The Coolest Gun Facts And Features You Should Know

Modern guns and rifles are amazing pieces of equipment, but even diehard firearm hobbyists or hunters may not know about some of these interesting gun facts and features.

5 Awesome Gun Facts and Features You Probably Don't Know Yet

1. How a Safety Works

This is the first feature we’d like to review since it’s ubiquitous with all modern firearms.

Everyone presumably knows how to operate the safety of their favorite weapon – flip the lever and, somehow, your gun won’t fire a cartridge even if you pull the trigger.

But far too few people know how a safety actually accomplishes this feat.

It’s deceptively simple: all you do by flipping the safety lever is stick a small block between the firing pin and the end of a cartridge.

It literally acts as a barrier to stop firing from occurring. Neat, huh?

2. Space Guns

Here’s another interesting feature that works with any modern pistol or rifle.

Since today’s weapons use cartridges that contain their own oxidizers or propellants, that means that they can fire in a vacuum or where there isn’t any atmosphere oxygen to cause combustion and propulsion.

You know what that means?

Yes, you can fire a gun in space without any negative side effects… except, of course, for your target!

Another cool effect from this is that firing a gun will push you back if you’re floating without holding onto anything. Remember: Newton’s Third Law of Motion.

3. Serial Numbers

Your gun – yes, that’s right, your gun, no matter how obscure the make or model or where you supposedly got it – has a serial number or is a model type that’s known to the FBI.

While the serial number might not be on or in your pistol or rifle anywhere you can see, especially if you built the weapon with the help of a gunsmith, the FBI maintains at least one version of every gun ever manufactured.

Why? To help them solve crimes.

Since they have a record of every gun ever created, they can test fire those weapons for ballistic data.

So think twice if you think you can get away with the perfect crime just because you have a “custom” weapon.

4. It’s Easier to Be Accurate with a Rifle

What? We can already hear the expert pistol shooter disputing this fact. But hear us out!

It’s almost always easier to be more accurate with a rifle.

It's not because of the length of the barrel, type of cartridge used, or any other physical aspect of the weapon aside from its weight.

That’s right – you will most often be more accurate with a rifle because it’s heavier than any given pistol.

You see, the majority of rifles are heavier than the weight required to pull the trigger.

This, therefore, means that you move the weapon less when you squeeze off a round compared to a pistol.

Keep this in mind next time you shoot and score better with your long gun than your pistol.

5. Your Barrel is More Impressive Than You Think

Your barrel, perhaps more than any other aspect of your favorite weapon, is quite impressive.

That’s because virtually all modern gun barrels are made with different steel alloys, which allows your weapon to fire hundreds or thousands of shots without succumbing to heat, shock, or wear damage over time.

In fact, most weapons are made with “ordnance-grade” steel, which is a specific type of steel alloy practically only used for making gun barrels.

These are created with excellent heat treatments and monolithic methods. This just means that most barrels are made from a single piece of starter material.

Surely, there’s no shortage of interesting things to learn about guns.

Whether you're using a gun for self-defense or you're an avid collector, learning more about your weapon of choice is always a good thing.

If you know some cool gun facts and features, be sure to share it with us in the comments section. We love learning this stuff!

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