WEAPONS

1. Read the short texts below and do the exercises:

A) A pistol is a handgun, like the revolver.

Soldiers can aim and fire it with one hand.
Pistols are smaller than other firearms,
making them useful in close combat.
Modern pistols, such as Berreta M9, are
semi-automatic. This means that they do
not need to be charged between rounds.
Officers most often carry handguns. In
fact, service pistols have great symbolic
meaning. When a unit is defeated, the
commanding officer often gives his
sidearm to the enemy commander. This
shows that the unit surrenders.

Check your understanding:

1. What does the passage say about aiming the pistol?

a. Its size makes it difficult to aim. c. Semi-automatic pistols are easy to aim.
b. It can be aimed with one hand. d. It is hard to aim in close combat.

2. What can be inferred about pistols in the past?

a. They had to be charged between rounds. c. They were larger than modern pistols.
b. They were less accurate than pistols today. d. They were given to all members of an army.

3. Giving a pistol to an enemy commander symbolizes __________.

a. the desire to join the enemy c. the recognition of defeat
b. competition between military units d. a victory in battle

4. Which phrase describes a style of military fighting?

a. semi-automatic b. commanding officer c. close combat d. useful

5. What must a soldier do to a pistol to allow it to fire rounds?

a. surrender it b. charge it c. aim it d. defeat it

B) The rifle is a common military firearm. It is a long gun that is also used for hunting and sports.
Soldiers fire it from the shoulder. It has a built-in sight. The barrel has twisted grooves on the inside.
These spin the bullet, improving the weapon’s accuracy and range. In fact, this weapon was named
after the technique used to make the barrel: “rifling”. At one time, rifles could fire only one round at a
time. However, modern semi-automatic assault rifles, also called “assault weapons”, like the
M16A2, can fire multiple-round bursts with a single pull of the trigger. Automatic rifle, rifle that
utilizes either its recoil or a portion of the gas propelling the projectile to eject the spent cartridge
case, load a new cartridge, and cock the weapon to fire again. An automatic rifle fires repeatedly as
long as the trigger is held down, until the magazine is exhausted. In some models of assault rifles,
fully automatic fire can be substituted for one-shot or three-shot burst fire by flicking a switch on the
weapon. Most modern infantry rifles are assault rifles or carbines with fully automatic or burst fire
capabilities.
A rifle is usually classified on the basis of the type of action it employs and, on the size, or calibre of
ammunition it fires. Calibre is the diameter of the bore in inches or millimetres, and the full title of a

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rifle gives other information; e.g., .30-30 means a rifle with a bore diameter of .30 inch (7.62 mm)
and a cartridge case designed to hold 30 grains (2 grams) of powder. Power and performance also
depend on the weight and shape of the bullet and its velocity. For instance, a .257 Weatherby – the
name of the inventor of the rifle and the cartridge – is considerably more powerful than weapons
with larger bore diameters such as the .30-30, because the Weatherby bullet travels faster.

The verb used for guns is “shoot” or “fire” a gun. If someone is hit with a bullet, that person has
been shot. Another general word for bullets is “ammunition” or “ammo” for short. In modern times,
we also have explosives devices such as grenades or bombs.

Find the words in the article that mean the following. An example (0) is given:
0. a rifle, pistol, or other portable gun firearm
1. a container for holding a supply of cartridges ___________
2. the ability/precision to hit a target ___________
3. a small bomb thrown by hand or shot from a gun/launched mechanically ___________
4. a type of gun with a long barrel, fired from the shoulder and designed to be ___________
accurate at long distances
5. the width of the space inside a gun barrel ___________
6. the long part of a gun that is shaped like a tube ___________
7. objects that can be shot from a weapon, such as bullets or bombs ___________
8. a series of bullets shot with one trigger pull ___________
9. the speed at which an object is travelling ___________
10. the sudden backward movement that a gun makes when it is fired ___________
11. a small tube containing an explosive substance and a bullet for use in a ___________
gun
12. the distance within which you can see, hear, or hit someone ___________
13. a way to make a firearm barrel ___________
14. a long, narrow, hollow space cut into a surface ___________
15. the internal diameter or bore of a gun barrel; the diameter of a bullet, shell, ___________
or rocket
16. a weapon that bullets or shells are fired from ___________
17. a small, metal object that is shot from a gun ___________
18. an object that is thrown or shot forwards, especially from a weapon ___________
19. a part of a gun that causes the gun to fire when pressed ___________
20. a metal cylindrical tube, normally made of brass which holds the bullet at ___________
the neck, the propellant charge inside, and the primer in its base
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C) The mortar is a free-standing, indirect fire weapon that discharges shells at slow speeds and
high arcs for short distances. It is typically muzzle-loaded, crew-served, with a short, often smooth-
bore barrel, generally less than 15 times its caliber. It consists of a barrel assembly, bipod
assembly, and baseplate. The barrel assembly consists of two parts: the tube and the base cap.
The rear end of the tube is threaded to form a seat, which functions as a gas seal and centers the
base cap. The baseplate is shaped like a rounded triangle. It has a socket that enables a full 360-
degree traverse without moving the baseplate. It also has legs (spades) under the baseplate, two
carrying handles, and one locking handle.
A mortar is generally designed to be employed in all phases and types of land warfare, and in all
weather conditions. The mortar squad consists of five men: the squad leader, the gunner, the
assistant gunner, the first ammunition bearer and the second ammunition bearer. The command to
prepare a mortar round for firing is not load but HANG IT!
Mortar bombs are often referred to, incorrectly, as “mortars”. Operating one is simple: first, set up
the mortar, and then drop a shell down the tube. The firing pin detonates the propellant to fire the
shell. Soldiers set the tube at an angle of between 45 and 85 degrees, depending on the desired
range. Small mortars are portable and used by infantry units. Heavy mortars can be mounted in or
towed behind a vehicle.

Mortar ammunition and fuses

Baseplate Barrel assembly

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I. Check your understanding:

1. What type of fire does the mortar provide?

2. What are the main components of a mortar?

3. What is the main purpose of a mortar?

4. Who are the mortar squad members?

5. What is the command to prepare a mortar round for firing?

6. How does a mortar weapon work?

7. How can soldiers change the range of a mortar?

II. Fill in the blanks with the correct word or phrase from the box:

mounted propellants indirect fire baseplate portable

shell discharge firing pin detonate operate

1. Once you move back into the cold, _______________ your weapon manually by pulling the
charging handle to prevent the internal parts from freezing.
2. If soldiers do not aim a weapon directly at a target, they are using _______________ to
provide firepower to mobile units.
3. Heavy machine guns are often _______________.
4. When it reaches the base of the tube it hits a fixed _______________, which detonates the
baseline charge and fires the projectile
5. Though they are heavy, mortars are considered _______________ weapons because they
can be carried by troops.
6. According to the police, there was a struggle and the officer _______________ his firearm.
7. The _______________ of a mortar stabilizes the system, and helps prevent the barrel from
being driven into the ground by the recoil of firing.
8. They provide the explosive force delivered by hand grenades, bombs, and artillery
_______________.
9. In modern weapons, a variety of _______________ are used to launch missiles and fire
weapons.
10. Mortar shells are designed to _______________ on contact with a target.