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Introduction to Handguns

The development of the percussion system led to the introduction of the first multishot handguns in the beginning of the 19th century. These were in the form of multibarrel revolvers known as the peppershot guns. The peppershot guns were bulky and troubling in operation and were soon replaced with single barrel revolvers. The development of revolvers was gradual pioneered in part by the now well known Samuel Colt (1842-62). After that the first machine gun introduced the automatic system to pistols and led to the invention and manufacture of semi-automatic pistols. The two world wars increased the urgent need for better handguns leading to a surge in a number of different models and designs.

Revolvers work by rotating a cylinder holding 5 or 6 shots to position a chamber containing a rimmed cartridge in line with a rifled barrel finally for the cartridge to be fired by the action of a pinned hammer striking the primer of the cartridge exploding it and expelling a bullet through the rifled chamber. The bullet in the barrel is rotated by the rifling and so expelled from the gun to finally hit its target. How does all this work ?

The cylinder holding the cartridges holds either 5 or 6 shots, something which has become a standard so you will not find a revolver that fires 7 or more shots except for specially designed revolvers. The cartridges used for revolvers are different than those used in semi automatic pistols. They have an extruding rim at the base of the cartridge that holds the cartridge in place in the cylinder while it is being fired. The primer in the base of the cartridge explodes when it is striked by the hammer and so detonates the gunpowder in the shell of the cartridge which when exploded expels the bullet. The barrel of all handguns has to be rifled, rifling is the twirling etch in the inside of the barrel. This is necessary so that when a bullet passes through it is rotated at high speeds so that it is stabilized in its flight and can travel in a straight line for a long distance.

Revolvers have a few certain advantages over semi-auto handguns. For one the cylinder holding the cartridges is rotated by the trigger, so in the case that one cartridge is faulty and does not fire the trigger can be pulled again to fire the next cartridge in line. This is not really a big deal these days as cartridges are a lot more reliable than they used to be but could be important for someone who carries a gun for a long time without renewing the ammunition it holds every now and then. Another advantage is that revolvers are usually double action handguns, this means that you only have to pull the trigger to fire a shot and you do not have to cock the hammer before pulling the trigger (single action). All together they are a lot easier to operate than an automatic pistol. The disadvantages of course being that you can only hold 5 or 6 shots in a revolver and you cannot use a silencer with any type of revolver.

Automatic handguns are more complicated than revolvers. A magazine in the grip holds the cartridges which have a notch in the base to facilitate the mechanical action. The top part of the gun, the slide, slides backwards against a spring which reverses the slide forward for it to pickup a cartridge from the magazine finally holding it from the notch at the base in a breech (firing chamber) until the trigger is squeezed for the flat hammer to hit a springed pin that hits the primer on the cartridge exploding it for it to expel the bullet through the rifled chamber. The explosion moves the slide backwards expelling the spent shell of the cartridge, recocking the hammer and finally sliding another cartridge into the breech lock prepared for another shot to be fired.

Automatics come in different types, single action and double action. The single action usually found on older guns like the colt 1911 cannot be initially fired from the trigger but requires that the hammer be cocked first manually. A few people argue that this is safer as the person firing the gun has a less chance of firing accidentally by simply pulling the trigger. When the slide is pulled back by the explosion it absorbs part of the shock of the explosion into the spring so an auto has less recoil than a revolver. The capacity of a handgun relies on the model but is usually 7 or more. The colt 1911 has a magazine that holds the cartridges in single file so holding less cartridges than a beretta 9mm which holds its cartridges on double file, still this kind of thing varies from model and caliber.

Cartridges come in different calibers. The caliber is generally defined by the width of the bullet in fraction of an inch (US) or millimeters (Europe and international). The larger the bullet the more stopping power it has, similarly if a the shell of a cartridge is longer as in the magnum family of cartridges the explosion forces the bullet out faster resulting in better stopping power. Generally speaking the stopping power of a bullet is proportional to the weight of the bullet and the speed at which it exits the gun. Common cartridges in millimeters are 7.65mm, 9mm or 0.32 and 0.38 in inches. Common magnum sizes are 0.357 and 0.44. Additional cartridges like the 0.38 special is very normally only used in revolvers. The well known american cartridge is the 0.45 ACP used in the colt 1911 automatic, also known as the flying ashtray due to its larger size.

The bullet being ejected from a gun can come in different types. The standard for automatics is the FMJ or Full Metal Jacket, this is a plain and standard bullet made completely out of metal with a rounded cone shape. Another is the hollowpoint which is a bullet with a hollow in the center front of it, the idea being that when it enters the body the bullet expands radically providing better stopping power. The fragmented bullet scatters into pieces on hitting an object severly damaging the target. Also available are lead wedges used in revolvers and other more exotic types such as explosive bullets and poison bullets. An interesting type of hunting ammunition produced in eldorado called the X-Bullet. This one expands into the shape of a large X when it hits the target producing fatal results to anything it hits.

Grips also vary from gun to gun. Recent models favor a comfortable finger grooved rubber grip which helps the user hold the gun in a more steady way. This can especially useful for women whose smaller hands find holding guns difficult. Grips for show are usually in limited numbers manufactured out of ivory, similar to general Patton's set of ivory gripped revolvers.

The finish of a gun is also important. Available are usually matt black or blue and nickel. Matt black usually chosen for camouflaged night combat and nickel for hobbyists and show.

Safety devices are very important for guns and have been recently introduced for the safe storage of handguns in a family enviroment. The worst terrifying danger of owning a handgun is a child finding it and having an accident. Safety devices such as trigger and mechanical locks are an invaluable aid to securing a handgun from accidental use.