Semi-automatic firearm

A firearm that fires one round per trigger pull and uses energy from firing to load the next cartridge into the chamber. The trigger must be released and pulled again for each shot.

Recoil operation: A firearm operating system that uses rearward movement of the barrel or bolt to cycle the action. Some semi-automatic firearms use recoil energy to unlock and cycle their actions.
Cartridge (firearms): An assembled unit of ammunition containing a case, primer, propellant, and projectile. Each trigger pull fires one cartridge, whose energy also cycles the action.
Automatic firearm: A firearm that continues firing while its trigger remains depressed, while ammunition is available. Unlike a semi-automatic firearm, it can fire multiple rounds from one sustained trigger pull.
Semi-automatic pistol: A handgun that fires one round per trigger pull and automatically chambers the next cartridge. It is a widely used handgun form of the semi-automatic action.
John Browning: An American firearms designer whose inventions shaped many twentieth-century firearms. His designs include influential semi-automatic pistols and operating mechanisms.
Gas operation: A firearm operating system that redirects expanding propellant gas to move the action. Many semi-automatic rifles use tapped gas to cycle the action after firing.
Chamber (firearms): The part of a firearm that holds a cartridge in position for firing. The action must place each new cartridge in the chamber before it can fire.
Bolt-action rifle: A rifle whose bolt is manually operated to extract a case and chamber another cartridge. It requires a separate manual action between shots rather than cycling automatically.
Semi-automatic rifle: A rifle that fires one round per trigger pull and automatically loads the next cartridge. It applies the same operating principle in a shoulder-fired firearm.
Infantry tactics: Methods by which infantry units move, fight, and coordinate on the battlefield. Self-loading rifles increased the rate of aimed fire available to individual soldiers.

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