Firearm

From Citizendium
Revision as of 12:08, 12 October 2007 by imported>Anthony Argyriou (start as stub)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is a stub and thus not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

A firearm is a weapon which uses combustion to propel a projectile to a target. The word gun is sometimes synonymous with firearm, though it is sometimes used in the narrower sense of a hand-carried firearm. Firearms also include most artillery. Rocket launchers are sometimes considered firearms, and sometimes considered a separate category of weapon.

The projectile fired by a firearm can be a solid shot, multiple shots (as in a shotgun shell), or an explosive projectile.

Types of firearms

Guns

Pistol

Musket

Rifle

Machine gun

Grenade Launcher

Artillery

Cannon

Mortar

History of Firearms

Early History: China and Japan

Development of Cannon

Hand-carried guns

Rifled barrels

Breech loading

Automatic firing

Notes