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So you're new to weapons?

This is an introductory page to weapons, made by users of /k/, so if you want to learn about weapons, you have come to the right place. Throughout this wikia, you should find information on safety, choosing your first gun, differences between firearms, basic terminology, calibers and much more. As this is a new site we encourage others to make new pages and update exsisting ones.

Gun Safety

There are five main rules to gun safety.

Always treat guns as if they are loaded. Even if you know that they aren't, this is an extremely important rule.
Never point a gun at anything unless you fully intend to shoot it.This means don't point it at people, animals, even inanimate objects, regardless of if it is loaded or not.
Keep your finger off the trigger, unless you are going to pull it. This is called trigger discipline. The reason behind this is if you trip, sneeze, slip or anything you could end up shooting yourself or someone around you. It can also cause a negligent discharge (the weapon firing against your will due to carelessness).
Always be sure of what is beyond your target. This means, when you are firing a weapon, always make sure you know your surroundings, so if there is anyone around then you won't accidentally hit them, or hit anything near them.
Keep the gun unloaded and the safety on. Unless you are going to immediately shoot the weapon then remember this rule.

There are also other rules, equally as important but are more self explanitory.

Never mix firearms with alcohol or drugs.
Ensure you do not use a firearm unless you understand or are under the instruction of someone who understands the operation of the firearm
Always use the correct ammunition
Always foster a responsible attitude towards firearm safety
Never be afraid to stop and question an unsafe practice

History of Firearms

Most of what you need to know about gun history, you can find here here .

If you don't want to read a lot of text about it, then it can be summed up here.

Primitive versions of firearms were invented in China in the 1100's
They were exported to the Middle East in the 1300's along trade routes
When they were eventually brought to Europe, the Europeans utilized the gunpowder into what we would now know as cannons
The Europeans invented 'hand cannons', essentially a cannon small enough to be carried by hand
These hand cannons evolved into Flintlock rifles and eventually into muskets
In 1807 the first self containted rounds were made, meaning operators no longer had to load musket balls but could actually put rounds staight into their rifles and handguns
In the 1850's, the Springfield armory produced the Springfield rifle, one of the very first mass produced breech loading rifles
In 1856 the first revolvers were produced, allowing users to fire several bullets without the need to reload
In 1862 the first mass produced machine gun was released, the Gatling gun, allowing the operators to fire hundreds of rounds a minute
In 1894 the first semi-automatic pistol was unveiled, the C-93
By 1919, the first semi-automatic rifles had been produced, one of these being the M1 Garand
In 1947, Mikhail Kalashnikov invented the AK-47, it's variants the most widely used assault rifles today
In 1963, the M16 was invented, it's variants the US service rifles still used today

The Basics of Common Firearms

The three most common types of firearm you are going to come across are handguns, shotguns and rifles. These types of firearms have their own subsections, which you will come across as you research more.

Parts

In the following photos, you will find the basic parts of these weapons.

As you can see, these firearms have some very similar parts, such as the barrel, trigger and sights, but also have ones unique to the kind of firearm like the slide (pistol) barrel cap (shotgun) and forestock (bolt action rifle). The various types of firearm generally all have firing characteristics which are unique to themselves as well and will be discussed in the next section.

Firearm Actions

Pistols

43756 — A 1911, a handgun with an automatic action

The first revolvers ever produced used the Single Action. This means that after you fire the revolver, you need to manually pull back the hammer in order to chamber the next round, ie put the next bullet in front of the firing pin. A famous revolver which uses this action is the Colt Single Action Army Pistol.

As revolvers developed, the Double Action was invented. This means when you pull the trigger on the revolver, it automatically puts the next bullet in front of the firing pin, so there is no need to pull the hammer back manually after each shot. A famous revolver which uses this action is the Colt Anaconda.

Eventually, the Automatic was invented. An Automatic uses the pressure of gasses to cycle the weapon (move the next bullet into the chamber ready to be fired) whereas in the other types, the operator of the weapon would be the person doing this, by pulling the trigger. A famous handgun which uses this action is the Colt 1911.

Rifles

Mosin nagant — The Mosin-Nagant, A bolt action rifle

After muzzle loaders and other antiquities, the Bolt Action rifle was invented. A bolt action rifle will have a small handle, located on the bolt, that must be pulled back then pushed forwards to load a cartridge from either an internal or external magazine. After each shot, the handle is pulled back which ejects the empty cartridge, then when pushed forwards moves a new one into the breech ready to be fired. Bolt actions were used extensively during World War 1 and 2. They remain very popular for collectors value, value, reliability and accuracy. Famous examples of these rifles include the Mosin Nagant (/k/'s favourite), the Lee Enfield, the Mauser 98k and the Arisaka.

The SKS, a Semi Automatic Rifle

Bolt action rifles were eventually phased out of service and replaced with Semi Automatic rifles. These rifles are usually loaded with a clip into an internal magazine or have an external magazine. For every time you pull the trigger, one shot will be fired. They work by using the force of either recoil or gas pressures when fired to eject the empty casing and allow a new cartridge to be loaded into the breech. Nearly all civilian rifles are semi automatic(unless they are bolt action or class 3 firearms). Famous military semi automatic rifles include the M1 Garand, SKS and SVT-40.