-
Oct 16, 1400
The earliest hand gun
The very first hand gun was created during the fifteenth century. However It was not a effective weapon in battle It was unsteady, and needed multiple steps/precautions to fire. it required a match to ignite, and had a low effective range of thirty to forty yards http://www.americanfirearms.org/gun-history/ -
Apr 17, 1509
The advancement of the wheel lock
The wheel lock made more interesting and advanced guns. Unlike the matchlock the wheel lock was a steel wheel that created sparks to ignite the gunpowder. It was more expensive to make therefore some chose the matchlock over the wheel lock still. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/12/the-history-and-evolution-of-guns-as-told-through-pictures/ -
Invention of the rifle
The first recorded firearm was in 1364. Following the first rifle was invented in the 1600s when Europeans adopted gunpowder from the Chinese. They made a hole into a cylinder of metal, drilled a hole and added gunpowder a lead ball. They needed some ignition to fire and so this marked the invention of the rifle. They figured out adding grooves to the barrel made it more accurate.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/rifle-history.htm -
The creation of the Flintlock
In 1640 the next major advancement in firearms was made. The Flintlock fixed a big problem with current guns as it was able protect the gunpowder by pushing back the lid, and spark a flint at the same time. By 1750 Flintlocks had completely replaced Rapiers (sword) as weapons. -
Percussion-cap guns
Discovery was possible due to Chemical compound called Mercuric fulminate. Invented and patented by Rev. John Forsyth. Used by the Union and Confderate forces. Percussion- cap were highly explosive. -
Introduction to modern guns(AK-47)
The AK-47 or Kalashinikov is a moden rifle still used today. Developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. The design began in the last year of WWII. Became vey popular due to low production cost and ease of use everywhere.
