Modern Approaches Regarding Classification and Terminology of Firearms up to 20Mm in Caliber
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International Conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION Vol. XXVII No 3 2021 MODERN APPROACHES REGARDING CLASSIFICATION AND TERMINOLOGY OF FIREARMS UP TO 20MM IN CALIBER Florin ILIE, Dănuț-Eugeniu MOȘTEANU, Bogdan-Mihai GEORGESCU “Nicolae Bălcescu” Land Forces Academy, Sibiu, Romania [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] Abstract: One would outright tell the differences between a rifle and a machine gun. But what if the things get so much complicated so that only a minuscule detail becomes the key into telling if that piece of ordnance pertains to a specific category of arms, more precisely if it fits into a distinguished subcategory of armament. At the moment, there are indefinitely many ways of structuring firearms into certain categories, but the methods are vague and imprecise when it comes to types that are strongly related or similar. Thus, combining history records and the official texts of various institutions ensue a more complex and plausible method of firearms classification and terminology registering alike. Keywords: firearm, small arm, light weapon, rifle, machine gun 1. Preliminary Terminology and the other hand, each country has its own Definitions regulations regarding civilian usage of Small arms are to be used individually and armament and it is universally accepted that light weapons are designated as crew- a firearm means small arms and cartridge- served ordnance, while both of them are based light weapons. The same 20 mm in man-portable (figure 1). Described as such, caliber restriction applies too, but the they are systems of armament used by aspects of portability and utilization as armed forces. Small arms can occasionally purpose are not taken into consideration [1]. be met in infantry regulations as light Further on, one last class of armament can infantry weapons, whereas light weapons as be described which is not included in the heavy infantry weapons. Cartridges are UN regulations. Since it is not relevant to used by both classes, restricted to 20 mm, this study, it will only be mentioned as but grenades, rockets, missiles and heavy non -portable weapons covering projectiles are used too by some types of artillery-like pieces, anti-aircraft and light weapons in different kind of tasks. On vehicle mounts, naval guns, etc. [4]. DOI: 10.2478/kbo-2021-0087 © 2015. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 License. 40 Figure 1: Small arms and Light weapons distribution, military (upper blue scheme) and civilian (lower green scheme) circumstances 2. Firearms Structuring Stages repeating firearms. A self-loading firearm Diving deeper into more precise details is used when addressing the firearms that about firearms, the complexity of self-reload after each pressing of trigger. classification increases. Once a firearm has Within this group there are mainly two been designated as whether a small arm or a types of firearms, semi-automatic and full- light weapon, the next stage will require automatic [3]. sorting it as either a handgun or a long gun. The fifth and the last stage into identifying The simplest distinction that confirms the and classifying a firearm will address the belonging group states that a firearm is a whole nature of it, structuring all of them handgun if it was designed to be fired from on certain categories and subcategories by one hand, not taking into consideration the merging aspects of the steps mentioned use of the second hand for recoil damping. above. This represents the most demanding Otherwise, that piece of ordnance is a long process and also the most relevant to the gun [5]. actual study. As for every domain, there are The subsequent step will require to identify outliers and troublesome items that may the type of barrel by the presence of rifling. divert the whole process to an inconclusive A rifled barrel will contain lands and result. The main reasons are based on lack grooves, whereas a smooth-bore barrel will of information, proprietary manufacturing not. Categories full of rifled barrel firearms or peculiar designs of firearms. can be found especially across the military For structuring a set of firearms on specific armament, but also special cases where a categories, there has to be taken into firearm may use combined types of barrels consideration certain historical limitations on civilian market [3]. as well and not just the physical The analysis continues by indicating the characteristics of a gun. The historical main type of gun action by its behavior avenues will add up a new requirement: the after taking a shot. A manually-operated way it was designed and designated to be firearm refers to the case when the shooter used on the battlefield based on the conflict is required to operate the action after every era. Their evolution can be developed shot. The types of firearms that fall under around the manufacturing patterns of this specific requirement are also called firearms industry and the functionality it 41 had in relation to both world wars and described in the introduction of the study present day. This way, the classification can (figure 2). be organized on four historical stages, as Figure 2. Stages of a firearm classification within SALW combined class of armament As mentioned above, structuring firearms principle of intersection which states that on categories and subcategories represents the subcategories that fall under the main the ending phase of the analysis, but it may categories overlap with the other stages of also proceed with linking the respective classification (table 1). However, they can piece of ordnance to particular be arranged in such a way to be subdivisions. This may include criteria like independent, but not to a full scale which is subtypes of gun actions, country of origin, the aim of this part of the study. Both manufacturer, caliber, etc. [1]. groups of categories classification can be accepted when researching and studying 3. Categories and Subcategories of firearms but the level of accuracy is Firearms determined by the user need-to-know A principle to approach in this case is the criteria. Table 1 Simplified version of firearms categories classification [3] Handguns Rifled Smooth-bore Self-loading pistols Revolvers *Other rifled handguns *Smooth-bore handguns Long guns Rifled Smooth-bore *Other *Other Sub- Self- Manually- Self- Manually- Machine rifled smooth- machine loading operated loading operated guns long bore long guns rifles rifles shotguns shotguns guns guns 42 The second variant of classification is special purpose guns, manually-operated nothing more but an extended version of handguns, one-shot smooth-bore handguns, the first one. It can be observed that the etc. (table 2) [3]. third classification row can be further For every each one of the categories there expanded with rows of subcategories, thus will always be some outliers that may making it more detailed. In this case, the represent a different subcategory or may main categories have been colored in red, come as a discrepancy, different therefore it can be seen how the categories generations for a specific subcategory and intersect with the classification stages. carbine versions likewise. A further Furthermore, the extended variant lacks the analysis will also take into account the presence of ‘other types of guns’ which possibility of structuring a subcategory of came in the last table as a completion with firearms based on their action type and also other peculiar and rare sources of on different parts that define its particular ordnance, such as handcrafted guns, characteristics as a subcategory. Table 2 Extended version of firearms categories classification Handguns Rifled Self-loading pistols Revolvers Semi-automatic pistol Machine pistol (MP) − Long guns Rifled Rifles Anti-materiel Self-loading rifles Manually-operated rifles rifle (AMR) Designated Semi- Assault Battle marksman Repeating automatic Sniper rifle − rifle rifle rifle rifle rifle (DMR) Machine Guns General Squad Heavy Light purpose Medium Submachine automatic Automatic machine machine machine machine gun gun (SMG) weapon rifle gun gun (LMG) gun (MMG) (SAW) (HMG) (GPMG) Smooth-bore Shotguns Self-loading shotguns Manually-operated shotguns Semi-automatic shotgun Full-automatic shotgun − − 43 Handguns Rifles Semi-automatic pistols are divided by their Semi-automatic and repeating rifles refer to trigger action, more precisely traditional everything that has to do with civilian double-action (TDA) (also called single- ordnance whether they come with action/double-action (SA/DA) or reversed) attachments like scopes and bipods or if and double-action only (DAO) (also they are built in a carbine variant. They can encountered as simply double-action). In a also be used in relation with the old service traditional double-action, the user has rifles of both world wars. Those rifles come access and can manually-operate the in three different versions: full length (total hammer even though it is not required, thus length between 760-810 mm), universal combining the ability of a gun to fire both short (total length between 610-660 mm) in single-action and double-action as well. and carbines (total length between 430-510 As for double-action only, the hammer is mm). A carbine, in general, can either be a found inside the frame (‘hammerless’, as it short version of a rifle or a smaller caliber is sometimes called), it is not exposed version of a rifle, used in both civilian and outside the gun so the user cannot cock it military contexts [3]. manually at his wish. Hence, the visual Designated marksman and sniper rifles are difference between the two is based whether military type-only of guns when using such the gun’s hammer is visible or not to the terminology. In principle, a DMR will outside of the frame, behind the slide [5]. always be semi-automatic with a detachable Machine pistols (MP) do not benefit of any box magazine designated to be used at a subclassification like their semi-automatic platoon level to engage targets not further counterpart, but they can be met in a carbine than 800-1000 m.