Firearms

A firearm is a weapon that fires either single or multiple projectiles propelled at high velocity by the gases produced through rapid, confined burning of a propellant. This process of rapid burning is technically known as deflagration. In older firearms, this propellant was typically black powder, but modern firearms use smokeless powder, cordite, or other propellants.

The term gun is often used as a synonym for firearm, but in specialist use has a restricted sense—referring only to an artillery piece with a relatively high muzzle velocity and a relatively flat trajectory, such as a field gun, a tank gun, an anti-tank gun, or a gun used in the delivery of naval gunfire. Guns are distinct from howitzers and mortars, which have lower muzzle velocities and higher trajectories. Hand-held firearms, like rifles, carbines, pistols and other small firearms are never called "guns" in the restricted sense among specialists.

Accordingly, the term machine gun is not a misnomer. Although such weapons fire small caliber ammunition (generally 14.5 mm or smaller), they nevertheless have a flat projectile trajectory and a beaten zone, just like any other gun. Machine guns can be deployed in direct and indirect fire missions in a manner similar to artillery guns. Additionally, machine guns are crew served weapons, requiring the services of more than one crewman, just like any other gun. Generally, an automatic weapon designed for a single user is referred to as an automatic rifle.

In recent centuries, firearms have become the predominant weapons used by mankind. Modern warfare since the late Renaissance has relied upon firearms, with wide-ranging effects on military history and history in general. The Moors introduced firearms in Europe, when Iberia was under their rule. This created a whole new kind of battle, which molded modern-era armies.

For handguns and long guns, the projectile is a bullet or, in historical cannons, a cannonball. The projectile is fired by the burning of the propellant, but in small arms rarely contains explosives itself. For modern artillery the projectile is a shell, which nearly always contains explosives.

A distinction is sometimes made between the projectile itself as the weapon and the firearm as a weapons platform. In some cases, the firearm can be used directly as a weapon without firing a projectile, although this is virtually always a secondary method of attack. For example, arms such as rifles, muskets, and occasionally submachine guns can have bayonets affixed to them, becoming in effect a spear or pike. With some notable exceptions, the stock of a long gun can be used as a club. It is also possible to strike someone with the barrel of a hand-held gun or grasp it by the barrel and strike someone with the butt. This is called "pistol-whipping".

A problem for firearms is the accumulation of waste products from the partial combustion of propellants, metallic residue from the bullet itself, and small flecks of the cartridge case. These waste products can interfere with the internal functions of the firearm. As a result, regularly used firearms must be periodically partially disassembled, cleaned and lubricated to ensure the weapon's reliability.

Firearms are sometimes referred to as small arms. Small arms are weapons which can be carried by a single individual, generally very portable, with a barrel bore of up to approximately 0.50 inch (12.7 mm). Small arms are aimed visually at their targets by hand using optical sights. The range of accuracy for small arms is generally limited to about one mile (1600 m), usually considerably less, although the current record for a successful Sniper attack is slightly more than 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Artillery guns are much larger than these weapons, mounted on a movable carriage, having bores of up to 18 inches (46 cm) and possibly weighing many tons. Artillery can be accurate at ranges of up to about 26 miles (42 km) and, with some notable exceptions (e.g., tank guns), are aimed using altitude/azimuth settings. Strictly speaking, such weapons are not firearms.

History of Firearms

Gunpowder was invented in China around the 9th century AD. The Chinese originally used gunpowder in fireworks. It was not until gunpowder made it to Europe in around 1100 AD, that it became a weapon. The earilest known firearms were large battlefield cannons used in siege warfare.

Around the 1400s, smaller and portable hand-held cannons were developed, creating in effect the first smooth-boore personal firearm. As the centuries progessed, these hand-held cannons evolved into the flintlock rifle, then the breech loader and finally the automatic.

Breech loaders became practical in the 1860's when metallurgy developed sufficiently that brass could be worked into "fixed ammunition". (Previously each round was custom made as needed; the shooter poured loose powder down the barrel, used leather or cloth for wadding if time allowed, selected a suitable projectile (lead ball, rocks, arrow, or nail), then seated the projectile on top of the powder charge by means of a ramrod. Performance was erratic.) Fixed ammunition combined a primer, the pre-measured charge, and the projectile in a water resistant brass "cartridge case". Most important, the soft brass expanded under pressure of the gas to seal the rear end of the barrel; which prevented the shooter from being maimed by escaping high pressure gases when he pulled the trigger.

A repeating weapon or "repeater" is a weapon that can be fired more than once between loadings.

Early weapons had to be cocked before each shot.

Double-action revolvers could be fired two ways. You could cock it and fire it (now called "single action") or you could fire it by pulling the trigger. Single action tended to be more accurate because the trigger pull was shorter and lighter.

Self-loaders are weapons that use some of the discharge energy to reload the weapon. These are also called semi-automatics.

Automatics (also called full autos, machineguns, or machine pistols) were not practical until the development of smokeless poweder in the late 1800's. Black powder caused too much fouling of the mechanism to allow automatics or self-loaders to be reliable.

In 1542, the Portuguese introduced firearms to Japan.