Every Firearm Is Open Bolt

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Semi-automatic and automatic firearms have two main methods of operation: Open Bolt and Closed Bolt. In an open bolt system, the bolt is back when inactive and goes forward to fire then driven back to its initial position by the firing. In a closed bolt system the bolt is driven backwards, then forward. Most modern firearms, with the exception of some (sub)machine guns, are closed bolt or a hybrid as are nearly all civilian legal firearms.

While these systems have a large host of differences in reliability, accuracy, fire rate, fire modes, compatibility with interrupter gears, and legal regulations (making an open bolt firearm full auto proof is extremely difficult) the most obvious difference between the two for an end user is the ability for closed bolt firearms to hold an extra round in the chamber. This extra cartridge persists across magazine changes and is referred to as "+1" when dealing with capacity (30+1). When reloading with a round left in the chamber the current magazine only needs to be ejected and replaced, with none of the other controls needing to be touched. Ignorance of the +1 has lead to the injury and death of many people for fail to obey the four rules and didn't realize it can fire with the magazine removed, especially among poorly trained police and untrained civilians. This has led to laws mandating loaded chamber indicators, magazine disconnect safeties and ugly white "caution-capable of firing with magazine removed" markings on firearms.

In most video games however, even otherwise "realistic" ones, every firearm behaves as though it were open bolt in regards to chambered rounds. Your maximum capacity will always be the magazine capacity and the reload animation will always feature characters manually cambering a new round, even when not reloading from empty. The only common exceptions are firearms that are actually open bolt, and those that do not feed from detachable magazines including shotguns (both pump action and break action, but not magazine fed), grenade launchers, single shot firearms and revolvers.

Overlaps with Right-Handed Left-Handed Guns and One Bullet Clips.

Exceptions

Video Games

• Metal Gear Solid 5
• Rainbow Six series beginning with Vegas. Ironic as Vegas otherwise marked a move away from realism.
  • Inverted by Rainbow Six: Siege where open bolt firearms have +1 capacity like closed bolt ones.
• Crysis 2