Gun > Related Articles

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

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Parent topics

• Firearm [r]: Device, often designed to be used as a weapon, which projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. [e]
• Cannon [r]: Sizable crew-served weapons, which fire projectiles through a tube called a barrel. [e]
• Small arms [r]: A firearm, for sporting or military use, intended to be carried and operated by a single person [e]

Subtopics

• Air rifle [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Anti-aircraft artillery [r]: A general term for guns that can elevate to high angles and shoot accurately at aircraft, using visual, electro-optical, or radar guidance. [e]
  • 20mm Oerlikon (autocannon) [r]: A manually tracked piece of anti-aircraft artillery widely used on ships of the U.S. Navy and other navies during World War II. [e]
  • 40mm Bofors (autocannon) [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Assault rifle [r]: An individual weapon intended for infantry combat, which fires an intermediate-power cartridge, has a large magazine, and can fire fixed bursts (usually 3 shots) or in full-automatic mode [e]
  • AK-47 [r]: The world's most common assault rifle, firing a 7.62mm bullet, but with reduced-power propellant and larger magazines that comparable battle rifles using the same caliber [e]
  • M16 (rifle) [r]: The primary U.S. infantry rifle, an assault rifle firing 5.56mm intermediate power ammunition; M4 (rifle) is the carbine (i.e., shorter-length) version [e]
• Infantry rifle [r]: Add brief definition or description
  • .303 Lee-Enfield [r]: Add brief definition or description
  • M1 Garand (rifle) [r]: Principal U.S. infantry rifle of World War II, firing .30-06 ammunition semi-automatically from an 8-round clip [e]
• Field artillery [r]: Add brief definition or description
  • 130mm gun [r]: An older piece of Soviet-designed artillery, which outranged most light (105mm) and medium 155mm howitzers of its time [e]
  • 175mm gun [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Machine gun [r]: A firearm capable not only of full-automatic fire, but with additional features, such as large ammunition supply mechanisms, barrel cooling or quick-change features, etc., that lets it fire for prolonged periods [e]
• Musket [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Naval gun [r]: Artillery weapons on ships, and techniques and devices for aiming them. [e]
  • 57mm naval gun [r]: An increasingly common light naval dual-purpose gun; modern versions are usually full automatic and thus can deliver a volume of fire equivalent to guns of larger caliber [e]
  • 76mm naval gun [r]: As 76mm or 3-inch, this has been a standard light naval dual-purpose gun caliber of many navies; new full automatic weapons with advanced ammunition can be comparable to older medium weapons [e]
  • 4.5" naval gun [r]: Actually 4.45", this caliber has been the standard medium naval gun of the Royal Navy since 1938; post-WWII use is principally for naval gunfire support [e]
  • 5"-38 caliber gun [r]: A dual purpose (DP) gun, effective for both surface and antiaircraft use, mounted on very many U.S. Navy ships in the World War II era, but which has disappeared from service today. [e]
  • 5"-54 caliber gun [r]: Until the introduction of the 5"-62 caliber gun, the primary medium naval gun of U.S. warships after the Second World War [e]
  • 5"-62 caliber gun [r]: The main gun for shore bombardment and some anti-surface warfare on newer U.S. Navy warships; the successor to 5"-54 caliber guns. [e]
  • 8" naval gun [r]: A heavy naval gun, the point of reference for a heavy cruiser main battery as defined by the Washington Naval Treaty; often considered the heaviest practical caliber for naval gunfire support [e]
  • 16" naval gun [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Pistol [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Shotgun [r]: An individual weapon used in sport, police, or military applications, generally firing multiple small projectiles ("shot") rather than a single bullet [e]
• Rifle [r]: Primarily a shoulder-filed individual weapon, used for hunting, target shooting, and infantry combat; the term may also apply to larger artillery pieces with rifled barrels that impart stabilizing spin to their projectiles [e]

Other related topics

• Gun control [r]: Policy of restricting or banning gun ownership by private citizens, varying widely among countries and cultures; may extend to other weapons [e]