In firearms terminology, an action is the functional mechanism of a breech-loading firearm that handles the ammunition cartridges, or the method by which that mechanism works. Actions are technically not present on muzzleloaders, as all those are single-shot firearms with a closed off breech with the powder and projectile manually loaded from the muzzle. Instead, the muzzleloader ignition mechanism is referred to as the lock.
The Beretta 92 is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The Beretta 92 was designed in 1975, and production began in 1976. Many variants in several different calibers continue to be used to the present.
The Vis or Vis 35 is a Polish 9×19mm caliber, single-action, semi-automatic pistol. Its design was inspired by the Colt 1911 pistol designed by American John Moses Browning.
The Desert Eagle is a gas-operated, semi-automatic pistol known for chambering the .50 Action Express, the largest centerfire cartridge of any magazine-fed, self-loading pistol.
The CZ 52 is a semi-automatic pistol designed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl, in the early 1950s for the Czechoslovak military. Around 200,000 vz. 52s were made by Česká Zbrojovka in Strakonice from 1952 to 1954. Before standardizing on the 7.62×25mm vz. 52, the Czechoslovak military used several domestic and foreign pistol models in three different calibers. After 30 years of military service, the vz. 52 was eventually replaced by the 9×18mm Makarov caliber vz. 82.
A breechblock is the part of the firearm action that closes the breech of a breech loading weapon before or at the moment of firing. It seals the breech and contains the pressure generated by the ignited propellant. Retracting the breechblock allows the chamber to be loaded with a cartridge.
The USP is a semi-automatic pistol developed in Germany by Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) as a replacement for the P7 series of handguns.
The WIST-94 is a semi-automatic pistol produced in Poland.
The MAB Model A is a 6.35 mm caliber pocket pistol made in France. MAB stands for Manufacture d'armes de Bayonne. It is patterned after the Browning FN 1906 / Colt Model 1908.
The MAB model D is a pistol produced by MAB from 1933 to 1963 and 1982 ; it was inspired by the Belgian Browning FN pistol 1910/22.
The Rubypistol was a semi-automatic pistol of .32 ACP calibre made by Gabilondo y Urresti and other Spanish companies. It saw use in both World Wars as the service weapon of the French Army under the name Pistolet Automatique de 7 millim.65 genre "Ruby".
The Stechkin or APS is a Soviet selective fire machine pistol chambered in 9×18mm Makarov and 9×19mm Parabellum introduced into service in 1951 for use with artillery and mortar crews, tank crews and aircraft personnel, where a cumbersome assault rifle was deemed unnecessary. Seeing service in a number of wars such as the Vietnam War, Russo-Ukrainian War and Syrian Civil War. The APS was praised for its innovative concept and good controllability for its size. However, the high cost of the weapon, complex and time-consuming machining, combined with a limited effective range, large size and weight for a pistol, and fragile buttstock have been mentioned as a reason to phase it out of active service in favour of assault rifles such as the AKS-74U. The pistol bears the name of its developer, Igor Stechkin.
The Colt 2000 or All American 2000 is a polymer or aluminum-alloy framed, locked-breech, rotating barrel, semiautomatic, 9 mm handgun with a magazine capacity of 15 rounds manufactured by Colt.
A pistol is a type of handgun, characterized by a barrel with an integral chamber. The word "pistol" is derived from the Middle French pistolet, meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the English language c. 1570 when early handguns were produced in Europe. In colloquial usage, the word "pistol" is often used as a generic term to describe any type of handgun, inclusive of revolvers and the pocket-sized derringers.
The MAC 50 is a standard semi-automatic pistol of the French army and adopted in 1950. It replaced the previous series of French pistols, the Modèle 1935A & Modèle 1935S, and was produced between 1950 and 1970 with around 341,900 being created during that timeframe.
The Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Étienne, often abbreviated to MAS was a French state-owned weapons manufacturer in the town of Saint-Étienne, Loire. Founded in 1764, it was merged into the French state-owned defense conglomerate GIAT Industries in 2001.
Manufacture d'armes de Bayonne was a French pistol manufacturer. The company was founded by Léon Barthe in 1920. It survived the German occupation during World War II, and after several changes in ownership wound up being a subsidiary of Fabrique Nationale of Herstal sometime in the 1970s.
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 SIG Sauer System is a type of action found in self-loading handguns. It is a refinement of designs based on the work of both John M. Browning and Charles Petter which began with the Colt Model 1900, progressed to the French Model 1935A, and later the SIG P210 handgun. This action first appeared in the United States on the Browning BDA .45 ACP caliber handgun around 1975. It represents a design which optimizes the cost of production of handguns while instilling high levels of accuracy and dependability. It is the basis for several SIG Sauer, Inc. designs which have been widely adopted for police, military, and civilian use and is the action used in the M17 and M18 sidearms of the United States Armed Forces. It has become a highly copied design found in many parts of the world today.
The Pistolet automatique modèle 1935A is a semi-automatic pistol designed by Charles Petter, chambered for the 7.65mm Longue cartridge. It was developed to compete in the 1935–1937 French military trials conducted by the Commission d’Experiences Techniques de Versailles to select a new sidearm.
