All About Pistols

There are eight actions that occur as a pistol fires a projectile:

1. Feeding – Moves a cartridge from the magazine toward the barrel.

2. Chambering – A cartridge moves fully into the barrel chamber area.

3. Locking – The barrel and slide 'lock' together mechanically.

4. Firing – The cartridge primer is hit by the firing pin, powder is lit, pressure builds, and the projectile (bullet) leaves the barrel.

5. Unlocking – The slide and barrel mechanically separate slightly.

6. Extracting – The slide moves rearwards and the extractor 'hook' pulls the empty cartridge casing out of the barrel by its rim.

7. Ejecting – The ejector hits the empty cartridge rim, turning it/pushing it out the slide ejection port.

8. Cocking (resetting the action) – The trigger and the firing pin are set together and ready to fire another round.

Frame

The frame makes up the basic structure of the pistol to which the other major parts are attached.

Barrel

The barrel is a long hollow tube through which the projectile travels on its way to the target. The ‘rifled’ (grooved) texture inside spins the bullet, creating velocity and accuracy. In most cases, the length of the barrel determines the velocity. The shorter the barrel, the less velocity is produced.

Slide

The slide is the steel upper portion of a semi-automatic pistol. The slide chambers ammunition into the barrel and extracts the spent casing after the round is fired. It also slides along its tracks during the recoil process to provide the link between the breechblock and barrel.

Magazine

The magazine contains the ammunition and ensures that it is fed properly into the barrel.