Firearms are classified based on such primary criteria: handling, bore characteristics, loading methods, action types, firing characteristics, and their intended use.
1. Handling and Bore Characteristics
Firearms are most commonly identified by how they are held and the internal design of their barrels:
- Handling:
- Handguns: Small arms designed to be operated with a single hand, such as pistols and revolvers.
- Shoulder Guns: Larger firearms that require support from the shoulder, such as rifles and shotguns.
- Bore Type:
- Smooth Bore: The interior of the barrel is perfectly smooth (no lands or grooves), typically found in shotguns and historical muskets.
- Rifled Bore: The barrel contains spiral lands and grooves (rifling) that impart a spinning motion to the bullet to increase accuracy and speed.
2. Loading and Action Characteristics
The way a firearm is loaded and how its mechanical parts function further defines its classification:
- Loading Methods:
- Muzzle Loading: Ammunition is loaded through the front of the barrel.
- Breech Loading: Ammunition is inserted at the rear of the barrel (the breech).
- Magazine Loading: Ammunition is fed from a storage container called a magazine.
- Action Types:
- Manual Actions: These include lever action, bolt action, and pump action, where the shooter must manually move a part to load the next round.
- Semi-Automatic (Self-Loaders): These use the energy of the previous shot to automatically load a new cartridge, but require a separate trigger pull for each shot.
- Automatic (Repeater): These continue to fire as long as the trigger is held down.
3. Firing Characteristics and Use
Experts also distinguish firearms by their firing capacity and why they were built:
- Firing Capacity:
- Single Shot: Can only fire one bullet at a time and must be manually reloaded after every shot.
- Repeaters: Can fire multiple rounds (either manually or automatically) without being reloaded by hand.
- According to Use:
- Sport Guns: Designed for hunting or competitive shooting.
- Service Guns: Standard-issue weapons used by the army or police.
4. Improvised (Country-Made) Firearms
A separate forensic category exists for non-standard weapons:
- Country-Made Firearms: Also known as pipe guns, zip guns, or improvised firearms.
- These are constructed from non-standard materials like sanitary pipes or bicycle frames and are generally smooth bored and highly dangerous to the user due to a lack of testing.
Also Read : Parts Of Firearm History of Firearm
Refrence :
- Sharma, B.R.; “Firearms in Criminal Investigation & Trials”, Universal Law Publishing Co Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, 4th Edition, 2011.
- Heard, B.J; “Handbook of Firearms and Ballistics”, John Wiley, England, 1997.
- Burrard; “The Identification of Firearms and Forensic Ballistics”, Herbert Jenkins, London, 1956.