TM 9-2205 FUNDAMENTALS OF SMALL ARMS

This manual deals with the fundamentals of small arms in general. The basic construction and operation of various types of small arms and ammunition used by the armed services of the United States are discussed in general. References are made to individual weapons to describe particular features and to show how many of them operate in conjunction with each other.

The determination as to which weapons should be included under the heading of small arms is somewhat arbitrary. The limiting size has changed from time to time and has always been a matter of administrative decision. It has included cal. .50, cal. .60, 20 mm, or 37 mm (fig. 1). In general, though, this manual contains those weapons which are the equipment of the individual soldier, or which are small enough to be transported in another vehicle.

To understand various reasons for the design of many parts of a weapon, it is necessary to know the construction and functioning of the ammunition which that weapon fires. For these reasons, this text includes, as introductory to a study of the weapons themselves, a chapter on ballistics and ammunition.