When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, such as a pepperbox

revolver - as opposed to a standard (single-barrel) revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the ba rrel as a revolving cylinder.[1]Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Action 2.1 Single shot 2.2 Multi-barreled (non-rotating) 2.3 Pepperbox revolver 2.4 Harmonica pistol 2.5 Semi-automatic 2.6 Machine pistol 2.7 Target Shooting 3 References [edit] History Further information: Firearm and Handgun The pistol originates in the 16th century, when early handguns were produced in Europe. The English word was introduced in ca. 1570 from the Middle French pisto let (ca. 1550). The etymology of the French word pistolet is unclear. It may be from a Czech wor d for early hand cannons, pala "flute", or alternatively from Italian pistolese, after Pistoia, a city renowned for Renaissance-era gunsmithing, where hand-held guns (designed to be fired from horseback) were first produced in the 1540s.[2] The first suggestion derives the word from Czech pala, a type of hand-cannon used in t he Hussite Wars during the 1420s. The Czech word was adopted in German as pitsch ale, pitschole, petsole, and variants.[3] [edit] Action The most common types of pistol are the single shot, multi-barreled and semi-aut omatic. [edit] Single shot These types of handgun were mainly seen during the era of flintlock and musket w eaponry where the pistol was loaded with a lead ball and fired by a percussion c ap. However, as technology improved, so did the single shot pistol. New operatin g mechanisms were created, and due to this, they are still made today. They are often used to hunt wild game.This type of gun is oldest. [edit] Multi-barreled (non-rotating) These were common during the same time as single shot pistols. As designers look ed for ways to increase fire rates, multiple barrels were added to all guns incl uding pistols. Some examples of multi-barreled pistols are Derringers and Duck's foot pistols. [edit] Pepperbox revolver The forerunner to Samuel Colt's "Revolving Gun" - the name he originally gave hi s invention on his 1836 patent - the pepperbox revolver, developed in the late-1 8th century, became a somewhat-common style of pistol by the mid-19th century, b ut was superseded by the lighter-weight and more-compact Colt-type (single-barre l) revolvers, in which the firing chambers rotated separately from the barrel. A modern "pepperbox" - essentially a barrel-less "mini-revolver" - can also be cu

stom-built using standard manufactured revolver parts, but without the presence of at least a marginal-length barrel to impart spin on the bullet, as well as th e barrel's rifling imparting an all-important forensic identifier, such a weapon would be of questionable legality under the United States National Firearms Act . [edit] Harmonica pistol Around 1850, pistols such as the Jarre harmonica gun were produced that had a sl iding magazine. The sliding magazine contained pinfire cartridges or speedloader s. The magazine needed to be moved manually in many designs, hence distinguishin g them from semi-automatic pistols.[4] [edit] Semi-automatic Main article: Semi-automatic pistol A model M1911A1 pistol. This was the next development of the pistol. By avoiding multiple barrels which need to be individually reloaded semi-automatic pistols delivered faster rates of fire a nd require only a few seconds to reload (depending on the skill of the shooter). In blowback-type semi-automatics, the recoil force is used to push the slide ba ck and eject the case (if any) so that the magazine spring can push another roun d up, then as the slide returns it chambers the round. An example of a modern bl owback action semi-automatic pistol is the HK VP70. [edit] Machine pistol A machine pistol is an (fully) automatic pistol, mechanically similar to a semiautomatic pistol but where the trigger mechanism is designed so that it will con tinue to fire unless the trigger is released or the magazine is empty. Since mac hine pistols typically have such a high rate of fire, a larger capacity magazine or drum magazine is desirable. [edit] Target Shooting Target Shooting is common in the United States. The most common type of target s hooting is bullseye shooting. The shooter uses a still target and aims for a cer tain point on the target. Most competitive handgun target shooting is done with a .22 or .45 caliber semi-automatic or single-shot pistol. Targets are commonly placed at a distance of 25 and 50 yards from the shooter. Another type of target shooting is silhouette shooting. Metal targets shaped as silhouettes of animals or other shapes are set up at a distance of 200 meters. When the shooter hits t he silhouette, the target will spin around its frame allowing the shooter to kno w he hit it