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SIG Pro semi-automatic pistol
A model M1911A1 pistol

A pistol is a type of handgun. The pistol originates in the 16th century, when early handguns were produced in Europe. The English word was introduced in ca. 1570 from the Middle French pistolet (ca. 1550). The most common types of pistol are the single shot and semi-automatic.


Some handgun experts and dictionaries make a technical distinction that views pistols as a subset of handguns; others use the terms interchangeably. Sometimes in usage, the term "pistol" refers to a handgun having one chamber integral with the barrel,[1][2] making pistols distinct from the other main type of handgun, the revolver, which has a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers.[3][4] But UK/rest of Commonwealth usage does not always make this distinction, particularly when the terms are used by the military. For example, the official designation of the Webley Mk VI revolver was "Pistol, Revolver, Webley, No. 1 Mk VI".[5] In contrast to Merriam-Webster[3][4] the Oxford English Dictionary (a descriptive dictionary) describes 'pistol' as a small firearm to be used in one hand[6] and the usage of "revolver" as being a type of handgun[7] and gives its original form as "revolving pistol"[7][8]

History and etymology

European hand cannon (Germany, about 1475)


The etymology of the French word pistolet is disputed. It may be from a Czech word for early hand cannons, píšťala "whistle", or alternatively from Italian pistolese, after Pistoia, a city renowned for Renaissance-era gunsmithing, where hand-held guns (designed to be fired from horseback) were first produced in the 1540s.[9]




The most common types of pistol are the single shot, and semi-automatic.

Single shot

French Navy pistol model 1837

Single shot handguns were mainly seen during the era of flintlock and musket weaponry where the pistol was loaded with a lead ball and fired by a flint striker, and then later a percussion cap. However, as technology improved, so did the single shot pistol. New operating mechanisms were created, and due to this, they are still made today. It is the oldest type of pistol,[citation needed] and is often used to hunt wild game.

Multi-barreled (non-rotating)

Multi-barreled pistols were common during the same time as single shot pistols. As designers looked for ways to increase fire rates, multiple barrels were added to all guns including pistols. One example of a multi-barreled pistol is the Duck's foot pistol, which generally had either four or eight barrels,[12] although some 20th century models had three barrels.[13]

Harmonica pistol






Semi-automatic pistol Grand Power K100 Target produced in Slovakia

The semi-automatic pistol was the next step in the development of the pistol. By avoiding multiple chambers—which need to be individually reloaded—semi-automatic pistols delivered faster rates of fire and required only a few seconds to reload (depending on the skill of the shooter). In blowback-type semi-automatics, the recoil force is used to push the slide back and eject the shell (if any) so that the magazine spring can push another round up; then as the slide returns, it chambers the round. An example of a modern blow back action semi-automatic pistol is the Walther PPK. Blowback pistols are some of the more simply designed handguns. Many semi-automatic pistols today operate on a short-recoil operated locked-breech design. This design is often coupled with the Browning type tilting barrel. An example of this type of pistol could be a Glock 17.

Machine pistol

Luger P08 "Artillery Pistol"


  12. ^ Newton, Mike (15 April 2012). Writing Westerns: How to Craft Novels that Evoke the Spirit of the West. F+W Media, Inc. 
  13. ^ Shideler, Dan (24 September 2009). "Jeepers Creepers, Where'd You Get That Pieper?". Gundigest.com. Retrieved 19 January 2015. 
  14. ^ "Jarre harmonica pistol". Forums.taleworlds.com. Retrieved 23 December 2017. 
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