The underlying principle behind all firearms, everything from cannons and muskets to shotguns, rifles and hand guns, is the same. Take a sealed metal tube with an opening at one end (called a bore), drill a hole in the sealed end (the breech) and pack it with gunpowder. Thread a flammable length of material called a fuse through the hole and into the gunpowder. Place a cannon ball on top of the gunpowder. Understand how this works and it will be easier to understand what Glock accessories are used for.
When the fuse is lit, the gunpowder ignites, creating a large volume of very hot gas. The pressure on the cannon ball as a result of the gas is greater than the atmospheric pressure coming in through the open end, so it is propelled out of the tube at a high rate. Note that it is the momentum of the cannon ball (mass times acceleration) that causes the damage at the other end; the projectile itself does not ignite or explode.
Early handguns like the flintlock and the percussion pistol, often used for dueling, had a disadvantage in that they could only fire one shot at a time. While this is acceptable in the dueling scenario, when gentlemen are expected to be decent enough shots that a single shot does the job, it doesn't work so well on the battlefield. The next generation of hand guns was the revolver. Here, the projectiles, or bullets, were placed in a revolving chamber which moved forward one bullet after each shot. This was in the 19th century.
Revolvers were nice, but people still couldn't kill each other quick enough. They needed the semi-automatic pistol. Instead of a revolving cylinder that only held six shots, pistols relied on bullets placed in carriers called magazines that were placed in the handle, or the butt, of the pistol. Larger pistols could hold as many as 15 bullets.
The trigger action in a pistol is also lighter than that of a revolver. The down side of the semi-auto pistol is that it has a capacity to jam, a feat that is nigh impossible for the revolver. Lastly, automatic pistols fire bullets automatically as soon as they load into the chamber.
The Glock is an example of a semi-automatic pistol. Designed by engineer Gaston Glock in the late 1970s, the Glock semi-automatic answered the needs of the Austrian army, in need of a new sidearm. Glock owned a company that had made a success out of manufacturing things like grenades and knives using plastic. He and his engineers got together and entered a design using a plastic frame and other parts made of steel.
The Austrian Defense Ministry approved of the design and initially ordered 25,000 of the semi-automatic plastic pistols. Made in all major calibers, the Glock 9 mm has become America's most popular hand gun. One of the most important accessories for the weapon is the magazine. Glock magazines are designed to hold more ammunition than other gun designs.
What is intriguing about the Glock magazine is the difference between those made for use in European military and law enforcement agencies, and the one preferred by American users. The practice of allowing the magazine to drop onto the ground is frowned upon by shooters in Europe, while the Americans insist on it.
When the fuse is lit, the gunpowder ignites, creating a large volume of very hot gas. The pressure on the cannon ball as a result of the gas is greater than the atmospheric pressure coming in through the open end, so it is propelled out of the tube at a high rate. Note that it is the momentum of the cannon ball (mass times acceleration) that causes the damage at the other end; the projectile itself does not ignite or explode.
Early handguns like the flintlock and the percussion pistol, often used for dueling, had a disadvantage in that they could only fire one shot at a time. While this is acceptable in the dueling scenario, when gentlemen are expected to be decent enough shots that a single shot does the job, it doesn't work so well on the battlefield. The next generation of hand guns was the revolver. Here, the projectiles, or bullets, were placed in a revolving chamber which moved forward one bullet after each shot. This was in the 19th century.
Revolvers were nice, but people still couldn't kill each other quick enough. They needed the semi-automatic pistol. Instead of a revolving cylinder that only held six shots, pistols relied on bullets placed in carriers called magazines that were placed in the handle, or the butt, of the pistol. Larger pistols could hold as many as 15 bullets.
The trigger action in a pistol is also lighter than that of a revolver. The down side of the semi-auto pistol is that it has a capacity to jam, a feat that is nigh impossible for the revolver. Lastly, automatic pistols fire bullets automatically as soon as they load into the chamber.
The Glock is an example of a semi-automatic pistol. Designed by engineer Gaston Glock in the late 1970s, the Glock semi-automatic answered the needs of the Austrian army, in need of a new sidearm. Glock owned a company that had made a success out of manufacturing things like grenades and knives using plastic. He and his engineers got together and entered a design using a plastic frame and other parts made of steel.
The Austrian Defense Ministry approved of the design and initially ordered 25,000 of the semi-automatic plastic pistols. Made in all major calibers, the Glock 9 mm has become America's most popular hand gun. One of the most important accessories for the weapon is the magazine. Glock magazines are designed to hold more ammunition than other gun designs.
What is intriguing about the Glock magazine is the difference between those made for use in European military and law enforcement agencies, and the one preferred by American users. The practice of allowing the magazine to drop onto the ground is frowned upon by shooters in Europe, while the Americans insist on it.
