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squeezed or the hammer is cocked. As • Locking – The locking step in the cycle
the trigger is being squeezed or the ham- of operations secures the chamber closed
mer cocked, a small hand will act upon a during the firing process. This is accom-
part of the cylinder and cause it to rotate. plished in one of two ways depending on
As rounds are fired, the cylinder will con- the type of action being employed. The
tinue to rotate and align new cartridges chamber can be physically locked by some
with the barrel in preparation for firing. type of mechanical means like locking
lugs or breechblocks or simply forcefully
• Chambering – The chambering step in
closed by the inertia in the bolt/breech-
the cycle involves fully seating the car-
block/slide and recoil/return spring.
tridge into the chamber. Again, this can
be done manually or automatically. The Locking the chamber mechanically in-
bolt/breech face/slide will push the round volves the bolt/breechblock/slide to align
completely into the chamber. The cham- with a corresponding locking surface
ber and bolt will form a container that on the barrel/barrel extension. This can
fits the size and shape of the round and happen in various ways depending on
completely encapsulates the cartridge. the action and operation type. Typically,
With revolvers, the rounds are chambered breechblocks will move up or down into
when the gun is loaded. Each individual locking recesses in the receiver, while
chamber is loaded with a new cartridge bolts may also move up or down into
before the cylinder is closed. New rounds locking recesses or lock in line with the
are chambered again when the cylinder barrel or rotate to align locking lugs.
rotates and aligns with the barrel. During firing, the back thrust of the
Figure 3: The chambering step of the cycle of operations.
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