The pistol although differs in basic
design, they too have three major components: The Frame,
barrel and action.
Frame:
As in the revolver the frame is the
component to which all other parts are attached. Located on or
in the frame is the semi-autos safety. The internal and
external safety
is a mechanical device designed to reduce the possibility of
accidental discharge. As in all mechanical devices they
can malfunction, therefore it is ultimately up to the
operators responsibility in handling the firearm. The best
safety is the one between the shooters ears, keep your finger
off the trigger and the handgun won't go off.
 The
slide stop
is designed to hold the slide
open to the rear when it is empty
(Our instructors will
discuss the operation of the semi-auto in detail during the
range session).
The
Grip panels
are general made of plastic, rubber,
wood or other man made exotic materials and are located on the
lower portion of the frame. Many new pistols frames are now
made of polymer and the grip panels are an integral part of
the frame ( one
piece as in the Glock handguns).
The
Trigger Guard
is located on the underside of the frame
and is designed to protect the trigger from possible
unintentional discharging.
Barrel:
The barrel of a semi-auto is the
same as the revolver, the front end where the bullet exits is
the muzzle and the rear of the barrel is the location of the
single chamber
which will contain the cartridge at the instant of firing.
Action:
The semi-automatics mechanical
designs vary greatly as well as the safety devises. Some have
external hammers and some have internal hammers
(normally referred to as strikers). Again there are so
many different semi-auto designs that we couldn't possible
explain them all here. Our instructors will go into greater
detail with you during the class.
The Slide is
the big chunk of metal on top of the frame which holds the
barrel and many of the action parts. The 1st cartridge must be
manually inserted the chamber by pulling back the slide and
allowing it to sling shot forward with full force. As the
slide sling shots forward it snatches a cartridge off the
top of
magazine and shoves it into the
chamber. The front and rear sights are located on the top of
the slide.
The trigger is
located in the underside of the frame and functions the same
as the revolver. Squeeze the trigger and the loaded gun goes
boom.
The
magazine is
the storage device that holds the cartridges ready for
insertion
 into the chamber The
magazine release is a mechanical
device that releases the magazine from the pistol.
Basic Semi-auto
operation: When the pistol is fired, the slide moves to the
rear, ejecting the spent cartridge and usually cocking the
pistol in the process. The cartridges located in the magazine
are forced upward by the magazine spring into the path of the
slide. When the slide (under pressure from the recoil spring
) moves forward, it picks
up and pushes the next cartridge into the chamber, ready to be
fired again.
The
semi-auto has so
many different types of
Safeties it is impossible to
discuss them all in this course - However when you are ready
to purchase a handgun, the firearms professionals at the
Family Indoor Shooting Range would be happy to explain the
safety mechanisms of the specific handguns you are interested
in.
There are single
action, double action semi autos and a few that are double
action only. Remember that their are a wide variety of
semi-auto designs available to the general public.
Single action: The
trigger performs only one task, when the trigger is pulled the
hammer falls, firing the handgun.
Double Action: As the
trigger is pulled two actions occur. The hammer comes back and
falls forward to fire the handgun.
Our instructors will
explain in detail the actions of the various semi-autos during
the class.
Loading and Unloading the revolver and Semi-automatics
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