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Jan 1, 1475
Matchlock invented
Although hand cannons were first invented before this, the matchlock was the first widely used firearm for somewhat convenient use. -
Musket developed
First developed during the Ming Dynasty of China (1368-1644), it was a much lighter matchlock that took less time to fire, and could be more easily used by anyone. The musket would become the service weapon for tons of countries and for more than more than two centuries. The musket, being the basic idea of it being a muzzleloader, is still in production for sporting and hunting purposes -
Carbine
For a shorter weapon, mainly for calvary, the carbine is basically a shorter weapon system of a selected weapon. The carbine in this picture is from the French Revolutionary Wars -
Revolver for precticle purposes
The very first revolvers were rare for any use. The revolver was first made for normal people to use in the early 1800s -
Bolt action rifles
These made getting shots to a target much more easy because rifling in the barrel made the bullet spin. -
Minie ball
Although it became actually known in 1848, it was first designed in 1826. These were considered the rifle bullets of their time. -
Machine gun
The first succesful machine gun was demostrated to Abraham Lincoln in 1961. He bought 10 of them after being impressed by it. It was in use by the Union army from 1861 to 1865 -
Standard shotgun
The principal for modern shotguns was used in a break-action double-barrel like this one. -
Semi automatic firearms
In need for faster firepower, many companies were designing weapons like this C93 semi-automatic pistol -
First Sub-machine gun
The German MP 18 was the first widely used SMG. -
Assault Rifle
The MP 44 was done secretly in Nazi Germany, it was secretly because Hitler wasnt into replacing the Germans current service rifle. When he found out about it, though, he liked it to the point of making it the standard weapon of the German forces in 1944. Although it wasn't in use for so long, it became the basis for well known rifles, like the Ak-47 and, to some extent, the M16. -
Weapon developement
To this day, all sorts of camos, grips, optics, etc., are used to improve and customize modern-day weaponry to meet battlefield-related needs for different roles in combat, like this Afghan Police Officer aiming an AMD 65, which has a Holographic sight, desert camo, and a front vertical grip.
