Shotguns how do they work

Get to know your way around your shotgun with this useful guide by Drew Boxall. Do you know your hammer from your extractor?

Read our article on how a shotgun works which explains this in full. This results in a very durable shotgun. This is a complicated gun to manufacture and put together due to the many different parts involved.

Clock makers originally built guns as they had the fine skills necessary. The parts of a side-by-side boxlock with side plates. The size denomination comes from one pound of lead divided into equal- sized balls that will fit the barrel. For example, 12 pieces equals 12 bore, which is why a 20 bore is smaller. Extractors : Although difficult to see in the diagram, the extractors are the components that help release the cartridge from the barrels.

When the gun has not been fired, the extractor will simply pull the rim of the cartridge out of the barrel, making it simpler to remove. If the cartridge has been detonated, the extractors eject it. Bolt: The bolt holds the barrels shut while the cartridge is shot.

It is disengaged by the top lever. Top lever : The top lever disengages the bolt from the barrels, allowing the gun to open. It is returned home by the top lever spring. Safety thumb piece : When in its safe position on side-by-sides, the thumb piece locks the trigger, stopping the gun firing. On most over-unders it disengages the mechanism, leaving the trigger free to move but not fire. Trigger guard : This is simply the guard for the trigger that attaches to the base of the trigger plate.

This reaction consists of the trigger releasing the sear and subsequently the hammer, which allows the spring to release, which forces the hammer, via the striker, through the striker holes in the action body; thus detonating the cartridge — which all takes a fraction of a second much quicker than this explanation.

Trigger plate : This component houses the trigger. It is secured to the action body at one end and sits within the stock of a gun at the other. Hammer or tumbler : The hammer is propelled by the main spring within the gun and is not released until the chain reaction is set off. Many military officers loved their personal shotguns so much that they brought them along instead of sidearms to World War I, earning them the nickname "trench guns.

With a wider stream of potentially deadly projectiles, a shotgun is like using a can of spray paint if a rifle is like using a felt-tip pen. As long as the target is within its effective range, a shotgun will give you a much better chance of making critical contact with one pull of the trigger. The shotgun is the Swiss-army knife of guns. It is an indispensable tool -- on the farm, in combat and on the hunt. They are just as useful in non-lethal situations, like for scaring away pests or for opening locked doors in a police or military situation, as they are for big game hunting.

In this article, you'll find out how shotguns work, what different types are out there and about the various types of ammo a shotgun can accommodate. Sign up for our Newsletter!

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