How could I properly explain how any type of 1950s-era weaponry works to a pony whose country's most technological achievement is the steam/magic-powered train? It could be a pistol, shotgun, rifle, grenade, etc.

877019

Articulate further?

Oh as in explain it to them. Well you could have the character askif they use blasting powder for mining. Barring that just say what the guns are, a propellant in a contained space pushing a projectile at 300-1000 m/s with the intent of brutally murdering/maiming something.

877019
I'd go with a shotgun

877019 ummmm. its not that complicated. fireing, unlocking, extracting, ejecting, cocking, feeding, chambering, locking. thats the basic functing for a close bolt semi-auti rifle. bullets are self explanitory

877025

Trying to explain how the inner workings of the weapons works. For example, take any average traveller in the Fallout games, they know how to use the weapon and can use that as an explanation, but when X or Y pony asks them how and why the weapon works, the traveller wouldn't be able to explain, because they know how to use, not how it works.

877043

something with no concept of guns would be deadpanning you right now.

877034 ...You worry me...

877043 You're typing to a 16 year old who has never been hunting. Explaining how a gun works to me won't be that much different from explaining it to an Equestrian.

877063

Hmph, philistines...they understand nothing of properly executed literary machinations.

877066 only animals iv ever hunted with a firearm are afghanis
the fireing of a round begins with the pin striking the primer which is comprised of a more sensitive explosive then the main charge consisiting of cordite based gunpowder. the primer ignites the main charge greating a rapid expansion of gasses that propells the projectie down the barrel. the longer the barrel the more time the gasses have to act on the projectile thus increasing muzzle velocity. the cycling of the weapon depends on weather its an open or closed bolt weapon. closed bold weapons are typicaly rifles while open bolt weapons are typicaly machine guns. sub machine guns are called sub machine guns not because they are smaller like most people think but because they fire sub sonic ammunition

877106

sub machine guns are called sub machine guns not because they are smaller like most people think but because they fire sub sonic ammunition

-- Hunh... Didn't know that.

877120 now you know...an knowing is half the battle

877124 *snorts*

877134
Many automatic weapons work because they are constructed in such a way as to use the force of the blast to eject the shell from the firearm. Then the spring in the magazine pushes another round into place. The same machinery that ejects the shell loads the new one into place.

Here's a good example. The premise of the story is that Celestia is explaining the first battle against Discord to Twilight, and back then, there were humans with a Word War 1 level of technology. It doesn't match up exactly with your request, but it does involve a very nice explanation of guns in terms a pony would understand. you need to scroll about a third of the way down the page if you want to skip right to the good stuff.

877174 That used to be the way they did it (known as blow-back), now it's all done with the gasses produced from firing the weapon. It cycles back around through the gas block after it goes through the barrel and pushes the projectile out, then into the gas tube, then the gasses act on the bolt and push it back, kicking out the spent casing and putting a new one into the breach.

878895
Right, like on the M16A2.

879033 Precisely my good sir . Now I was assuming you were talking about the blow-back method in the comment I replied to you on, yes?

879082
Yep. He said 1950s, so I figured that I'd cover those earlier weapons. Don't know what technology OP is working with.

879124 Ah I see. Well, take it easy guy .