History of Firearms

Hand cannons developed through various stages. They were shortened and redesigned for use from horseback and were used in combination weapons where the weapon could either be used as a firearm or, for example, as a club or an axe. Many different designs of hand cannon were widely used for 

The wheellock was developed about 1515.31 This was an important development in firearms as, apart from dispensing with the need for a glowing match, the wheellock mechanism could be produced in any desired size which made possible the production of pistols small enough to be carried about the person. As with the hand cannon, combined wheellock weapons were produced where pistols were attached to weapons such as maces, swords, and crossbows. The wheellock mechanism was intricate and subject to mechanical failures which were difficult to repair. This prompted a search for a simpler, more reliable mechanism, resulting in the introduction of the flintlock. 

The flintlock was developed about 152532 and used a simpler and much more reliable mechanism than the wheellock. The flintlock was used successfully until it was generally superseded by the percussionlock (caplock mechanism) about the middle of the nineteenth century. A measure of the success of the flintlock is demonstrated by the fact that, until 1935, they were made in Germany and Belgium for export to Africa and Asia.33 

The modern firearm employs the percussion principle but the percussion cap (primer) is an integral part of the round of ammunition. 

The first practical repeating firearm was a revolver manufactured by Samuel Colt in 1835.34 Up to this time the vast majority of firearms were single shot. This was a serious disadvantage as the firer was defenseless for a period of time while reloading. Tfowever, the introduction of this revolver heralded the first practical multishot firearm. The revolver principle was not new, as flintlock revolvers were produced prior to 1650.35 However, these were not practical firearms as they were very prone to mechanical failure. 

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Kruschke, Earl R. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms A Continuing American Dilemma. Springfield, 111. Thomas, 1985. Explores the legal history of firearms law and cases in the United States. 

Refs 1) M. Lindsay, "One Hundred Great Guns An Illustrated History of Firearms , Walker Co, NY (1967), pp 29-33 2) Staff,... 

Summarizes the history of firearms and ammunition as it relates to the development of modern weapons... 

The first part of the book is an attempt to amalgamate such chemical information as is available in the literature into one publication and also to summarize the history of firearms and ammunition that is of particular relevance to the development of modern firearms and ammunition (Chapter 2 through Chapter 15). 

For further historical information the reader is referred to Vol 7, HI 17—61, which has historical data on proplnts interspersed within information relevant and irrelevant to the history of expls and firearms... 

Crossbow and longbow continued to be in service up to ca 15th century, competing with early firearms such as handgun (Ref 7, p 4) History of Incendiaries, Fireworks and Black Powder up to the Middle of 19th Century. 

Gun Design, Chapt 2—Gun Construction, Chapt 3—Recoil, Chapt 4-Carriages and Mounts and Chapt 5—Breech Mechanisms) 56)Anon, "Artillery Ammunition, Dept of the Army Tech Manual, TM 9—1901, Washington,DC(1950) 57)ORDIM,Office of Chief of Ordnance Washington 25,DC,"Com-plete Round Charts, No 5981(1950-1) 58)Anon, "Ordnance Proof Manual, Nos 1—1 to 70-10, years of issue 1937-1951, Office of Chief of Ordnance, Washing ton,DC 59) R.Held, "The Age of Firearms, A Pictorial History, Harper Bros, NY(1951) 60)C.R. Jacobs, "Official Gun Book,1 CrownPublg Co,NY(1951) 6l)Anon, "Ordnance Inspection Handbook on Ammunition Material, ... 

A major development in human armament was the discovery of metal and the ability to work metal, and this rapidly led to metal knives, daggers, and swords and metal-tipped spears and arrows. These were much superior to the wooden and stone weapons, and were used for many years until the development of a handheld weapon that surpassed all others and that had a profound effect on human history—the firearm. 

Firearms and their associated ammunition, spent bullets, and spent cartridge cases provide useful information for identifying suspects, terrorist groups, and the criminal history of a weapon. Unfortunately, despite the numerous detailed books on the physical aspects of firearms, very little has been published on the chemical aspects, and what has been published is sparse and fragmented. 

The NIFSL has a turbulent history. It has been subjected to an armed raid by terrorists which resulted in a substantial number of firearms being stolen an unsuccessful bombing attempt a disastrous fire, the water and smoke damage from which destroyed the overwhelming majority of instrumentation ... 

J.F. Hay ward, "European Firearms, Philosophical Library,NY(1955) (A brief history and a short bibliography of Amer, Danish, English, Germ Swedish books on firearms) 88)R.Pichene, "Les Fusils, Charles-Lavauzelle, Paris(1955)... 

Hall and Cassel describe a complete, commercially available experimental system for detailed studies of the thermal history and other characteristics of fibers, a common form of evidence material. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms has developed a large library of inks of known manufacture dates and reports excellent cooperation from industry in its tagging project (Brunelle and Cantu). Again, the application of a well established technique (in this case thin-layer chromatography, which is sensitive enough to allow concurrent handwriting and other supportive analysis) proves its value not only operationally but also from the viewpoint of legal admissibility (Brunelle and Cantu). 

A mixture known as black powder revolutionized the art of warfare whenever it was applied to the propulsion of missiles. Black powder is a mixture of potassium nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal, and sulfur in varying proportions, granulation, and purity. A typical composition of a modern black powder is saltpeter 75%, charcoal 15%, and sulfur 10%.7 A mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur with other ingredients was used in China and India in the eleventh century for incendiary and pyrotechnic purposes long before true black powder was invented.8 History often deals in conjecture and opinion and it is not known for certain when and by whom black powder was invented, or when and by whom it was applied to the propulsion of a missile from a firearm. The composition of black powder was first recorded by English Franciscan monk Roger Bacon in 1249, but he did not apply it to the propulsion of a missile from a firearm. This use of black powder is usually credited to a German Franciscan monk Berthold Schwartz in the early fourteenth century.9... 

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