Firearms

Category Overview

Overview

Firearms use the rapid combustion of a propellant charge to propel a projectile at high velocity. Developed from Chinese gunpowder inventions and refined by European armorers from the 14th century onward, firearms progressively displaced every previous weapon type and have dominated land, sea, and air warfare for four centuries.

Development Timeline

| Era | Mechanism | Key Weapons | |-----|-----------|-------------| | 1300s–1400s | Hand cannon, matchlock | Arquebus, early musket | | 1500s–1600s | Matchlock, wheel lock | Musket, pistol | | 1600s–1700s | Flintlock | Brown Bess, Charleville, dueling pistol | | 1800s | Percussion cap, cartridge | Colt revolver, Springfield, Minié ball | | 1860s–1890s | Metallic cartridge, bolt action | Winchester, Mauser, Remington | | 1900s | Semi-auto, full-auto | Browning, Luger, Thompson, M1 Garand | | 1940s onward | Intermediate cartridge | AK-47, M16, assault rifle era |

Major Subcategories

• Muskets — Flintlock and percussion smoothbore long arms; the dominant military firearm 1600–1860. See: Muskets.
• Rifles — Rifled long arms; accurate to 300+ meters; the dominant infantry weapon from the American Civil War onward. See: Rifles.
• Pistols & Revolvers — Short-barreled handguns; cavalry, officer, and concealed-carry weapons. See: Pistols & Revolvers.
• Carbines — Shorter rifles for cavalry and vehicle crews. See: Carbines.
• Shotguns — Smoothbore long arms firing multiple pellets; close-range; trench warfare and police use. See: Shotguns.
• Submachine Guns — Short-barreled, pistol-caliber automatic weapons; close-quarters warfare. See: Submachine Guns.
• Machine Guns — Automatic weapons firing rifle caliber ammunition; the defining weapon of WWI and WWII. See: Machine Guns.

This article is a stub. Contributions covering specific firearms, mechanisms, and historical development are welcome.