Difference Between Pistol and Rifle

Pistol vs Rifle

Pistols and rifles are firearms that belong to two different categories of handguns and long guns respectively, while being weapons that hit the target with a burning projectile called a bullet. All firearms were initially called guns and even a pistol was called a gun until rifle came along. While rifle is a long gun that had to be kept on a shoulder, pistol is a small handgun that operated with one hand while aiming and shooting. There are other differences as well that will be highlighted in this article.

Pistol

While revolver was developed earlier than a pistol, a pistol has a more advanced technology as it can fire shots after shot. The pistol was developed in 1885 using the system of mousetrap that was the brainchild of Stevens Maxim. While, in a revolver, there is a rotating chamber and a hammer that strikes the bullet at a great force to make it escape the barrel, the pistol just works with the slightest of pressure being applied by the user. To avoid any accidental fire, there is a safety lever mechanism. After a shot has been fired, its recoil action is used to insert the next shot in the chamber. Very little effort is required to fire a shot from a pistol, which makes it very popular with people using firearms.

Rifle

As described above, a rifle is a long gun that fires only once at a time through a barrel that has grooves made inside. This grooving is referred to as rifling and hence the name of the firearm. The gun being long, it needs to be held at the shoulder, while hands are used to handle it and shoot while aiming at the target. Because of rifling done inside the barrel, the bullet spins at a great speed and ejects out smoothly and accurately.

What is the difference between Pistol and Rifle? • Pistol is a handgun while rifle is a long gun. • The barrel of the pistol is small, and it cannot fire a shot accurately to a long distance, whereas the barrel of the rifle is long, and it can shoot with accuracy over long distances. • One can shoot an object using s single hand with a pistol while both hands are required in case of a rifle • Rifle needs to be rested on the shoulder while aiming and shooting with both hands. • The barrel of a rifle has spiraling grooves inside which is referred to as rifling. It causes the bullet to spin inside and eject at a great force after stabilizing • Pistol is mostly used as a self-defense firearm while, for longer distances, rifle is more suitable. • Pistol is lighter and easier to carry around. • The speed of the bullet, when it comes out of a rifle, is nearly double (3000 ft/sec) than that of a bullet coming out of a pistol.