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Long gun
 
 
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The term long gun is used to describe classes of firearm
Firearm

A firearm is a tool that projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined combustion of a propellant....
 and cannon
Cannon

A cannon is any tubular piece of artillery, that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile over a distance....
 with longer barrels
Gun barrel

A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed....
 than other classes. In small arms
Small arms

Small arms is a general term used by the armed forces to refer to infantry weapons, such as the firearms that an individual soldier can carry....
, a long gun is designed to be fired braced against the shoulder, in contrast to a handgun
Handgun

A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand, with the other hand optionally supporting the shooting hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from their larger counterparts: long guns such as rifles and shotguns , mounted weapons such as machine guns and autocannons, and l...
, while in artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
 a long gun would be contrasted with a howitzer
Howitzer

A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short Barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with a steep angle of descent....
 or carronade
Carronade

The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK....
.

actual length of the barrels of a long gun are subject various laws in many jurisdictions, for example by the National Firearms Act
National Firearms Act

The National Firearms Act is an Act of Congress passed in 1934 that, in general, imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of all Title II weapons and mandates the registration of those weapons....
 in the United States, which sets a minimum length of 16 inches (40 cm) for rifle
Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls....
 barrels and 18 inches (45 cm) for shotgun
Shotgun

A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called lead shot, or a solid projectile called a shotgun slug....
 barrels.






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Encyclopedia


The term long gun is used to describe classes of firearm
Firearm

A firearm is a tool that projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined combustion of a propellant....
 and cannon
Cannon

A cannon is any tubular piece of artillery, that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile over a distance....
 with longer barrels
Gun barrel

A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed....
 than other classes. In small arms
Small arms

Small arms is a general term used by the armed forces to refer to infantry weapons, such as the firearms that an individual soldier can carry....
, a long gun is designed to be fired braced against the shoulder, in contrast to a handgun
Handgun

A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand, with the other hand optionally supporting the shooting hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from their larger counterparts: long guns such as rifles and shotguns , mounted weapons such as machine guns and autocannons, and l...
, while in artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
 a long gun would be contrasted with a howitzer
Howitzer

A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short Barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with a steep angle of descent....
 or carronade
Carronade

The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK....
.

Small arms

The actual length of the barrels of a long gun are subject various laws in many jurisdictions, for example by the National Firearms Act
National Firearms Act

The National Firearms Act is an Act of Congress passed in 1934 that, in general, imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of all Title II weapons and mandates the registration of those weapons....
 in the United States, which sets a minimum length of 16 inches (40 cm) for rifle
Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls....
 barrels and 18 inches (45 cm) for shotgun
Shotgun

A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called lead shot, or a solid projectile called a shotgun slug....
 barrels. Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 has a limit of 18.5 inches (47 cm) for either. In addition, both countries put a minimum fireable length for long guns with detachable or folding stocks of 26 inches (66 cm).

Examples of various classes of small arms generally considered long arms include, but are not limited to:
  • rifle
    Rifle

    A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls....
    s
  • shotgun
    Shotgun

    A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called lead shot, or a solid projectile called a shotgun slug....
    s
  • musket
    Musket

    A musket is a Muzzle -loaded, smoothbore long gun, which is intended to be fired from the shoulder.Usually, the musket is thought to be the weapon that replaced the arquebus, and was in turn replaced by the rifle....
    s
  • blunderbuss
    Blunderbuss

    The blunderbuss is a muzzleloader firearm with a short, large caliber Barrel , which is flared at the muzzle , and used with Lead shot . The blunderbuss is an early form of shotgun adapted to military and defensive use....
    es
  • carbine
    Carbine

    A carbine is a firearm similar to a rifle or musket, but generally shorter and of lesser power. Many carbines, especially modern designs, were developed from rifles, being essentially shortened versions of full rifles firing the same ammunition, although often at a lower velocity....
    s
  • wall gun
    Wall gun

    Wall guns were large caliber smooth-bore muskets that were used in the 16th through 18th centuries by defending forces to break the advance of enemy troops....
    s
  • musketoon
    Musketoon

    The musketoon is a shorter barrelled version of the musket, and served in the roles of a shotgun or carbine. Musketoons could be of the same caliber as the issue musket, or of a much larger caliber, 1.0-2.5 inches ....
    s


Advantages and disadvantages of long guns

Almost all long-arms have front grips (forearms) and shoulder stocks, which provides the user the ability to hold the firearm more steadily than a handgun. In addition, the long barrel
Gun barrel

A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases is released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at great speed....
 of a long gun usually provides a longer sight plane for iron sights
Iron sights

The term iron sights refers to the open, unmagnified system used to assist the aiming of a guns/devices, usually those intended to launch projectiles, such as firearms, airguns, and crossbows; they are also used on many telescopes to help point at a desired target....
, providing the user with more precision when aiming. The presence of a stock makes the use of a telescopic sight
Telescopic sight

A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a device used to give additional accuracy using a point of aim for firearms, airguns and crossbows....
 or red dot sight more practical than with a hand gun.

The mass
Mass

In physical science, mass refers to the degree of acceleration a body acquires when subject to a force: bodies with greater mass are accelerated less by the same force....
 of a long gun is usually greater than that of a short gun, reducting recoil
Recoil

Recoil, in common everyday language, is considered the backward kick or force produced by a gun when it is fired. In more precise scientific terms, this force is equal to the time derivative of the backward momentum resulting when a gun is fired....
 and increasing weight
Weight

In the physical sciences, weight is a measurement of the gravitational force acting on an object. Near the surface of the Earth, the Earth's gravity is approximately constant; this means that an object's weight is roughly proportional to its mass....
 and moment of inertia
Moment of inertia

Moment of inertia, also called mass moment of inertia or the angular mass, is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotation rate....
. Increased weight will make the long gun more expensive to transport, and more difficult and tiring to carry. The increased moment of inertia makes the long gun slower and more difficult to traverse and elevate
Gun laying

Gun laying is the process of aiming an artillery piece. The term is also applied to describe the process of aiming smaller calibre weapons by radar or computer control....
, and it is thus slower and more difficult to adjust the aim. However, this also results in greater stability
Directional stability

Directional stability is the tendency of a moving body to align itself with the direction of motion.With the exception of spacecraft, vehicles generally have a recognisable front and rear and are designed so that the front points more or less in the direction of motion....
 in aiming. The greater amount of material in a long gun tends to make it more expensive to manufacture, other factors being equal. The greater size makes it more difficult to conceal, and more inconvenient to use in confined quarters, as well as requiring a larger storage space.

Shotguns are long guns that are designed to fire many small projectiles at once. This makes them very effective and easy to aim at close ranges, but with diminished usefulness at long range.

Naval long guns

In historical navy
Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's military forces principally designated for naval warfare and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions....
 usage, a long gun was the standard type of cannon
Cannon

A cannon is any tubular piece of artillery, that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile over a distance....
 mounted by a sailing vessel, called such to distinguish it from the much shorter carronade
Carronade

The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK....
s. In informal usage, the length was combined with the weight of shot, yielding terms like "long 9s", referring to full length 9 pound cannons.

See also

  • Supergun
    Supergun

    A supergun is an extraordinarily large cannon with an extremely high muzzle velocity and large caliber. They were used to bombard an enemy from extremely long range and destroy heavy fortifications....