Lesson plan
Select fire
has four modes: safe (at which the rifle cannot be fired; S), one round (1), three-round burst (3) and full automatic (obscured by the switch lever). Select fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a fire selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some select-fire weapons have burst fire mechanisms to limit the maximum number of shots fired automatically in this mode. The most common limits are two or three rounds per trigger pull. Fully automatic fire refers to the ability for a weapon to fire continuously until either the feeding mechanism is emptied or the trigger is released. Semi-automatic refers to the ability to fire one round per trigger pull. The presence of select fire modes on firearms permits more efficient use of rounds to be fired for specific needs, versus having a single mode of operation, such as fully automatic, thereby conserving ammunition while maximizing on-target accuracy and effectiveness. This capability is most commonly found on military weapons of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Article summary
has four modes: safe (at which the rifle cannot be fired; S), one round (1), three-round burst (3) and full automatic (obscured by the switch lever). Select fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a fire selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some select-fire weapons have burst fire mechanisms to limit the maximum number of shots fired automatically in this mode. The most common limits are two or three rounds per trigger pull. Fully automatic fire refers to the ability for a weapon to fire continuously until either the feeding mechanism is emptied or the trigger is released. Semi-automatic refers to the ability to fire one round per trigger pull. The presence of select fire modes on firearms permits more efficient use of rounds to be fired for specific needs, versus having a single mode of operation, such as fully automatic, thereby conserving ammunition while maximizing on-target accuracy and effectiveness. This capability is most commonly found on military weapons of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.