Information About ™Gun |
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]] variant]] fires a full broadside of nine 16"/50 and six 5"/38 guns during a target exercise near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico , 1 July 1984.]] EXPLANATION A gun is a mechanical device that fires Projectile s at high velocity, using a propellant such as Gun Powder or compressed air. The projectile, usually rated under various sizes, such as "caliber" or "millimeter", are fired through a hollow tube known as the gun's barrel. Related to Musket s, the modern gun is more advanced in technology. The term gun is often used as a synonym to Firearm , but in its more technical usage refers only to Artillery that fires projectiles at a high velocity along a flat trajectory, such as Anti-aircraft Artillery , Field Guns , Tank Gun s and Anti-tank Gun s, and Naval Guns . A Gunner is a member of the team charged with the task of operating and firing a gun. Mortar s and all hand-held firearms are excluded from this definition. The exception to this is the Shotgun , which is hand-held, has a smooth bore and fires a Cartridge of Pellet s or a chunk of lead called a sluge. See the related article on Firearm s for information on weapons informally known as guns. The word gun is also applied to some more or less vaguely gun-like Tool s, such as Staple Gun s and Glue Guns . In a Gun-type Fission Weapon the "gun" is part of a Nuclear Weapon . The "projectile" is Fissile Material that is fired and captured inside the device. In the case of Nuclear Artillery it should not be confused with the gun that fires the whole warhead. At times, the word gun is used to describe the person holding the weapon rather than the weapon itself, as in "a hired gun". Etymology: "gun" is found in Middle English as "gonne", and seems to come from the Germanic woman's name Gunhild or Gundhild = "war sword", applied to an early Cannon . SEE ALSO ''See Firearm for the main rifle and gun page.'' GUN RELATED TOPICS Types of weapons Theory
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