Semi - automatic firearm A semi - automatic , or self - loading , firearm is a weapon that performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing — assuming cartridges remain in the weapon ' s feed device or magazine . Typically , this includes extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case from the weapon ' s firing chamber , re - cocking the firing mechanism , and loading a new cartridge into the firing chamber . Although automatic weapons and selective fire firearms do the same tasks , semi - automatic firearms do not automatically fire an additional round until the trigger is released and re - pressed by the person firing the weapon . While all basic firearm actions require the action to be cycled manually before the first shot , semi - automatic as well as automatic and selective fire actions are differentiated from other forms such as single - action or double - action revolver s , pump - action , bolt - action , or lever - action firearms by eliminating the need to manually cycle the weapon after each shot . For example , to fire ten rounds from a semi - automatic firearm or a selective fire weapon set to fire semi - automatically , the action would initially be cycled to load the first round and the trigger would need to be pulled ten times ( once for each round fired ) . For the other forms , the weapon ' s mechanism would require cycling manually prior to firing the next round . An automatic or a selective fire weapon set to fire automatically would be able to fire continuously as long as the trigger is held until the magazine or feed device runs out of ammunition . Early history ( 1885 – 1945 ) . The first successful design for a semi - automatic rifle is attributed to German - born gunsmith Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher , who unveiled the design in 1885 . The Model 85 was followed by the equally innovative Mannlicher Models 91 , 93 and 95 semi - automatic rifles . Although Mannlicher earned his reputation with his bolt action rifle designs , he also produced a few semi - automatic pistols , including the Steyr Mannlicher M1894 , which employed an unusual blow - forward action and held five rounds of 6 . 5 mm ammunition that were fed into the M1894 by a stripper clip . Semi - automatic shotgun . A few years later , American gunsmith John Moses Browning developed the first successful semi - automatic shotgun , the Browning Auto - 5 , which was first manufactured in 1902 by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal and sold in America under the Browning name . The Auto - 5 relied on long recoil operation ; this design remained the dominant form in semi - automatic shotguns for approximately 50 years . Production of the Auto - 5 was finally ended in 1999 . Blowback semi - automatic . In 1903 and 1905 , the Winchester Repeating Arms Company introduced the first semi - automatic rimfire and centerfire rifles designed especially for the civilian market . The Winchester Model 1903 and Winchester Model 1905 operated on the principle of blowback in order to function semi - automatically . Designed entirely by T . C . Johnson , the Model 1903 achieved commercial success and continued to be manufactured until 1932 when the Winchester Model 63 replaced it . By the early 20th century , several manufacturers had introduced semi - automatic . 22 sporting rifles , including Winchester , Remington , Fabrique Nationale and Savage Arms , all using the direct blow - back system of operation . Winchester introduced a medium caliber semi - automatic sporting rifle , the Model 1907 as an upgrade to the Model 1905 , utilizing a blowback system of operation , in calibers such as . 351 Winchester . Both the Models of 1905 and 1907 saw limited military and police use . Notable early semi - automatic rifles . In 1906 , Remington Arms introduced the " Remington Auto - loading Repeating Rifle " . Remington advertised this rifle , renamed the " Model 8 " in 1911 , as a sporting rifle . This is a locked - breech , long recoil action designed by John Browning . The rifle was offered in . 25 , . 30 , . 32 , and . 35 caliber models , and gained popularity among civilians as well as some law enforcement officials who appreciated the combination of a semi - automatic action and relatively powerful rifle cartridges . The Model 81 superseded the Model 8 in 1936 and was offered in . 300 Savage as well as the original Remington calibers . The first semi - automatic rifle adopted and widely issued by a major military power ( France ) was the Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 . This is a locked breech , gas - operated action which is very similar in its mechanical principles to the future US M1 Garand . The M1917 was fielded during the latter stages of WWI but it did not receive a favorable reception . However its shortened and improved version , the Model 1918 , gave complete satisfaction during the Moroccan Rif War from 1920 to 1926 . The Lebel bolt - action rifle remained the standard French infantry rifle until replaced in 1936 by the MAS - 36 despite the various semi - automatic rifles designed between 1918 and 1935 . Other nations experimented with self - loading rifles between the two World Wars , including the United Kingdom , which had intended to replace the bolt - action Lee - Enfield with a self - loader , possibly chambered for sub - caliber ammunition , but discarded that plan as the imminence of the Second World War and the emphasis shifted from replacing every rifle with a new design to speeding - up re - armament with existing weapons . The Soviet Union and Germany would both issue successful self - loading and selective - fire rifles on a large scale during the course of the war , but not in sufficient numbers to replace their standard bolt - action rifles . Notable gas - operated rifles . In 1937 , the American M1 Garand was the first semi - automatic rifle to replace its nation ' s bolt action rifle as the standard - issue infantry weapon . The gas - operated M1 Garand was developed by Canadian - born John Garand for the US government at the Springfield Armory in Springfield , Massachusetts . After years of research and testing , the first production model of the M1 Garand was unveiled in 1937 . During World War II , the M1 Garand gave American infantrymen an advantage over their opponents , most of whom were issued slower firing bolt - action rifles . The Soviet AVS - 36 , SVT - 38 and SVT - 40 , as well as the German Gewehr 43 , were semi - automatic gas - operated rifles issued during World War II in relatively small numbers . In practice , they did not replace the bolt action rifle as a standard infantry weapon . Another gas - operated semi - automatic rifle developed toward the end of WWII was the SKS . Designed by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov in 1945 , it came equipped with a bayonet and could be loaded with ten rounds , using a stripper clip . However , the SKS was quickly replaced by the AK - 47 . It was the first widely issued weapon to use the 7 . 62x39mm cartridge . Types of semi - automatic . There are semi - automatic pistol s , rifle s , and shotgun s designed and made as semi - automatic only . Selective fire firearms are capable of both full automatic and semi - automatic modes . The M14 , produced at the Springfield Armory in Springfield , Massachusetts , was the United States standard issue selective fire weapon for eleven years ( 1957 – 1968 ) . Semi - automatic . Semi - automatic refers to a firearm which uses the force of recoil or gas to eject the empty case and load a fresh cartridge into the firing chamber for the next shot and which allows repeat shots solely through the action of pulling the trigger . A double - action revolver also requires only a trigger pull for each round that is fired but is not considered semi - automatic since the manual action of pulling the trigger is what advances the cylinder , not the energy of the preceding shot . Fully automatic compared to semi - automatic . The usage of the term " automatic " may vary according to context . Gun specialists point out that the word " automatic " is sometimes misunderstood to mean fully automatic fire when used to refer to a self - loading , semi - automatic firearm not capable of fully automatic fire . In this case , " automatic " refers to the loading mechanism , not the firing capability . The term " automatic pistol " almost exclusively refers to a semi - automatic ( i . e . not fully automatic ) pistol . With handguns , the term " automatic " is commonly used to distinguish semi - automatic pistols from revolvers . The term " auto - loader " may also be used to describe a semi - automatic handgun . However , to avoid confusion , the term " automatic rifle " is generally , conventionally and best restricted to a rifle capable of fully automatic fire . Both uses of the term " automatic " can be found ; the exact meaning must be determined from context . Auto - loading . Semi - automatic . The mechanism of semi - automatic ( or auto - loading ) firearms is usually what is known as a closed - bolt firing system . In a closed - bolt system , a round must first be chambered manually before the weapon can fire . When the trigger is pulled , only the hammer and firing pin move , striking and firing the cartridge . The bolt then recoils far enough rearward to extract and load a new cartridge from the magazine into the firearm ' s chamber , ready to fire again once the trigger is pulled . An open - bolt mechanism is a common characteristic of fully automatic firearms . With this system , pulling the trigger releases the bolt from a cocked , rearward position , pushing a cartridge from the magazine into the chamber , firing the gun . The bolt retracts to the rearward position , ready to strip the next cartridge from the magazine . The open - bolt system is often used in submachine gun s and other weapons with a high rate of fire . It is rarely used in semi - automatic - only firearms , which can fire only one shot with each pull of the trigger . The closed - bolt system is generally more accurate ; since the center of gravity changes relatively little at the moment the trigger is pulled . With full - automatic weapons , open - bolt operation allows air to circulate , cooling the barrel ; with semi - automatic firearms , the closed - bolt operation is preferred , as overheating is not as critical , and accuracy is preferred in semi - automatic operation . Some select - fire military weapons use an open bolt in full - automatic mode and a closed bolt when semi - automatic is selected .