#OperatingSystem

The first entry in our coverage of automatic weapon operating mechanisms will be the humble straight blowback method. Conceptually simple, it is one of the most common systems, being applied almost universally to .22 caliber rimfire autoloaders the world over, as well as being very commonly applied to budget centerfire handgun and rifle designs.

What makes an automatic (or semiautomatic) weapon work? How do these weapons accomplish being able to fire round after round through a single barrel with no interference from the operator? That’s what I aim to explain in this series, which hopefully will give my readers a brief and readily accessible foundation on firearms operating mechanisms. For some of you, many of these articles will not tell you anything you don’t already know, but be patient: I plan to be very thorough in my coverage of different operating mechanisms. The scope of this series will be the operating mechanisms of single-barreled firearms, minus their feeding mechanisms (which I will cover separately).