the rear of the trigger guard to the heel of the grip as on the first series. Colt also introduced new models, such as the less expensive Challenger, from 1960 walnut stocks with a thumbrest were optional, in place of the standard black plastic stocks. Screenwriter and pulp fiction author Raymond Chandler, They came out at me, almost side by side and he had his hat low on his forehead and he had a wedge-shaped face that ended in a point, like the bottom of the ace of diamonds. He had moist eyes and a nose so bloodless that it might have made of white wax. His gun was a Colt Woodsman with a barrel and the front sight filed off
44.
FN Baby Browning
–
The FN Baby Browning is a small blowback-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Dieudonné Saive based on a design by John Browning and chambered in.25 ACP. The pistol features a magazine capacity and is a striker-fired, single action. The manual thumb operated safety locks the slide in the position when engaged using side thumb pressure. FN introduced the revolutionary model 1905 in 1905, despite the name FN used for this pistol, it was later marketed as the M1906, the V. P.25, and most confusingly, the Baby model. This pistol was introduced more or less at the time the 6. 35x16mm.25 ACP cartridge became widely available. The term ACP stands for Automatic Colt Pistol and this cartridge was among the first automatic pistol cartridges to be utilized worldwide. It was designed with a shell casing made of brass. The rim of the casing had a slightly larger circumference than the base of the cartridge. The M1905/M1906 Vest Pocket pistol incorporated a safety mechanism that constituted the entire rear section of the grip. This particular safety mechanism required a significant amount of hand palm pressure to disengage, Colt produced a nearly identical pocket pistol, the Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket, which incorporated a small safety lever on the left side of the receiver which locked the trigger. In addition, this safety lever mechanism locked the slide about a half inch back from the front of the pistol to enable easy disassembly, FN also added this safety lever mechanism to its pistol, but did not add the magazine safety mechanism that Colt introduced in 1916. Pressured by dozens of imitations and the proliferation of blatant unlicensed copies, the basic Vest Pocket pistol design was used as a starting point for the new design. Dieudonné Saive was asked during 1926-1927 to design the new pistol and his design was smaller, lighter, and incorporated several refinements and improvements to the M1908 version. This improvement was at the cost of the slide hold-back feature that was eliminated in the new design. The receiver has a full-length dust guard extending to the end of the slide, the Dieudonne Saive design also introduced a magazine safety mechanism similar to the one utilized on the Colt Vest Pocket pistol. Parts are not interchangeable between these pistols, a cocking indicator was also incorporated on the back of the slide. FN manufactured and marketed the Baby Browning pistol from 1931 until 1979, about 500,000 units were produced, including the hand chiseled engraved Renaissance and the Lightweight version. The Lightweight utilized a 6061 T6 aluminum receiver and chrome-plated slide and this particular version of the Baby Browning pistol was developed and marketed in commemoration of the Concorde supersonic jet which was introduced to the public circa 1965
45.
Browning Hi-Power
–
The Browning Hi Power is a single-action, semi-automatic handgun available in 9mm and.40 S&W calibers. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized. The Hi-Power is one of the most widely used military pistols in history, the Hi Power name alludes to the 13-round magazine capacity, almost twice that of contemporary designs such as the Luger or Colt M1911. The pistol is often referred to as an HP or as a GP, the terms P-35 and HP-35 are also used, based on the introduction of the pistol in 1935. It is most often called the Hi Power, even in Belgium, other names include BAP, particularly in Irish Army service, or BHP. The Browning Hi-Power was designed in response to a French military requirement for a new service pistol and it was to accomplish all of this at a weight not exceeding 1 kg. FN commissioned John Browning to design a new military sidearm conforming to this specification, Browning built two different prototypes for the project in Utah and filed the patent for this pistol in the United States on June 28,1923, granted on February 22,1927. One was a blowback design, while the other was operated with a locked-breech recoil system. Both prototypes utilized the new staggered magazine design to increase capacity without increasing the pistols grip size or magazine length. The locked breech design was selected for development and testing. This model was striker-fired, and featured a magazine that held 16 rounds. The design was refined through several trials held by the Versailles Trial Commission and this version featured the removable barrel bushing and take down sequence of the Colt 1911. By 1931, the Browning Hi-Power design incorporated a shortened 13-round magazine, a curved rear grip strap, by 1934, the Hi-Power design was complete and ready to be produced. It was first adopted by Belgium for military service in 1935 as the Browning P-35, ultimately, France decided not to adopt the pistol, instead selecting the conceptually similar but lower-capacity Modèle 1935 pistol. The HP35 originally had a rounded, serrated hammer with a hole through it and this lighter hammer was harder to cock and had difficulty firing the harder Berdan-primed centerfire cartridges commonly used in Europe, often requiring a tightening of the hammer spring. This was replaced in 1972 by a hammer on both civilian and military models. However, the Browning Challenger and special variants of the Browning pistol still use the classic ring hammer, the Browning Hi-Power has undergone continuous refinement by FN since its introduction. The adjustable sights are available on commercial versions of the Hi-Power
46.
Rifle
–
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called lands, which contact with the projectile. When the projectile leaves the barrel, this spin lends gyroscopic stability to the projectile and prevents tumbling and this allows the use of aerodynamically-efficient bullets and thus improves range and accuracy. The word rifle originally referred to the grooving, and a rifle was called a rifled gun, the word rifle is now used for any long hand-held aimed device activated by a trigger, such as Air rifles and the Personnel halting and stimulation response rifle. Rifles are used in warfare, hunting and shooting sports, formerly, rifles only fired a single projectile with each squeeze of the trigger. Modern rifles are capable of firing more than one round per trigger squeeze, some fire in an automatic mode. Thus, modern automatic rifles overlap to some extent in design, in fact, many light machine guns are adaptations of existing automatic rifle designs. A militarys light machine guns are chambered for the same caliber ammunition as its service rifles. Generally, the difference between a rifle and a machine gun comes down to weight, cooling system. Modern military rifles are fed by magazines, while machine guns are generally belt-fed, many machine guns allow the operator to quickly exchange barrels in order to prevent overheating, whereas rifles generally do not. Most machine guns fire from a bolt in order to reduce the danger of cook-off. Machine guns are often crewed by more than one soldier, the rifle is an individual weapon, the term rifle is sometimes used to describe larger crew-served rifled weapons firing explosive shells, for example, recoilless rifles. In many works of fiction a rifle refers to any weapon that has a stock and is shouldered before firing, the origins of rifling are difficult to trace, but some of the earliest practical experiments seem to have occurred in Europe during the 15th century. Archers had long realized that a twist added to the feathers of their arrows gave them greater accuracy. This might also have led to a increase in accuracy. Rifles were created as an improvement in the accuracy of smooth bore muskets, the black powder used in early muzzle-loading rifles quickly fouled the barrel, making loading slower and more difficult. Since musketeers could not afford to take the time to stop and clean their barrels in the middle of a battle, rifles were limited to use by sharpshooters, muskets were smoothbore, large caliber weapons using ball-shaped ammunition fired at relatively low velocity. Due to the high cost and great difficulty of manufacturing, and the need to load readily from the muzzle
