3. ELI5: How are there different guns if all guns use the same principle to fire?

ELI5: How are there different guns if all guns use the same principle to fire?

It's all the same principle to fire a projectile, but the difference is in the type of bullets that they're all designed to fire. A shotgun is designed to fire a very large projectile, while something like a 22 rifle is designed to fire a very small projectile. It's like if you want to throw a ball at something, but you have a choice of a lot of different types of balls to throw. You might pick a basketball if you want a better chance of hitting something by just getting close to it, or if you've got really good aim, you might pick a marble, because you know you can hit it, or if it's heavy, and you know you'll need a lot of force, you might choose to use something solid, like a baseball, instead of something lighter, like a tennis ball.

Then there are different types of projectiles. Slugs are a solid piece of metal, and there are "shot" shells that fire multiple pellets in a single shot (like a shotgun), and the difference between the 2 of those is like throwing a baseball at something, or throwing a handful of marbles. With the baseball, you need to have good aim, but with a handful of marbles, you only need to get close to the general area, and the spread will hit your target.

Then there are different types of barrels. A longer barrel will make it easier to aim over longer distances. Think of the difference between spitting a wad of chewing gum at someone, or shooting a spit ball at them through a straw... they're both being spit out of your mouth in a similar manner, but the straw helps you aim it.

There's also the size of the bullets, and the amount of gun powder that is in it. A larger bullet that has more gun powder typically has more power behind it, when fired, because there's more force to push the projectile.

I can shoot someone with a very small round from a 22 pistol, and it may just barely break the skin, or I could shoot them with a shotgun, from the same distance, and blow off an entire limb.

Different types of guns are required to fire different types of bullets, and can be used for a wide variety of uses.

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