breechblock
Sign in to saveAlso known as breech block
thumb|400px|right|Illustration of some firearm breechblocks A breechblock (or breech block) is the part of the firearm action that closes the breech of a breech loading weapon (whether small arms or artillery) before or at the moment of firing. It seals the breech and contains the pressure generated by the ignited propellant. Retracting the breechblock allows the chamber to be loaded with a cartridge.
~21 min read
Encyclopedic overview
19 sectionsContents
- Variants
- Rotating bolt
- Sliding block
- Side-hinged breechblock{{anchor|Side-hinged breechblock}}
- Rotating drum{{anchor|Rotating drum}}
- Trapdoor breechblock
- Rolling-block
- Peabody-Martini{{anchor|Peabody-Martini}}
- Tilting block
- In-line
- Blowback
- Floating actions
- Interrupted screw
- Falling screwed breechblock
- Reversed chamber
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb|400px|right|Illustration of some firearm breechblocks A breechblock (or breech block) is the part of the firearm action that closes the breech of a breech loading weapon (whether small arms or artillery) before or at the moment of firing. It seals the breech and contains the pressure generated by the ignited propellant. Retracting the breechblock allows the chamber to be loaded with a cartridge.
Breechblocks are categorised by the type or design of the mechanism by which it is locked or closed for firing. The firearm action more fully refers to the mechanism by which the operator actuates the opening and closing of the breech.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “breechblock” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.