Definition: When a gun or firearm is designated a "break-open" or "break action," this means that the gun's barrel is (or barrels are) set on a hinge. A latch holds the barrel(s) closed against the gun's receiver. When the latch is opened, the rear of the barrel(s) may pivot upward from the receiver, while the muzzle pivots downward.
This can apply to rifles or shotguns, or to combination guns or drillings, which may contain multiple types of barrels (shotgun and rifle). It can apply to any gun that opens in this manner, but it most often refers to a long gun (rifle or shotgun). A break-open gun may have one barrel, two barrels, or even more - as long as it opens in the described manner.
The name refers to the appearance that the operator of the gun has broken it in two (as a stick broken over one's knee) when the action is opened.
Pronunciation: brake oh-pen
Also Known As: Break-Action
Examples: When opening a break-open action, be careful not to allow the muzzle to fall and strike the ground, floor, or other object(s) which may cause damage or allow foreign objects to enter the barrel(s).
Also, support the barrel(s) when opening a break-open gun - you don't want to place undue stress upon its hinge point.
