Operating firearm actions: bolt, lever, pump, break and semi-automatic

What the "action" does

The action is the group of moving parts that loads, fires, extracts and ejects cartridges. In the practical test you must identify the action, find the safety and the action release, and load and unload it (with dummy ammunition) while applying ACTS and PROVE. Each action type differs mainly in how you open it and how cartridges feed.

Action	How you open it	Typical magazine	Notes
Bolt	Lift the bolt handle and pull it back	Box (fixed or detachable), sometimes tubular	Bolt can usually be removed - a legal storage option for non-restricted firearms
Lever	Swing the lever down and forward	Tubular under the barrel (some box)	Some have a lever or trigger-block safety: will not fire unless the lever is pressed fully against the stock
Pump (slide)	Press the action release, then pull the fore-end back	Tubular (shotguns), box (rifles)	The action release is usually near the trigger guard
Break (hinge)	Push the top lever or button and tip the barrel(s) down	None - single or double barrel	Easiest to see that the chamber is empty
Semi-automatic	Pull back the operating handle and lock it open	Tubular or box	Fires one shot per trigger pull and reloads itself using recoil or gas

Key fact: A semi-automatic fires one cartridge per pull of the trigger and automatically reloads the next cartridge. An automatic fires continuously while the trigger is held - automatic firearms are prohibited.

Safeties you must recognize

• Slide / tang safety - slides forward/back; on top of the receiver on many shotguns, on the side of many rifles.
• Pivot / lever / rocker safety - a small lever, often beside the bolt above the trigger area.
• Wing safety - a flag-like lever on the bolt of some bolt-actions.
• Trigger block / lever safety - on some lever-actions; the gun fires only when the lever is squeezed against the stock.
• Hammer half-cock - on some lever-actions and muzzleloaders: hammer fully forward (a blow could fire it), half-cock (safety considered on), full cock (ready to fire). Not all half-cock positions are safeties - check the manual.
• Cross-bolt (push-button) safety - pushed sideways through the trigger guard; a red band usually means the safety is off (ready to fire). Markings vary, so check the manual with the firearm unloaded.

Key fact: Always use the safety, but never rely on it. A safety can fail and a hard blow can fire some firearms with the safety on.