breech·block

(brēch′blŏk′)

The metal part that closes the breech end of the barrel of a breechloading gun and that is removed to insert a cartridge and replaced before firing.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

breechblock

(ˈbriːtʃˌblɒk)

(Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) a metal block in breech-loading firearms that is withdrawn to insert the cartridge and replaced to close the breech before firing

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

breech•block

(ˈbritʃˌblɒk)

n.

a movable piece of metal for closing the breech in certain firearms.

[1880–85]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

breechblock - a metal block in breech-loading firearms that is withdrawn to insert a cartridge and replaced to close the breech before firing

breech closer

blockage, stoppage, occlusion, closure, block, stop - an obstruction in a pipe or tube; "we had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe"

breech, rear of barrel, rear of tube - opening in the rear of the barrel of a gun where bullets can be loaded

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

The breechblock is then lowered by pulling down on the trigger guard to expose the chamber.

PLAINS WAR SPENCERS: CIVIL WAR CARBINES SAW FRONTIER SERVICE

The barrel, breechblock and small parts like springs and pins are steel; otherwise, everything on the Wildcat 22 came out of an injection mold.

WILDCAT UNCAGED

The rifle s breechblock was solidly jammed in place by the ruptured cartridge case.

Propellant Loading Pitfalls: Reloading is a rewarding endeavor, but you must be ever mindful of the pitfalls, especially when it comes to dispensing the powder

Maxim's gun was a recoil-operated, belt-fed weapon, and upon firing, the rearward thrust of the cartridge against the breechblock pushed the barrel, frame, -and breechblock to the rear about 3/4 of an inch, causing a toggle on the rear of the breechblock to fold, unlocking the breechblock, pulling it down and to the rear, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case.

THE MODEL 1909 BENET-MERCIE MACHINE RIFLE, PART 1: THE U.S. ARMY'S FIRST LIGHT MACHINE GUN

The breechblock is highly polished, with the locking bolts in a contrasting satin, natural color.

Happy Birthday, '92: the Winchester '92 turns 125, and the company celebrates with an anniversary sporter

Remington is advertising a 25 percent reduction in muzzle rise due to the low bore and recoil-absorbing properties of the Pedersen breechblock (more on that in a second).

Return of the R51: Remington's long-awaited 9mm takes center stage

The first step after disassembly was plugging the old rimfire firing pin channel in the breechblock. There are a couple of ways of doing this.

.32 rimfire conversion: rifles chambered in obsolete calibers present unique restoration opportunities and challenges

It operates by means of a long-stroke gas system and a tilting breechblock. Oddly enough, the breechblock tilts to one side; many thought this would put undue strain on one side of the receiver, but Goryunov made the receiver's sideplates thick enough to avoid problems.

Trapped in Canadian ice: forever: part 2

Crewmen, springs that are too tight can be a bummer, especially if they happen to be the closing springs on your Paladin's breechblock.

Don't let springs cramp your style

The main differences were the protection of the gun crew and the adoption of a full-automatic loading system and of a semi-automatic breechblock, the system carrying on board 36 complete rounds, including 12 ready to fire and 24 kept in a magazine located behind the front cabin.

Artillery on wheels: lowering systems weight to improve their strategic mobility, improving their mobility capacity on roads, reducing acquisition and operating costs, all those factors have led to the development of an increasing number of wheeled self-propelled howitzer systems

A separate steel breechblock is dovetailed/pinned into the slide, and holds the extractor, firing pin, and firing pin block.

Ruger's nifty SR22

The breechblock comes out easily, provided you remember to put a dab of bore grease on its threads.

Give me a break; surveying today's hinged-breech muzzleloaders