Physics of Firearms Essay

A firearm is one of the weapons that may be used when hunting. A firearm utilizes pressure produced from the burning of gunpowder to create gas. The pressure produced from the burning powder propels a projectile out of the barrel at a target. In rifles and most handguns the barrel has rifling on the inside of the barrel to make the projectile spin to travel better in the air. Rifling are groove that spin as they go through the inside of the barrel. Shotgun barrels are smooth and can fire “slugs”, a single projectile, or “shot”,

An investigation involving a firearm is a specialty of forensic science which focuses on the examination of firearms linked to ballistics. Ballistics is related to finding out the exact flight path of projectiles. Ballistics is the area of study that examines the exact path of the bullet from the moment it leaves the muzzle of the firearm up until it hits the target. During examination many items are collected for evidence including the firearm, bullets, live ammunition, cartridge casings, trace materials such as powder residue, and anything damaged by the projectile. Firearms are often divided into three processes: Internal, External, and Terminal Ballistics. Internal refers to the inside of the firearm; the space of time in which the shooter pulls the trigger, and the when the bullet is exiting. External ballistics is the flight between leaving the muzzle of the firearm, and it striking its target. Terminal ballistics is the impact of ballistics that refers to the examination in which the projectile strikes a target. All firearms leave markings on the cartridge casings once expelled when firing. Ballistic identification and microstamping laws make it possible to link a cartridge recovered to the

Next in the development of machine guns came the Maxim, the machine gun with only one barrel. This gun with a belt of bullets that fed in one side and the empty belt came out the other side. It used the explosion from the bullets firing to load the next bullet. With the use of different

A bullet is traveling at its fastest speed when it leaves the barrel of the gun. Bullets traveling after firing is said to be using kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy the bullet has due to its motion from the firing pin striking the gun powder causing an explosion that forced the bullet to discharge from the barrel. Now this bullet possess kinetic energy and will do harm

A Rifle could shoot a bullet up to 1,000 yards–and were more accurate. However, until the 1850s it was nearly impossible to use these guns in battle because, since a rifle’s bullet had roughly the same diameter as its barrel, they took too long to load. (Soldiers sometimes had to pound the bullet into the barrel with a mallet.)

A distance determination is the process of estimating the distance between where a shot is fired and its target. This is often done by looking at the patterns of powder

The development of the rifle (a firearm with grooves along the inner barrel) meant a soldier could easily hit an enemy from hundreds of meters away, rendering

When the constitution was written the most advanced gun only shot one bolt at a time, and took 30 seconds to reload (Murphy). Now in the 21th century guns have “high-capacity magazines were used in at least 50% of the 62 mass shootings between 1982 and 2012. When high-capacity magazines were used in mass shootings, the death rate rose 63% and the injury rate rose 156%. David H. Chipman...stated that a high-capacity magazine ‘turns a killer into a killing machine.’ Some gang members use high-capacity magazines, such as 30 rounds or even 90 rounds, to compensate for lack of accuracy and maximize the chance to harm” (“Background of the Issue - Gun

One of the worst weapons I have certification on is the shotgun. The shotgun is a very powerful and intimidating weapon, but you must have a proper fit and stance. A shotgun and its stock are designed based on the dimensions of an average shooter. It has an average length of pull that is measured from the trigger to the center of the recoil pad. A shotgun, needs the proper fitting of a comb, length of pull, cast and drop to meet a comfortable shooting experience.

Caliber sniper rifle to engage much larger targets as in vehicles, tanks, and can even be used to punch through walls in buildings. There are different grains of this bullet. The higher the grain, the more knockdown power

It is argued whether the phrase “assault rifle,” which came in the American lexicon around the 1980's,first originated as political ploy by firearm control advocates or as a marketing ploy by firearm retailers. What is for sure is that “assault weapon” is not a technical term, it was a phrase of art used by gun manufactures, or for the army. The nearest in those groups is the phrase “assault rifle” which is a military medium caliber, fired at the shoulder the shooter is allowed to select between semi-automatic which shoots one bullet per pull of the trigger and the other option is fully automatic which continues to fire bullets while the trigger is being pressed and there is a three shot fire also and it shoots 3 bullets each

First of all I am going to describe what exactly a shotgun is. A shotgun is designed to be fired from the shoulder. The shotgun fires a shell that holds numerous spherical pellets, also called shot when buying them from stores they are classified by the amount of

“This variation has a design of a smaller breach that fired a cartridge of 76.2x585R, allowing a breach that will automatically open after the firing of each cartridge” (Ordnance, T. O, 1920). This was an innovative concept that allows the firing of multiple rounds at a greater rate to help with the adjustment needed when firing at an aircraft traveling at a high velocity, attitude, and altitude. “The muzzle velocity of this weapon firing a 15-pound shell, with either shrapnel or explosive charge, is 2,400 feet per second” (Ordnance, T.O, 1920). The maximum

A gun is a very dangerous weapon that needs to be taken care of by a responsible person. The person behind the trigger must know exactly how to hold, use, and shoot a firearm. Many people have been killed or severely injured when

Firearms are classified into three broad types handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Rifles and shotguns are both considered “long guns.” A semi-automatic weapon fires one bullet each time the user pules the trigger, it will also eject the empty shell after