Semi-Automatic Handguns for Target Shooting: Practice Tips for the Gun Range

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Chad. We’re talking about rifle and pistol shooting and we are going to talk about semi-automatic handguns in this segment. This is a semi-automatic handgun here. It is a Springfield 45. Basically a semi-automatic feeds from what’s called a magazine. You put the ammunition inside the magazine, place it inside the gun, and then you release what’s called the slide- this is the slide. As the slide comes forward, it strips off a round off the top of that magazine and puts it into the barrel. And each time you fire, the slide comes back and feeds off another round. Again and again until the magazine is completely empty. So basically, as the slide slips forward, you can see it would strip off a round off the top of that magazine, put it into the barrel. As you pull the trigger, it would fire. The gas pressure would cause the slide to come back, put another one in, over and over and over. That’s basically how a semi-automatic works. There are various kinds, but they all work on that same basic principle. "