VAPA - Types of Handguns

TYPES OF HANDGUNS

The handguns that are used in Target Pistol Shooting will generally fall into three broad categories.

(1) SINGLE SHOT;

The single-shot handgun can be divided into three categories.

(a) AIR PISTOL: A handgun firing a projectile propelled by compressed air or CO².

(b) FREE PISTOL: A handgun firing a 0.22 calibre rimfire cartridge and being specifically designed for 50 metre precision shooting.

(c) SINGLE SHOT SILHOUETTE PISTOL: A handgun designed solely for silhouette competitions and chambered for very powerful cartridges, including rifle calibres such as 30-30.

(2) SEMI-AUTOMATIC;

These handguns range in calibre from 0.22 rimfire shorts to 0.45 ACP. The accuracy of these handguns ranges from extremely accurate for competition designed handguns to barely passable for military type handguns such as the 9mm Browning Hi-Power and the 0.45 semi-automatic. Military type handguns can be accurized by reputable gun-smiths, but as they were originally designed as an officer’s last resort, reliability was considered more important than accuracy.

(3) REVOLVERS;

As most people are familiar with the general design of a revolver it is not necessary to go into great detail, however revolvers do come in two general types.

(a) SINGLE ACTION REVOLVERS: With this type of revolver the hammer must be manually cocked for each shot before the trigger can be squeezed. Black powder revolvers also fall into this category.

(b) DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVERS: With this type of revolver a squeeze of the trigger will both cock the hammer and fire the cartridge, however for accurate and precise aim, the hammer may be cocked manually which allows for a lighter trigger pull when firing. Revolvers range in calibre from the 0.22 rim-fire to the 0.44 magnum and a few even more powerful.

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