Types of hand guns

Answer 1

There are two basic types of what you would call "modern" firearms. There are revolvers and semi-automatics. There are sub-categories of those, such as single action, double action, double action only, and variants.

There are also other types of hand guns, such as flint-lock, wheel lock, and single shot.

Answer 2

Handguns can be broadly categorized into two main types: revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Revolvers have a rotating cylinder that holds the cartridges and typically have a simpler design with fewer moving parts. Semi-automatic pistols use a magazine to hold the cartridges and utilize the energy from the fired cartridge to cycle the action and load the next round. Within these categories, there are various subtypes such as single-action, double-action, striker-fired, and hammer-fired handguns.