Rifle of hunting

A rifle is a firearm with stick, with long gun, and whose heart is striped in the shape of spiral. The grooves inside the heart have as a function to impregnate a circular rotation movement with the projectile at the time of its passage in the gun. This rotation movement on itself of the projectile confers a great stability to him and thus allows him to reach a long distance with a good precision.

History

Origins

In the past, the mousquet was an unrifled bore weapon projecting of the heavy and spherical projectiles. Because, at the time, of the difficulty of producing projectile of a size very precise and adjusted to the diameter of the gun, the projectile was of a diameter slightly lower than this one. This resulted in to make rebound the projectile inside the gun and thus made the shooting extremely vague.

It has been known for the XV century that the addition of groove increases the precision of the projectiles. However, the difficulties and the necessary precision to manufacture this type of gun suitably prevented the production of it before the XIXe century.

The word " carabine" itself goes back approximately to XVIe century and then defined a short mousquet which was the weapon of the " carabins" (riders).

The XIXe century

At the XIX century, the mousquets with grooved gun became increasingly common. The same time knew one second innovation: appearance of weapons and ammunition with loading by the cylinder head. What gave rise to the rifle such as we know it today.

The projectiles also were modified and forsook the spherical form for the cylindrical form, ballistiquement higher and similar to the modern balls (ball of Minié). All during this century, the size and the weight of the projectiles gradually decreased.

It is as during this century as the first rifle with repetition transfer the day. At the end of XIXe, the mechanisms with lever and bolt were of everyday usage on the rifles.

The XXe century

The improvements have to continue to be brought to the innovations of the previous century. The mechanism with bolt of the Mauser type was essential on the beginning of the sièlce like the new standard.

Currently

The rifles do not have to cease evolving/moving since the beginning of XXIe century.

Side of materials, we attend the tendency increasingly generalized to replace, for economic reasons, wood by materials synthetic. Moreover, it is now current to find rifles where steel is replaced by stainless steel in order to ensure a better resistance to rust.

As regards technologies, the use of systems antirecul for the powerful gauges is generalized more and more. We attend also recently the appearance of control systems of the vibrations allowing to increase the precision of shooting appreciably (for example, system BOSS of Browning).

Gauges

The rifles are available in a large variety of Caliber. So they are very general-purpose weapons, each use being covered by suitable gauges.

The gauges of rifle are first of all defined by the internal diameter of the gun in inches (for example, gauges .22) or in millimetres (for example, 7.62mm gauges). Generally, the power of the Caliber is directly proportional to this diameter. Thus, a gauge 7.62mm is more powerful than a gauge 7mm…

Each diameter is then subdivided according to the length and the shape of the ammunition. There is no here definite convention and this information can be indicated by a whole of figures, letters or words. For example, gauges .308,.30-06 and .300 Magnum are all of the gauges with balls of 30/100 inches in diameter (1 inch = 25.4 mm) but forms and lengths different. These gauges, although of the same diameter, are not interchangeable and each rifle must strictly not use that the gauge of ammunition for which it was conceived.

Mechanisms

Rocker has

In a rifle with rocker, the gun disunites cylinder head and turntable (arms) of the system of percussion while rocking of a block forwards, according to an axis perpendicular to the plan of the weapon. The cartridge is inserted into the back of the gun which is then brought back in place.

It is about a mechanism old, sécuraitaire, and highly reliable.

Today, for the rifles, this mechanism is not very popular. The obligatory limitation with only one blow while limiting of much the practical aspect. The mechanisms with rocker are generally cheap weapons or for collectors. This type of rifle is not snuffed for hunting or the military activities where mechanisms with repetition are preferred to them.

With lever

Appeared at the XIXe century, the mechanism with lever is the oldest mechanism of repetition on the rifles.

In this mechanism, the ejection of the empty casing and the loading of a news cartridge are done by actuating a lever located behind the trigger guard. With a little drive, the lever can be actuated by using only the inch and moving the remainder of the hand little, which in fact a relatively fast mechanism.

Very popular during the XIXe century, it gradually lost ground during the Xxème century with the profit of the mechanism with bolt.

With bolt

In the mechanism with bolt, the extraction of the empty casing is carried out by actuating a bolt, using a short lever, of a vertical rotation movement followed by a movement backwards. The loading of a news cartridge is done by carrying out the opposite movement.

The principal disadvantage of this mechanism is its relative slowness. It is about the slowest mechanism with repetition. However, it with the advantage of offering an extremely precise shooting, is able to support powerful loads and its mechanical simplicity makes of it a mechanism of a great reliability, easy to maintain. For these reasons, the mechanism with bolt is today, and by far, the most popular mechanism at the rifles of hunting and sporting. Disciplines where the precision and reliability are much more important than a high rate of shooting.

Semi-automatic

In a semi-automatic rifle, the action of ejection of the case and the loading of a news cartridge are carried out by the diversion of part of gases of the detonation towards the mechanism. The mechanism is primarily actuated by gases and no action is thus necessary on behalf of the gunner. The relaxation must be slackened between each shooting.

This mechanism has the major advantage to ensure a very fast rate of shooting. It presents nevertheless two major disadvantages. The first, and most important, is that it is about the least reliable mechanism. It tends to be stopped more often than the others, in particular in the presence of dust or dirtiness, in cold weather, and undoubtedly in the event of defective ammunition. Its second disadvantage is that of all the mechanisms of rifle, it is about that offering the least precise shooting. The action of gases on the mechanisms initial before the projectile left the gun, that causes vibrations in the weapon causing a reduction in the precision of shooting.

Because of its disadvantages, the semi-automatic rifle remains relatively not very popular near the sporting hunters and gunners, for which reliability and the precision are of importance larger than the fast rate of shooting. They thus prefer the mechanisms with lever or bolt to him, much more reliable and appreciably more precise.

Legal aspects

The majority of the countries have laws and payments framing the use and the possession of the rifles of hunting. This regulation however largely varies from one country to another.

Nevertheless, one finds there usually a legal minimum age as well as the possession of a license or particular certificate. The conditions of obtaining the latter vary however largely according to the countries.

France

The " criterion; weapons of loisir" comes from a power lower or equal to 10 joules (200m/s). They are on sale free for the people of more than 18 years, contrary to more powerful rifles (>10 joules + 22lr) for which or a license hunting permit of shooting in addition to the indentity card are asked.

Canada

In Canada, the possession and the use of the rifles of hunting are governed by the law on the firearms.

In short, the necessary minimum age is 18 years. A license is necessary for the purchase and the possession of the weapon and the ammunition. Obtaining this license requires, inter alia conditions, the follow-up and the success of a preliminary course and the absence of criminal file. The license can also be refused or revoke because of other criteria (for example, objection of the spouse, order of the court…). The recording of the weapon to the Canadian register of the firearms is also obligatory.

Out of the places and periods or the use of the weapon is legal, it must be stored noncharged and vérouillée or made inoperative.

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