Chamber (firearms) facts for kids
The chamber is a very important part of a firearm. It's the special space where a cartridge (which holds the bullet, gunpowder, and primer) is loaded before the gun is fired. The chamber is also where the cartridge sits when it's fired.
In most guns that load from the back (called breech-loading weapons), the chamber is right behind the barrel. When you pull the trigger, the firing pin hits the cartridge in the chamber, making it fire.
A revolver is a bit different. It has a cylinder that spins, and this cylinder has several chambers, usually six. That's why revolvers are sometimes called "Six Shooters"! Most other guns, like many rifles and pistols, only have one chamber.
When someone says they are "chambering a round," it means they are loading a cartridge into the chamber, getting the gun ready to fire.
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How Semi-Automatic Guns Work
A semi-automatic firearm can shoot one bullet every time you pull the trigger. This happens until the magazine (where the cartridges are stored) is empty. Semi-automatic guns can be pistols, rifles, or shotguns.
After a shot is fired, the gun uses the force of the shot to automatically push out the empty cartridge case. Then, it quickly loads a new, fresh cartridge into the chamber. This makes semi-automatic firearms very popular for sports like target shooting.
These guns use the gas pressure from the fired cartridge to move a part called the slide backward. In a tiny fraction of a second, the slide moves forward again. As it moves forward, it picks up a new cartridge from the magazine and pushes it into the chamber. The magazine has a spring that helps feed one cartridge at a time into the chamber.
Fully Automatic Firearms
Fully automatic firearms are different because they keep shooting bullets one after another as long as the trigger is held down and there are still cartridges in the magazine. These types of weapons are not used for sports or hunting. Instead, they are used by police forces and militaries for special purposes.
An assault rifle is a type of gun that can shoot many bullets very quickly. It is designed for use by the military. Like semi-automatic firearms, fully automatic weapons usually have only one chamber.
Manual Loading Weapons
A manually loaded firearm is one where you have to load a new cartridge into the chamber by hand each time you want to fire.
For example, with a Bolt action rifle, you pull a handle (the bolt) backward. This removes the empty cartridge case. Then, you push the bolt forward, and it loads a new cartridge into the chamber from the magazine. Finally, you lock the bolt in place, and the gun is ready to fire again.
A lever action rifle works in a similar way. You move a lever down to eject the empty cartridge. Then, you move the lever back up, and it loads a new cartridge into the chamber.
There are also single-shot pistols, rifles, and shotguns. With these, you open a part of the gun called the breech to take out the empty shell. Then, you manually put a new cartridge into the chamber.
A popular type of manually loaded firearm for sports and hunting is the pump action shotgun. With this gun, you slide a handle (usually under the barrel) backward to eject the empty shotgun shell. Then, you slide it forward, and it loads a fresh shell from a tube-shaped magazine into the chamber.
Images for kids
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A cartridge being pushed into the chamber of a Springfield M1903.
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Chambers of a revolver's cylinder
See also
In Spanish: Recámara (armas de fuego) para niños
