Firearms - Shotgun Flashcards
A smooth bore gun designed for firing at short distances.
shotgun
12 gauge (ga) most common; chamber 2-3/4” or 3”.
gauge
Overall 38” with an 18” barrel (standard).
length
Rifle or bead
sights
Full, modified, improved cylinder.
choke
12”, 20”, and 22” barrels most commonly used
barrel
Mechanical device that, when activated, releases the slide.
action/slide release
Long cylinder-shaped tube through which the projectile travels from the chamber.
barrel
Cylindrical steel part containing the firing pin and extractor, which closes the breech end of the barrel for firing.
bolt
Flat steel part that fits onto the action bars and on which the bolt sits.
bolt carrier
Opening on the side or bottom of the receiver; spent casings are ejected from it and live rounds are loaded into this port.
ejection port
Piece of spring steel mounted on the inside left of the receiver; when the action pulls a shell to the rear, it compresses and then releases the ejector as the bolt goes past it. A small extension stops the shell from going further and assists in ejecting the shell from the receiver.
ejector
Metal hook-shaped part mounted on the bolt; the hook engages the rim of the cartridge so that when the action is brought to the rear, the extractor removes the shell from the chamber.
extractor
Wooden or polymer grip near the magazine.
fore-end or slide
Bead or raised post on the front of the barrel used to bring the firearm into alignment for accuracy.
front/bead sight or post
Bottom opening on the receiver that live rounds are fed into or removed from the magazine tube.
loading port
Located on the magazine tube’s end and keeps the barrel in place.
magazine cap
Located under the barrel and holds rounds.
magazine tube
Barrel’s front end.
muzzle
Secondary aligning device located on the receiver or barrel that aligns with the front sight bead or post to bring the shotgun into alignment for accuracy.
rear sight
Holds the trigger group and bolt assembly.
receiver
Mechanical device that prevents a shooter from pulling the trigger and discharging the shotgun.
safety
Slightly rounded steel part that blocks the loading port; catches rounds released from the magazine and raises them into alignment with the chamber.
shell carrier
Two pieces of steel mounted on each side of the inside of the receiver at the magazine’s rear; they help hold the cartridges in the magazine and release them one at a time when the action operates. They are also used to manually unload the shotgun.
shell latches (stops)
Part of the weapon attached to the receiver; a shooter places this on his or her shoulder when firing.
stock
Rear area of the stock that the shooter mounts against the shoulder for firing; normally covered with a metal or plastic butt platte or recoil pad.
butt
Stock’s top edge where the shooter’s cheek rests.
comb
“Small of the stock”, just behind the receiver; the shooter uses the _____ and his or her shooting hand for for control when firing of or carrying it.
grip
Top corner of the butt.
heel
A butt plate, usually rubber, that reduces the effect of the shotgun’s recoil of “kick”.
recoil pad
The bottom part of the butt.
toe
When pulled, this releases the rear (a part that holds the hammer in the cocked position) and activates the firing pin.
trigger
Part of the frame that protects the trigger.
trigger guard
Placing live rounds in the magazine tube or open ejection port.
loading
Removing a round from the magazine tube and placing it in the barrel’s chamber by cycling the weapon, or after placing a round in the open ejection port, pushing the slide forward.
chambering
Closing the action to a locked position by moving the fore-end forward until it stops.
locking
Discharging the weapon by depressing the trigger.
firing
Weapon unlocks when fired.
unlocking
Extractor’s removal of the empty casing from the chamber and pushing the empty casing out of the weapon through the ejection port by manually cycling the slide/fore-end grip to the rear.
extracting/ejecting
