Hello and Welcome To The Rifle Guide:
 Here you will find various articles and technical information on rifles including; rifle cartridges ballistics and practical uses, reloading, gunsmithing, shooting and rifle hunting information.

 Below you will find pictures, detailed drawings along with a list of common terms and or terminology associated with rifles defining what a rifle is and the different aspects thereof.

Rifle Terms;
 Rifle - U.S.A. legal description and definition - A shoulder fired gun having a barrel length of at least 16 inches with rifling in the barrels bore, or a barrel having a rifled bore.

Rifled Barrel Terms;
 Barrel - The part of the rifle through which projectiles pass in their travel from the chamber or breech to the muzzle.
 Bore - The interior of a rifle's barrel excluding the chamber.
 Breech - In modern firearms, that portion of the rifle barrel through which the cartridge is inserted.
 Caliber - The nominal diameter of a projectile of a rifled firearm or the diameter between lands in a rifled barrel.
 Chamber - The rear part of the rifle barrel that is formed to accept the cartridge to be fired.
 Muzzle - The forward end of a rifle barrel; the point from which the projectile leaves the barrel.
 Rifling - Spiral grooves in a gun's bore that consist of lands and grooves which spin the projectile in flight and impart accuracy. Rifling is present in all true rifles.
 Throat - The unrifled forward portion of the chamber, tapered to meet the rifle barrel bore.

Types Of Rifles;
 1. Breech Loader - Any rifle in which the loading is accomplished from the breech.
 2. Muzzle loader - Any rifle with a solid breech, thereby necessitating loading through the muzzle of the rifle.

1. Breech Loader Rifle Types;
 Air-Rifle - A rifle that propels a projectile by compressed air.
 Center-Fire Rifle - A rifle cartridge which has a centrally located primer in the base of the case, which is for the most part removable. (Reloadable)
 Rim-Fire Rifle - A rifle cartridge which contains the priming mixture within the rim of the base of the cartridge. (Not Reloadable)

2. Modern Muzzle Loader Rifle Types;
 Flint Ignition - Where flint strikes a piece of steel making sparks to ignite a powder charge.
 Percussion Cap Ignition (Rim-Fire) - Where a percussion cap is placed over a nipple and a hammer must strike the rim of the cap to ignite a powder charge in the barrel.
 Primer Ignition (Center-Fire) - Where a modern design center-fire primer must be struck in the center by a hammer or firing pin to ignite a powder charge in the barrel.

Rifle Action;
 Action - The working mechanism of a rifle of which there are several types that may mechanically load and or fire ammunition.

Rifle Action Types;
 Automatic Action - A rifle mechanism designed to feed cartridges, fire them, eject their empty cases and repeat this cycle as long as the trigger is depressed.
 Bolt Action - A rifle mechanism activated by manual operation of the breech block that resembles a common door bolt.
 Break Action - A rifle mechanism lacking a magazine where separately carried ammunition must be manually placed in the rifles chamber or chambers for each firing.
 Lever Action - A rifle mechanism activated by manual operation of a lever.
 Semi-Automatic Action - A rifle mechanism designed to fire a single cartridge, eject the empty case and reload the chamber each time the trigger is pulled.
 Sidelock - A type of action, where the moving parts are located on the side lock plates inletted in the stock.
 Slide Action - A rifle mechanism activated by manual operation of a horizontally sliding handle almost always located under the barrel. "Pump action" is a synonym for "slide action".