A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries.
A shotgun is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small spherical projectiles called shot, or a single solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns are most commonly used as smoothbore firearms, meaning that their gun barrels have no rifling on the inner wall, but rifled barrels for shooting sabot slugs are also available.
A semi-automatic firearm, also called a self-loading or autoloading firearm, is a repeating firearm whose action mechanism automatically loads a following round of cartridge into the chamber and prepares it for subsequent firing, but requires the shooter to manually actuate the trigger in order to discharge each shot. Typically, this involves the weapon's action utilizing the excess energy released during the preceding shot to unlock and move the bolt, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case from the chamber, re-cocking the firing mechanism, and loading a new cartridge into the firing chamber, all without input from the user. To fire again, however, the user must actively release the trigger, and allow it to "reset", before pulling the trigger again to fire off the next round. As a result, each trigger pull only discharges a single round from a semi-automatic weapon, as opposed to a fully automatic weapon, which will shoot continuously as long as the ammunition is replete and the trigger is kept depressed.
The Benelli M4 is a semi-automatic shotgun produced by Italian firearm manufacturer Benelli Armi SpA, and the fourth and last model of the Benelli Super 90 line of semi-automatic shotguns. The M4 uses a proprietary action design called the "auto-regulating gas-operated" (ARGO) system, which was created specifically for the weapon. Designed in 1998, the M4 was adopted by the armed forces of Italy, the United States, and United Kingdom, among others, and has been used in a variety of conflicts.
A combat shotgun is a shotgun issued by militaries for warfare. The earliest shotguns specifically designed for combat were the trench guns or trench shotguns issued in World War I. While limited in range, the multiple projectiles typically used in a shotgun shell provide increased hit probability unmatched by other small arms.
The Franchi SPAS-12 is a combat shotgun manufactured by Italian firearms company Franchi from 1979 to 2000. The SPAS-12 is a dual-mode shotgun, adjustable for semi-automatic or pump-action operation. The SPAS-12 was sold to military and police users worldwide, as well as on the civilian market.
The Franchi SPAS-15 is a dual-mode 12 gauge combat shotgun manufactured by the Italian company Luigi Franchi S.P.A.
A riot shotgun is a shotgun designed or modified for use as a primarily defensive weapon, by the use of a short barrel and sometimes a larger magazine capacity than shotguns marketed for hunting. The riot shotgun is used by military personnel for guard duty and was at one time used for riot control, and is commonly used as a door breaching and patrol weapon by law enforcement personnel, as well as a home defense weapon by civilians. Guns of this type are often labeled as breaching shotguns, tactical shotguns or special-purpose shotguns to denote the larger scope of their use; however, these are largely marketing terms.
A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock, or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attached. The stock also provides a means for the shooter to firmly brace the gun and easily aim with stability by being held against the user's shoulder when shooting the gun, and helps to counter muzzle rise by transmitting recoil straight into the shooter's body.
Benelli Armi S.p.A. is an Italian firearm manufacturer located in Urbino, Marche, Italy. Founded in 1967 as an offshoot of the Benelli motorcycle factory that sold motorcycles through Montgomery Ward, Benelli and Benelli USA have been owned by Pietro Beretta SpA since 2000. Benelli is well known for its shotguns popular with military, law enforcement, and civilians alike, especially its "Super 90" line of semi-automatic shotguns produced since 1986.
The Gepárd anti-materiel rifles are a family of Hungarian weapons manufactured by Sero International Kft. designed to destroy unarmored and lightly armored targets. These long-range large-caliber rifles have high accuracy and muzzle velocity. In 1987, the Hungarian People's Army sought to obtain a compact, mobile weapon that could damage lightly armored targets. The project, led by Ferenc Földi, culminated in the creation of the Gepárds.
The KRISS Vector is a series of weapons based upon the parent submachine gun design developed by the American company KRISS USA, formerly Transformational Defense Industries (TDI).
The Benelli M1 is a semi-automatic shotgun manufactured by Benelli Armi, and the first model of the Benelli Super 90 line of semi-automatic shotguns. Introduced in 1986, it is available in several versions for civilian, law enforcement and military use.
The Fabarm SDASS Tactical is a shotgun designed for police and/or security uses and has some special features such as folding front sight, built-in Picatinny rails on the top of the receiver, lengthened forearm to provide better control over the gun. SDASS shotguns are manufactured in a variety of differing styles.
The Fabarm FP6 is a pump-action combat shotgun that was manufactured by the Italian firearms company Fabbrica Bresciana Armi S.p.A. (FABARM) and sold by Heckler & Koch. It was intended for civilian and law enforcement use.
The Benelli Supernova is a pump action shotgun used for hunting, self-defense and law enforcement, made by Italian firearm manufacturer Benelli Armi SpA. The Supernova features a recoil reducer, which is attached to the interior of the stock, and raises the length of time that the shot's impulse is spread across, thus lowering felt recoil.
The Benelli M2 is a semi-automatic shotgun manufactured by Benelli Armi, and the second model of the Benelli Super 90 line of semi-automatic shotguns. It is an updated version of the Benelli M1. Like its predecessor, it is available in several versions for civilian, law enforcement and military use. It features the proprietary Benelli inertia system of operation.
Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used to implement locked-breech autoloading firearms. Recoil operated firearms use the energy of recoil to cycle the action, as opposed to gas operation or blowback operation using the pressure of the propellant gas.
The Beretta 1301 is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun produced by Beretta, and imported by Beretta USA in the United States. The firearm has two distinct models: The 1301 Tactical is intended for tactical self-defense and law enforcement applications whereas the 1301 Competition is designed for practical shooting sports such as Multigun or IPSC Shotgun. Despite its intended applications, it is often used by a minority of hunters and clay pigeon shooters.
