A firearm is a device that hurls out the projectile with force. The force is produced by the expansion of the gases that are caused due to the burning of primer and propellant powders. Improvised firearms are generally made up of cheap quality iron tubes, sanitary pipes, and bicycle tubes, etc.

Although some regular firearms may have an advanced operating mechanism, both regular firearms and improvised firearms have some parts in common, including the barrel, action, stock, and lock.

This article provides information on improvised firearm and regular firearms in detail.

Comparison of Improvised Firearm and Regular Firearm

The ballistics of the improvised firearm and regular firearm differ in various aspects.

Improvised firearms are sometimes referred to as pipe guns, zip guns, or slam guns. They are manufactured with the help of the existing materials. Improvised firearms range in standard from the crude guns that are dangerous to the user and high standard firearms used in the cottage industries. Regular firearms on the other hand, are the ones manufactured by a gunsmith or a firearm manufacturer.

Improvised firearms are more often as a tool by criminals and the insurgents or the groups associated with them. Both regular and improvised firearms have few parts in common essential for firing a projectile, including a barrel, stock, lock, and action. Although these parts are common in both firearms, the ballistics of each differs based on their manufacturing.

Types of Improvised Firearms

  • ZIP GUN is usually the homemade crude firearm comprised of a barrel, breech block, and a firing mechanism. These are among the commonly used improvised firearm.
  • PEN GUNS are the ones that resemble ink pens. These guns are generally of small calibre and are single shots. They are sometimes used to fire blank cartridges or even tear gases at times.
  • PIPE GUNS are made using two pipes that are made to fit snugly together and an end cap. These are also single-shot guns. These guns fire shotgun shells.
  • CONCEALED BOLTGUN is a homemade .22 calibre gun that fires a single 0.22 stringer. The firearm is about 5 to 8 inches in diameter and 4 inches long.
  • FOLDING GUN is the smallest firearm one can ever buy. It comprises a grip that folds over the barrel and the cylinder. These guns have 5 shots of .22 calibre pistols.
  • MOBILE GUNS are guns that can fire four rounds of .22 calibre with a touch of a standard keypad.
  • TEAR GAS GUN is a non-lethal gun of .22 calibre.
  • POCKET GUNS are single-shot guns consisting of double action. The downsizer corp made this firearm. These firearms measure 3 ¼ inches long, 2 ¼ inches tall, and are .90 inches thick.
  • REAL COLOURIZED GUNS are the ones that are either painted or coated with a coloured ceramic coating or are wrapped with a colour tape that are confused with the toy guns.

Types of Regular Firearm

  • HANDGUNS are the guns used single-handedly and are the smallest of all firearms. Handguns consist of two types, i.e., pistols and revolvers. Revolvers consist of a firing chamber that consists of the charges. Pistols are firearms that consist of a fixed chamber and a magazine that stores the ammunition.
  • RIFLES are the long barrel firearm fired by resting the weapon on the shoulder. This firearm consists of rifling inside the barrel that imparts a spin to the projectile.
  • SHOTGUNS are the ones with no rifling inside the barrel and shoot a large number of small projectiles.
  • MACHINE GUN is a fully automatic firearm. These firearms continuously load and fire the ammunition until the trigger is released.
  • SUBMACHINE GUNS are hand-held guns that consist of low-energy handgun-type cartridges.

Differences Between Improvised Firearm and Regular Firearm

This table enlists the differences between an improvised firearm and regular firearm.

PARAMETERSREGULAR FIREARMIMPROVISED  FIREARM
Firearm IdentityThese firearms consist of barrels that are either drilled from a solid bar or made from tubing. These barrels are then reamed to make the surface smooth and then rifled to give a spin to the projectiles.The bore surfaces and the breech faces of an improvised firearm consist of rough surfaces. These hence produce a large number of microscopic irregularities.Firing pins are often protruding excessively in an improvised firearm.
Direction of FiringThe bore of these firearms are comparatively smaller in diameter and hence the propellant is completely combusted and the unburnt particles left behind are far fewer. These unburnt particles come out of the barrel and are propelled in the direction of firing.These consist of a bore of large diameter. As a result, the propellant gases leak past the projectile in the barrel and the pressure on the burning propellant is reduced. These unburnt particles come out of the barrel and are propelled in the direction of firing.
Penetration CapabilityThe muzzle velocity of projectiles that are fired from a regular firearm is more as compared to the improvised firearm.The muzzle velocity of projectiles fired from an improvised firearm is very less.
Types The various types of regular firearms involve handguns, shotguns, rifles, pistols and revolvers, submachine guns, and machine guns.The various types of improvised firearms include briefcase guns, zip guns, pen guns, pipe guns, concealed guns, folding guns, etc.
Categories: Ballistics

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