Module 2 – Firearms
THE FIREARMS
BASIS: Republic Act 10591 – An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof a.k.a as Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Firearms refer to any handheld or portable weapon, whether a small arm or light weapon, that expels or is designed to expel a bullet, shot, slug, missile, or any projectile, which is discharged by means of the expansive force of gases from burning gunpowder or other forms of combustion or any similar instrument or implement. For purposes of this Act, the barrel, frame, or receiver is considered a firearm.
What are SMALL ARMS?
SMALL ARMS refer to firearms intended to be or primarily designed for individual use or that which is generally considered to mean a weapon intended to be fired from the hand or shoulder, which are not capable of fully automatic bursts of discharge, such as:
[1] HANDGUN which is a firearm intended to be fired from the hand, which includes:
(a) A pistol which is a hand-operated firearm having a chamber integral with or permanently aligned with the bore which may be self-loading; and
(b) Revolver, which is a hand-operated firearm with a revolving cylinder containing chambers for individual cartridges.
(2) RIFLE which is a shoulder firearm or designed to be fired from the shoulder that can discharge a bullet through a rifled barrel by different actions of loading, which may be classified as lever, bolt, or self-loading; and
(3) SHOTGUN, which is a weapon designed, made, and intended to fire a number of ball shots or a single projectile through a smooth bore by the action or energy from burning gunpowder.
What ARE LIGHT WEAPONS?
LIGHT WEAPONS ARE:
[A] CLASS-A LIGHT WEAPONS which refer to self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, submachine guns, assault rifles, and light machine guns not exceeding caliber 7.62MM which have fully automatic mode; and
[B] CLASS-B LIGHT WEAPONS which refer to weapons designed for use by two (2) or more persons serving as a crew, or rifles and machine guns exceeding caliber 7.62MM such as heavy machine guns, handheld under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems, portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems, and mortars of a caliber of less than 100MM.
The above definition and class of firearms are in accordance with RA 10591. (You can click here to download (RA 10591)
Scientifically and as far as forensic science view firearm, they are described as a weapon that uses the force of an explosive propellant to project a missile. Firearms, or small arms, are distinguished by caliber (the width of the barrel opening) and comprise weapons up to and including those of .60 calibers (0.6-in/15.24-mm bore) and all gauges of shotgun. The Cannon is the term for those weapons with calibers greater than 0.8 in, or 20 mm. Larger-caliber weapons are usually categorized as artillery.
Among small arms, the rifle and shotgun are both long-barreled weapons used for long-range shooting; the pistol has a shorter barrel and is accurate only at relatively short ranges.
The revolver, usually a pistol, has a revolving cylinder that allows repeat firing. The machine gun is an automatic firearm, the first of a line of weapons, including assault rifles and sub-machine guns.
Definition of firearms in its technical term;
A firearm is an instrument used for the propulsion of the projectiles by the expansive force of gasses coming from burning gunpowder.
When do FIREARMS discovered?
Historical records show that the use of firearms in warfare was in attack in Seville, Spain in 1247. History also showed that cannons were used by King Edward III of England in Crecy in 1346 and by Mohammed II of Turkey in his famous conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
The Need for Arms: Why?
Man is never satisfied with himself. He constantly struggles to improve his surroundings. The early man, in doing so devised ways and means to conquer the environment and deal with his enemies. He invented “crude” or “primitive weapons” which were subsequently developed into “sophisticated” firearms of modern time.
The following stages of development of man’s weapon are as follows:
For a detailed “History of the Development of Firearms” CLICK HERE!
General Classes of Firearms According to Gun Barrel Internal Construction:
(1) Rifled bore firearms – firearms that contain rifling (land and grooves) inside the gun barrel.
Example: (see below illustration)
(a) Rifles
(b) Pistol
(c) Revolvers
(2) Smoothbore firearms – firearms that contain no riflings inside the gun barrel.
Example: (see below illustration)
Shotguns and early types of muskets and pistols are all smoothbores.
Obviously, the distinction between the use of rifled and smoothbore firearms is for the purpose of accuracy and spin of the projectile into its course. Because of this, the design of the projectile is very important as to whether it will be used in rifled or smoothbore firearms.
OBSERVE this, if you look at the projectile in rifled firearms, you will find rounded, pointed projectile and elongated bodies, while for shotgun, most of them are SHOTS or BALLS that can maintain balance while on the flight.
Main Type of Firearms According to Caliber of Projectiles Propelled:
(a) Artillery – those that propel projectiles more than one (1) inch in diameter, such as:
– cannons (see the image immediately below)
– mortars (2nd image is a mortar fired at an enemy)
– recoilless rifles (3rd image is recoilless Rifle/Gun)
Recoilless rifle/gun (also known as a launcher like bazooka) above: The propellant gasses are directed backward, counteracting the weapon’s recoil, making it “recoilless.” The weapon, which is basically a hollow tube with a grip stock and trigger, has spiral rifling on the barrel to impart spin stabilization on the round as it exits the barrel. Hence the name recoilless rifle.
(b) Small arms – those that propel projectiles less than one (1) inch in diameter.
Examples are:
MACHINE GUNS
A machine gun is any weapon that shoots or is designed to shoot, automatically more than one shot without manual reloading, by a single press of the trigger. Machine Gun is a type of heavy military weapon that fires ammunition continuously. Machine guns are known as automatic weapons because they automatically eject spent rounds of ammunition and reload fresh rounds. The user of a machine gun can fire a constant and rapid stream of ammunition merely by depressing and holding the trigger.
There are instances where the use of machine guns is being met by an investigator in some crime involving violence. An example of this is the machine pistols commonly used by organized criminals. While ordinary machine guns may be used in genocide, state-sponsored crimes involving military or terroristic activities. (below are examples of machine gun)
Any firearms such as those firearms shown above ( and below) that are designed to shoot automatically without manual reloading by a single press on the trigger (e.g. Thompson submachine gun, grease gun, and M-16, browning automatic rifle, or BAR) are all under this category.
SHOULDER ARMS
Shoulder firearms are firearms or guns, which are fired from the shoulder of the firer. Shoulder firearms are:
(a) Rifle
These are firearms or any weapon designed or redesigned and are intended to be fired from the shoulder and made to use the energy of the explosive in a metallic cartridge to fire one or more projectile.
A rifle is a small firearm that is braced against the shoulder when it is discharged. Its name is derived from the rifling, the shallow spiral grooves within the barrel that impart a spin to the bullet in order to give it greater accuracy. The term rifle may therefore be applied to any gun with a rifled barrel. The bore of a rifle has a number of shallow grooves cut spirally in the surface of the bore from the breech and to the muzzle end (look at the picture below).
As it’s name describes, they normally fired from the shoulders; like rifles and shotguns;
HANDGUN
HANDGUNS are either revolver or pistols. From its very name, it is a firearm held and fired in one hand like a revolver or pistol.
What is a revolver?
A revolver is a firearm in which ammunition is fed to the firing mechanism by a revolving cartridge chamber. Although rifles and machine guns have used the revolver mechanism, the term revolver is usually applied to a repeating pistol that is equipped with a revolving cylinder rather than a magazine.
In 1836, the American inventor Samuel Colt began manufacturing a simple cocking mechanism that has since formed the basis of almost every modern revolver.
Revolvers have a high rate of fire, but reloading is slow. Although devices have been invented to aid rapid reloading, they have never become popular. In addition to pistols, several revolver rifles have seen action; the Gatling gun was a revolver. The revolver principle is employed in the modern Vulcan aircraft gun, which has a cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, and whose barrels are rotated by one electric motor while the ammunition is fed by another.
The old and the modern Gatling Gun (Mutated Revolver)
REVOLVER is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Before firing a round, cocking the hammer partially rotates the cylinder, indexing one of the cylinder chambers into alignment with the barrel, allowing the bullet to be fired through the bore.
The hammer cocking can be achieved by either the user manually pulling the hammer back (as in single-action), via internal linkage relaying a rearward movement of the trigger (as in double-action), or both (as in double/single-action). By sequentially rotating through each chamber, the revolver allows the user to fire multiple times until having to reload the gun, unlike older single-shot firearms that had to be reloaded after each shot.
LOADING CARTRIDGE FOR REVOLVER
The illustration below is the three methods in which a cartridge is loaded in the revolving cylinder of the revolver:
NOMENCLATURES OF REVOLVERS
= Barrel Assembly
= Cylinder Assembly
= Frame or Receiving Group
Detailed Parts:
Barrel Assembly
= Breech end – the point of entry of the bullet
= Muzzle end – the point of exit of the bullet
= Bore
= Riflings (lands and grooves)
= Front sight
= Make and Model
Cylinder Assembly
= Chambers
= Extractor
= Extractor rod
= Ratchet
= Cylinder grooves
= Cylinder locking notches (touch holes)
= Yoke
Frame or Reciever
= Top strap
= Butt
= Side plate
= Rear sight
= Front strap
= Breech face
= Trigger guard
= Backstrap
= Hammer
= Trigger
= Trademark (monogram)
= Spur
= Cylinder lock
= Firing pin
= Left side stock
= Right side stock
= Thumb latch
= Serial number
ADVANTAGES OF A REVOLVER
[1] It is an old standard weapon. Its operation is common.
[2] Everyone is used to it. Almost everyone knows how to handle it;
[3] The revolver is safer for inexperienced users to handle and carry than automatic pistols;
[4] The mechanism of a revolver allows the trigger pull to be better than that of the average automatic weapon;
[5] A misfire does not revolver out of action;
[6] It will handle satisfactorily old or new or partly deteriorated ammunition, which gives a reduced velocity that, would jam an average automatic pistol.
DISADVANTAGES OF A REVOLVER
[1] It is bulkier to carry than an automatic pistol;
[2] Its grip or handle is generally not as good as that of the pistol;
[3] It is hard to clean after firing;
[4] It is slower to load;
[5] It is harder to replace worn out or broken parts;
[6] The worn-out or poorly made weapon is subject to variable accuracy due to the improper lining of a cylinder.
What is a pistol?
The pistol is a short barrel hand firearm designed to shoot a single projectile through a rifled bore for every press of the trigger and usually applies to a semi-automatic loading. A pistol is a small, portable firearm that is held, aimed, and fired with one hand and has a short barrel and a breech lock-and-load firing mechanism.
Designed for short-range use, it is inaccurate at long range except in the hands of an expert or when fired at a stationary target. The origin of the word pistol is not known for certain, although some historians believe that it may have been derived from Pistoia, an Italian city and province in Tuscany once famous for its ironworks and an area where primitive handguns were fabricated during the early years of the 14th century.
Handguns did not become practical firearms until the 16th century, when matchlock, wheel-lock, and flintlock pistols, which could be fired with one hand, were introduced. The percussion cap pistol was developed in the 19th century.
Semiautomatic pistols were introduced in the 1890s. Utilizing late 19th century improvements already made in the loading and firing of the rifle and the first truly automatic gun, the Maxim machine gun, the semiautomatic pistol is self-loaded from a magazine in the gun’s handle, using the forces generated by firing and recoil gases to move bullets into the firing chamber and to cock the hammer.
The machine pistol, like the machine gun, can fire in bursts and is often equipped with a long, folding metal butt that makes it resemble a military assault weapon.
NOMENCLATURES OF PISTOL
Pistol:
(a) Barrel Assembly
(b) Slide Assembly
(c) Frame or Receiver Group
Barrel Assembly
= Breech end
= Muzzle end
= Bore
= Riflings (lands and grooves)
= Chamber
= Interlocking ribs
= Barrel lug
= Barrel link
= Barrel link pin
= Barrel lead
Slide Assembly
– Front sight
– Firing pin
– Top strap
– Firing pin stop
– Ejection port
– Serrations
– Rear sight
– Trademark
– Breechblock
– Model
– Breech face
– Interlocking lugs
– Extractor
Frame or Receiver
= Ejector
= Front strap
= Hammer
= Magazine well
= Spur
= Right side stock
= Grid safety
= Left side stock
= Thumb safety
= Trigger
= Disconnector
= Trigger guard
= Backstrap
= Model
= Butt
= Plunger
= Lanyard loop
= Serial number
ADVANTAGES OF A PISTOL
[1] It has a better grip – the hand points naturally;
[2] It has more compact for the same firepower;
[3] It is easier to load than a revolver;
[4] In case of the worn or corroded barrel, a new one can be put in at little expense without sending the gun to the factory;
[5] It gives a greater number of shots than a revolver;
[6] It is easier to clean than a revolver;
[7] It gives greater firepower and greater ease of firing;
[8] There is no gas leakage in its operation
DISADVANTAGES OF A PISTOL
[1] The ammunition must be perfect. Old and deteriorated ammunition will cause jam;
[2] A misfire stops the functions of the gun;
[3] When the gun is kept loaded for a long period of time, the magazine spring is under tension and may deteriorate and cause problems;
[4] The automatic pistol cannot use blank or reduced loads.
[5] It has a poorer trigger pull than a revolver;
[6] The magazines require a jacketed bullet which is not as good for practical use as that of the lead bullet;
[7] The automatic pistol is more dangerous to handle and fire, especially for inexperienced users due to the fact that after one shot it has to be cocked and loaded.
[8] It is not adopted for reloading. It throws away an empty shell on each shot.
[9] Its mechanical action ejects empty shell towards the face of the shooter, causing flinching;
[10] It throws out empty shells on the ground to remain as evidence
[11] It cannot be fired from the pocket without jamming.
According to Mechanical Construction:
SINGLE-SHOT FIREARMS
They are designed to shoot only one shot for every loading; Single-shot firearms must be reloaded each time the firearm is fired.
Example: pistol, revolvers, rifles; and shotguns
BREAK OR HINGE ACTION
The break-action firearm operates on the same principle as a door hinge. Simple to load and unload, a hinge action is often chosen as a hunter’s first firearm.
(a) To open the action, point the barrel(s) at the ground. A release is pressed, and the stock drops downward. This allows the cartridges or shotshells to eject or to be removed manually if the firearm is loaded.
(b) Hinge-action firearms have a separate barrel for each shot rather than a magazine. Most models have one or two barrels, but some have up to four.
REVOLVING ACTION
The revolving action takes its name from a revolving cylinder containing a number of cartridge chambers. One chamber at a time lines up with the barrel as the firearm is fired. Revolving cylinders may rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the manufacturer. This type of action is usually found on handguns, but may be found on some older rifles. Revolving actions are referred to as either “single action” or “double-action”.
Remember this: Double and single action are mechanisms of firearms and defined below!
Double action. Pulling the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. A double-action revolver typically also can be hammer-cocked like a single-action revolver. (see how it works in the animation below)
Single action. Will fire only after the hammer has been cocked manually.
REPEATING ARMS
They are designed to fire several shots in one loading.
Example: automatic pistol, revolvers, rifle; and shotguns
BOLT ACTION
The reloading is done by manipulation of the bolt. A bolt-action firearm operates like opening and closing a door bolt. The bolt solidly locks into the breech, making it accurate and dependable.
AUTOMATIC LOADING
After the first shot is fired, automatic loading or feeding of the chamber takes place. “Automatic“ is common terminology for semiautomatic pistols.
AUTOMATIC VERSUS SEMI-AUTOMATIC (Breaking Misnomer)
The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discharge to feed a new ammunition round into the chamber, and then ignite the propellant and discharge the projectile (either bullet, shots, or slug) by delivering a hammer/striker impact on the primer. A machine pistol is a self-loading pistol capable of burst or fully automatic fire. It can also be used to describe a stockless handgun-style sub-machine gun. The term is a calque of Maschinenpistole, the German word for sub-machine guns. All machine guns fall under this category.
A semi-automatic firearm also called a self-loading or autoloading firearm (though fully automatic and selective fire firearms are also self-loading), is a repeating firearm whose action mechanism automatically loads a following round of cartridge into the chamber (self-loading) and prepares it for subsequent firing.
SLIDE OR PUMP ACTION
Pump-action or slide–action is a repeating firearm action that is operated manually by moving a sliding Handguard on the gun’s forestock. The pump-action firearm is fast and smooth. It allows the shooter to re-cock the firearm without taking his or her eye off the target. The pump action also is referred to as “slide action” or “trombone action.”
LEVER-ACTION
The lever-action firearm has a large metal lever located behind the trigger (see picture and illustration below). This handle usually forms the trigger guard as well. Lever action is a type of repeating firearm action that uses a manually operated cocking lever located around the trigger guard area that pivots forward to move the bolt via internal linkages, which will feed/extract cartridges into/out of the barrel chamber and prepare the hammer/striker for firing.
END OF MODULE 2
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