Slug-thrower

"Slugthrower" is a colloquialism referring to projectile weapons that expel a slug or bullet (usually of metal) at high velocity. The most common form of such weapons are chemical firearms, which use the pressure wave of a small chemical explosion to accelerate a bullet within a confined barrel. Other forms of these devices accelerate the slug by other methods, such as compressed gas, linear magnetism, micro-rockets, and so forth.

The term "slugthrower" is usually used in a manner which implies personal weaponry, rather than larger artillery-grade examples.