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The history of the firearm begins in 10th-century China, when tubes containing gunpowder projectiles were mounted on spears to make portable fire lances. [1] Over the following centuries, the design evolved into various types, including portable firearms such as flintlocks and blunderbusses , and fixed cannons, and by the 15th century the ...
The M16 rifle and the AK-47, two common firearms with significant influences on firearm design. A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. [1] [2] [3] The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions).
In 2018, Small Arms Survey reported that there are over one billion small arms distributed globally, of which 857 million (about 85 percent) are in civilian hands. [2] [3] U.S. civilians alone account for 393 million (about 46 percent) of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms. [3] This amounts to "120.5 firearms for every 100 residents."
The class of firearm was originally termed the rifled gun, with the verb to rifle referring to the early modern machining process of creating grooves with cutting tools. By the 20th century, the weapon had become so common that the modern noun rifle is now often used for any log-shaped handheld ranged weapon designed for well-aimed discharge ...
A gun is a device designed to propel a projectile using pressure or explosive force. [1] [2] ... Chase, Kenneth (2003), Firearms: A Global History to 1700, ...
A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. [1] It is distinguished from a long barreled gun (i.e., carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder.
The army adopted the rifle in 1936, and production began the next year. This began what was to become the greatest production effort in the armory's history: during the entire production history of the M1 rifle, the Springfield Armory produced over 4.5 million of them. The M1's accuracy and durability in battle earned it high praise.
The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing-reloading sequence.