Know your handgun

There are two kinds of handgun, and the unit standard lets you be assessed on either or both. A revolver holds its cartridges in a cylinder that turns, bringing the next chamber in line with the barrel. A pistol holds them in a magazine in the grip, and each shot moves the slide, which picks up the next round. To show a revolver is empty you open the cylinder; to show a pistol is empty you remove the magazine and lock the slide back. Revolvers usually have no manual safety; pistols vary by model, so always read your handgun's manual.

Here are the main parts of a revolver. The barrel guides the bullet. The cylinder holds the cartridges in its chambers and turns. The cylinder release lets the cylinder swing out of the frame, and the ejector rod pushes the cartridges or empty cases out. The hammer falls to fire the cartridge; on some revolvers it is hidden. The trigger fires it, and the trigger guard protects the trigger. The frame holds everything together.

And a pistol. The barrel guides the bullet; its rear end is the chamber, where the cartridge sits when it is fired. The slide sits on top and moves back and forward with each shot. The frame holds the grip, the trigger and the magazine well. The magazine holds the cartridges and slides into the grip, and the magazine release drops it out. The slide stop holds the slide open. Some pistols also have a manual safety or a decocker; your manual will show you yours.

This is the cycle that makes a pistol self-loading. When it fires, the bullet leaves the barrel and the energy of the shot drives the slide backwards. The empty case is pulled out of the chamber and thrown clear. A spring pushes the slide forward again, and on the way it strips the next cartridge from the magazine and pushes it into the chamber. So after every shot, the pistol is loaded again, as long as there are rounds in the magazine. That is why you always treat a pistol as loaded, and why the magazine comes out first when you unload, which you'll practise in lesson 3.

Many revolvers can be fired two ways. In double action, one long, heavier trigger press turns the cylinder, cocks the hammer and lets it fall. In single action, you cock the hammer with your thumb first, which turns the cylinder, and then a short, light press fires it. That light press is why a cocked hammer needs extra care: very little pressure will fire it. Some pistols work in a similar way. Learn which your handgun is from its manual and from your trainer.

The law cares about parts too. Under the Act's definition, the barrel, frame or receiver of a handgun counts as a firearm in its own right, so it needs a licence. A slide, bolt or breech-block is a firearm part, and under section 94 you may only possess one if you hold a licence for a firearm that can carry it. So don't buy or keep spare parts you aren't licensed for.

Sipho is surprised that his chosen pistol has no manual safety lever, while his friend's does. Anel makes them both sit with their manuals and find every control before they shoot: the magazine release, the slide stop, any safety or decocker. Every model is a little different, and the manual is as much a part of the handgun as the barrel.

Your turn. Name the part from what it does. Answer four quick questions. Then open your handgun's manual, or a manufacturer's manual online, and find every part from this lesson. Next lesson, you load and unload, safely, every time.