Chamber (firearms)

File:Colt IMG 6785.jpg

Cylinder of a Colt Python, showing the six chambers that hold cartridges when the weapon is loaded.

In firearms, the chamber is that portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the cartridge is inserted prior to being fired. Rifles and pistols generally have a single chamber in their barrels, while revolvers have multiple chambers in their cylinders and no chamber in their barrel. Thus rifles and pistols can be fired even with detached magazine, while a revolver cannot be fired with its cylinder swung out.

The act of chambering a cartridge means the insertion of a round into the chamber, either manually or through the action of the weapon, e.g., pump-action, lever-action, bolt-action, or automatic-action.

See also

• Glossary of firearms terminology