A
pistol is a
handgun. In
Commonwealth usage, there is no distinction between pistols and handguns. In the United States, pistols are handguns with a chamber that is integral to the barrel. Typically, pistols have an effective range of between 30 to 40 metres and have considerably smaller magazine capacities compared to
assault rifles and
submachine guns. However, they are widely used because they can be carried more easily than a
long gun.
The word "pistol" is derived from the French word pistole or pistolet. These words originated from the city of Pistoia, Italy where hand-held guns (designed to be fired from horseback) were first produced in the 1540s.
The tiny Walther PPK and the huge Desert Eagle may look different externally, but internally, they are very similar. Semi-automatic pistols all contain the same basic parts. They all have front and rear sights which are on top of the slide. The slide houses the barrel and firing mechanism which includes the firing pin, hammer and spring. To eject a casing, the pistols needs an ejector plate and an extractor. Other standard parts are the magazine and magazine catch as well as the safety switch. These are the standard parts of the majority of semi-automatic pistols.
Design
In pistols the ammunition is typically stored in the grip which is located in the
Receiver.
Action
Like most types of gun, the pistol can come in many forms. Types of pistol include; single shot, multi-barreled, semi-automatic and machine pistol.
Semi-automatic
This was next development of the pistol. Instead of using multiple barrels which all needed to be reloaded individually, semi-automatic pistols could deliver greater fire rate and only require a few seconds to reload depending on the skill of the shooter. They work by the fired cartridge generating enough kinetic energy to force the bolt back to allow the magazine spring to push another round into the chamber. Some very powerful pistols are gas operated, such as the
Desert Eagle. A well known example is the
Walther PPK.
Machine pistol
The machine pistol takes the idea of a semi-automatic action one step further. They typically have magazine capacities upwards of 20 rounds compared to the 10/12 rounds of a standard pistol. They are light and have fire rates of more than 1000 rounds per minute. However, they lack accuracy and due to their fire rate and small size, are often uncontrollable at full auto. The
Ingram MAC 10 can fire 30 rounds in 3 seconds. Examples of machine pistols are the
Micro Uzi,
Steyr TMP and the
Glock 18. They are similar to semi-automatic pistols however, with increased fire rates, their internal mechanics are much more robust and they will fire from an
open bolt. There are also Semi-automatic pistols in the form of a Machine Pistol/Submachine gun that are classed as Assault Pistols.
Single shot
These types of handgun were mainly seen during the era of flintlock and musket weaponry were the pistol was loaded with a steel ball and fired by a percussion cap. They were pretty much small, handheld cannons. However, as technology improved, so did the single shot pistol. New operating mechanisms were created, and due to this, they are still made today. They are often used to hunt game. An example of a single shot pistol is the Welrod.
Multi-barreled
These were common during the same time as single shot pistols. As designers looked for ways to increase fire rates, multiple barrels were added to all guns including pistols. Nowadays there are no multi-barreled handguns around, as this has evolved into the semi-automatic pistol. Some examples of multi-barreled pistols are
Derringers and
Duck's foot pistols. These are closer to single shot pistols rather than semi-automatic pistols. This is because you only pull the trigger once to fire and then you will need to reload, with a semi-automatic pistol, you can pull the trigger as many times until your magazine runs out of ammo without charging or re-priming the weapon.
History
The word "pistol" is derived from the French word
pistole or
pistolet. These words originated from the city of
Pistoia, Italy where hand-held guns (designed to be fired from horseback) were first produced in the 1540s.
References
Category:Czech loanwords
Category:Handguns
