Overview of gun types in the world

Historical research shows that the world’s earliest guns originated in China in the 10th century when the bamboo tube containing gunpowder and pellets was mounted on a spear to make a portable musket that could be operated by one person, and this is the prototype of guns. Subsequent guns evolved on this technology, and in the 14th century, gun-making technology gradually spread to Eurasia. Older guns usually used black powder as a propellant, but modern guns use smokeless powder or other types of propellant, and most modern firearms (with the obvious exception of smooth-bore shotguns) have rifled barrels in order to produce rotation of the projectile and improve flight stability.

Here’s a look at how many types of firearms there are.

1、Pistol
A pistol is a firearm that can be used with one hand and is the smallest of all firearms. There are two common types of pistols: revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.

2、Long gun
A long gun is any firearm with a significantly longer barrel, usually 10 to 30 inches (250 to 760 mm) in length. Unlike a pistol, a long gun is designed to be held and fired with both hands while supported by the hip or shoulder for better stability.

3、Rifles and shotguns
Most modern long guns are either rifles or shotguns. Rifles are named for the spiral grooves (rifling) machined into the inner surface of the barrel (chamber), which gives a gyroscopic and stable rotation to the fired bullet. Shotguns are primarily smoothbore guns, capable of firing a certain number of projectiles, but also capable of firing a single solid projectile known as a slug or a specialty round, such as tear gas or breakthrough bullets.
Rifles and shotguns are commonly used for hunting but are also often used for home defense, security, and law enforcement.

4、Carbine
A carbine is a firearm similar in form and purpose to a rifle, but usually shorter or smaller than a “full-size” shotgun or battle rifle, sometimes using smaller or less powerful cartridges. Carbines, like rifles, can be single shot or repeating, and can also be semi-automatic or selective-fire/full-automatic.

5、Machine gun
Machine guns are fully automatic firearms that were not widely used until World War I. They have a large ammunition capacity and high rate of fire and are usually used for fire suppression in infantry movements, machine guns are usually mounted on vehicles or helicopters and have been used as offensive firearms for fighters and tanks since World War I (for example for air combat or to provide fire suppression for ground force support)