Modern Approaches Regarding Classification and Terminology of Firearms up to 20mm in Caliber

One would outright tell the differences between a rifle and a machine gun. But what if the things get so much complicated so that only a minuscule detail becomes the key into telling if that piece of ordnance pertains to a specific category of arms, more precisely if it fits into a distinguished subcategory of armament. At the moment, there are indefinitely many ways of structuring firearms into certain categories, but the methods are vague and imprecise when it comes to types that are strongly related or similar. Thus, combining history records and the official texts of various institutions ensue a more complex and plausible method of firearms classification and terminology registering alike.