Kim

Complex Process

Kim 2 Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................4 Background Information........................................................................................................4 The Process ............................................................................................................................5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................6 Works Cited ...........................................................................................................................7

Kim 3 Outline I. Introduction A. Machine Guns have a period of evolution II. Background Information A. With wars, Guns developed III. The Process A. A self-repeating cycle B. Intricate and Fragile IV. Conclusion A. Machine Gun took years to develop, and still is V. Works Cited

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Josh Kim Mr. King Period 3 English 8 1 December 2011 Complex Process Many individuals have seen this, but many do not know, or they do not care. Its seen everywhere in movies, TV, and wars. This is the machine gun. This gun is very different from any other guns. Unlike the sniper, the machine gun can shoot up to 50 rounds per second! Thats a lot of bullets in one second. But how does this work? Although from the outside it seems as if you just pull the trigger, and BAM, a bullet will is shot. But there is a process going on every time you pull the trigger. This process is simple, but also complex because this process starts and ends in split second. This war machine brought a reputation to bring terror to their enemies, strike fear into their hearts. Background Information To know more about guns the history is important. Machine guns were designed and thought of ever since the 1700s. But not until the 1800s were these rapid-firing guns used. For example, in 1861, the Gatling gun was created, and after it was upgraded, many European countries bought it to fight off warriors or soldiers and colonize. But all this was man powered. And finally, in 1885, the first self-powered machine gun was made. Next were the two World Wars. This era was the era, in which machine guns became popular, and some were mixed with rifles (now called assault rifle), and many were used. Now, most army uses machine gun. Unlike before, the machine guns are light,
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Kim 5 portable, and include rapid shooting. The Process To understand the process, there are numerous models of machine guns. Also there are different ways to feed the ammunition/bullet. There are several different types of magazines, storage of ammunition connected to the gun to create a repetitive shooting without reloading. But the way we will talk about is called, The gas system. Also, you must know what the bullet contains. First there is a casing, which holds all the parts together, and on the front of the casing is the actual bullet. Right under the bullet, there is gunpowder filling up most of the space in the case. Lastly, the primer, and this is what ignite the gunpowder. This is a key part to how the gun shoots. Now starts the beginning of how a machine gun works. To start, the magazine or cartridge belt is put into the gun. Afterwards the shooting begins. Once you pull the trigger back, a piece connected to the trigger called the trigger sear, comes down and lets go of the bolt, which is a metal tube like structure. The bolt is locked by the trigger sear, and the spring behind the bolt is compressed. Once you pull the trigger, the sear drops and releases the bolt, allowing the spring to push forward. This action lets the bolt slide forward, but as the bolt slide forward a part of the bullet is in the bolts way. The bullet is pushed out of the magazine by the bolt and put in place to the beginning of the barrel, the long, metal tube on the front of the gun, which gives the bullet the straight path. After the bullet is put on the beginning of the barrel, the bolt, which is right behind the bullet, shoots out a pointy metal, which slams on to the bullets primer. This ignites the gunpowder within the bullet, and just like a rocket, it blasts off. But this isnt over. This is a repetitive firing, so how do the bolt, the spring, and everything else go back into
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Kim 6 place? After the bullet is shot, it passes through the barrel. And there is a hole, on the roof of the barrel, called the gas cylinder. When the bullet passes by, some of the gas, which shoots out the bullet, enters the gas cylinder. After entering the cylinder, the gas pushes the narrow piston, connected to the bolt, backwards, which then pushes the bolt backwards too. During this, the bullet case is also moved backwards and leaves the gun when it reaches a space on the side. And lastly, the spring is also moved back, and compressed. The cycle repeated after this (Watson & Harris, 8). This is the process of how a machine gun shoots, and whats amazing is that several hundred bullets can be fired in a minute! Conclusion The process of machine guns may not be easily recognized, possibly due to the fact that every shot is very fast and not many would think all this happens in a split second. Guns may look simple on the outside, but everything is needed to be function properly and smoothly. If the spring, for an example, doesnt work, the bolt wouldnt push the bullet to the barrel. If one part doesnt work, the gun will not be able to shoot. This is a complex process, which it goes through in every shot in every split second. Machine guns are being improved, and new ones are being made. You do not want to be on the enemys side of machine guns.
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Kim 7 Work cited Watson, Stephanie, and Tom Harris. "How Machine Guns Work". `27 Nov. 2011 <http://science.howstuffworks.com/machine-gun.htm> Wikipedia, Bullet. Wikipedia.com, Wikipedia, 25 June. 2004. Web. 28 Nov. 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet> Wikipedia, Machine Gun. Wikipedia.com, Wikipedia, 13 Mar. 2004. Web. 25 Nov. 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_gun> Wikipedia, Magazine (firearms). Wikipedia.com, Wikipedia, 24 April. 2006. Web. 29 Nov. 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine_(firearm)
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