pistol

Short light handgun that is held in one hand; it is loaded with a magazine inside the butt.

magazine base

The bottom of the magazine.

butt

The bottom part of the gun that is used to hold and aim it.

magazine catch

Device that joins the magazine to the butt.

trigger

Device that is pressed to fire the weapon.

trigger guard

Metal piece covering and protecting the trigger.

slide

Movable part used to load the weapon; it recoils when a shot is fired and pushes a new cartridge into the chamber of the barrel.

magazine

Device that slides into the butt of the pistol; it contains from seven to 17 cartridges, which are automatically fed into the barrel of the pistol.

hammer

Part that triggers the shot by striking the firing pin, which in turn strikes the cartridge primer causing the powder charge to explode.

rear sight

Notch in the weapon’s rear sight; the rear sight is lined up with the front sight when taking aim.

barrel

Tubular part that guides the trajectory of the projectile.

front sight

Metal aiming device attached to the front of the barrel.

cartridge

Ammunition consisting of a projectile (ball or lead), an explosive charge (gunpowder) and a primer collected inside a casing.