If you don’t already know what a pump action is, it refers to a shotgun or a rifle that uses a handgrip that is pulled back and released in a pump-like fashion to eject an empty shell casing and load the chamber with a fresh round. The pump action is relatively faster than bolt-action firearms and somewhat faster than lever action. The aspect that most people forget to focus on is that the trigger hand doesn’t need to be removed while reloading. When a pump action is used in rifles, it is usually referred to as a slide action.

The cycle time of the pump action is rather short; the manual operation on the other hand, allows pump action mechanism to cycle a variety of rounds of varying power that recoil or gas-operated firearms fail at. The simplicity the pump action mechanism offers compared to a semiautomatic offers lower maintenance costs and high durability. Another beneficial aspect of the pump action that has been noted is that the short reload interval allows the marksman to identify and aim at the next target, which negates the Spray and Pray use of the firearm.

A pump action weapon is easy to use by both right and left handed users, like lever action firearms.