Firearm facts for kids

The M16 rifle and the AK-47, two famous firearms that changed how guns are designed.

A firearm is a type of gun that uses an explosive charge to shoot a projectile. It's made to be easily carried and used by one person.

The first firearms appeared in China around the 10th century. They were bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder and small pellets, attached to spears. These were called "fire lances" and could be used by one person. They were very effective in battles, like the siege of De'an in 1132. Later, in the 13th century, these bamboo tubes were replaced with metal ones, creating the "hand cannon." This technology slowly spread across Eurasia in the 14th century.

Older firearms used black powder to push the projectile. But modern firearms use smokeless powder or other powerful explosives. Most modern firearms (except for smoothbore shotguns) have spiral grooves inside their barrels. These grooves make the projectile spin, which helps it fly straight and accurately.

Modern firearms are often described by their caliber, which is the diameter of the barrel. For pistols and rifles, this is given in millimeters or inches (like 7.62mm or .308 in.). For shotguns, it's called gauge (like 12 ga. or 20 ga.). They are also described by how they load and fire (like muzzleloader, breechloader, semi-automatic, or fully automatic).

Shooters aim firearms using their hand-eye coordination, often with iron sights or special scopes. Pistols are usually accurate up to about 100 metres (110 yd; 330 ft). Most rifles can be accurate up to 500 metres (550 yd; 1,600 ft) with iron sights, and even further with scopes. Special sniper rifles can hit targets more than 2,000 metres (2,200 yd) away. It's important to remember that bullets can be dangerous much further than their accurate range, so safety distances are always much larger.

Different Kinds of Firearms

A firearm is a weapon with a barrel that shoots one or more projectiles. It works by quickly expanding hot gas from burning a chemical propellant, like black powder or smokeless powder. This gas pushes the projectile out of the barrel.

In the military, firearms are grouped into "heavy" and "light" weapons based on how easily infantry (foot soldiers) can carry them. Light firearms can be carried by one soldier, though some might need a small team to work best. Heavy firearms are too big and heavy to carry on foot. They need to be put on a weapons platform like a stand, wheeled cart, vehicle, aircraft, or water vessel to be moved or used effectively.

A special group of light firearms are called small arms. These are compact enough for one soldier to use completely. Small arms include handguns like