Posted on 07/07/2009 10:15:22 AM PDT by sig226
Basic firearms stuff:
This is my rifle, this is my gun . . .”
Generally speaking, the military refers to a shoulder fired firearms as rifles and uses the term gun to refer to artillery pieces. Aside from angry drill instructors, the distinction is meaningless. If someone chastises you for using the term gun, ask him what they use in a twenty one gun salute.
Rules of gun safety
Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
Never let the muzzle of a gun point at anything you do not want to destroy.
Be absolutely sure of your target, and what is behind it.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Bullets
Guns shoot bullets. The thing that goes in the gun is called a cartridge. It has a bullet, gunpowder, a primer, and a case to hold it all together. Some people load their own ammunition by reusing the cartridge case and new powder, primers, and bullets. If you go to the gun store and ask for a box of bullets, you might get one. They sell the bullets by themselves, and using the word bullet when you mean cartridge will send most shooters into fits.
How do guns work?
The primer in a cartridge explodes when struck with enough force. The flame from the primer lights the gunpowder charge. The pressure from the burning gunpowder pushes the bullet through the barrel.
Does gunpowder explode?
Not literally. Fires and explosions are classified by the speed of the burning stuff. If the flame spreads (propagates) slower than the speed of sound, the material deflagrates. It burns. If the flame propagates faster than the speed of sound, about 1,100 feet per second, it detonates.
So why do bullets go faster than the speed of sound?
The speed of the bullet comes from the volume of the burning gunpowder, not the speed at which it burned.
What’s the difference?
If you take a pound of gunpowder and ignite it in an open field, it will burn very quickly, but not at the speed of sound. If you take a pound of TNT and fire it in your open field, it will burn faster than the speed of sound and it will create a pressure wave. The pressure wave has enough energy to kill a man, even if nothing else hit him.
Don’t guns explode?
Yes, they do. Ammunition that was improperly loaded can create more pressure than the gun can tolerate. If the bullet can’t move out of the way, for instance because the barrel is blocked, the pressure can also exceed the limits of the gun. This is one of the reasons why you’re supposed to wear safety glasses when you shoot.
What are civilian firearm types There are two basic classes of firearms: handguns and long guns. Handguns are designed to be held in one hand when fired. Long guns are meant to be held at the shoulder when fired. Long guns are further divided into three types: rifles, shotguns, rifles, and ‘other.’ Rifles have rifles barrels and fire a single projectile. Shotguns typically have smooth bores and are designed to fire a load of pellets. Shotguns that have a pistol grip instead of a shoulder stock are technically not shotguns according to the federal law, because they were not designed to be fired from the shoulder. They’re classified as ‘other’ and you have to be 21 to buy one from a dealer.
Blackpowder guns, or muzzleloaders, are not classified by federal law. These include antique styled guns like flintlocks, but some modern guns are considered muzzleloaders because the shooter has to load the powder and projectile through the muzzle. These are primarily intended for deer hunting in extended seasons available to muzzleloaders. A modern firearm opens at the breech, the back end of the barrel, to allow a cartridge to be loaded.
Machine guns, sawed off shotguns, and other items are known as Class III weapons because of their designation in federal law. That’s a subject for another day.
So I have a modern gun. What does it shoot?
Any firearm made after 1968 has to be marked with the caliber it shoots. If you have an old gun that was not marked with the caliber, take it to a good gun store and find out. Don’t take it to Wal Mart. They have no idea.
My gun says 9x19, 9mm parabellum, 9mm Luger, instead of 9mm. What’s up with that?
Cartridge names have nothing to do with what comes out of the barrel and everything to do with what the maker thinks will make you buy one. Several cartridges re known by names that do not indicate what they are. The .38 Special is the most common. Although there are .38 caliber cartridges other than the .38 Special, the overwhelming majority of .38s in this country shoot the .38 Special. There are other .38 cartridges, such as the .38 Smith and Wesson/.38 Colt New Police/ .38-200 (Webley.) None of these bullets are actually .38 inches across. .38 Specials have a .357 inch bullet diameter. This sounds cool when you say that you have a three fifty seven magnum, but it sounds stupid if you have a three fifty seven special. Likewise, I have no desire to own a thirty eight magnum.
Cartridge names may come from the person who designed them, or the company that produced the first one. They may be named fro the most popular maker and sometimes the names were plucked out of thin air. The first guns to fire the .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge were designed by Smith and Wesson and Winchester. Winchester is also famous for the .300 Win Mag rifle cartridge, but guess who didn’t design the .308 Winchester round.
A cartridge design can be patented like any other invention. The owner of the patent, or the common name for the cartridge, may allow others to make it. The name .308 Winchester suggests an obvious source for the rifle to fire it. Some cartridge designs are proprietary. Some are not sold in sufficient numbers to justify a major manufacturer’s effort to market them.
What’s the best gun for me?
It depends on what you’re going to do with it and how much you want to spend. Most people want a gun for self defense in the home. They usually buy some kind of a handgun, even though I tell them not to. Handguns are easy to hold and to conceal, but the effect of the ammunition had to be compromised to make them easy to hold and conceal. Rifles have the most power of any gun, but the bullets tend to keep going. A rifle bullet fired in a home can go through the walls and kill the neighbor. This is called over penetration.
The military issues rifles to soldiers, with handguns as a second weapon or an emergency measure for officers who aren’t expected to fight in combat. They use shotguns for base security but they’re not allowed in combat because of the Hague Accords. For the home, a 12 gauge or 20 shotgun loaded with buckshot is the most effective available. It does lots of damage because it hits the target with several projectiles at the same time. Each individual projectile hasn’t got a lot of energy, so they tend to stop when they hit something. But when they all hit the same thing at the same time, they make a mess.
Handguns also tend not to over penetrate the target, which is a serious issue for those of us who live in condos and apartments. They are also easier to retain. A 26” shotgun sticks out, and it is possible to grab it and control where it’s pointed. It’s not advisable, but it happens. It’s more difficult to do that with a handgun.
What if the SHTF?
All bets are off. Get a rifle. You need as much power as you can get. The civilian version of the M4 rifle, the current military version of the M-16, is easy to shoot, holds plenty of rounds, and is the most common rifle in this country. If the world was falling apart around you, parts, magazines, and ammunition for the M4 would be the easiest to obtain.
Should I get a cheap one?
NO. If you needed an operation, would you want the best surgeon or the cheapest one? If you need a rifle for self defense, your life depends on it as much as it depends on the ability of the surgeon holding the knife at your comatose body. Save up your money and get a good one. If you must have it right now, and you haven’t got a lot of money, get a shotgun. A good shotgun can be bought for $300.
Should I get a pistol grip shotgun?
There is no way to aim a pistol grip shotgun unless you attach a laser to it. Even then, they are not easy to control. They exist because shotguns with shoulder stocks didn’t fit in police cars, and they wanted the gun where they could get it quickly. Some argue that the pistol grip shotgun can be fired from the hip. So can a shotgun with a shoulder stock, and it can also be fired from the shoulder.
But I spent $900 on my pistol grip shotgun. It must be good.
I spent fifty dollars on a cheap .38, and I can’t hit anything with it, either.
How do I get good at shooting?
Shoot. Shoot a lot. The more you do it, the better you get. It’s also a perishable skill. If you don’t do it, your ability declines. As much as everyone derides the .22 for being a ‘wuss gun,’ a .22 pistol or rifle is cheap to shoot and the lack of recoil means anyone can shoot it all day long. They’re accurate. They shoot .22s in the Olympics. They’re also fun.
I’m going to get a shotty/Springer/Deagle.
If you use those terms in a gun store, you will mark yourself as someone who knows a lot about the internet and very little about guns. The best way to learn is with your ears, not your mouth. Take classes and practice. All those self defense classes exist and teach so many techniques because different methods work for different people. There’s only one way to find out what will work for you. Hit the range.
/johnny
Yummy.
Sights are the last thing you need for wing shooting. Once you get your head down on the stock, focus on the target and only the target. “Aiming” is counterproductive. Moving target, moving gun... don’t slow or stop your swing when you fire, follow through.
Thanks for starting this thread. I will find it very useful.
While generally this is probably very true, I am aware of one notable exception. There is a young man who often works the sporting goods counter at the Wal-Mart in Culpeper, Virginia, who is quite knowledgeable about firearms and ammunition.
Case in point: When I inquired about its avaialbility, and without me even having to describe it to him, he knew that .38 S&W is slightly larger in diameter and a bit shorter than .38 Special. As I expected, Wal-Mart did not stock .38 S&W, but he spent a good deal of time trying to find a way to get a box of this ammo for my very old five shot, top-opening S&W.
He ultimately had to give up because Wal-Mart’s ammo catalog did not even have a stock number for that round, and he was unable to get one initiated (he spent some time on the phone trying, though). And after all his efforts ended in failure, he directed me to someone who might (and did) have a box of it in stock.
Maybe we should call him "the exception that proves the rule".
...and also mine.
The deer in my area have dropped and I saw the cutest little wobbly fawn traipsing through my backyard day before yesterday behind Mom. My guests emitted the obligatory "Awwwww." Durn near got stomped for referring to the little critter as "venison." Cute venison, then. What?
Yep, takes practice. If you’re used to rifle shooting, it is a more difficult transition.
Mmmmmm.... venison.
Let’s have a good word for the Smith and Colt 1917 revolvers and their clips.
But what the heck are Springer and Deagle?
"Deagle"==Desert Eagle.
Springer. I dunno. Something from Springfield Armory isn't exotic enough for the gamers.
LOL
Thanks for the chuckle.
Mostly the rimless ones. .45 is most common, but other clipped revolvers have been in .40 S&W, 9mm, 10mm, and .38 Super.
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