The History of Guns

The history of firearms date back to the early 1300's, where it was recorded that the first man fired a cannon like construction using a ignited stick to a 'touch hole' In the touch hole was none other than gunpowder, which when lit, exploded out of the barrel shaped object. This concept was then condensed to the 'Matchlock' method, where the gun powder was held in a flash pan and lit with a small splint. Held with both hands, it vastly improved the accuracy of the shot than the earlier cannons.

In 1509, the 'Wheel lock' method of firing overpowered the effectiveness of igniting, than the matchlock. This was because the mechanism turned on a wheel that generated a spark, thus which lit the gun powder inside the weapon. Although this was more efficient than lighting a splint, the Wheel lock mechanism was very expensive to build, making the match lock more common amongst men. It was in the late 1500's that the Wheel lock and Matchlock mechanisms were replace with the almighty 'Flintlock' method. This device benefited the user by covering the flash pan with metal, to keep the gun powder of weapon in a confined space. Also a small piece of flint was added to a pullback mechanism which had to physically be moved by hand, a trigger then pulled the mechanism back into place, causing a rapid motion that ignited the gunpowder by the splint. The clever way the flint lit the gun powder on the pull of the trigger, made the Flintlock firearms more efficient for the user.

The Flintlock rifle's incredibly clever construction resulted in it to be the most popular fire arm to use amongst men for over two centuries. Over that time the Flintlock mechanism evolved into different types of firearms such as pistols, shotguns and rifles. Firearms became an object of importance amongst men. In the mid 1700's, men began dueling with their firearms, which then sparked the importance of having something better than one another. This is when flintlock pistols and rifles began being produced with fine materials such as gold and pearl, each with their own intricate designs and motifs, especially customized for the user. It was 1835 where a gentleman named Samuel Colt invented a revolver type firearm that was able to fire multiple times. It's accuracy and industrial strength materials, made the Colt the most favoured type of gun for soldiers.

Although flintlock firearms were incredibly popular, advanced and strong. It wasn't long until something the Pin fire method was introduced. In 1812, the first Pin fire mechanism was recorded. instead of loading the gunpowder and ammunition down the barrel of a firearm, the Pine fire method combined both assets together to form one object. This object today looks similar to your average 9mm bullet. Inside the object would be the powder, that in which when ignited would shoot itself out of the barrel of the weapon. The Pin fire method functions by a small cylindrical piece of metal that penetrates the inside of the bullet. Once the hammer lock comes into contact from the pull of the trigger, it slams the metal inside the ammunition causing it to explode and shoot out of the weapon. It wasn't before long that this method was adopted into many new types of firearms of the 18th century. Aside from the functionality being advanced, it's primary appeal was the use of multiple shots. Guns such as the Winchester, Revolvers and Gatling guns were implemented and strongly dominated over any other kind.

To this day, Weapons function in a similar way to is ancestors. Our modern machine gun's inner works is actually very technical but fascinating. A machine gun works by a piston that works on a spring controlled by the trigger. Once the trigger is pulled, the tight spring launches the piston in the gun forward. The piston strikes the back of the ammunition within the machine gun causing it to launch out of the barrel. The same method as the Pin fire functionality, minus the actual pin! The ammunition, or bullets are a piece of pointed metal in a casing filled with gunpowder. At the base of the bullet is a circular butt with a hole in named the 'Primer', which the piston in the rifle comes into contact with when fired. Once the trigger is pulled, the piston launches forward forcefully, slamming into the back of the Primer, causing an explosion within the casing, causing the bullet to fire out of the firearm.