Evolution of firearms, major parts and the three legal classes

From muzzleloaders to cartridges

Firearms developed over centuries, and each step made ignition more reliable:

Stage	How the charge was ignited	Main weakness
Matchlock	A slow-burning cord (match) lowered into a pan of priming powder	Visible, unreliable in rain
Wheel lock	A spinning steel wheel struck sparks from pyrite	Complex and costly
Flintlock	Flint striking a steel (frizzen) threw sparks into the pan	Misfires in damp weather
Percussion cap	A hammer struck a small cap containing a shock-sensitive compound, which flashed through the nipple into the charge	Still loaded from the muzzle
Self-contained cartridge	Case, primer, powder and bullet in one unit	-

Wheel locks and flintlocks share the same basic idea: sparks made by friction ignite powder in a priming pan. The percussion cap replaced sparks with a chemical primer, the same principle used in today's primers.

Modern cartridges made loading faster, made firearms work in wet weather and allowed repeating actions. Firearms also played a large part in Canada's history - in exploration, the fur trade, hunting for food and defence.

Key fact: Muzzleloaders are loaded through the muzzle with black powder or an approved substitute, never with smokeless powder.

Major parts of a firearm

Every firearm has three major parts:

1. Action - the moving parts that load, fire and unload (includes the trigger, hammer/striker, bolt or slide, and the receiver/frame that houses them).
2. Barrel - the tube the projectile travels through. Terms: muzzle (front opening), bore (inside), chamber (rear part that holds the cartridge), breech (rear end of the barrel).
3. Stock (long guns) or frame and grip (handguns) - what you hold.

Other terms you must know:

• Receiver - the housing of the action, to which the barrel and stock attach.
• Magazine - holds cartridges ready to feed (tubular, box, detachable, or the cylinder of a revolver).
• Safety - a mechanical device that blocks the trigger, sear, hammer or firing pin. "Safety on" means the firearm should not fire; "safety off" means it can fire. A safety is never a substitute for ACTS.
• Data stamp - markings on the barrel or receiver showing the calibre or gauge (and often chamber length).

The firing sequence

Trigger pressed → hammer or striker released → firing pin strikes the primer → primer ignites the powder → expanding gas pushes the projectile down the barrel and out of the muzzle.