WA handgun is a short-barrelled firearm that can be held and used with one hand. The two most common handgun sub-types in use today are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, although other handgun-types such as derringers and machine pistols also see infrequent usage.
WA .50 caliber handgun is a handgun firing a bullet measuring approximately .5 inches (12.7 mm) in diameter. Historically, many black powder pistols fired bullets with diameters well above ½ inch. However, following the development of smokeless powder, the focus shifted to smaller-diameter bullets propelled at higher velocities, and the development of .50 and larger calibers in handguns became uncommon.
WAn automatic revolver also known as semi-automatic revolver, is a revolver that uses the energy of firing for cocking the hammer and revolving the cylinder, rather than using manual operations to perform these actions. Despite the name "automatic", such revolvers are actually semi-automatic as the gun will not continue shooting and the shooter still needs to manually actuate the trigger to discharge each shot.
WThe FGC-9 is a physible, 3D-printable semiautomatic pistol caliber carbine, first released in early 2020. Using the Shuty AP-9 by Derwood as the basis, the FGC-9 was designed and first manufactured by a pseudonymous European gun designer named JStark1809. The designer created the pistol with the self-imposed constraint that its creation would not require a single potentially regulated firearm part in order to enable people in countries with restrictive gun control to manufacture it. The weapon is a mix of fabricated 3D printed parts, easily manufactured metal pressure-bearing parts, and readily available springs, screws, nuts, and bolts. The total cost of production, assuming the user already owns a 3D printer, is less than USD$400. The FGC-9 is noted for its deep and thorough documentation, included in the release, which make construction and assembly fairly simple for anyone. The documentation has been translated into several other languages since it was first published.
WThe garrucha is a small pistol, similar to a derringer, common in southern Brazil and Argentina in the early 20th century. It is usually double-barreled, though with the barrels side-by-side rather than vertical as is common in American derringers, and the bores can be rifled or smooth.
WThe Liberator is a physible (3D-printable) single shot handgun, the first such printable firearm design made widely available online. The open source firm Defense Distributed designed the gun and released the plans on the Internet on May 6, 2013. The plans were downloaded over 100,000 times in the two days before the United States Department of State demanded that Defense Distributed retract the plans.
WA pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in ca. 1570 – when early handguns were produced in Europe and is derived from the Middle French pistolet, meaning a small gun or knife. In colloquial usage, the word "pistol" is often used to describe any types of handgun, inclusive of revolvers and the pocket-sized derringers.
WSaturday night special is a colloquial term in the United States and Canada for inexpensive, compact, small-caliber handguns made of poor quality metal. Some states define these junk guns by means of composition or material strength. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, they were commonly referred to as suicide specials.
WA semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single-chamber handgun (pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actually discharge the following shot. As a result, only one round of ammunition is fired each time the trigger is pulled, as the pistol's fire control group disconnects the trigger mechanism from the firing pin/striker until the trigger has been released and reset.
WThe side grip is a technique for shooting a handgun in which the weapon is rotated about ninety degrees and held horizontally instead of vertically. Shooting a gun in this way has no practical benefit under most circumstances and makes proper aiming very difficult, but the style has become somewhat popular in hip hop culture and among street criminals due to its portrayal in American film and television since the early 1990s.
WA sidearm is a weapon, usually a handgun, but sometimes a knife, dagger, sword, bayonet, or other mêlée weapon, which is worn on the body in a holster or sheath to permit immediate access and use. A sidearm is typically required equipment for military officers and may be carried by law enforcement personnel. Usually, uniformed personnel of these services wear their weapons openly, while plainclothes personnel have their sidearms concealed under their clothes. A sidearm may be carried alone, or as a back-up to a primary weapon such as a carbine, rifle, shotgun, or submachine gun.
WA sport pistol or standard pistol is a type of handgun used in several shooting sports, including the Olympic 25 metre pistol event and 25 metre standard pistol. Since 2005, the 25 metre rapid fire pistol rules also require the use of sport pistols, with a few extra requirements. Other sports to make use of this gun are women's 25 metre military rapid fire pistol, bullseye, and a variety of other national shooting sports.