Semi-automatic firearm facts for kids
A semi-automatic firearm is a type of gun that can fire one shot each time you pull the trigger. It's also called a self-loading firearm because it uses the energy from one shot to get the next shot ready. This means you don't have to do anything else between shots except pull the trigger again.
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How Semi-Automatic Guns Work
Semi-automatic guns are different from other types of firearms. For example, with a revolver, a pump-action gun, a bolt-action gun, or a lever-action gun, the person shooting has to manually prepare the next shot. This might involve pulling a hammer back, pumping a part, or moving a lever.
With a semi-automatic gun, the gun does this work for you. After a shot is fired, the gas or recoil from that shot is used to:
- Push out the empty shell casing.
- Move a new cartridge from the magazine into the firing chamber.
- Prepare the firing pin for the next shot.
This makes semi-automatic firearms much faster to shoot than many other types of guns, as long as there are cartridges in the magazine.
Types of Semi-Automatic Firearms
Semi-automatic technology is used in many different kinds of firearms.
Semi-Automatic Pistols
Many modern pistols are semi-automatic. They usually have a magazine that holds several cartridges inside the handle. When you pull the trigger, one shot fires, and the slide on top of the pistol moves back and forth very quickly to load the next cartridge.
- Examples: The Walther P99 and SIG Pro are well-known semi-automatic pistols.
Semi-Automatic Rifles
Rifles that are semi-automatic are very common. They are used for hunting, sports, and by military forces around the world.
- Early Models: The Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 was one of the first semi-automatic rifles widely used by soldiers.
- Famous Rifles: The M1 Garand was a very important semi-automatic rifle used by the U.S. Army. The SKS is another well-known semi-automatic rifle from Russia.
- Modern Rifles: The Colt AR-15 is a popular type of semi-automatic rifle often used for sports shooting.
Semi-Automatic Shotguns
Shotguns can also be semi-automatic. These are often used for hunting birds or for sports like trap shooting.
- How they work: Similar to rifles and pistols, they use the energy from the fired shell to eject it and load a new one from the magazine.
- Example: The Remington 1100 is a common semi-automatic shotgun model.
Images for kids
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The Colt AR-15, a type of semi-automatic rifle
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The Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 was the first semi-automatic gun that fires cartridges to be widely issued in the infantry of any nation's army.
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The SKS is a semi-automatic Russian rifle
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SIG Pro semi-automatic pistol
See also
In Spanish: Arma semiautomática para niños
