NRA NRA Firearm Mechanisms & Action Types 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What type of action uses a rotating bolt that must be manually operated between each shot?
- Bolt-action (Correct answer)
- Semi-automatic
- Lever-action
- Pump-action
Correct answer: Bolt-action
A bolt-action requires the shooter to manually cycle the bolt to eject the spent case and chamber a new round.
Question 2: In a single-action revolver, what must happen before the firearm can fire?
- The trigger must be pulled twice
- The hammer must be manually cocked (Correct answer)
- The cylinder must be rotated by hand
- The grip safety must be depressed
Correct answer: The hammer must be manually cocked
A single-action revolver requires the shooter to manually cock the hammer before each shot.
Question 3: Which component in a semi-automatic pistol strips a cartridge from the magazine and chambers it?
- Extractor
- Ejector
- Slide (Correct answer)
- Disconnector
Correct answer: Slide
The slide moves rearward under recoil and forward again, stripping and chambering a new round from the magazine.
Question 4: What is the function of the disconnector in a semi-automatic firearm?
- It separates the barrel from the frame
- It prevents the firearm from firing until the trigger is released and reset (Correct answer)
- It disconnects the magazine from the action
- It blocks the firing pin when the safety is engaged
Correct answer: It prevents the firearm from firing until the trigger is released and reset
The disconnector ensures the firearm fires only one round per trigger pull by resetting the sear after each shot.
Question 5: A lever-action rifle's loading gate is primarily responsible for what function?
- Holding the bolt closed during firing
- Allowing cartridges to be loaded into the tubular magazine (Correct answer)
- Feeding rounds from the magazine into the chamber
- Locking the lever in the closed position
Correct answer: Allowing cartridges to be loaded into the tubular magazine
The loading gate is a spring-loaded port on the receiver that allows cartridges to be manually pushed into the tubular magazine.
Question 6: What differentiates a pump-action (slide-action) firearm from other manually operated actions?
- It uses a rotating bolt
- The shooter cycles the action by moving the fore-end rearward and forward (Correct answer)
- It fires when the shooter pulls a ring-shaped trigger
- The action is cycled by rotating a lever beneath the receiver
Correct answer: The shooter cycles the action by moving the fore-end rearward and forward
A pump-action firearm is cycled by sliding the fore-end rearward to eject and forward to chamber a new round.
NRA NRA Firearm Mechanisms & Action Types 1
What type of action uses a rotating bolt that must be manually operated between each shot?