Semi-automatic pistols

Compact semi-automatic Smith & Wesson .45 ACP Chief's Special — Model CS45 Walther P99, a semi-automatic pistol from late 1990s Luger or P08 Parabellum, used by the German military from 1908 to 1945 (among other handgun models)The next development in handgun history after a practical revolver was the development of the semi-automatic pistol, which uses the energy of one shot to reload the chamber for the next. Typically recoil energy from a fired round is mechanically harnessed, however larger calibers may also be gas operated (e.g. Desert Eagle). After a round is fired, the pistol will cycle, ejecting the spent casing and chambering a new round from the magazine, allowing another shot to take place immediately.
Some terms that have been, or still are, used as synonyms for "semi-automatic pistol" are automatic pistol, autopistol, self-loading pistol and selfloader.