Understanding various gun parts as a competitive shooter allows you to safely assemble and handle your firearm. If you’re a hunter, you enhance safety by reducing the risk of accidental discharges while navigating rough terrains or climbing into tree stands with a loaded firearm. Here are various parts of a firearm, their functions, and how they enhance gun safety:
Trigger Guards
Trigger guards promote safety by covering the triggers to protect them from unintentional contact, which could cause accidental discharges. Made from polymers or metal, a trigger guard surrounds the gun’s trigger. This helps minimize the risk of your gear or clothing pressing the trigger. Trigger guards from a professional firearm builder include standard, detachable, or flat. For ideal safety precautions, keep your gun’s trigger guard accessible, undamaged, and secure.
Recoil Pads
Recoil pads are gun parts that enhance safety by absorbing the shock or energy produced after firing a rifle or shotgun. They’re cushion-like and made from various materials, such as leather, memory foam, or rubber. These materials enable recoil pads to provide sound insulation, a soft feel, and pressure relief when using a firearm. Recoil pads, attached to a rifle’s or shotgun’s buttstock, help prevent possible injuries to the shoulder after a kickback, as well as bruising. They improve rifle control and accuracy, allowing you to shoot for longer. Using a recoil pad that correctly fits your gun’s stock profile or buttstock enhances safety by minimizing the risk of shifting during a recoil.
Safety Lock
Safety features in a firearm help prevent unintentional discharges by disabling the mechanism that triggers firing. If the trigger mechanism manages to release the hammer, a safety block prevents it from hitting the firing pin and causing a discharge. Safeties also work by disconnecting the sear, which is the mechanism that releases the hammer after firing. Some types of safeties in different guns include cross-bolt, switch, grip, pivot, and frame-mounted. Slide-mounted safeties keep a gun’s slide locked after loading to help prevent accidental firing if the gun gets snagged while being holstered.
Recoil Lugs
A recoil lug is a metallic component on a rifle’s underside, separating the barrel from the action. It helps absorb the force produced during a recoil, the backward movement after a gun is fired. Recoil absorption helps promote consistent performance, accuracy, and safety when shooting by keeping the action stable in the stock. A lack of potential shifting of the action inside the stock prevents a gun’s mechanical failures, which can cause accidental discharges. This helps maintain a rifle’s structural integrity, enhances its durability, and prevents delayed or premature triggers.
Shellholder Flags
Shellholder flags are visual indicators that a gun isn’t loaded. They’re brightly colored rubber or plastic devices inserted in a firearm’s chamber when it’s empty. Shellholder flags help block the chamber, enhancing safety when preparing or transporting your firearm. A chamber flag may be designed to fit a specific chamber’s caliber or be flexible for multiple calibers in different firearms.
Contact a Supplier for Gun Parts
Understanding various gun safety parts and their functions allows for responsible ownership, helping avoid negligent discharges. It also becomes easy to select the right firearm, including shotgun, pistol, rimfire, or rifle, for your intended use. Contact a reputable firearms and shooting accessories supplier today to boost your hunting or competitive shooting game.
