Editing Repeating rifle (section)

{{More citations needed|date=May 2025}}{{Short description|Firearm that can fire multiple times between reloads}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

A '''repeating rifle''' is a single-[[gun barrel|barrel]]ed rifle capable of repeated discharges between each [[ammunition]] reload. This is typically achieved by having multiple [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]]s stored in a [[magazine (firearms)|magazine]] (within or attached to the [[rifle]]) and then fed individually into the [[chamber (firearms)|chamber]] by a reciprocating [[bolt (firearm)|bolt]], via either a manual or automatic [[action (firearms)|action]] mechanism, while the act of chambering the round typically also recocks the [[hammer (firearms)|hammer]]/[[firing pin|striker]] for the following shot.  In common usage, the term "repeating rifle" most often refers specifically to manual repeating rifles (e.g. [[lever-action]], [[pump-action]], [[bolt-action]], etc.), as opposed to [[self-loading rifle]]s, which use the [[Recoil operation|recoil]], [[Gas-operated reloading|gas]], or [[blowback (firearms)|blowback]] of the previous shot to cycle the action and load the next round, even though all [[self-loading firearm]]s are technically a subcategory of [[repeating firearm]]s.

Repeating rifles were a significant advance over the preceding [[single-shot]], [[breechloading]] rifles when used for military combat, as they allowed a much greater [[rate of fire]]. The repeating [[Henry rifle]] was used by the [[infantry]] and [[Spencer rifle]] was used by the [[cavalry]] during the [[American Civil War]] and the subsequent [[American Indian Wars]], and the first repeating [[air rifle]] to see military service was the [[Girardoni air rifle|Windbüchse rifle]].