Continuous fire
Continuous fire means firing several shots from an automatic firearm by actuating the firing device once, as long as this firing device is not returned to its starting position.
In practice (used in the weapon machine gun , automatic rifle , machine gun , automatic cannon ) so the trigger is pressed or a switch. As long as it is not released, one shot is fired in quick succession, the empty case is ejected, a new cartridge is moved and also ignited.
The continuous fire is limited by the cartridge supply ( magazine size ). Another limiting aspect is the rising temperature of the weapon parts as a result of firing, which can lead to ammunition self-igniting . This can be done by an appropriate design, for. B. to shoot , and counteract cooling with air or water.
Commonly today common shooting rifles and machine guns with a theoretical cadence of 400 to 800 rounds per minute. Multi-barreled weapons can fire up to 10,000 rounds per minute ( GSch-6-23 and XM214 ). The actual rate of fire is always below the theoretical rate, because in practice the magazine has to be changed or reloaded in other ways.
special cases
A continuous fire that is limited in quantity is the burst of fire . A mechanism in the weapon ensures that only two to three shots are fired at a time. Afterwards, an interrupter prevents another shot until the trigger is pulled again.
Single fire
Self-loading weapons can only fire single-shot . An interrupter works here after every shot. In order to prevent self-loading weapons based on fully automatic weapons from being dismantled into fully automatic weapons, these are usually designed in such a way that the breaker cannot be removed without impairing other weapon functions, such as the trigger.