There comes a point in every gun enthusiast’s evolution where they inevitably gain interest in how their firearms work, known as the “action.” This may seem like arbitrary information to a newbie, but it’s actually a critical part of responsible firearm ownership.
By understanding the action of a firearm, you’ll be better equipped to fix any problems you run into while operating the gun. For example, clearing a jam from a pump-action shotgun is completely different than doing so with a semi-auto shotgun. If you don’t understand how these actions contrast, two things will happen:
1. You won’t be able to fix a malfunction in the field.
2. You’ll have to ask your gun-savvy friends for help.
Fortunately, firearm actions aren’t too complicated. Let’s break down what the action of a firearm is and how the seven types of actions differ.
What Is A Firearm Action?
The term “action” can be a bit clunky for newer gun enthusiasts, since it can mean different things for different guns. Essentially, a gun’s action is the mechanism it uses to load, shoot, and reload ammunition. It’s the particular way in which your gun goes boom.
For the purpose of education, we’ll define different types of actions in two primary categories:
- Basic Handgun Action Styles: These four core styles of action determine how most handguns actually make the bullet fire.
- General Firearm Action Types: These seven types of action determine how both rifles and handguns reload new cartridges into the chamber.
There are several different combinations of styles and types you’ll find across firearms, although the four basic handgun action styles are mostly exclusive to pistols (with the exception of a few antique rifle models). In some cases, you can find two versions of the same firearm with different actions, and they may look identical from the outside. Plus, firearms technology is constantly evolving, and new advancements typically involve something to do with the firearm’s action. The possibilities are somewhat endless.
The 4 Basic Styles of Handgun Actions
When it comes to actually making a handgun shoot, the action generally refers to the function of the fire control group (AKA the “trigger group”). When you pull a handgun trigger, it sets an entire series of events into motion to make a bullet exit the muzzle. Here are the basic functions for how different handgun actions fire bullets:
- Single-Action: The oldest type of firearm action still in modern use, it means that pulling the trigger only makes the hammer move forward to strike the firing pin. Some other piece may cock the gun, or the operator may need to cock the hammer manually. Old West revolvers were all single-action, as is the famous 1911 pistol.
- Double-Action: Developed after the introduction of single-action firearms, double-action triggers (also called “double action only” or “DAO”) both cock the hammer and release it forward to hit the firing pin. Many modern revolvers use this technology, as do countless pistols, like the Beretta 92D.
- Single-Action/Double-Action: This form of firearm action has become increasingly popular in recent years. Essentially, a single-action/double-action gun involves some elements of both functions. For example, some revolvers (such as the standard Sig Sauer P226) allow the operator to pull the trigger to move the hammer back and forward while also letting them cock the hammer with their thumb. This allows them to choose whether to use the gun in single- or double-action mode.
- Striker-Fired: Essentially a variation of the “single action only,” striker-fired guns have become increasingly popular since the 1980s thanks to the ubiquitous Glock. Striker-fired guns don’t actually have a hammer at all. Instead, the trigger releases spring tension on the firing pin itself, letting it move forward to strike the primer and fire the bullet.
The 7 General Types of Firearm Actions
Today, we have seven main types of firearm actions (with handguns or rifles) which determine how new rounds are loaded into the chamber. These are not exclusive, either. Some of the 4 basic action styles above may be found to coincide with many of these action types described below. Here’s how the different types work:
Bolt-Action
Bolt actions are one of the oldest reloading systems still in modern use. With bolt-action rifles, the operator manually twists the bolt open and pulls it back to eject an empty casing and load a fresh cartridge. Many bolt-action rifles have a magazine to feed new cartridges into the chamber, but some are single-shot.
The extremely simple design means that bolt-action guns almost never jam. Additionally, they make great suppressor hosts, since there’s no way for expanding gas to escape (and make noise) without the operator physically operating the bolt. Most bolt-action guns are rifles, like the timeless Remington 700. However, some bolt-action shotguns exist, too, like the Savage Arms 212 Slug.
Revolvers
These types of firearms (usually pistols) are also extremely reliable. Revolvers can be either single-action, double-action, or both, depending on how they’re designed. Invented by Samuel Colt in the 1830s, cowboys, militaries, and law enforcement alike all quickly adopted these new firearms. Smith & Wesson, Colt, and Beretta were the first to use this design, with the leading model being the Colt 1911. They remained a perennial favorite of police forces in the US. That is, until Glock began to rise in popularity in the mid-late 1990’s. Truth be told, however, H&K had the first striker fired gun in the 1970’s — but it was only available in Europe.
With most modern revolvers, the operator can either pull the trigger to fire the gun (double-action) or manually cock the hammer with their thumb (single-action). This movement cycles the cylinder, in which individual chambers each contain a single round.
While most modern revolvers have a six-shot capacity, some (like the Smith & Wesson 686 Plus) have a seven-shot capacity. Others, like the Ruger Redhawk, even crank the capacity up to a whopping eight shots.
Lever-Action
As another old-school reloading system, lever-action rifles usually consist of a lever connected to the trigger guard. After the operator pulls the trigger, they move the lever forward and away from themselves to eject the empty casing and load a new cartridge.
Lever-action rifles are iconic and instantly recognizable as “the gun that won the West.” Lever actions are most common among rifles, although some lever-action shotguns also exist. Lever-action rifles, like the Henry .30-30, are popular among whitetail deer hunters. Arnold Swarzennegger famously wielded a Winchester Model 1887 lever-action shotgun as the heroic T-800 Model 101 cyborg in Terminator 2.
Pump-Action (Slide-Action)
If you imagine a shotgun, chances are you’re envisioning a pump-action gun. While pump actions are most popular on shotguns, pump-action rifles also exist (especially in places with strict gun-control laws that ban semi-auto actions).
Functionally, pump-action guns are similar to lever-action guns, except that the support hand (not the shooting hand) manipulates the action. Some pump-action guns allow the operator to “slam fire,” meaning they can hold down the trigger and pump the action to instantly fire the next round.
Michael Biehn’s character Kyle Reese used a trusty Ithaca 37 shotgun to combat robots from the future in the original Terminator. Remington also makes the 7600, a big-bore pump-action rifle chambered in .30-06.
Break-Action (Hinge)
This was the first development in firearm actions since the advent of the muzzleloader. A break-action gun splits open on a hinge at the chamber (called a “breech”). The operator then removes their empty casings and places new ones in. This makes break-action guns some of the most reliable firearms, simply because there are essentially no moving parts to jam.
While some niche break-action rifles exist, they’re extremely rare, like the Uberti Trapdoor. Instead, this type of firearm function is usually reserved for high-end trap shotguns. Break-action shotguns generally have two separate barrels, which is advantageous since you can install a different choke on each barrel for better control over your shot pattern.
Semi-Automatic (Autoloading)
Semi-automatic is the most modern type of firearm action (“modern” being a relative term, since the technology has been available for more than a century). With a semi-auto gun, each trigger pull fires a single bullet. As this happens, a mechanical function (which varies between models) causes the gun to automatically eject an empty casing and load a new one from a magazine. This most often involves capturing the energy of expanding gasses released from the cartridge to propel the bullet forward.
Many of today’s most iconic firearms use this kind of technology. For example, the civilian-legal versions of the AR-15 and AKM (AK-47) utilize semi-auto technology, as do most modern pistols. Autoloading functionality gives these weapons a high rate of fire in comparison to other actions, making them useful for many different applications.
Full-Automatic
While semi-auto guns are some of the most common among civilians, members of the military, law enforcement, and extremely wealthy people get to enjoy full-auto fire. In contrast to semi-auto functionality, fully automatic weapons (also called “machine guns”) fire multiple bullets per trigger pull. Some full-auto guns will keep spraying lead as long as you hold the trigger, while others will only fire three-shot bursts.
Regardless of how many bullets they shoot per trigger pull, these guns have extremely high rates of fire. For example, a full-auto AK or M16 will shoot about 600 rounds per minute. It’s difficult for these guns to sustain such a high rate of fire, though, since they tend to get extremely hot. Some circles refer to the full-auto function as the “giggle switch” or “fun switch.”
In the United States, these guns are mostly unobtainable by regular civilians, though. Congress added machine guns as regulated weapons under the National Firearms Act (NFA) in 1984, prohibiting unlicensed individuals from building or selling them. As a result, a limited number of civilian-legal machine guns exist, and that number can never increase. The scarcity, in turn, has inflated the price of these weapons. The cheapest machine gun money can buy will run you north of $10,000.
The Role of Caliber in Firearm Actions
While the two aren't directly related, a firearm’s caliber can definitely affect its action. Generally, the bigger a cartridge is, the lower its chances of being semi-auto. For example, you tend to find high-caliber weapons chambered in .308 or .30-06 using bolt actions to operate. These rounds are so powerful that the recoil would make firing them in semi-auto extremely difficult.
You need only to look at the M14 rifle’s history to see this paradigm in action. Back in the 1960s and 70s, the military issued fully automatic M14s to soldiers in Vietnam. However, these guns proved to be hazardously uncontrollable, and the military moved on to the M16 chambered in the smaller 5.56x45, modifying the M14 to a semi-auto rifle only. The M14 continued to be used as a military service rifle, but as a designated marksman’s rifle alongside the M16.
That isn’t to say there’s no such thing as a semi-auto .308 or .30-06 (the AR-10 and M1 Garand come to mind), but you’ll generally find these guns in bolt-action configurations. Likewise, smaller calibers provide less recoil. As a result, guns chambered in smaller cartridges like .223 (the “AR-15 caliber”) frequently use semi-auto functionality.
Cartridges and Functions
In addition to ballistics considerations, different cartridges make more sense for different applications. Hunters who use bolt-action guns for big game like elk usually don’t need to take follow-up shots. Instead, they choose their shots carefully and use a large caliber to take down their prey.
This applies not only to rifles but also to pistols. If you’re bringing a pistol into the backcountry to defend yourself against wild animals, you’re going to want something with a lot of stopping power that you don’t really need to worry about concealing. That’s why many outdoorsy people choose guns like .357 or .44 Magnum revolvers.
In contrast, if you’re mainly using your gun for self-defense in an urban area, you’ll want excellent concealment. You also don’t need a huge caliber, since stopping a grizzly bear probably won’t be a concern. Instead, you just need something you can shoot quickly with a high capacity, so a semi-auto pistol will do the job just fine.
Final Thoughts
This is just a cursory overview of the major types of firearm actions, but reading about them can only get you so far. The best way to understand how a gun works is by rolling up your sleeves and sending some lead downrange!
Knowing how to safely operate, disassemble, and clean your gun is imperative for gun owners. To do that, you need to know a bit more about how your gun loads, fires, and reloads ammo. Without this knowledge of firearm actions, you aren’t really “armed” — you’re just a newb carrying a gun, and that’s not a good combination. Do the world a favor and learn how to use the powerful tool you’re carrying around.
At Pro Armory, we’re a veteran-operated team of firearm enthusiasts dedicated to helping you achieve a better shooting experience. In addition to shipping ammunition and tactical gear at a great price straight to your door, we also offer training to help you learn how to use your firearm more effectively.
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