After all (maybe) is said and done, here are the parameters with which I am most familiar, and to which I subscribe:
PISTOL: A handgun having the chamber integral with the barrel. Normally one barrel, but may have multiple barrels. Pistols may be single shot, manual repeaters, of autoloaders. Autoloaders fire, extract, and eject the fired cartridge and chamber a fresh cartridge. It may, or may not, cock the action.
REVOLVER: A handgun having its chambers located in a revolving cylinder and having one barrel. Loading the cylinder with fresh cartridges and ejecting the fired cartridges is done manually.
PEPPERBOX: A handgun having multiple barrels with integral chambers so designed as to rotate the cluster of barrels to fire (hopefully) one shot with each rotation of the barrel into firing position.
These are the definitions I've heard and used all of my life.
Bob Wright
