Post by saturnine on Feb 9, 2019 2:13:18 GMT
Single shot
Single shot handguns were mainly seen during the era of flintlock and musket weaponry where the pistol was loaded with a lead ball and fired by a flint striker, and then later a percussion cap. However, as technology improved, so did the single shot pistol. New operating mechanisms were created, and due to this, they were still made and used even in the days leading up to the Great War. They are the oldest type of pistol, and are often the weapon of choice for hunting wild game, possessing the highest harvest yield of the pistol class. Additionally, their compact size compared to most other types of handguns makes them more concealable.
Multi-barreled
Multi-barreled pistols, such as the Pepperbox and the Derringer, 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.
Revolver
With the development of the revolver (short for revolving pistol) in the 19th century, gunsmiths had finally achieved the goal of a practical capability for delivering multiple loads to one handgun barrel in quick succession. Revolvers feed ammunition via the rotation of a cartridge-filled cylinder, in which each cartridge is contained in its own ignition chamber, and is sequentially brought into alignment with the weapon's barrel by an indexing mechanism linked to the weapon's trigger (double-action) or its hammer (single-action).
Semi-automatic
After the revolver, the semi-automatic pistol was the next step in the development of the pistol. By avoiding multiple chambers—which need to be individually reloaded—semi-automatic pistols delivered faster rates of fire and required only a few seconds to reload (depending on the skill of the shooter). In blowback-type semi-automatics, the recoil force is used to push the slide back and eject the shell (if any) so that the magazine spring can push another round up; then as the slide returns, it chambers the round.
Machine pistol
A machine pistol is a pistol that is capable of fully automatic fire. The first machine pistols were produced in the German Empire, and the term is derived from the German word maschinenpistolen. Though it is often used interchangeably with submachine gun, a machine pistol is generally used to describe a weapon that is more compact.