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Pistols &
Revolvers
Introduction
Wheellock pistols
Wheellock pistol
Flintlock pistols 15501700
8
10
12
14
Revolvers 19001945
Webley & Scott Mark VI
Revolvers 1945
JAMES BOND
104
DICK TURPIN
18
Decorated handguns
106
20
24
26
BLACKBEARD
28
30
34
36
40
44
46
WYATT EARP
50
52
56
62
64
68
70
76
78
80
82
Glock 17
Self-loading pistols 1945 (cont.)
DIRTY HARRY
RIFLES &
MUSKETS
Introduction
Earliest rearms
Arquebuses & hook guns
European muskets
17th century musket
Asian matchlocks
Wheellock ries
Early intlock ries
86
88
92
94
98
100
108
110
112
114
116
120
122
126
128
TIMOTHY MURPHY
132
134
142
144
146
148
152
154
Percussion-cap breechloaders
Sharps carbine
Percussion-cap breechloaders (cont.)
Single-shot breechloaders
Dreyse Needle Gun
Manual repeater ries 17751880
Winchester
Manual repeater ries 18801890
158
160
162
164
168
170
174
176
ANNIE OAKLEY
184
186
194
196
202
VASILY ZAITSEV
204
Sniper ries
Self-loading ries 19001945
206
210
214
216
220
222
224
SPORT RIFLES
& SHOTGUNS
Introduction
European hunting guns
Sport ries
226
228
230
236
242
Hunting guns
Survival guns 1945
Early combat shotguns
Combat shotguns
Sport shotguns
Holland & Holland
244
248
250
252
256
260
SP ECIALIS T
GUNS
Introduction
Combination weapons
Early multi-shot rearms
Multi-shot rearms
Anti-tank weapons
Taser Gun
Rie-mounted grenade launchers
Stand-alone grenade launchers
Missile launchers
Mechanical-electrical guns
Special Operations Executive
Gentry guns
Covert forces guns
Silenced guns
Concealed spy guns
Improvised guns
Prototype guns
262
264
266
270
272
274
278
280
284
286
288
290
292
294
296
300
304
306
MA
ACH
CHIN
HIIN
NE GU
NE
GUN
NS
S&
SU
UBM
MAC
ACHI
CHI
HINE
HINE
NE G
GUN
UNS
UN
S
Introduction
Early battery & machine guns
Gatling Gun
Recoil-operated machine guns
Gas-operated machine guns
Steyr-Mannlicher
Light machine guns 19001945
Light machine guns 1945
Bren Gun
Light machine guns 1945 (cont.)
Submachine guns
PPSh41
Submachine guns (cont.)
30
3
0
08
8
310
312
314
316
320
326
328
332
334
336
338
340
342
AL CAPONE
346
348
352
Glossary 354
Index 356
Acknowledgments 360
pistols &
revolvers
ultimate expression of
portable repower. From their earliest days in
the 16th century they were designed to be easily
concealed, lightly carried, and operated with one hand.
In terms of ballistic performance and accuracy, the
sacrices made by this emphasis on portability are many.
Handgun accuracy, even in todays high-specication
weapons, tends to have a ceiling of around 82 ft (25 m),
the precision limited by the instability of the grip and the
shortness of the barrel. The barrel length, plus the limited
ability for a small gun to handle any recoil, also means
that range and penetration are steeply curtailed when
compared to ries. Yet such considerations are missing the
point about handguns. In pure defense terms, handguns
are about close-range reassurance. They can be deployed
quickly, carried unobtrusively (one of the principal reasons
they are standard police weapons), and, within the limits
of their performance, pack a hard punch.
ANDGUNS
ARE
THE
WHEELLOCK
PISTOLS
FULL VIEW
Trigger
guard
GERMAN WHEELLOCK
1620
This pistol was made by Lorenz Herold, who is
recorded as working in Nuremburg from 1572
Germany
until his death in 1622. However, this model
3 lb (1.3 kg)
is stamped with the Augsburg control mark.
17 in (43 cm)
Therefore, Herold was either working in both
.573
regions, or buying in Augsburg-made barrels.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Jaw to hold
iron pyrites
WHEELLOCK CARBINE
1650
Made by German gunmaker Hans Ruhr, this
wheellock features a short, attened butt.
Germany
The steel butt-plate is drilled with a cavity
3 lb (1.3 kg)
possibly to contain a cartridge or powder
20 in (52 cm)
measure. The stock is inlaid with scroll-work
.500 in
in steel wire featuring a cherubs head.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Spring-loaded
metal wheel
Clamp screw
Pistol grip
Ramrod
Ramrod
HOLSTER PISTOL
c.1650
England
3 lb (1.3 kg)
Not known
.58 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Pommel acting
as counterbalance
wheellock pistols
11
FAMOUS GUNS
Lock plate
Trigger guard
ITALIAN WHEELLOCK
This wheellock was produced in Brescia, Italy,
1635
by the famed gunmaker Giovanni Battista
Italy
Francino. Francino built his reputation on the
1 lb (0.75 kg)
high quality of nish, ne balance, and the
10 in (26 cm)
superb lockwork of his guns, and he often
.525
made paired pistols for afuent customers.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
WHEELLOCKS PERFORMED
CONDITIONS.
Cock
Spring holds
cock in place
BATTLE OF NASEBY
A Roundhead soldier res
a wheellock pistol at King
Charles Cavalier Army
during the Battle of Naseby
(1645.) This conict was
the key battle of the
English Civil War.
FLINTLOCK PISTOLS
15501700
Wheellock pistols were never destined to become mass-market
rearms, although they did draw out ofcial concernthe
Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I banned their
use in 1517, and several other monarchs
followed suit. Yet the process by which
they were produced required
relatively rare levels of expertise
on the part of the gunmaker,
hence they were
expensive guns to buy.
The solution lay in a
new lock system that used
Rounded
butt
a struck int as the means
of powder ignition. The Dutch
snaphaunce lock, a precursor to the
intlock, emerged in the 1540s. This featured a
int gripped in the jaws of a spring-loaded hammer,
which when released struck a steel and directed
a shower of sparks into the priming pan.
The new system caught hold quickly,
and evolved toward the emergence
of the true intlock in the early 1600s.
Flattened
pommel
Jaw-clamp
screw
Lock
plate
Pan
cover
Cock
Feather spring
Trigger guard
Striker for
upper barrel
Cock
Barrel
release
Striker for
lower
barrel
Ramrod-retaining thimble
Barrel is
hexagonal toward
the breech
Forestock
cap
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
AT ANYTING OVER 15 M ( 50 FT (.
Side-mounted
ramrod
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
15
Jaw-clamp
screw
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Striking
steel
attached to
pan cover
Pan
Stag-horn inlay
Flint wrapped in
leather patch to
improve jaws grip
Feather spring
icks cover up
when released,
revealing pan
Trigger
Escutchion plate
Metal-bound butt
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ramrod-retaining
thimble
Round barrel
AROUND 50 SHOTS,
Incised
decoration
Fore sight
Gilded steel
decoration
Feather
spring
Metal-bound butt
Round barrel
AUSTRIAN FLINTLOCK
c.1690
Made in Vienna by Lamarre, this
ornate holster pistol, though certainly
Austria
atypical in the level and high quality
2 lb (1.1 kg)
of its decoration, represents the state
14 in (35.3 cm)
of the gunmakers art as it was in the
17-bore
last decades of the 17th century.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
17
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
DICK TURPIN
Born on September 21, 1706 in London Turpins
childhood was immersed in smuggling and crime.
In his late teens he was forced to ee into the
Essex countryside, northeast of London, after
being discovered cattle rustlinga capital
offense in 18th century England.
Trigger guard
Butt plate
WILSON PISTOLS
c. 1730
UK
1 lb (0.74 kg)
5 in (13 cm)
.596
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Frizzen
Flint-clamping
screw
PARTNERS IN CRIME
Dick Turpin shoots at soldiers who had arrested
his partner Tom King in 1737. Turpin and King
met one night when the former attempted to
rob the latter. They quickly established a
partnership and set up a base in an extensive
cave system within Epping Forest, Essex.
FLINTLOCK PISTOLS
17001775
By the early 1700s, the intlock mechanism was becoming the dominant lock
system in European rearms manufacture, steadily replacing the snaphaunce
and miquelet systems. The former had a mechanically operated pan cover,
which opened via an arm or plunger link when the cock was released, exposing
the priming powder to the ints sparks. Miquelet locks developed in Spain
during the early 17th century, had a combined steel and pan cover
Twin cocks
that was spring activated and driven forward by the impact
of the cock. The intlock, by combining the snaphaunces
internal workings and the miquelets steel and pan cover
arrangement, brought a reliable gun (depending
on the quality of production) and an easier
process of manufacture that galvanized
European rearms ownership.
Ramrod-retaining thimble
Fore sight
Ramrod
Frizzen
(striker)
attached to
pan cover
Upper barrel
Lock plate
Figured
walnut
stock
Frizzen spring
ips up cover,
revealing pan
Trigger for
upper barrel
Butt is brass-bound
Trigger for
lower barrel
Ramrod-retaining
thimble
DOUBLE-BARRELED PISTOL
1700
This is one of a pair of excellent English twinlock, double-barreled, over-and-under pistols.
England
It was made by the migr Dutch gunmaker
3 lb (1.4 kg)
Andrew Dolep in London at the turn of the
13 in (33 cm)
17th/18th centuries. The right-hand lock and
.5 in
the forward trigger re the lower barrel.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cock
Plain,
unadorned
barrel
ENGLISH PISTOL
c.1720
DATE
England
ORIGIN
2 lb (0.88 kg)
WEIGHT
10 in (25.4 cm)
BARREL
.64 in
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
Screw plate
is a
decorative
casting
Screws
retain
lock
Trigger guard
Fore sight
Cock
Shortened
striker
Unstocked
round barrel
Lower barrel
Screw-in
breech block
Butt is
bound in
silver
Trigger guard
is prolonged
into a lever
BREECHLOADING PISTOL
c.1725
This miquelet-lock pistol is from Ripoll,
Catalonia, a key gunmaking town in the
Spain
17th and 18th centuries. The breech block
3 lb (1.6 kg)
screws out with one full turn of the trigger
10 in (25.4 cm)
guard to which it is attached, allowing the
.55 in
ball and powder charge to be inserted.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
21
Cock
SCOTTISH PISTOL
c.1750
Scotland
1 lb (0.79 kg)
9 in (23 cm)
.57 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Lock plate
Silver
medallion set
into butt
Trigger
has lost
its nial
ball
Rams
horn
nial
Engraved
box lock
Tap
Trigger
Pommel unscrews
and is equipped
with a touchhole pricker
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Striking steel
FULL VIEW
Barrel is
engraved
all over
Ramrod is missing
Cock
Langets extend
from brass
butt cap
Ramrod
Trigger
guard
LIGE PISTOL
1765
Belgium
2 lb (0.88 kg)
9 in (23 cm)
.62 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
23
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
FIREARMS
At the end of the 17th century the Ottoman Empires occupation
of large portions of south-west Europe ensured a steady inow of
modern military technology from the West, as reected in the high
quality of Ottoman handguns (most of these were direct copies of
European models). The 18th century produced ne examples of
Ottoman snaphaunce, miquelet, and intlock handguns. Ornate
decoration denes many of these pieces, with Persian, Islamic,
and even Indian designs apparent in the use of
inlaid precious metal and stones, and the
sumptuous application of oral
and geometric designs.
Butt terminates
in lemon-shaped
pommel
Feather
spring
FULL VIEW
Engraved,
inlaid lock plate
FLINTLOCK PISTOL
Late 18th century
A pistol such as thisstocked all the way
to the muzzle, with its woodwork copiously
Turkey
inlaid, and its lock, barrel, and trigger guard
Not known
decorated with silver and goldwould have
Not known
graced any arms cabinet in the Ottoman world.
Not known
The lock appears to be of European pattern.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Striking steel
FLINTLOCK PISTOL
18th century
Turkey
Not known
Not known
Not known
CALIBER
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
Gilt appliqu
Silver inlay
Barrel is
left unblued
Decorated
lock plate
Flared
muzzle
Saddle bar
Carved
walnut stock
Incised
checkering
on grip
FLINTLOCK BLUNDERBUSS
Early 18th century Despite its being furnished with a shoulder stock that is
incised, carved, and inlaid with silver, this blunderbuss
Turkey
is actually a large horse pistol. The work of the Dervish
Not known
Amrullah, according to an engraved inscription, it was
13 in (34.3 cm)
clearly made for use by a cavalryman, as it has a bar
Not known
and ring for suspension from a saddle.
ottoman empire rearms
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
25
INDIAN
FIREARMS
Cock
Pan
Painted
decoration
English-style
lock plate
Trigger
Checkered grip
Trigger guard
MATCHLOCKS WERE
COMMON IN INDIA
26
Striking steel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ramrod pipe
Serpentine
Pan
Feather spring
Steel barrel
Trigger
Ramrod
Ramrod
Pricker holder
MATCHLOCK PISTOL
c.1800
Matchlock pistols were a rarity in Europe, but
were manufactured in small numbers in Asia.
Northern India
This example, from the turn of the 18th/19th
1 lb (0.75 kg)
centuries, was produced in northern India. The
9 in (24.5 cm)
items below the pan are a holder for the prickers
18-bore
and a ring to which its chain was attached.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
indian rearms
27
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
BLACKBEARD
Edward Teach, better known to history as the pirate Blackbeard, hailed
from the west of England and lived from c.1680 to November 22, 1718.
Having been a privateer during the War of the Spanish Succession
(170113), Teach turned to outright piracy in 1716, becoming the
commander of his own pirate vessel the following year. For two years
Teach brought a reign of terror to the eastern seas of the Americas
and West Indies, building a reputation for merciless violence.
Flint-clamping
screw
Cock
Feather spring
FLINTLOCK PISTOL
c1700
English
3 lb (1.3 kg)
Not known
.58
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SOME ACCOUNTS
CLAIM THAT BLACKBEARD
HAD AS MANY AS
FOURTEEN WIVES.
Holder for
ramrod
FLINTLOCK PISTOLS
17751800
The intlock pistols of the 18th century served a variety of social purposes.
Ownership of expensively made versions gave protection and status symbols
to the noble and the wealthy. Early police units used them as standard side arms,
as did many in the criminal fraternity, and they were also used in shooting clubs
for target competitions. One particularly distinctive form of intlock gun was
the dueling pistol, which came to the fore once swords lost their civilian dress
fashionability in the 1760s. Dueling pistols came as an identical boxed pair.
Because the consequences of a misre could be fatal for a duelist,
the pistols were manufactured to the highest
Flint held in
standards, and had extremely light triggers
leather patch
and heavy barrels to ensure accuracy.
Four barrels
mounted side
by side in
vertical pairs
Striking steel
Barrels unscrew
for loading
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Joint between
barrel and
breech
Engraved plate
Striking steel
Flint held in
leather patch
IMPROVED ACCURACY
Turning tap
delivers
priming to
lower barrel
Embossed silver
butt plate
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
31
POCKET PISTOL
1800
Belgium
1 lb (0.48 kg)
4 in (11 cm)
.59 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Striking steel
Octagonal
barrel
Jaw clamp
screw
Trigger guard
retains bayonet
in closed position
Striking
steel
Rectangular
box enclosing
lock mechanism
Trigger
Rear trigger
releases bayonet
Cock
Prawl
Smooth-bore
barrel
Fore stock
extends to
muzzle
Ramrod
Feather spring
Hair trigger
Catch locks
bayonet in open
position
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Bayonet
Brass barrel
Bell mouth ensures
wide spread of shot
at close range
Spring-loaded
bayonet
BLUNDERBUSS PISTOL
1785
The blunderbuss (from the Dutch donderbus, or thunder
gun) was a close-range weapon, its bell mouth aiding the
UK
loading and dispersal of the shot. This box-lock model was
2 lb (0.95 kg)
the work of John Waters of Birmingham, England, who held
7 in (19 cm)
a patent on the pistol bayonet. Ofcers of the British Royal
1 in at muzzle
Navy often used such pistols during boarding operations.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
33
FAMOUS GUNMAKERS
COLT
There are few names in the world of gunmaking as famous
as Colt. In 1836 Samuel Colt established the Patent Arms
Manufacturing Company in Paterson, New Jersey, to
manufacture revolvers and ries. This company fell into
bankruptcy in 1842, but Colt continued his sales efforts,
resulting in an army order for 1,000 revolvers in 1846.
By 1855 Colt had opened major factories in Hartford,
Connecticut, and London, England, and by the next year
production was running at about 150 guns a day. Samuel Colt
died in 1862, but the Colt name prospered in family hands for
the rest of the century. Product lines expanded from revolvers
to automatic handguns (such as the M1911) and machine guns,
and this diversity bought major war contracts during WWI and
Fore sight
HANDMADE HANDGUNS
A Colt employee ts a hammer to
a pistol during the manufacturing
process at the Colt factory in
Hartford, Connecticut.
Double
action
trigger
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hammer
Ejector rod
housing
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Six-round
cylinder
Rammer
lever
Cylinder
COLT CAPS
Percussion caps, as used
in the Navy Model 1861,
were rst introduced in
this form in 1822.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
colt
35
FLINTLOCK PISTOLS
18001850
The early 19th century continued the movement toward standardization
of rearms begun in earnest in the 1700s. Pistols became standard
auxiliary weapons to the sword in cavalry forces, resulting in the plain
appearance of mass-market rearmsdecoration was an
unnecessary expense. The quality control in manufacturing
common parts, however, was often extremely poor, and
there were many inferior pistols available. Typical
failures included broken mainsprings and
badly constructed steels. High-quality
handguns were still available, although
these commanded the highest price
tags. Only with the development
of true mass-production
engineering technologies
in the mid 19th century
did the quality of
standardized rearms improve.
Heavy brass
butt plate
Jaw-clamp
screw
Trigger
Brass
trigger
guard
DESIGNED TO BE FLIPPED
AROUND AND USED AS CLUBS,
THE BUTTS OFTEN FEATURING
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Striker
Ramrod retainer
swivels so rod
can be turned and
inserted in muzzle
Striking
steel
Crown over GR
the mark of all
four King Georges
Feather spring
icks pan open
as int falls
Brass-bound
butt
Brass
trigger
guard
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
37
Flint
Striking
steel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Internal
box lock
One-piece stock
made of seasoned
walnut
Round
brass
barrel
Internal
box lock
Ramrod
thimble
Wooden
ramrod with
brass cap
Round barrel
screws off for
loading
Safety
catch
Disappearing trigger
drops when cock is
drawn back
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Brass-bound butt
Striking steel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Flint
wrapped in
leather for
good grip
Cock
Ramrodretaining
boss
Steel ramrod
Makers mark and
year of manufacture
Brass
trigger
guard
Safety catch
locks pan
closed
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Octagonal barrel
Pulling trigger
guard releases
bayonet
Spring-loaded
bayonet
Curved walnut
butt
39
PERCUSSION-CAP
PISTOLS
The percussion cap revolutionized the history of rearms. Percussion systems used
impact-detonated priming powder to ignite the guns main charge, and by the early
1820s the percussion cap had emerged. This contained the primer in a small copper
cylinder (the cap) that was open at one end. The cap was placed on a hollow nipple,
essentially an updated version of the touch-hole, under the hammer. When the
hammer fell and crushed the cap, the fulminate detonated and the intense ash was
directed down the nipple to the chamber. The key advantages of the percussion cap
were reliability, as there was no more loose priming powder, and the greatly enhanced
lock timethe speed between releasing the hammer and the gun being red.
Hammer
Engraved
lock plate
Butt has
incised
decoration
Trigger is
pre-set to
a very
light pull
Incised
checkering
on butt
Cap ts
over nipple
Hammer
Fore sight
Incised
checkering
on butt
Octagonal barrel
Makers
name
Slide secures
barrel in lock
Steadying spur
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Butt nishes
in a pommel
Animal decoration
Ornate octagonal
barrel
Barrelretaining
slide
Rear
sight
Animal
decoration
on hammer
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Octagonal barrel
Ramrod thimble
Trigger
FULL VIEW
Steadying spur
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
percussion-cap pistols
41
Round barrel
Combined main
spring and hammer
Butt is
planed at
on the sides
Ring trigger is
characteristic of
Coopers pistols
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Bar hammer
acts vertically
Side-mounted
hammer
Checkering
on butt
Nipples set
horizontally
Barrels
rotate on
axial pin
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Trigger
Nipple
Hammer
Fore sight
Plain
walnut
stock
Ramrod retainer
swivels to allow
captive rod to be
inserted in barrel
Lock
plate
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight
Breech lever
FULL VIEW
percussion-cap pistols
43
FAMOUS GUNS
Cutaway to
facilitate
placing of cap
Trigger guard
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
US PERCUSSIONCAP REVOLVERS
18501900
Hammer
spur
Nipple in
recess
Side-mounted
hammer
Cylinderlocking
screw
Samuel Colt did not, arguably, invent the revolver. What he did do, however, was
take many of the revolving-cylinder experiments of earlier rearms and synthesize
them into a successful working handgun, all at the age of only 21. His UK
patent was granted in 1835, the US patent following in 1836. Colts design
utilized a pawl attached to the hammer to rotate the cylinder, the pawl
engaging with a ratchet on the rear of the cylinder. To rotate the
cylinder from one chamber to the next, the hammer was pulled
back and cocked, the pawl simultaneously moving the cylinder
the appropriate turn to bring the next chamber, and its
exposed percussion cap, into line with both hammer and
barrel. A vertical bolt locked the cylinder for ring.
Stud
trigger
One-piece
varnished
walnut grips
AMMUNITION
The powder and projectile were
made into simple cartridges with
combustible cases made of fabric,
rendered waterproof and rigid by
an application of varnish.
Walnut grips
Top
strap
Cylinder
axis pin
Octagonal
barrel
Rammer lever
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Concealed
rammer
Cylinderretaining
wedge
Notched hammer
spur forms rear sight
Octagonal barrel
Rammer
lever
Rammer
pivot pin
Rammer
Slot for
cylinderlocking bolt
Cutaway allows
cap to be placed
on nipple
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
47
Nipple in
recess
Engraved
cylinder
Cylinder
axis pin
Cylinderretaining wedge
Round barrel
Brass back
strap
Rammer
pivot pin
Rammer
lever
Rammer
Walnut
grips
Brass
trigger
guard
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Top
strap
Locking
screw
COLTS DRAGOON
WAS INCREDIBLY UNWIELDY FOR A
HANDGUN, HAVING
AN OVERALL LENGTH OF
Cylinderlocking
slot
LE MAT PISTOL
1864
US
3 lb (1.64 kg)
7 in (17.8 cm)
.3 in and 16-bore
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ried barrel
and cylinder
screw onto
smooth-bore
barrel
Smooth-bore
barrel acts as
cylinder axis pin
Round
barrel
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
49
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
WYATT EARP
Wyatt Earps turbulent life has been so
embellished that it is difcult to get at the truth.
However, he remains one of the Wild Wests most
famous lawmen, with several legendary gunghts to
his credit, including that at the OK Corral on
October 26, 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona. That shoot
out, stemming from longstanding tension between the
Earp brothers and the Clanton and MacLaury brothers,
resulted in three dead and three wounded, Wyatt
being the only person to come out unharmed.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Notched hammer
acts as rear sight
OK CORRAL SAW
THREE MEN DEAD
FULL VIEW
Notched ridge
forms rear sight
Engraved plate
covers doubleaction lock
Flash
shield
INACCURATE THAN
SINGLE-ACTION, BUT ITS RATE
Checkered
walnut grips
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cylinderlocking wedge
Octagonal
berrel
Fore sight
Rammer
lever
Recessed
nipple
Five-chambered
cylinder
Fore sight
Octagonal
barrel
Side-mounted
hammer
Flash
cylinder
Cylinder
axis pin
Rammer
lever
Lock cover
plate
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
53
Bar hammer
Fore sight
Flash
guard
Screw secures
barrel to
frame
Prawl prevents
pistol from
slipping through
hand
Rammer lever
Trigger guard
Checkered
walnut grip
54
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
TRANSITIONAL REVOLVER
c.1855
By the late 1850s, there was considerable demand in Britain for
cylinder revolvers, but the best of them, by Colt, Deane, or
UK
Adams, were very expensive. Cheaper designs such as this
1 lb (0.81 kg)
example, with a bar hammer derived from a pepperbox revolver,
5 in (13.5 cm)
were less satisfactory, with a tendency to discharge two cylinders
.4 in
at once because of the lack of partitions between the nipples.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Octagonal barrel
Nipple
Spurless hammer
Octagonal barrel
Safety catch
ADAMS REVOLVERS
COLT OR REMINGTON.
ADAMS DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER MODEL 1851
1851
This revolverRobert Adams rstis also called the Adams &
Deane Model (he was in partnership at the time). The entire
UK
frame, barrel, and butt were forged out of a single iron billet,
2 lb (1.27 kg)
making it extremely strong. Adams lock was later replaced by
7 in (19 cm)
a superior design by a young army ofcer, F.B.E. Beaumont. The
40-bore
Beaumont-Adams was adopted by the British Army in 1855.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
55
BRASS CARTRIDGE
REVOLVERS
After Colts percussion cap revolver, the next big advance in
pistol design was powered by Horace Smith and Daniel
Wesson. In 1856 they bought a patent from gunsmith
Rollin White, who had produced a revolver concept in
which the chambers were bored through the whole
length of the cylinder to enable breechloading. For
Smith and Wesson it was the perfect system to
incorporate their new .22 rimre cartridge (meaning
the primer is distributed around the rim of the
cartridge base). It transformed handguns,
making fast reloading possibleno more
ddling with percussion caps. For the next 13
years, Smith & Wesson had legal control over
the breechloading pistol design even as new,
more powerful centerre cartridges (with
a percussion cap centrally located in
the base) became the norm.
Frame locking
catch
Prawl prevents
pistol slipping
through hand
under recoil
Trigger guard
with steadying
spur
Butt-retaining
screw
Rear sight
Barrel rib
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Frame hinge
Hammer
Fore sight
Hinge
Barrels positioned
one above the other
Stud trigger
Barrel
catch
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
57
Loading/
ejection gate
Extractor-rod
housing
Plain
walnut
grip
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
NOTORIOUS USERS,
Round barrel
Extractor rod
Blade fore sight
Hammer
Five-round
cylinder
Colt logo
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
59
Fore sight
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Frame
opening catch
Six-round
cylinder
Hinged knife
blade
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
60
The Zig-Zag is a six-shot .43 revolver, with a tophinged frame. Diagonal slots cut into the cylinder
face were used with a corresponding arm link to
rotate the cylinder, but the complexity of this
system led to the guns rejection as a standard
sidearm for the German Army.
Loading/
ejection gate
Ejector rod
Round barrel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Frame
catch
Hammer
Cylinder
axis pin
Rubbercomposition
grips
Lanyard ring
Rib reinforces
barrel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
61
FAMOUS GUNMAKERS
PISTOL
ENGRAVING
Former Smith
& Wesson
employee Harry
Jarvis engraves
revolvers at the
companys
gunmaking
plant at
Springeld,
Massachusetts.
Frame
Trigger
guard
TIFFANY MAGNUM
1989
US
Not known
6 in (15 cm)
.44 Magnum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
.357 MAGNUM
Developed in 1935 this
bullet has since been
produced in many varieties.
Cylinder
MODEL 27
1938
US
3 lb (1.4 kg)
11 in (30 cm)
.357 Magnum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hammer spur
Ejector rod
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Checkered grip
Lanyard ring
63
7 in (19 cm)
.455 in
Slide
Recoil spring
housing
Steadying grip
MARS
The designer insisted on
a heavy propellant load
for the Mars bullet.
GABBETT-FAIRFAX MARS
1898
Perhaps inspired by the Mausers success,
Hugh Gabbett-Fairfax wanted to produce
UK
a super-powerful pistol; the result was
3 lb (1.55 kg)
the Mars. Described by users as a
11 in (26.5 cm)
nightmare, it was complex, awkward,
.45 in
and unwieldy, with a vicious recoil.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Butt houses
removable sevenround magazine
65
Exposed
hammer
Blade fore
sight
Recoil
spring
housing
Cover for veround magazine
PUR POSE-DESIGNED
AUTOMATIC HANDGUN,
BUT AT 11 IN (28 CM) LONG
BERGMANN NO.3
1896
Germany
2 lb (0.88 kg)
4 in (11.2 cm)
6.5 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
ACTUALLY CONTROL
ONE-HA NDED.
Detachable stock
Leather holster
BORCHARDT C/93
1894
Germany
3 lb (1.66 kg)
6 in (16.5 cm)
7.63 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Ejection port
Recoil spring
housing
FULL VIEW
67
FAMOUS GUNS
MAUSER C/96
The C/96 was designed by three brothers surnamed
Feederle, who all worked for the German gun
manufacturer Mauser in the 1890s. It was an
automatic design initially chambered for the 7.65 mm
Borchardt round, but in 1896, when production actually
began, the caliber had changed to the 7.63 mm Mauser.
Loading/ejection
port
Fixed 10-round
box magazine
FULL VIEW
Blade fore
sight
MAUSER C/96
1896
Germany
2 lb (1.1 kg)
5 in (14 cm)
7.65 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
MAUSER ON FILM
British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill carried a Mauser C/96
during the battle of Omdurman
in 1898, a shoulder injury
preventing him from using a
saber. Here, Simon Ward plays
the title role in the 1972 lm
Young Winston.
SELF-LOADING
PISTOLS 19001920
The likes of Borchardt, Mauser, and Bergmann had produced serviceable
automatic pistols in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but these tended to be
either too expensive or unwieldy for widespead service. Colts M1911 pistol
signaled, alongside the Luger P08, the true birth of practical automatic handguns.
The M1911 held eight rounds of powerful .45 in ammunition in its detachable
box magazine, and utilized a new short-recoil system in which the recoil powered a
slide along the top of the gun, which in turn powered the cycle of ejection and
reloading. This systemmuch copied ever sincewas extremely rugged and
reliable. It was not the only one,
however, and by the 1920s
most major gunmaking
nations were embracing
workable automatic
handgun technologies.
COLT M1902
1902
US
2 lb (1.02 kg)
6 in (15.2 cm)
.38 in ACP
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight
Recoil spring
housing
Hold-open catch holds
the slide back
Rear sight
Hammer
Safety
catch
Patent data
Lever holds
slide back
for stripping
Grip safety
Magazine catch
COLT M1911A1
1909 onward
US
2 lb (1.1 kg)
5 in (12.7 cm)
.45 in ACP
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
.45 ACP
The .45 Automatic Colt Pistol
round was developed for the
John Browning-designed M1911.
Lanyard eye
Fore sight
Fore sight
Hammer
Loading/ejector port
STEYR-MANNLICHER M1905
1905
Produced by Werndl at Steyr, the M1905
was the last in a series of designs executed
Austria-Hungary
by Ferdinand von Mannlicher, who was better
2 lb (0.9 kg)
known for his ries. It was complicated and
6 in (16 cm)
expensive to manufacture, and as a
7.63 mm
consequence, was short-lived.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ejector port
Butt houses
ten-round xed
magazine
Loading port
Hammer (or
hahn)
Safety catch
Butt houses
eight-round xed
magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
STEYR 7.63 MM
This popular round has a
muzzle velocity of 1000 ft/
sec (312 m/sec.)
Hold-open
lever
Magazine catch
9MM PARABELLUM
Also known as the Luger, this is
the most common cartridge in
the world. Countless rearms
have been chambered for it.
LUGER P08
1908
Germany
2 lb (0.8 kg)
4 in (10 cm)
9 mm Parabellum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Butt houses
ten-round
removable
magazine
One of the best-known guns in the world, with almost iconic status,
the Pistole 08 was designed by Georg Luger in 1900. He copied many
features of Borchardts gun of seven years earlier, but adopted a leaf
recoil spring and moved it into the butt, improving the overall balance
considerably. Luger also produced improved ammunition for his pistol,
the Parabellum round, which was to become the world standard.
73
Removable
butt stock
Concealed hammer
Fore sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hold-open
lever
Butt houses
seven-round
removable
magazine
ASTRA M901
1920s
Spain
4 lb (2.1 kg)
6 in (16 cm)
7.63 mm Mauser
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rate-of-re
selector
20-round
xed
magazine
Cocking grip
Fore sight
Safety catch
Ejector port
8 MM NAMBU
The Japanese ofcers pistols
issued from 1909 onward were
the only weapons ever made for
this powerful round.
Magazine catch
NAMBU TAISHO 14
1920
Japan
2 lb (0.9 kg)
4 in (12 cm)
8 mm Nambu
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SELF-LOADING
PISTOLS 19201945
Fore sight
During WWI revolvers remained common side arms, and indeed remained
dominant among many armies. Some nations, however, introduced automatic
handguns as standard equipment for their ofcers. US soldiers carried the Colt
M1911. Austro-Hungary elded a variety of automatics, including the M1896
and M1905 Mannlichers and the Steyr M12, while German soldiers took the
Mauser C/96 and Luger P08. All proved themselves under the combat
conditions of the Western Front, not only with ofcers but also with trenchraiding parties, who valued portable close-range repower over an unwieldy
long-range rie. By WWII, the number of different automatic handgun types
worldwide had proliferated tremendously, and
ranged from the excellent 9 mm Browning HP
to the chronically bad Japanese Type 94.
Semi-shrouded
hammer
Fore sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Butt houses
eight-round
removable
magazine
Polish eagle
proof mark
Data engraved
on slide
Hold-open
lever
RADOM M1935
1935
Poland
2 lb (1.05 kg)
4 in (11.5 cm)
9 mm Parabellum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Decocking lever
Hammer
FAMOUS GUNMAKERS
BERETTA
Beretta is not only the worlds oldest gunmaker, it is also one
of the oldest rms in history to remain in family hands. First
evidence of its existence dates back to 1526, when gunmaker
Mastro Bartolomeo Beretta was given 296 ducats for 185
arquebus barrels sold to the Arsenal of Venice. The company
subsequently produced a variety of long arms and handguns
for military and sport gun customers. Berettas ascent to
international dominance began under the directorship of Pietro
Beretta (18701957), who took over the company in 1903 and
upgraded their production process. By 1915 Beretta was also
manufacturing automatic pistols, a weapon type for which it
would subsequently become famous. Throughout the 20th
century Beretta diversied, making assault ries, shotguns,
Trigger guard
ITALIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP
Pistol engraving is a delicate
process so the gun needs to be
secured by means of a tighttting mold or vice.
BERETTA 318
1935
Italy
1 lb (0.5 kg)
2 in (5.7 cm)
.25 ACP
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
IN THE 1980S
Fire
selector
THE BERETTA 92
US ARMY ISSUE.
BERETTA 9000S
2001
Italy
2 lb (1.1 kg)
3 in (8 cm)
.4 in / 9 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight
Magazine
Slide catch/
release
Fire selector
BERETTA 89 TARGET
1989
The Beretta 89 is an automatic blowbackpowered handgun designed for competitive
Italy
target shooting. Along with the Model 87, the
1 lb (0.8 kg)
89 is a single-action gun and is built for high
6 in (15 cm)
accuracy, with a heavy barrel, an adjustable
.22 LR
rear sight, and even the facility for a scope.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
beretta
79
Hammer
Recoil
spring
housing
Hold-open lever
holds slide back
Safety
catch
STAR MODEL M
1932
Spain
2 lb (1.07 kg)
5 in (12.5 cm)
9 mm Largo
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight
Data
engraved
on slide
Butt houses
eight-round
removable
magazine
Lanyard eye
Hammer
Recoil
spring
housing
Safety catch
and holdopen lever
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Butt houses
removable nineround magazine
Magazine
release catch
Data engraved
on slide
Recoil
spring
housing
Milled
cocking grip
Rear sight
Hammer
Safety
catch
Hold-open lever
retains slide to rear
BROWNING GP35
1935
Belgium
2 lb (0.99 kg)
4 in (11.8 cm)
9 mm Parabellum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hold-open notch
Magazine
release catch
A BACK-UP WEAPON
Butt houses
13-round
removable
magazine
81
SELF-LOADING
PISTOLS 1945
By the end of WWII, automatic handguns had reached impressive standards
of form and function. The post-war years brought mostly cosmetic, material,
and safety improvements, and major expansions in magazine capacity; many
modern 9 mm handguns take around 15 rounds in staggered-row box
magazines. There were experiments in designing pistols capable of fully
automatic resuch as the Russian Stetchkin APSbut such weapons
proved neither practical nor applicable. However, one name in particular
emerged as a potent force in future handgun productionBeretta. The oldest
gunmaker in the world remained one of the most commercially aggressive,
and in the 1980s its Beretta
92 model replaced the Colt
M1911 as the US forces
service handgun after a
controversial series of trials.
STECHKIN APS
1960s
USSR
2 lb (1.03 kg)
5 in (12.7 cm)
9 mm Makarov
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hold-open
lever retains
slide to rear
Combined safety
and rate-of-re
selector
Rear sight
Hammer
Slide-mounted
safety catch
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
9 MM PARABELLUM
Hold-open lever
holds slide to rear
Safety catch
Magazine
release catch
MAK AROV PM
1950s
DATE
USSR
ORIGIN
1 lb (0.7 kg)
WEIGHT
3 in (9.7 cm)
BARREL
9 mm Makarov
CALIBER
Hold-open
lever retains
slide to rear
Hammer
Push-button
safety catch
Burst-re
selector
Butt houses
18-round
magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Frame-mounted
safety catch
Enlarged
trigger guard
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Butt houses
ten-round
magazine
Fiber-reinforced
polymer shoulder
stock
85
FAMOUS GUNS
GLOCK 17
The Glock 17 is one of Austrias most famous rearms
exports, a superb auto handgun that has enjoyed great
commercial success. It is a short-recoil operated
guna single trigger pull rst cocks the striker and
releases a ring pin lock, then releases the striker.
86
Recoil spring
and laser
target indicator
housing
Enlarged
trigger guard
for gloved
hands
GLOCK 17
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1982
Austria
1 lb (0.6 kg)
4 in (11.4 cm)
9 mm
LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
Butt houses
17-round
magazine
Slide
Silencer
BERETTA MODEL 70
1951
Israel
Not known
Not known
7.65 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Magazine
oorplate
OF ISRAELS SPECIAL
OPERATIONS UNIT ( MOSSAD ).
Safety
button
JERICHO 941
1990
Israel
2 lb (1 kg)
4 in (12 cm)
9 mm /.41 AE
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Slide
Slide catch/
release
Data engraving
Makers mark
HELWAN
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1965
Egypt
2 lb (0.87 kg)
4 in (11 cm)
9 mm
89
THE MASSIVE ,
SPACE-AGE LOOKING,
I SR A E L I-M A DE ,
Interchangeable
barrel
DESERT EAGLE
OF MOVIE MAKERS.
Muzzle
brake
Extended barrel
Magazine
release catch
LAR GRIZZLY MK IV
1985
US
3 lb (1.35 kg)
6 in (16.5 cm)
.44 Magnum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
The LAR Grizzly handgun was developed as a highpower hunting or silhouette-shooting weapon. It is
based upon the classic Colt M1911, most of the
differences being related to size and minor external
features. The Mk 1 came with caliber conversion kits;
the Mk IV, by contrast, is only available in .44 Magnum.
Adjustable
rear sight
Telescopic sight
Hammer
Identication data
Milled
cocking grip
Recurved trigger
guard to facilitate
two-handed grip
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Safety catch
91
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
DIRTY HARRY
Few guns are so identiable with a single lm character
as the Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum, forever linked with
Clints Eastwoods Dirty Harry Callahan. The specic
gun used by Callahan is the Model 29 with an 8 in
(21 cm) barrel (the Model 29 is available in three other
barrel lengths, two shorter and one longer).
Cylinder
Trigger guard
Checkered grip
S&W MODEL 29
1980s
US
3 lb (1.3 kg)
8 in (22 cm)
.44 Magnum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Luminous
front sight
DID HE FIRE
SIX SHOTS OR
ONLY FIVE?
Fore sight
REVOLVERS
19001945
Cylinder axis and
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cylinderretaining catch
Cylinder axis
and ejector rod
Cylinder
holds six
rounds
Makers mark
Trigger guard
Grip retaining
screw
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
revolvers 19001945
95
Hammer
Ejector rod
Cylinder holds
six .38 Spl-caliber
rounds
Grip-retaining
screw
COLT AGENT
1955
US
lb (0.23 kg)
2 in (5 cm)
.38 Spl
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Spurless
hammer
Cylinder holds
six .38-caliber rounds
ENFIELD NO.2 MK 1
1938
UK
1 lb (0.76 kg)
5 in (12.7 cm)
.38 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cylinder holds
six .45 ACP-caliber rounds
Pivot pin
for cylinder gate
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
revolvers 1900-1945
97
FAMOUS GUNS
98
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
REVOLVERS
EVER PRODUCED.
WALKING WOUNDED
Wounded British soldiers retreating from
the Battle of Mons, Belgium, in August
1914. The soldier on the right is carrying
a Webley MkVI, the staple sidearm of
British troops during the conict.
Cylinderretaining key
Trigger guard
Cylinder contains
six .455-caliber
rounds
REVOLVERS
1945
In the post-war years the advantages of automatic
handgunsease of use, large ammunition capacity
threatened the rationale for handguns. To counteract
Ventilated barrel rib
this trend, however, many revolver manufacturers
turned to the production of magnum revolvers.
Hammer
Cylinder holds ve
shrouded, so it
rounds of
doesnt catch on
A magnum handgun res magnum
ammunition
clothes
ammunition, that is, cartridges that generate
Cylinder
higher-velocities and greater penetration
release catch
than conventionally cased cartridges of
the same caliber. The rst magnum
revolver round was the .357 Magnum,
Grip
developed in 1934 as an extension of the
safety
.38 Special, with the .44 Magnum
Cylinder
axis rod
following in the 1950s. Such rounds
were designed purely for revolvers,
as most automatic handguns could
not handle the recoil forces. The
.357 Magnum in particular sold
well to policemen wanting more
power in their holsters, the Colt
SMITH & WESSON AIRWEIGHT
Python being a favorite.
1952 onward
DATE
As well as the giant Magnums, most gunmakers produced
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
US
1 lb (.45 kg)
2 in (5 cm)
.38 Special
Adjustable
rear sight
Cylinder rotates
clockwise
Cylinder
axis rod
.357 MAGNUM
Developed in 1935, this cartridge
has since been produced in many
varieties. Average muzzle
velocity is around 1,300 fps.
COLT PYTHON
1953 onward
US
3 lb (1.4 kg)
8 in (20.3 cm)
.357 Magnum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
revolvers 1945
101
Six-round
cylinder rotates
counterclockwise
Cylinderlocking bolt
recess
Adjustable
rear sight
.357 MAGNUM
The .357 cartridge was created
by Elmer Keith, Phillip Sharpe,
and Smith & Wesson.
RUGER GP-100
1987
US
2 lb (1.05 kg)
4 in (10.2 cm)
.357 Magnum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Trigger guard
Sturm, Ruger & Co. was a latecomer to the
world of gun manufacture, opening for business
in 1949. Initially, the company produced a
range of traditional single-action revolvers, but
later added designs incorporating the full range
of modern ergonomic and safety features.
Butt
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ergonomically
designed
molded-rubber
grips
Five-chambered
cylinder revolves
clockwise
Cylinder holds
ve rounds of
ammunition
Cylinder
axis rod
Cylinder
release
catch
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
revolvers 1945
103
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
JAMES BOND
The legendary character of James Bond, both in literature and lm, has a special
relationship with his guns. His choice of rearm signals his operational mentality
and situation, from the Colt Police Positive slipped beneath his pillow in Ian
Flemings Casino Royale (1953) through to the Accuracy International AW
sniper rie used by Pierce Brosnan in the 2002 movie Die Another Day.
Hammer
Slide grips
Bond is, nevertheless, most closely associated with the Walther PPK, a gun
introduced by Fleming in Dr No (1958) after Bonds previous handgun, the Beretta
418, fell out of favor with the author. The PPK would persist in Bond literature
until the late 1990s when the Walther P99 nally took over. In lm, the P99
stepped forward in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). That said, Bond has used an
enormous variety of weapons in his appearancesthe pistol is often just a trusty
fallback. In the movies alone, rearms have included a compressed air speargun,
S&W Model 29, Sterling L2A3, CZ58 rie, Walther WA2000 sniper rie, several
different Kalashnikovs, and the Ingram MAC 10 submachine gun.
WALTHER PPK
1931
Germany
1 lb (0.6 kg)
3 in (8.3 cm)
7.65 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
TWO OF THEM.
VALENTIN DMITROVICH ZUKOVSKYGOLDENEYE (1995)
Trigger guard
DECORATED
HANDGUNS
Gold-plated
hammer
WALTHER PP
Not known
Germany
3 lb (1.4 kg)
4 in (10 cm)
9 mm Short
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Gold-plated
cylinder
Ejection port
Textured grip
only feature not
gold-plated
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Diamond-encrusted slide
Gold-plated
trigger
Diamond-edged
pistol grip
SIG P220
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Not known
Switzerland
3 lb (1.4 kg)
4 in (11.5 cm)
9 mm
RIFLES &
MUSKETS
RIFLES &
MUSKETS
RIFLES & MUSKETS 111
EARLIEST
FIREARMS
Small-caliber, manportable gunpowder weapons began to
emerge as early as the 1340s and 50s. The early hand-gonne
consisted of a bronze or iron barrel supported beneath the
armpit by either an integral metal extension or, more commonly,
by a wooden stave that was attached to the barrel. To re,
powder and ball were rst muzzle-loaded, and some powder
sprinkled on the touch-hole at the chamber end. The gun was
then aimed in the general direction of the target before either
the shooter or a third party ignited the touch-hole powder using
a smoldering saltpeter-impregnated cord (the slow match),
producing a dramatic but grossly inaccurate shot.
Muzzle
HAND-GONNE
c.1500
Europe
Not known
Not known
Not known
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hook
Barrel
Hook
OFFENDER SO TAKEN.
STATUTE, 1537
Vent hole
Metal extension
serving as a stock
IRON HANDGUN
c.1500
Low Countries
Not known
Not known
Not known
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
EARLIEST FIREARMS
113
ARQUEBUSES
& HOOK GUNS
Wooden stave
inserted under armpit
Stock
FULL VIEW
HOOK GUN
c.1500
Germany
10 lb (4.7 kg)
Not known
20-bore
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hook for
stabilizing barrel
J.H. STOCQUELER,
THE MILITARY ENCYCLOPEDIA , 1853
HOOK GUN
c.1560
Germany
50 lb (22.5 kg)
Not known
5-bore
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
115
EUROPEAN
MUSKETS
Match
holder
Pan cover
Lock cover is set
into the stock
Trigger guard
shaped to t
the hand
Fishtail
shoulder stock
Match holder
Pan cover
Lock plate
Small of
stock ts
in hand
FULL VIEW
Screw secures
barrel in stock
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel is octagonal
for rst third of
length, then round
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
EUROPEAN MUSKETS
117
Match
holder
Cock
Striking steel
Only
lower jaw
of clamp
remains
Pan cover
Lock plate
Pan
Trigger
Feather spring
causes the pan
cover to snap
forward as the
cock falls
Trigger guard
Manually
operated
pan cover
Match holder
in shape of
dogs head
Barrel octagonal
in section
Iron lock cover
Comb of stock assists
in bringing shoulder to
axis of recoil
Rear sight
Ramrod pipe
FULL VIEW
DUTCH COMBINATION LONG GUN
17th century
This unusual musket is tted with both a
intlock and a matchlock mechanism. The
Netherlands
matchlock pan is part of the top of the
15 lb (6.8 kg)
striking steel. The intlock is operated by
46 in (117 cm)
the trigger guard, while the operation of
0.9 in
the matchlock is by means of the trigger.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
MATCHLOCK MUSKET
mid-17th century
While the matchlock was a signicant improvement over the
hand-cannon, it was still a very clumsy weapon. Even in
UK
dry weather the match could be extinguished all too easily,
13 lb (6.05 kg)
and its glowing end was a giveaway at night. However, the
49 in (126 cm)
best models were suprisingly accurate and were capable of
.75 in
killing a man at a hundred yards or more.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
EUROPEAN MUSKETS
119
FAMOUS GUNS
Cock
Winder
Trigger
Wheel cover
FULL VIEW
WAR (16181648 (.
COMBINATION WHEELLOCK/MATCHLOCK MUSKET
1650 (mechanism) In this gun, wheellock and
matchlock systems are set
Germany
aside one another on the same
11 lb (5 kg)
lockplate. While the mechanism
44 in (118 cm)
is German (1650), the stock is
.70
from 19th-century Britain.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
MUSKET BATTLE
The attack on the French city wall of Boulogne-surMer by English musket-bearing troops in 1550.
Muskets were widely used in a number of conicts
from the early 16th century onward, including
the Thirty Years War (16181648).
ASIAN
MATCHLOCKS
In 1543, Portuguese expansion brought the Europeans into
contact with the Japanese, and introduced their
traders to matchlock weapons. The Japanese
readily adopted these and, because
of subsequent isolationist policies,
matchlocks would be their dominant
form of rearm into the 1800s. (The
Japanese quickly began manufacturing their
own matchlocks, so the expulsion of the Europeans did not
cause supply problems.) The classic type of Japanese matchlock
was the Tanegashima, an extraordinary weapon with a barrel
length of around 40 in (101.6 cm) but also no butt.
Serpentine
match holder
Rear sight
Barrel is retained
by four pins
Shishi is brass
inlay
Touch pan
Serpentine
match holder
Butt is of the
form developed
in Sakai
Lock plate
Mainspring
Trigger
JAPANESE TEPPO
c.1700
Japan
6 lb (2.77 kg)
39 in (100 cm)
11.4 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
PAPER CARTRIDGE
Today, thick writing paper is still
known as cartridge paper owing
to this type of charge.
Decorative inlay
surrounds barrel pin
Octagonal barrel
JAPANESE MATCHLOCK
Early 18th century A rather less ornate weapon than that shown below,
this matchlock is by Kunitomo Tobei Shigeyasu of
Western Japan
Omo, on Japans west coast. Its red-oak stock is in the
9 lb (4.14 kg)
style of the Sakai school. Decoration is limited to
40 in (103 cm)
engraving on the octagonal barrel and some brass
13.3 mm
inlay; the lock and mainspring are also of brass.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Laquerwork mon
(family badge) is a
pine tree in a circle
LEAD BULLET
It was not until around 1600 that
lead, with its low melting point and
high specic gravity, became the
universal material for bullets.
Octagonal barrel
FULL VIEW
ASIAN MATCHLOCKS
123
Serpentine match
holder
Pentagonalsection butt
Barrel
band
Serpentine
match holder
Koftgari (gold
inlay) decoration
Sling
Trigger
guard
FULL VIEW
Fore sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Gold inlay
on muzzle
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel bands of
leather thongs
Tigers-head
muzzle
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Stock decorated
with chipcarving
Trigger
ASIAN MATCHLOCKS
125
WHEELLOCK
RIFLES
Wheellocks were extremely expensive weapons
to produce, so they were bought mainly by
the wealthy as hunting pieces. They were
also delicate instruments that could be
severely compromised by dirt and hard
handling, hence they remained civilian
rather than military weapons. As hunting
guns they had their limitations. The shower of
sparks created by the spinning metal wheel could
give just enough warning for a bird or rabbit to jink off
target before the main charge detonation took place.
Winder
Wheel
cover
Lock plate
Trigger
Bone inlay
Cheekpiece
Trigger guard
Squared shaft
for winding
mechanism
ITALIAN WHEELLOCK
c.1630
By the 17th century, the northern
cities of Brescia and Bologna had long
Italy
become the centers for the fabrication of
4 lb (1.9 kg)
wheellock guns in Italy. This example is
31 in (80 cm)
by Lazarino Cominazzo of Brescia, who
.45 in
was better known for his pistols.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cocking ring
Spring holds
cock rmly
against striking
wheel
FULL VIEW
GERMAN WHEELLOCK
c.1640
The wheellock was invented in Italy, but
within half a century, ne specimens were
Germany
being produced in Germany. This example
8 lb (3.8 kg)
has its serrated wheel mounted externally, to
34 in (86.4 cm)
make it easier to clean, though the rest of the
.65 in
lock-work is protected within the stock.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
WHEELLOCK RIFLES
127
EARLY FLINTLOCK
RIFLES
Flintlock muskets fall into either
smoothbore or ried categories, the latter
being far more accurate over range.
Riinglongitudinal lines cut into the
bore of a weaponwas rst introduced
in the 1400s, initially as a method of
trapping the fouling of burnt powder. By
giving the lines a twist, spin was imparted
to the ball, this in turn giving the ball a
gyroscopic stability in ight, resulting in
improved accuracy and range. One
deciency of the ried weapons was that
they were often harder and slower to muzzle
load, as the ball had to be an especially tight
t to engage with the riing grooves.
FLINTLOCK BALLS
To achieve any sort of accuracy, the
ball red from a smoothbore gun had
to be spherical and of an exact size.
Butt is bound
with brass
Striking steel
attached to
pan cover
Barrel band is
cut to act as
rear sight
Cock holds
int between
metal jaws
Small of
stock sized
to t in hand
Comb of stock
puts shoulder
in line of
recoil
Lock plate
stamped with
name of armory
Cock
FULL VIEW
Ramrod pipe
Feather
spring
Forestock
sized to t
in the hand
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
CARTRIDGE PACK
Combining powder, ball, and paper in one
unit negated the need for different pouches.
Blade fore
sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
129
ENGLISH FLINTLOCK
1791
Henry Nock was one of Britains foremost
gunmakers during the 18th century, with many
England
guns made for royalty, and apprentices that
7 lb (3.5 kg)
included Ezekiel Baker. Here is one of his intlock
32 in (81 cm)
weapons, which was in .680 caliber and had nine.680
groove riing rather than being smoothbore.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
Rear sight
Cock
Striking steel
Guard extension
Feather
spring
CORROSION RESISTANT,
HENCE THE BARRELS WERE
SALT-WATER SPRAY.
Ramrod
Discharger cup
Sling swivel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
131
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
TIMOTHY MURPHY
Timothy Murphy (17511818) was one of modern historys
true early snipers. His talents as a marksman were employed
during the American Revolutionary War (177583), when
he rst enlisted as a rieman. However, given his ability to hit
a seven-inch target from 250 yards, he soon enlisted in the elite
Continental Rie Corps under General Daniel Morgan.
Cock
FULL VIEW
Feather spring
Trigger guard
WITHIN (MURPHYS(
RANGE WAS SURE TO
JH MATHER, 1851
FLINTLOCK RIFLE
1760
US
8 lb (3.8 kg)
45 in (114 cm)
.45
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FLINTLOCK
MUSKETS & RIFLES
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the perfection of the intlock musket and rie
design. From 1722 to 1838, for example, the redoubtable Brown Bessthe
Land Pattern Musketwas the British Armys rearm of choice for its
infantry. The Charleville musket gave similar service to the French. By the
1800s, however, more forces were beginning to recognize the ballistic
Jaw
screw
advantages of ried guns. For example, the Baker ries barrel
length was only 30 in (76 cm), but it featured seven
Standard
Land-Pattern
rectangular grooves making a quarter turn along the
lock
Armory
length of the bore. Accurate shots could be
mark
taken at around 150 yards (137 m).
Protective
cover for
cock and
steel
Cock
Flint
Pan
Brass cheek
plate
Feather
spring
Trigger
Brass
trigger guard
Leather
sling
Clamping
screw
Cock
Clamp upper jaw
Comb of
the stock
Proof
mark
Barrel-securing pin
Feather spring
Small of
the stock
Ofcial
mark
Flashpan and
touch-hole
INDIA-PATTERN MUSKET
1797 onward
The Pattern Musket (or Brown Bess) in its nal
form differed from earlier models in the length
UK
of the barrel. It was reduced to 39 in (99 cm).
9 lb (4.1 kg)
This modication was made for the East India
39 in (99 cm)
Company and later adopted by the British
.75 in
Army which kept it in service until the 1840s.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
300-yard sight
200-yard sight
Tubular housing
for ramrod
Barrel-retaining
key
FULL VIEW
BAKER RIFLE
180237
England
9 lb (4 kg)
30 in (76 cm)
.625 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
135
Striking steel
Flint clamping
screw
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cock
Double trigger
Breech-block is hinged
at the forward end
and tips up through
30 for loading
Breech block
release catch
Lock cover
Grip
extension
FULL VIEW
Flared muzzle
I HAVE SUCCEEDED
IN ESTABLISHING METHODS
MUSKET BALL
The size of the ball was expressed
in bore, being the number of balls
of a given size that could be cast
from 1 lb (0.45 kg) of lead.
OF COMMON WORKMEN.
JOHN HANCOCK HALL, LETTER TO SECRETARY
OF WAR JOHN CALHOUN, 1822
Barrel band
Forward sling
swivel
HALL RIFLE
1819
John Hancock Halls rie, designed in 1811 and introduced
into service in 1819, was the rst regulation American rie to
US
incorporate an opening breech; hinged at the front, it tipped
10 lb (4.68 kg)
up at a 30-degree angle for loading. Hall ries and carbines
32 in (82.5 cm)
were eventually produced in percussion form, too, when the
.54 in
entire breech unit could be removed and used as a pistol.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
137
Flashpan and
touch-hole
Flint
Flint
clamping
screw
Cock
Pan
Steel
Flint clamp
Barrel band
securing spring
Barrel
band
Cock
Rear sling
swivel
Trigger
CHARLEVILLE MUSKET
1776
The Charleville muskets were introduced in
1754. Large numbers of Modle 1776 guns
France
found their way to the US when a revised
9 lb (4.2 kg)
pattern was introduced the following year;
44 in (113.5 cm)
they were the main armament of the
.65 in
Continental Army that defeated the British.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Forward sling
swivel
Fore sight
YARDS IT IS USELESS.
WILLIAM GILHAM, 1861
139
Flint clamp
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cock
Flash guard
Striker steel
Butt plate
Trigger
Vent hole
FULL VIEW
Priming pan
Ramrod
Feather spring
Barrel band
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
141
FAMOUS GUNS
BROWN BESS
The British Land Pattern Musketmore commonly known
among the ranks as the Brown Bessdominated the ranks of
the British Army for more than 100 years. The rst version was
the Long Land Pattern of 1722, a intlock .75 in musket which
was 62 in (157 cm) long with a 46 in (117 cm) barrel.
Lock plate
stamped with
makers name
Sling swivel
FULL VIEW
AND MARCH.
CONNECTICUT COURANT, APRIL 1771
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore stock
WHATS IN A NAME?
Brown Bess-wielding British troops at the Battle
of Bunker Hill in 1775 during the American
Revolutionary War. The origins of the name Brown
Bess are unknown, but it probably derives from
the German words braun buss meaning strong
gun. This argument is further supported by the
fact that King George I, who commissioned the
guns use, was from Germany.
OTTOMAN
FIREARMS
Cast and
chiseled
decoration
on stock
The Ottoman military forces were among the rst in the world to introduce
muskets into warfare, with evidence suggesting formal gun use in combat during
the 1440s. By the 18th and 19th centuries, however, their advantage in warfare
was lost. When faced with the new European or Russian armies, which were
based on mass conscription, the Turkish infantry demonstrated little ability
to respond with tactical lines or columns. These were
essential structures for troops wishing to concentrate their
repower or maneuver their muskets. Furthermore,
the Ottomans rejected the use of the bayonetan
indel weapondespite seeing how devastating
these could be in trained hands.
Cock
Striking steel
integral with
pan cover
Exposed
mainspring
Trigger
Pan
Cock
Striking
steel
Prawl prevents
hand from slipping
Shoulder stock is
pentagonal in section
Shoulder
stock is
inlaid with
brass and
precious
stones
Trigger
Inlaid
decoration
Inlaid
decoration
Cock
Pan
Striking steel
Lock plate
Saddle bar
Trigger
guard
FLINTLOCK CARBINE
Late 18th century
Ornate, even by Ottoman Empire standards,
this silver-gilt blunderbuss carbine was
Turkey
most likely made as a presentation piece.
Not known
Upon its lock plate is the inscription
Not known
London warranted, which suggests
Not known
that it is a copy of an English lock.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
Octagonal
barrel
Entire stock is
covered in engraved
and decorated ivory
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel bands
made of twine
SNAPHAUNCE TFENK
Late 18th century
This smoothbore musket, or tfenk, is very similar both in
overall form and the manner of its decoration to muskets
Turkey
produced in northern India. The pentagonal-section butt stock
Not known
terminates at the breech in a pronounced prawl. The barrel
28 in (72.4 cm)
is octagonal in section, and the lock is a snaphaunce, which
Not known
had become obsolete in the West by the early 17th century.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
OTTOMAN FIREARMS
145
INDIAN
FIREARMS
Although Indias matchlocks lagged behind Europe
in terms of their historical lineage, they were often
superbly built, and could feature some exquisite
levels of decoration using inlaid ivory, gold, silver,
or bone. Nor were they just decorative pieces.
The 19th century jezail matchlock was
accurate and generally reliable, especially
during the dry seasons when there was no
climatic interference with powder and
smoldering match. In the early 19th
century Indian gunsmiths also explored
some mechanical sophistications seen
occasionally in the Western intlock,
such as using revolving cylinders to
create a multi-shot weapon. Only with
Bone inlay
the steady progress of colonization of
India by the British did intlock, then
percussion cap, technologies start to
take over from the matchlock.
Ivory decoration
Pentagonal-section
butt
Trigger
Serpentine slowmatch holder
Decorative
brass
banding
Touch-holes
Trigger
Enclosed
serpentine match
holder
Velvet sling
Gilded butt
Pricker
Trigger
Overlayed
lock plate
Enclosed serpentine
match holder
Pan
FULL VIEW
Decorated
lock plate
Rear sling
attachment
INDORE TORADOR
c.1800
Indore, India
7 lb (3.4 kg)
44 in (112 cm)
.55 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Chamber vents
Ramrod
Gilded
barrel
band
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Overlayed barrel
Fore sight
Ramrod
BUNDUKH TORADOR
c.1800
Probably made in Gwalior at the beginning of the 19th century,
this extremely ornate matchlock was almost certainly a
Gwalior, India
presentation piece. Like all matchlocks, it was supplied with a
6 lb (3 kg)
touch-hole pricker, though since this, too, is gilded, it can hardly
45 in (115 cm)
be considered to be entirely functional. Guns of this type were
.55 in
normally held beneath the arm, not against the shoulder.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
INDIAN FIREARMS
147
OTHER ASIAN
FIREARMS
Although the Japanese remained wedded to the
matchlock for far longer than most countries,
they took matchlock design and style to
extremely high standards. Some Japanese
matchlocks were plain, functional pieces issued
en masse to their armies, while others had
exquisite inlaid metalwork along the stock and
fore-end, and oral patterns running along the full
length of the woodwork, enhanced under a coat of rich lacquer.
There were also mechanical innovations. Examples of revolving
matchlock ries exist, with a horizontal drum on top containing
six chambers, this being rotated to present each chamber to
the barrel in turn. For cavalry, carbine matchlocks were
usedshortened versions of ries that could even
be red with one hand if necessary.
Red-oak stock
Brass plate
where lock
should be
Hammer
Lock plate
Pan
Trigger
Hand guard
Stock made
of red oak
Touch-hole
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Tokugawa mon, or
identifying cartouche
Fore sight
Square fore stock is
rounded here to
accommodate the
hand
Intermediate
sight
149
Decorated
leather-andfabric pan cover
Serpentine
match holder
Butt is covered in red fabric
secured by embossed silver nails
Silver
inlay
Trigger
Butt plate is
silver and
bone
TIBETAN MEDA
c.1780
Tibet
9 lb (4.15 kg)
44 in (111 cm)
17 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
While Tibet, like Japan, was largely isolated from the rest of
the world until the mid-19th century, it was for geographic
rather than political reasons. Trade did occur, however,
with India and China, and this matchlock, or meda, shows
considerable Chinese inuence in both form and decoration.
Attached to the fore stock is a rest, an unusual feature.
Indian-style
recurved butt
Bar
trigger
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Damascened barrel
Rest terminates in
forked antelope horn
Ramrod is a modern
replacement
AT THE BATTLE OF
NAGASHINO, UP TO 3,000
MATCHLOCK-ARMED GUNNERS
DESTROYED THE CAVALRY CHARGES
OF TAKEDA KATSUYORI
FULL VIEW
151
FAMOUS GUNS
The Eneld (as it was called by its users) saw broad service, its
repower being delivered on battleelds ranging from India
(where controversy over its cartridges helped ignite the Indian
Mutiny in 1857) to Civil War America. It was prized for its
robust constructioninstead of the barrel being secured to the
stock by pins, it was attached by rigid bands that passed around
both barrel and woodworkand the percussion cap lock was
Attachment
for sling
Trigger
FULL VIEW
WEAPON IN THE
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
PERCUSSIONCAP RIFLES
During the US Civil War (186165), smoothbore and ried
muskets fought side by side, the latter given superior
performance through the development of new ammunition
types. Back in 1823, the British Army ofcer Captain John
Norton had designed a conical-shaped ammunition. The
problem Norton faced was that when loading bullets into ried
weapons, the bullet had to be a tight t for it to engage with the
riing, and this made it difcult to muzzle load. Norton made
his bullet a comfortable t, but hollowed out the base to allow
the bullet to expand on ring under the gas pressure to grip
the riing. This system was perfected in the Mini
bullet of 1847, developed by Claude tienne Mini.
Hammer
American
eagle motif
American
eagle motif
Hammer
Lock cover
plate
Small of stock
Primer tape
compartment
cover
Trigger
Sling swivel
FULL VIEW
Armory
mark
Rear sight
Securing spring
for barrel band
Forestock cap
Cleaning
rod
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Retaining spring
for barrel band
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
PERCUSSION-CAP RIFLES
155
Hammer
Low comb to
butt stock
PERCUSSION
CAPS AND TIN
Fulminate,
which explodes
when struck,
is sandwiched
between two
layers of thin
copper foil,
shaped to t
over a pierced
nipple.
Armory
mark
Nipple for
percussion
cap
Rear sight
Hammer
Nipple for
percussion cap
Hammer
Nipple for
percussion cap
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
WHITWORTH RIFLE
1856
DATE
UK
ORIGIN
10 lb (4.55 kg)
WEIGHT
36 in (91.45 cm)
BARREL
.45 in
CALIBER
Fore sight
Barrel band
Rear sight
Hexagonalbored barrel
Sir Joseph Whitworth produced a rie for a
British Army trial, with an hexagonal bore,
which red an hexagonal bullet. It proved to
be accurate over 1,500 yards (1.4 km), but
it was four times the price of an Eneld
Model 1853, and never adopted by the army.
Cleaning rod
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight
Forward sling
swivel
Forestock cap
incorporates a
second barrel band
Cleaning rod
Barrel band
retains barrel
in the stock
PERCUSSION-CAP RIFLES
157
PERCUSSION-CAP
BREECHLOADERS
The 1860s and 70s were a transitional period in rie development, as the shift
toward breechloading guns began. These were already in gestation. A
breechloading intlock had been designed by Major Patrick Ferguson back in
the late 1700s. In 1823 Swiss gunmaker Johannes Pauly created a rie with a
hinged barrel that, when tilted, allowed a paper powder-and-ball cartridge to
be loaded into the chamber. Another major leap came in the 1830s as unitary
brass cartridges (cartridges containing all the ignition components and bullet
in one unit) began to emerge, which made breechloading a far easier
option. In 1836 Prussian gunsmith Johann Nikolas von Dreyse invented
the rst rotating bolt rie. The excellent performance of this weapon in
the 1860s resulted in many armies scrambling to either design
Bolt
breechloaders, or adapt existing ries to the new principle.
Hammer
Nipple for
percussion cap
Trigger
Lock cover
FULL VIEW
Monkey Tail
breech lever
Hammer
Cleaning rod
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Barrel band
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
PERCUSSION-CAP BREECHLOADERS
159
FAMOUS GUNS
SHARPS CARBINE
Percussion-cap breechloadersalso commonly known as
capping breechloaderswere a brief family of weapons that
appeared in the mid 19th century. They were an early attempt
to unite a breechloading system with percussion-cap ignition,
and their development was particularly concentrated in the
United States and Britain during this time.
In the US, the principal types were the Sharps and Green
carbines. The Sharps used a vertical sliding breech block to
load a combustible cartridge, which was in turn ignited by
Hammer
Tape primer
compartment
FULL VIEW
Breech-opening
lever
SHARPS RIFLE
WAS TO STAND THE TESTS OF A
FIRST-CLASS WEAPON.
EDWARD FREEDLEY, AUTHOR, 1858
SHARPS CARBINE
1852
US
7 lb (3.5 kg)
18 in (45 cm)
.52 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
SHARPS SHOOTER
SHARPS CARTRIDGE
This case is made of
linen. Its base was cut off
by the breech-block when
the action was closed.
Confederate soldiers re
on Union forces at the
Battle of Kenneshaw
Mountain on June 27,
1864. Christian
Sharps carbine saw
heavy use during
the US Civil War.
AN ABSURDLY LONG
Hammer
Rear sight
Rear sling
attachment
FULL VIEW
Patchbox
Rear sling swivel
162
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
CHASSEPOT CARTRIDGE
After the Franco-Prussian War,
the cartridge developed for the
Mauser M/71 rie was adapted
for the Chassepot.
Cleaning rod
Hammer
Combined fore
stock cap and
barrel band
Barrel band
retaining spring
Primer tape
compartment
Fore sight
Royal
cypher
Staged barrel
Breech-block
Forward trigger
advances primer
tape
Trigger
GREENE CARBINE
1855
US
7 lb (3.4 kg)
22 in (56 cm)
.54 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
PERCUSSION-CAP BREECHLOADERS
163
SINGLE-SHOT
BREECHLOADERS
The rush to develop breechloaders in the 1860s and 70s resulted in
a number of different operating systems, all attempting to make the
most effective use of unitary cartridges. New Yorker Jacob Snider
modied the Eneld 1853 Pattern rie musket by inserting a hinged
breechblock through which a cartridge could be inserted. Erskine
Allin of Springeld adopted a similar trapdoor principle for the
Springeld Model 1860 and 1863 ries. Remington took a different
approach, the rolling block, whereby the action of cocking the
hammer allowed the breech to be opened to take a cartridge. The
British Army eventually settled on a lever-action falling-block
system, embodied in the Martini-Henry rie. However, it would
be the bolt-action, being perfected by the likes of Mauser, that
would dominate the future of breechloading weapons.
Bolt
handle
Rear sling
swivel
Hammer
Rear sight
Trapdoor
breech cover
incorporates
ring pin
FULL VIEW
Breech cover
hinge
Fore sight
Cleaning rod
Rear sight
MAUSER M/71
1872 onward
Germany
10 lb (4.5 kg)
32 in (83 cm)
11 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
COMBINATION TOOL
.45 SPRINGFIELD
SPRINGFIELD TRAPDOOR
1874
The perfection of the unitary cartridge left the worlds
armies with a dilemma: what to do with their millions
US
of redundant muzzle-loaders. The US Army modied
10 lb (4.5 kg)
their ried muskets by milling out the top of the barrel,
32 in (83 cm)
creating a chamber for the cartridge, and installing a
.45 in
front-hinged breech cover incorporating a ring pin.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SINGLE-SHOT BREECHLOADERS
165
Rolling breech-block
Rear sight
Hammer
Trigger guard
FULL VIEW
Breech
Lever/tumbler
axis pin
Under lever
MARTINI-HENRY RIFLE
1871
The Martini-Henry entered service in 1871 as a purpose-built breechloading replacement for the Snider conversion. It utilized a falling block
UK
system, in which operating a lever behind the trigger guard opened the
10 in (4.7 kg)
breech for cartridge loading, as well as performing partial ejection and
33 in (85 cm)
striker cocking functions. The Martini-Henry was an extremely robust rie,
.45 in
and served the British Army well until the adoption of bolt-action weapons.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
.45 MARTINI-HENRY
The Martini-Henry ries cartridge was
loaded with 85 grains of black powder.
The bullet weighted 480 grains.
Cleaning rod
BAYONET
A socket bayonet, with its triangularsection blade, protuded almost 18 in
(46 cm) beyond the muzzle.
SINGLE-SHOT BREECHLOADERS
167
FAMOUS GUNS
Shoulder stock
Trigger guard
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
Rear sight
Barrel band
retaining
springs
MANUAL REPEATER
RIFLES 17751880
The rst major step on the journey toward the repeating, multi-shot rie was taken
by inventor Walter Hunt of Brooklyn in 1849. Hunt patented a weapon known as
the Volitional Repeater, which housed several odd caseless rounds in an
underbarrel magazine, the feed being operated by an underlever. This principle
underwent a circuitous journey through several illustrious hands, including Smith
& Wesson and Oliver Winchester, before Benjamin Tyler Henry produced the
now legendary Henry Model 60, a .44 rimre weapon containing 15 rounds
in its magazine. With proper reloading technique, a shooter
could send out up to 28 rounds in a minute.
Locking catch
for cocking
lever
Hammer
Trigger guard
and cocking
lever
FULL VIEW
Rear sight
Magazine holds
15 rounds
Magazine follower
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cylinder
axis rod
Hammer
When Oliver Winchester set up the New Haven Arms Co., he brought in
Tyler Henry to run it. Henrys rst act was to design a repeating rie
worked by an underlever that ejected the spent round, chambered a new
one, and left the action cocked. To lock the action, he used a two-piece
bolt joined by a toggle-joint. This same method was later used by Maxim
in his machine gun, and by Borchardt and Luger in their pistols.
Cylinder has
ve chambers
Rear sight
Fore sight
Barrel band
Side-mounted
hammer
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
171
SPENCER RIFLE
1863
US
10 lb (4.55 kg)
28 in (72 cm)
.52 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Lock plate
Butt contains
tubular magazine,
holding seven
rounds
SPENCER CARTRIDGE
This is the rimre black-powder round
for which the Civil War-era Spencer
carbine was chambered.
Comb
Small of
the stock
Hammer
Barrel band
Fore sight
Cylinderretaining catch
Forestock cap
Bayonet lug
.44 in caliber
rie barrel
Cylinder with
nine chambers
16-bore
smooth barrel
Ejector rod
FULL VIEW
Trigger
Ejector
port
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
173
FAMOUS GUNMAKERS
WINCHESTER
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company is a landmark
name in US gunmaking. Oliver Winchester founded the
company in 1866. In that year it brought out its rst leveraction rie, and so began a family of guns that, like the Colt
Peacemaker, virtually dened the Wild West era. The early 20th
century saw Winchester bring out new self-loading rie and
shotgun designs, and during and between the two world wars
Winchester was central to the production or development of
the BAR, the Browning .50 BMG cartridge, the M1 rie and
carbine, and the M14. In 1931, Winchester was also bought
by the Olin Corporation, which in 1981 sold off the rearmsmaking business (but not the rights to the Winchester brand),
this becoming the US Repeating Arms Company. However, in
January 2006 the famous New Haven plant in Connecticut was
closed, threatening the future of many of the companys great
civilian lines, such as the Model 94 and Model 1300 shotgun.
At the time of writing, however, Browning has stepped forward
to take over the manufacture and sale of Winchester rearms
(both are part of the Herstal Group).
Stock
PRODUCTION LINE
Women at the Winchester factory in New Haven, Connecticut,
in 1946, perform various stages of gun assembly, including
attaching the stock to the barrel and inserting the ries sights.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Finger grooves
Sling
Five-round
magazine
I PRONOUNCE YOUR
Under-lever
IMPROVED WINCHESTER
WINCHESTER 1895
1895
US
7 lb (3.4 kg)
30 in (76 cm)
.30 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
THE
BOSS.
YOU HAVE THE MOST
Ejection port
Barrel band
Loading port
Under-lever/
trigger guard
Rear sight
Loading port
Under-lever
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
WINCHESTER
175
MANUAL REPEATER
RIFLES 18801890
During the 1870s bolt-action ries began to ally
themselves with magazine feeds. In 1871 Paul
Mauser took his bolt-action rie and connected it
to an eight-round underbarrel magazine, a new
round being fed with every operation of the bolt.
However, tubular magazines had major
deciencies. Their springs were prone to
weakening, the guns center of balance changed as
the magazine emptied, and there was always the danger of
magazine explosions. Scottish-born American James Lee found
the solution in the late 1870s. He relocated the cartridges in a
spring-loaded box magazine that sat directly beneath the bolt.
Straightthrough
stock
Integral six-round
box magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Bolt
Barrel band
Cleaning rod
Front sling
swivel
VETTERLI-VITALI 1880
1880
The Vetterli-Vitali 1880 was an experimental
rie tted with a tubular magazine, and was
Italy
an
adaptation of earlier single-shot Italian
9 kg (4.4 kg)
ries. Vetterli-Vitali eventually became better
34 in (86 cm)
known for its box magazine system, which
10 mm
was introduced from 1886.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Bayonet lug
THE ADVANTAGES OF
REPEATING ARMS
IN SUCH ENCOUNTERS IS
INCALCULABLE.
PRODUCT CATALOG, 1851
177
FURNISHED NO PROTECTION
FROM THE MAUSER BULLETS.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, ON THE
SPANISH/AMERICAN WAR, 1899
Bolt is
locked at
the rear
Bolt handle
Straight-through stock
Bolt handle
Bolt is
locked at
the rear
Straight-through stock
Integral ve-round
box magazine
Rear sight
FULL VIEW
Rear sight
Barrel band
securing spring
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel band
securing
spring
Fore sight
Forestock cap
INFANTERIEGEWEHR M1888
1888
When it came to replacing the M71/84 the
German Army set up a specication commission
Germany
but the characteristics of new 7.92 mm
8 lb (3.82 kg)
ammunition had been misunderstood, leading to
29 in (74 cm)
many burst barrels. In addition, the box magazine
7.92 mm x 57
was a poor design; it was never rectied.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
179
Bolt handle
Cocking piece
Detachable 12-round
box magazine
Bolt
Forward-hinged
magazine cover
KRAG-JRGENSEN M1888
1888
Many held that the M1888 was obsolete before it was adopted
by the Danish Army, because its ve-round magazine had to
Norway
be hand-loaded, one round at a time, and its bolts single
9 lb (4.05 kg)
locking-lug limited it to low-velocity ammunition. It came as
30 in (76.2 cm)
a surprise, even to its inventors, that it was also adopted by
6.5 mm x 55
both the US and Norwegian Armies.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Barrel band
Fore sight
Bayonet lug
Cleaning rod
SCHMIDT-RUBIN M1889
1889
In 1889 Colonel Rudolf Schmidt of the Swiss Army developed a
straight-pull bolt-action rie with a 12-round box magazine. It was
Switzerland
accepted as the regulation rie, and remained in service, only
9.8 lb (4.45 kg)
slightly modied, until 1931, when its bolt action was rejigged to
30.75 in (78 cm)
operate in half the length. The modied version was only discarded
7.5 mm
in the late 1950s, and a snipers version was in use until 1987.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
181
Bolt cover
Cocking piece
Bolt handle
Trigger
Eight-round
detachable box
magazine
Magazine
connector
Magazine
release catch
Rear sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Finger groove
FULL VIEW
LEE-METFORD
1890
The Lee-Metford began a prestigious lineage of British bolt-action ries.
The name derives from the inventor of its action, James Lee, and the
UK
designer
of the ried barrel, William Metford. It featured an eight9 lb (4.37 kg)
round box magazine and was chambered for the powerful .303 in
30 in (76.9 cm)
cartridge. The rie also had a set of Extreme Range Sights on the
.303 in
side of the gun, optimistically graduated out to 3500 yards (3199 m).
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
183
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
ANNIE OAKLEY
Annie Oakley (18601926) was a legend of the West, and like
many legends has attracted her fair share of historical myth and
error. She was born Phoebe Ann Mosey in Ohio and by the
age of nine was an expert game shot; the death of her father
necessitated that she shoot to help support the family.
Hammer
Loading port
FULL VIEW
Operating lever
MANUAL REPEATER
RIFLES 18901900
By the 1890s the bolt-action rie had been rened and
improved to a state of near perfection. During this decade,
many armies adopted ries that would see them through the
coming world war and beyond. In Germany, Mauser produced
the Gewehr 98, a 7.92 x 57 mm rie with an excellent boltaction (known particularly for its robust extraction) and fed
from a ve-round integral box magazine. Great Britain
had the .303 Lee-Metford ries, which in turn
developed into the Lee-Eneld Mark I and
began one of the worlds most successful
series of bolt-action weapons.
Bolt handle
Bolt
Cocking
piece
Wooden butt
Magazine catch
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Sight range
graduations
Cleaning rod
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Barrel band
secures the barrel
in the stock
FULL VIEW
187
Bolt handle
Rear sight
Semi-pistol grip
Five-round
integral box
magazine
FULL VIEW
Leaf-type
rear sight
Bolt handle
protrudes
horizontally
Dismounting disc
Sling
Semi-pistol grip
Bayonet lug
MANNLICHER M1895
1895
The straight-pull bolt-action M1895 was the work
of Ferdinand von Mannlicher, and used a rotating
Austria
locking lug turned in a camming (spiraled) groove.
8 lb (3.78 kg)
Ammunition was fed from a xed box magazine
30 in (76.5 cm)
that Mannlicher also designed. It was used widely
8 mm x 50r
throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Bayonet lug
MAUSER INFANTERIEGEWEHR 98
1898
By the time of the Gew98, Mauser had
solved virtually every problem known to
Germany
beset the bolt-action magazine rie. It added
9 lb (4.15 kg)
a third rear-locking lug to reinforce the two
29 in (74 cm)
forward-mounted lugs, as well as improving
7.92 mm x 57
gas sealing and rening the magazine.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
189
Bolt handle
Integral
ve-round
magazine
Semi-pistol grip
Sling swivel
Bolt
FULL VIEW
Rear sight
ARISAK A MEIJI 30
1897
Japan
9 lb (4.3 kg)
31 in (80 cm)
6.5 mm x 50sr
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Finger groove
(one on each side)
ARISAK A TYPE 99
1939
Japanese war experience showed that the 6.5 mm round used in the 38th Year
rie was inadequately powered. The Type 99, introduced into service in 1939,
Japan
used the more potent 7.7 mm round. It was available in two versions, a short
8 lb (4 kg)
carbine (specications left) and a standard version that was 6 in (15.2 cm)
25 in (65.5 cm)
longer. An oddity of the Type 99 was a folding metal monopod support beneath
7.7 mm
the fore-end, although this was not rigid enough for its purpose.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
191
Leaf-type
rear sight
Bolt handle
Bolt handle
Cocking piece
Trigger
FULL VIEW
Cleaning rod
MAUSER M1896
1896
Waffenfabrik Mauser began exporting ries, to China, in 1875;
then came the Mauser-Koka, for Serbia, the Belgian M1889,
Germany
the
Turkish M1890, the Argentine M1891, and the Spanish
8 lb (3.97 kg)
M1893. The worlds armies seemed to be beating a path
29 in (74 cm)
to Mausers door. The design it adopted had a number of
6.5 mm x 55
modications, some of which found their way into later types.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Barrel-bandsecuring spring
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
193
FAMOUS GUNS
Rear sight
Receiver
Cocking piece
FULL VIEW
Magazine
release catch
Bolt handle
turned down
APPEARING IN THE
HANDS OF AFGHAN
INSURGENTS TODAY.
LEE-ENFIELD RIFLE NUMBER 4 MARK 1
The new Lee-Eneld differed very little
1939
from the model it replaced. The bolt and
UK
receiver were modied; the rear sight
9 lb (4 kg)
was a new design, and was placed on
25 in (64 cm)
the receiver; the fore stock was
.303 in
shortened, and its cap was redesigned.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
CALIBER
MANUAL REPEATER
RIFLES 19001945
Due to the combat limitations of late 19th century
ries, early 20th century gun designers began to
shorten the barrels of ries to produce carbine
models. The German Mauser Gewehr 98, for
example, went from a 33 in (74 cm) barrel to a
23 in (60 cm) barrel to form the KAR98K. The
shortening of the barrel in no way compromised
practical combat performance, as most of the boltaction ries remained capable of killing at ranges
beyond 650 yards (600 m), but it improved handling
by bringing down the overall gun length.
Experimental 20-round
removable box magazine
Receiver
Cocking piece
Bolt handle
turned down
Experimental 25-round
removable box magazine
Bolt
Barrel band
Bayonet lug
Fore sight is mounted
between protective blades
PATTERN 1914
1914
UK
8 lb (4 kg)
26 in (66 cm)
7 mm Mauser
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
SPRINGFIELD M1903
1903
US
8 lb (4 kg)
24 in (61 cm)
.30-03
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Two-part sling
197
Bolt
Bolt handle
Five-round
internal box
magazine
Cocking handle
Trigger guard
Bolt
Integral ve-round
box magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cleaning rod
MAUSER 1893
1900
Spain
8 lb (3.95 kg)
29 in (74 cm)
7 x 57 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
MACHINE-GUN FIRE,
199
OVER 10 MILLION
Rear sling
attachment
Dismounting disc
Cocking piece
Integral ve-round
magazine
MAUSER K AR98K
1935
Germany
8 lb (3.9 kg)
23 in (60 cm)
7.92 mm x 57
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight in
protective shroud
Folding
cruciform
bayonet
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
201
SNIPER
RIFLES
Eyepiece
Safety catch
Bolt handle
Optical sight
Raised stock
comb
Elevation adjustment
MAUSER GEWEHR 98
1900 onward
Germany
9 lb (4.15 kg)
21 in (75 cm)
7.92 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Objective
Leaf sight
Combined forestock
cap and barrel
band
Bolt
Cleaning rod
Elevation adjustment
ENFIELD L42A1
1970
UK
12 lb (5.5 kg)
27 in (70 cm)
7.62 x 51 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
SNIPER RIFLES
203
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
VASILY ZAITSEV
Although his number of conrmed kills varies according
to the sourcehis story was heavily politicized in Russia
Vasily Zaitsev was undoubtedly one of WWIIs greatest
snipers. Born on March 23, 1915, Zaitsev grew up in the
Urals, where he became an expert hunter.
With the onset of war, he joined the Red Army where his
talents with a Mosin-Nagant rie could be put to military use.
It is reputed that in only his rst 10 days of military service he
shot and killed 40 Germans. Zaitsev achieved legendary status,
Sling
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
3.5-power
PU sight
SNIPER
RIFLES
Hensoldt xed-power
telescopic sight
Polymer fore stock
Five-round detachable
box magazine
Trigger is adjustable
for weight of pull
Polymer stock
Attachment point
for steadying sling
Ten-round
removable box
magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Elevation adjustment
Eyepiece
Cheek pad
Objective
Ejector port
Bolt handle
Five-round
removable
box magazine
BARRETT MOD.90
199095
US
22 lb (10 kg)
29 in (73.7 cm)
.50 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Bipod in folded
position
Fully oating
stainless-steel
barrel
L96A1
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1986 onward
The British Armys L96A1 sniper rie, in service since
1986, was the rst to be developed specically for sniping:
UK
earlier
versions had been based on various models of
14 lb (6.5 kg)
the Lee-Eneld. It has an aluminum frame to which its
25 in (65.5 cm)
components are attached. Each rie is individually tted
7.62 mm NATO
with a Schmidt & Bender 6x telescopic sight.
SNIPER RIFLES
207
Optical sight
Rubber recoil pad
Bolt handle
Elevation
adjustment
Magnication
selector, 2.5
10x
Windage
adjustment
Ejector port
Mounting clamp
Magazine
release catch
Semishrouded
trigger
Six-round
detachable box
magazine
Thumb hole
Safety catch
Hooded front
sight
Heavy barrel
STEYR SSG-69
1969
Austria
8 lb (3.9 kg)
25 in (65 cm)
7.62 x 51 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Objective in its
shielded cover
Bipod in the
folded position
Mounting
rail
Combined ash
hider and muzzle
compensator
Cocking handle
WALTHER WA2000
197888
Germany
15 lb (6.95 kg)
25 in (65 cm)
7.62 mm NATO
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SNIPER RIFLES
209
SELF-LOADING
RIFLES 19001945
Although there were many precursors, viable army-issue selfloading ries did not emerge until the late 1920s. Before then
automatic ries had tended to be too expensive for production
or too delicate for military use. The landmark rearm was the
M1 Garand, a robust gas-operated .30 in rie that was accepted
for US Army service in 1936, and became the worlds rst
standard issue self-loading rie. Russia followed with its own
semi-automatic ries, such as the Tokarev SVT-40. During
WWII Germany took the concept in a different direction with
the Sturmgewehr 44, a weapon that used a shorter
cartridge to produce lower recoil, but which still
had effective killing power over a practical
450 yard (411 m) range. Hence
was born the assault rie.
Rear sight
Cocking
handle
FULL VIEW
Rear sight
Fore sight in a
protective shroud
Cocking handle
Bayonet
attachment
M1 CARBINE
1942
US
9 lb (4.35 kg)
20 in (55.8 cm)
.30 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
15-round
detachable
box magazine
.30 M1 CARBINE
This round is loaded
with a 110-grain bluntnosed bullet, effective
to 600 ft (180 m).
Gas cylinder
Forward sling
swivel
M1 GARAND RIFLE
1932
US
9 lb (4.35 kg)
24 in (61 cm)
.30-06 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Bayonet attachment
John Garand opted for a rotating bolt design for his self-loading
rie. The piston in a cylinder below the barrel has a camming
(spiraled) groove on its rear end, in which is located a stud on the
bolt. As the piston is driven back, it causes the bolt to rotate and
then drives it back against a spring that returns and relocks it,
having picked up a fresh round from the magazine on the way.
211
Ten-round
detachable box
magazine
Rear sight
Rate-of-re
selector
Pistol
grip
STURMGEWEHR 44
1943
In 1940 work began on a selective-re rie chambered for a new
intermediate 7.92 mm x 33 round. The result was a gas-operated
Germany
weapon with a tipping bolt, which was put into production as the
11 lb (5.1 kg)
Maschinen Pistole 43 and later renamed the Sturmgewehr 44. Small
16 in (41.8 cm)
numbers were tted with the Krummlauf, a barrel extension that
7.92 mm x 33
turned the bullet through 30, for use by tank crews against infantry.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Perforated
pressed-steel
forestock
Muzzle
compensator
FULL VIEW
Fore sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Forward sling
attachment
Rear sight
Cocking handle
Safety catch
Ten-round detachable
box magazine
Semi-pistol grip
GEWEHR 43
1943
DATE
Germany
ORIGIN
9 lb (4.35 kg)
WEIGHT
22 in (56 cm)
BARREL
7.92 mm x 57
CALIBER
Soon after the start of World War II, the German army
began demanding a self-loading rie. Walthers original
design employed a cup at the muzzle that unlocked the bolt
and cycled the action. In 1943 a modied version, using the
same action but with a conventional gas cylinder and piston
mounted above the barrel, was introduced as the Gewehr 43.
213
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
Ejector port
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel
Gas tube
PARTNERS IN CRIME
Bonnie and Clyde pose for a photo in front of
their prized Ford V8 getaway car. Shortly before
his death, in 1934, Clyde wrote to Henry Ford
full of praise for the vehicle. For sustained
speed and freedom from trouble the Ford has
got every other car skinned, he said, and
even if my business hasnt been strictly
legal it dont hurt anything to tell you
what a ne car you got in the V8.
SELF-LOADING
RIFLES 1945
Post-war rie development centered in many ways around an argument
over caliber. On the one side were those who advocated retaining the fullpower rie round, preferring its long-range and penetration. This argument
won out in the 1950s, leading to the adoption of the 7.62 x 51 mm as
the standard NATO round, which in turn equipped weapons such as the
US M14 and the Belgian FN FAL. From the 1960s, however, other voices
advocated adopting the small, high-velocity 5.56 mm, pointing out that
it was easier to control by the shooter, who could also carry more
ammunition, and that the weapons ring it could be lighter. In the
1960s, the US switched to the 5.56 mm M16 rie, and during the
1970s and 80s most other
Western armies bought into
the small-caliber concept as
the 5.56 mm became a NATO
standard, the 7.62 mm used
more in machine guns
and sniper ries.
Flash hider
STONER M63
1962
US
7 lb (3.52 kg)
20 in (50.8 cm)
5.56 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sling
swivel
Gas cylinder
Rear sight
Fore
sight
Cocking handle
Bayonet lug
Forward sling attachment
Gas cylinder
Gas
regulator
Muzzle
compensator
M14
Magazine
catch
20-round
detachable
magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1957
US
8 lb (3.9 kg)
22 in (55.8 cm)
7.62 mm
Shrouded
rear sight
FULL VIEW
Cocking handle
30-round
detachable box
magazine
217
Cocking handle
Tubular butt
stock folds to
the left
Magazine catch
35-round
detachable box
magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
Bipod
mounting point
Gas regulator
Carrying handle
High-impact
plastic forestock
Fore sight
Cocking handle
Flash hider
Gas regulator
Ejection
port
Bolt
closing
device
STONER M16A1
1982
US
8 lb (3.6 kg)
20 in (50.8 cm)
5.56 mm x 45
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
High-impact
plastic butt
stock
Rear sling
attachment
Muzzle
compensator
Carrying handle
30-round
detachable
box magazine
High-impact
plastic butt
stock
219
FAMOUS GUNS
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
THE G3 IS RELIABLE,
MANUFACTURE.
FULL VIEW
Rear sight
Rate-of-re
selector
GERMAN ARMYS
ASSAULT RIFLE
A favorite of the German
Army, the G3A3A1 is, in
fact, an ofcial German
army designation, not
a Heckler & Koch
factory one.
5.56 MM NATO
The NATO-standard 5.56 mm
round has a steel-tipped projectile
weighing 62 grains.
L85A1
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1985
The L85A1 was the last weapon system to
be developed and produced at the Royal
UK
Smallarms Factory, Eneld, UK, before it
11 lb (4.98 kg)
closed in 1988. It was dogged with problems
20 in (51.8 cm)
during the development stage, and trials
5.56 mm x 45
continued even after its adoption in 1985.
FULL VIEW
Gas
regulator
Flash hider
High-impact plastic
fore stock
Rear sight
Ejector
port
Wooden forestock
Gas regulator
Carrying
handle
20-round
detachable
box magazine
Muzzle
compensator
L1A1
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1954
UK
9 lb (4.3 kg)
21 in (53.3 cm)
7.62 mm x 51
223
FAMOUS GUNS
Ejection port
FULL VIEW
Shoulder stock
Magazine catch
THE AK MECHANISM ]
MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Hand guard
(upper part)
READY TO FIGHT
Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad prepare for war in
November 1998. The AK-47 and variants are
among many small arms that are sold to
governments, rebels, and criminals. This
trade ensures a ready supply of weapons
to a number of conicts including the
Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
SPORT
RIFLES &
SHOTGUNS
dangerous multiple shots at a target rather than a oneshot kill. Furthermore, the potential repower of a highpower semi-auto also makes it more difcult to own in
many countries. In those countries with lighter legislation,
semi-autos like the Armalite AR15 have been popular
with those wanting a good home defense weapon.
SPORT
RIFLES &
SHOTGUNS
SPORT RIFLES & SHOTGUNS 229
EUROPEAN
HUNTING GUNS
Early sport guns tend to be some of the nest examples of
rearms from their respective periods, principally because only
the rich could afford them. The matchlock was not an ideal
sport weapon, but nonetheless 15th- and 16th-century wood
carvings show hunters using them against everything from wild
boar to camels. Target shooting also took off in the 16th
century, with target guns utilizing ried barrels for accuracy.
Wheellocks were used extensively in hunting, but were too
delicate for robust use. The invention of the snaphaunce
lock in the 1530s, however, signicantly increased the
popularity and affordability of sport shooting.
Striking
steel
Brass lock plate
Cock
Trigger
guard
Mainspring
230
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SCOTTISH SNAPHAUNCE
1614
DATE
Scotland
ORIGIN
7 lb (3.2 kg)
WEIGHT
38 in (96.5 cm)
BARREL
CALIBER .45 in
Barrel band
FULL VIEW
231
Striking
steel
Lock plate
Revolving breech
Jaw-clamp
screw
Flint
Pan
Cheek piece
FULL VIEW
232
Striking
steel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
233
Lock cover
Trigger for
ring the
left barrel
Trigger for
ring the
right barrel
Gold-plated pan
Abbreviated
forestock
Cock
Striking
steel
Trigger
guard
Left trigger
234
Right
trigger
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
RUSSIAN FLINTLOCK
1770
This beautifully decorated smooth-bore
intlock gun was made by Ivan
Russia
Permjakov, one of the most accomplished
5 lb (2.2 kg)
Russian gun makers. It is believed to
35 in (89.8 cm)
have been recovered from the eld after
.35 in
the battle of Alma River in 1854.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ramrodretaining
barrel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
235
Nipple for
priming pellet
SPORT
RIFLES
The 19th century brought all the innovations of the
percussion cap to hunting. Indeed, the invention of the rst
percussion lock by the Reverend Alexander Forsythe of
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, patented in 1807, was specically
for the purpose of improving wildfowling shots. Percussion
locks had a dramatic effect on shooting technique. The much
faster ignition process meant that hunters did not have to give
moving targets so much lead (the distance red in front), and
snapshooting at fast-ying birds yielded more reliable results.
In addition, fewer kills were lost as the result of misres. The
introduction of unitary cartridges pushed sport shooting on
further, giving the quick-reloading capability for large-volume
shoots and improving range and accuracy through
concomitant developments in bullet technology.
Flint clamping
Trigger
Grip
extension
Straight English
style stock
screw
Striking steel
Cock
Lock
Feather spring
Rear sight
Hammer
Ramrod
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel band
Bead fore sight
Trigger
Breakopen
lever
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ramrod
FULL VIEW
SPORT RIFLES
237
Cylinder-retaining
wedge passes
through the axis pin
Cocking ring
Nipple for
percussion cap
Hammer located
beneath the gun
Lock plate
Fore-end
Leftbarrel
trigger
Right-barrel
trigger
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ramrod
FULL VIEW
SPORT RIFLES
239
Safety catch
Figured burr
walnut stock
Turned-down
bolt handle
Rear sling
attachment
Hammer
Nipple is
recessed
PIN-FIRE CARTRIDGE
The guns hammer falls
vertically on the pin,
driving it into the primer.
Breech-locking
lever
Gold-inlayed
engraving
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Breechlocking
lever
Lock cover
Breech
pivot pin
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Incised checkering
on the fore stock
to improve grip
Rear sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
SPORT RIFLES
241
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
FREDERICK C SELOUS
Frederick Selous (18511917) rst traveled to southern Africa
in 1870 and there spent the next 20 years hunting big game
and also becoming intimately acquainted with Africas wildlife
and peoples. His familiarity with the region led, in 1890, to
his appointment as a guide to commercial expeditions of the
British South Africa Company, and his service resulted in
the award of the Founders Medal of the Royal Geographic
Society. Selous subsequently became involved in several of
Britains wars in Africa, ghting in the Matabele War in 1893
and in the Rhodesian uprising of 1896.
FULL VIEW
Under-lever
MIGHTY HUNTERS
WHOSE EXPERIENCE LAY IN THE
GIBBS-FARQUHARSON RIFLE
c.1890
This rie was made for F.C. Selous in
.450/.400 caliber. The grip is tted
UK
with steel plates, a customization
8 lb (4 kg)
requested by Selous to strengthen the
Not known
gun. The original barrel has been
.450/.400
replaced by one in .22 Hornet caliber.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
Fore-end
HUNTING
GUNS
The renement of brass cartridge weapons during the second
half of the 19th century had important implications for sport
shooters, particularly hunters. Unitary cartridges meant fast
reloading, and this in turn meant that lone hunters could kill
animals in greater volumes. On country estates in Britain,
shooting parties not uncommonly clocked up 1,000 bird
days with their breech-loading shotguns. In Africa, large-bore
bolt-action ries could handle the heaviest of land animals.
In the United States, the new breed of ries led to one of
the New Worlds greatest environmental catastrophesthe
destruction of the American buffalo. A single shooter could
kill 250 buffalo in a day, and by 1890, 60 million buffalo
had been reduced to less than 1,000.
Hammer spur
Loading
gate
Under-lever
action
Fore sight in
protective shroud
Barrel band
Rear sight
Ten-round
tubular magazine
Ejection
port
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore-end
FULL VIEW
WINCHESTER .30-30
The .30-30 Winchester cartridge was
the rst civilian round to be charged
with smokeless powder.
WINCHESTER LEVER-ACTION
1885
This piece was used by Arthur Mounteney during
Henry Stanleys expedition to rescue Emin Pasha (the
US
Governor of the Sudanese province of Equatoria which
8 lb (4 kg)
was menaced by the Mahdist revolt) in 18871890. The
23 in (60 cm)
expedition established contact with Emin in April 1888
.30-30
and brought him to safety in German East Africa.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
HUNTING GUNS
245
Incised checkering on
the semi-pistol grip
WESTLEY RICHARDS
WEAPON OF MANY
Breech-locking
lever
Walnut stock
FULL VIEW
246
Bolt handle
Rear sight
Bolt
Forward sling
attachment
Internal ve-round
box magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Abbreviated forestock
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
HUNTING GUNS
247
SURVIVAL
GUNS 1945-
Hollow stock
Rear sight
Hammer
Stock/action
hinge
Trigger
Skeleton stock
Rear aperture
sight
Bolt
Barrel unit
1958
US
2 lb (1.1 kg)
16 in (40 cm)
.22 LR
Magazine
.22 LR barrel
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
DISASSEMBLED M6
The M6 hinges at a point just in front of
the trigger, producing a folded length
half that of the guns extended length.
249
EARLY COMBAT
SHOTGUNS
Shotguns have a long history as combat weapons. During the
American Revolutionary War, muskets were often loaded with
a buck and ball combination to maximize the chances of a
hit, and standard shotguns gave service in conicts ranging
from the US-Mexican War of 184648 to the Philippines
insurrection of the early 1900s. During WWI, US
infantrymen found that pump-action Winchester Model
1897s were superb weapons for close-quarters trench combat.
In WWII shotguns were primarily used in the Pacic and
other jungle-combat zones, where ranges were minimal, and
for similar reasons shotguns found many applications in the
post-war insurgency conicts in Southeast Asia.
Cocking lever
Exposed
hammer
shows if the
weapon is
cocked
Rear sling
attachment
Ejector port
Loading gate
Trigger
Semi pistol
stock
FULL VIEW
250
Rear sight
Fore sight
Bayonet lug
Perforated
barrel shroud
Cocking slide
251
COMBAT SHOTGUNS
Combat shotguns have a small but secure place in modern
military arsenals, but a larger position in modern police and
Special Forces units. At ranges of up to 100 ft (32 m), the
shotgun is one of the most lethal rearms available, inicting
(with the right shot size) massive damage to the target. However,
because shotguns are essentially short-range weapons, there is
minimal risk to bystanders from the overight of individual
pellets. A modern combat shotgun, such as the Franchi SPAS12, can also re lock-busting, tear gas or less lethal beanbag
rounds, making it a particularly versatile weapon.
Combined rear
sight/carrying
handle
Ejection port
FULL VIEW
Fire mode
selector switch
252
Pump-action slide
Magazine
Ejection port
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore
sight
M16-style
carrying handle
Pressed-steel
barrel shroud
USAS-12
20-round drum
magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1992
US/S. Korea
12 lb (5.5 kg)
18 in (46 cm)
12-bore
COMBAT SHOTGUNS
253
Ejector port
Bolt
Section folds down to
become a shoulder piece
Safety
catch
Loading port
Cocking handle
Wooden stock
254
Rear sight
Cocking slide
Fore sight
FRANCHI SPAS 12
1978
Developed as a close combat weapon for both police and
military use, the SPAS (Special-Purpose Automatic
Italy
Shotgun) is gas-operated by an annular piston around
9 lb (4.4 kg)
the under-barrel magazine tube, acting on a tilting bolt.
21 in (54.5 cm)
It can be switched over to pump action when required.
12-bore
They were expensive to manufacture, but reliable.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight
Rear sight
Tubular magazine
BENELLI M1
1980s
Italy
8 lb (3.6 kg)
20 in (51 cm)
12-gauge
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
COMBAT SHOTGUNS
255
SPORT
SHOTGUNS
Decorated checkering
on the semi-pistol grip
Press-button
safety catch
External hammer
Walnut stock
Breech-opening
lever
256
Ejector port
Cocking handle
Magazine cap
Loading port
Four-round
tubular magazine
located in the
fore stock
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore-end
Hinge pin
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SPORT SHOTGUNS
257
RIFLES, PISTOLS,
AND MACHINE GUNS.
Single trigger
Incised checkering on
the semi-pistol grip
FULL VIEW
258
Abbreviated
forestock
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Safety
catch
Twin
triggers
Ventilated
barrel rib
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SPORT SHOTGUNS
259
FAMOUS GUNMAKERS
was permitted to use the trade name Royal on its guns. The
early 20th century saw H&H design inuential new systems
of sidelock shotgun mechanism and produce famous hunting
cartridges such as the .375 H&H Magnum. H&H manufactured
various military rearms during the two world wars, and since
1945 the company has maintained its focus on producing
bespoke high-value sport guns or trading in collectors pieces.
A pair of H&H shotguns can fetch upward of $175,000.
Breech opening
lever
260
Recoil pad
Rear sling
attachment
Semi-pistol
grip
Abbreviated
fore stock
DOUBLE-BARRELED RIFLE
1887
This double-barreled rie has a short barrel
and simple sights, both indicators that the gun
England
would
be best used for the hunting of fast,
Not known
large game at close ranges. The gun is of a
Not known
boxlock design, the operating mechanism
4-bore
being contained within a box-shaped housing.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Smoothbore barrel
Double
triggers
DOUBLE-BARRELED SHOTGUN
1878
H&H are known for their superb quality of
their bird guns. Here is an underlever-type
England
shotgun with a classic English-style stock
6 lb (3 kg)
it has no pistol grip. Shotguns are red by
30 in (76 cm)
accurate pointing rather than deliberate
12-bore
aiming, hence the lack of sights on this gun.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
261
SPECIALIST
GUNS
use they have usually been supplied only with pistolcaliber guns or with rearms adapted to special
ammunition types, such as the .300 Whisper round.
SPECIALIST
GUNS
SPECIALIST GUNS
265
COMBINATION
WEAPONS
During the early centuries of gun development, the benets of
rearms over traditional forms of hand-held weapons were not
immediately clear. Such considerations led some European
armorers to combine rearms with edged weapons. Many of
these weapons are highly decorated, suggesting more
ornamental than practical purposes. However, examples of
more viable combination weapons were later found in India
in the 18th and 19th centuries.
DETAIL OF HAMMER
The paired cocks are more
than just spring-loaded
clamps to hold pieces of
iron pyrites against the
serrated edge of the
striking wheels. They are
exquisitely worked
ornaments in their own
rightgilded and chased
with a oral pattern.
Hinged pommel
Cock
Wheellock
266
SPECIALIST GUNS
MACE WHEELLOCK
Not known
DATE
Not known
ORIGIN
3 lb (1.72 kg)
WEIGHT
23 in (58.5 cm)
LENGTH
.31 in
CALIBER
Mace head
composed of
six pierced
anges
Ax blade
Ramrod
Serrated
striking
wheel
Balancing uke
Squared shaft
takes the key that
winds the action
Beak
Barrel
Fork bayonet
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
CALIBER
Hammer
FULL VIEW
Trophy
of arms
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
CALIBER
COMBINATION WEAPONS
267
OF COMBINATION WEAPONS
AT CLOSE QUARTERS
IS PLAIN TO SEE.
Balancing uke
Dog lock
FULL VIEW
CARBINE AX
c.1720
The butt of this fully stocked, dog-lock carbine is
reduced so that it can be gripped in the hand.
Denmark
The axhead is shaped to double-up as a
3 lb (1.55 kg)
rudimentary bayonet, and its balancing uke as
32 in (82.5 cm)
the beak of a war hammer. The head, retained
.58 in
by a spring catch, can be easily removed.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
CALIBER
268
SPECIALIST GUNS
Cock
Pan
Gallery
for piece
of match
Striking wheel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
CALIBER
Axhead serves as
a stabbing bayonet
FULL VIEW
BARREL DETAIL
The uppermost
barrel is tted
with a matchlock
on the left side,
and the second
with a wheellock.
A tubular
extension to the
pan held a length
of match. This
would have been
ignited by the ash
of the priming,
and then used to
touch off the
remaining three
barrels, along with
a sixth, located in
the hollow shaft.
COMBINATION WEAPONS
269
ENCLOSED LOCK
DETAIL
The intlock sport gun
often misred, either
because the int had
broken or the primer
had become damp.
When it did re
successfully, the ash
and smoke from the
pan could obscure the
target from view or
frighten the game.
Striking steel
Cock
Revolving
chambers
Stock inlaid
with silver
FULL VIEW
Barrelretaining pin
Makers name
Cocking levers
Dual
triggers
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
CARBINE IS TO BE FIRED AT
THE
ABOUT A TWELVE FOOT
FLINTLOCK REVOLVING RIFLE
c.1670
DATE
French gunmakers produced some of the nest
sport guns of the 17th century. This example has
France
ORIGIN
three revolving chambers, each tted with its
7 lb (3.37 kg)
WEIGHT
own striker and spring. This type of multi-shot
31 in (79.5 cm)
BARREL
weapon risked a dangerous chain reaction, in
22-bore
CALIBER
which ring one chamber set off all of the others.
271
MULTI-SHOT
FIREARMS
Multi-shot weapons have a long tradition in volley guns
multibarrel weapons designed to discharge their barrels either
simultaneously or in sequence. Matchlock organ guns were
arranged in batteries on wooden trailers or carriages from the
1400s, and multi-barreled weapons are seen in all subsequent
centuries. In the 18th century, the British navy took a
particular interest in volley guns, and purchased over 600
seven-barreled ries made by John Nock, based on a design by
one James Wilson. These formidable pieces were designed to
deliver devastating re against enemy crews during boarding
actions, or to ght off enemy boarding tenders.
Stock is made
of walnut
Nipple for a
percussion cap
Trigger
Hammer
FULL VIEW
Disc is bored
with seven
radial chambers
Trigger
Trigger
guard
VOLLEY GUN
1795
UK
9 lb (4.1 kg)
20 in (52 cm)
75-bore
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ramrod
Rear sight
Octagonal barrel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
MULTI-SHOT FIREARMS
273
ANTI-TANK
WEAPONS
Barrel recoils
into receiver
Box magazine
holds ve rounds
Bolt
handle
Left-hand grip
Pistol grip
274
Fore sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
ANTI-TANK WEAPONS
275
NOT MANPORTABLE.
Recoil pad
Plywood
ski bipod
276
SPECIALIST GUNS
Gas regulator
Flash hider
Some propellent
gas bled off to
act on piston to
cycle action
Bipod
Perforated barrel
jacket
Gas cylinder
FULL VIEW
LAHTI MODEL 39
1940
Finland
93 lb (42.2 kg)
54 in (139 cm)
20 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
ANTI-TANK WEAPONS
277
FAMOUS GUNS
TASER GUN
For modern police forces, the increasing threat of litigation arising
from the use of rearms has led to the adoption of several less-thanlethal weapons, including the Taser gun. The name is an acronym of
Thomas A. Swifts Electric Rie after a science-ction character
known by the weapons US designer, Jack Cover.
4-mode
light
selector
Cover helped perfect the weapon in association with the Air Taser
company in 1993, and today over 9,500 law-enforcement agencies
worldwide use Taser products. The basic rearm consists of a handgun
that res electrodes out to a distance of 35 ft (10 m). These hit the assailant
then, via wires still connected to the gun, deliver an incapacitating electric
shock. Although early models had darts on the ends of the electrodes, which
embedded in the assailants skin, the latest versions apply an electrical pulse
that does not need skin penetration. There is no doubt that Tasers have
led to a reduction in rearms-related deaths in many police forces.
TASER M26
1998
US
1 lb (0.5 kg)
7 in (18 cm)
Fires electrodes
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
CALIBER
278
SPECIALIST GUNS
Trigger
Textured grip
STOPPING POWER
Electrode
cavity
Heavy-duty
plastic casing
SHOCK TACTICS
An English police ofcer
demonstrates the power
of the Taser gun. This
example features a
connecting wire but
Taser also manufacture
a wireless option.
RIFLE-MOUNTED
GRENADE LAUNCHERS
Rie grenades came to the fore during WWII as an attempt to give
infantrymen a better direct and indirect re capability against
personnel and even armored targets. Modern rie-mounted grenade
launchers are part of the modular trend in weaponry that began in
the 1970s, whereby a soldier could call on different types of re from
a single weapon platform. Most rie-mounted grenade launchers re
40mm grenades, and have a
maximum indirect-re
range of around 450 yards
(410 m). The latest
generation of weapons have
integral laser range-nders
that give the precise distance
to the target.
Receiver
Cocking handle
Ten-round magazine
Bolt
handle
Ten-round magazine
280
SPECIALIST GUNS
1940s
DATE
UK
ORIGIN
GRENADE Anti-tank
.303 in
CALIBER
330 ft (100 m)
RANGE
Rear sight
Fore sight
Receiver
Bayonet (broken)
1915
DATE
UK
ORIGIN
GRENADE Anti-personnel
.303 in
CALIBER
490 ft (150 m)
RANGE
Grenade
sight
Gas regulator
Launcher tube
Stabilizing ns
1949
DATE
USSR
ORIGIN
GRENADE anti-tank
7.62 mm x 39
CALIBER
330 ft (100 m)
RANGE
Folding
bayonet
Stabilizing ns
Marker capsule
FULL VIEW
281
Rie
cocking
handle
Rie
trigger
Gas
cylinder
Muzzle
compensator
40 mm antipersonnel
grenade
1978
DATE
The barrel-mounted grenade launcher was slow
to use. The answer was to t the grenade with
USSR
ORIGIN
its own propellant charge and so the Red Army
GRENADE anti-personnel
adopted one with the charge in the body of the
40 mm
CALIBER
grenade. This AK74 lacks the recoil pad that
490 ft (150 m)
RANGE
is normally tted to grenade launcher ries.
Rie fore
sight
FULL VIEW
283
STAND-ALONE
GRENADE LAUNCHERS
It was in the second half of the 20th century that standalone grenade launchers became truly practical systems.
Modern launchers vary from single-shot shoulder-red
weapons like the M79 Blooper, through to belt-fed, tripodmounted automatic guns such as the new US XM307
Advanced Crew Served Weapon (ACSW). Both can take a
variety of lethal and non-lethal roles, from anti-armor
attacks through to CS gas dispensing in riot situations. Many
of the larger specimens are also taking over from mortars on
the battleeld. The ACSW, for example, can re 25 mm
high-explosive, high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), or
thermobarbic warheads in airbursting mode to ranges
of up to 2200 yards (2000 m) and at rates of 260 rpm.
FULL VIEW
Laser designator
MECHEM/MILKOR MGL MK 1
1990
A scaled-up version of a
shotgun of similar design,
South Africa
the MGL MK 1 is a six-shot
12 lb (5.6 kg)
revolver grenade launcher.
12 in (30.5 cm)
Its maximum range is
40 mm
around 1,150 ft (350 m).
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
284
SPECIALIST GUNS
Cylinder holds
six 40 mm
grenades
AGS-17 PLAMYA
1975
USSR
48 lb (22 kg)
11 in (30 cm)
30 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Non-disintegrating
belt emerges here
Elevating quadrant
Drum contains 29
30 mm grenades in
non-disintegrating belt
285
MISSILE
LAUNCHERS
The most important rst step in the
development of missile launchers was
the invention in the 1940s of the
shaped-charge warhead, designed to
create a lethal jet of molten steel that,
even in its early development, could cut
through 4 in (10 cm) of plate armor. Since
the war, manportable anti-tank weapons have
increased in lethality and proliferation. Modern
systems such as the FGM-148 Javelin can destroy
any Main Battle Tank (MBT), while the RPG-7 has
become one of the worlds greatest insurgency threats.
Muzzle, where
projectile is loaded
Trigger
286
SPECIALIST GUNS
Optical sights
graduated to
1,650 ft (500 m)
Rocket
inserted at
rear
Wooden shoulder
support
M1A1 BAZOOK A
1942
US
13 lb (6 kg)
54 in (137 cm)
3 lb (1.54 kg)
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
MISSILE
FULL VIEW
Exhaust gas
collector/diffuser
RPG-7V
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1962
USSR
14 lb (6.3 kg)
37 in (95 cm)
40 mm
MISSILE LAUNCHERS
287
MECHANICALELECTRICAL GUNS
The post-war years saw the repower of the machine gun taken
to its practical extreme. In 1945 in the United States, Johnson
Automatics Inc. was commissioned to reinvigorate Gatlings now
antique Gatling Gun design. The Johnson companys solution
was to take the same multi-barreled rotary conguration, but
power the whole system by electrical motor rather than hand
crank to produce a cyclical rate of re of 5800 rpm.
Over time Project Vulcan, as it was known,
spawned a whole new generation of
electrically powered Gatling-type
weapons, all with devastating
repower offsetting their bulk and
weight. Most of these weapons
found applications in aircraft,
although today variants are also
found on armored vehicles and even
as a prototype infantry machine gun,
the 5.56 mm XM-214 Six-Pac.
Bolt handle
Electric motor
Mount
Ammunition feed
288
SPECIALIST GUNS
Sling swivel
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rotary barrels
Contoured grip
Barrel
Match grade sight
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Trigger guard
MECHANICAL-ELECTRICAL GUNS
289
FAMOUS GUNMAKERS
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
EXECUTIVE (SOE)
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was formed in July
1940 in Britain with the mission of conducting, or supporting,
irregular warfare throughout German-occupied Europe. Over
the subsequent four years its agents were to be found across
Europe from Norway to Greece, and from 1942 SOE even
conducted operations in South-East Asia. Specializing in covert
warfare, SOE naturally gravitated toward commissioning or
developing specialist rearms (although SOE was not a
9 MM PARABELLUM
Trigger
TOP SECRET
A range of recently declassied
documents from the SOE, including
a plot to assassinate Hitler.
290
SPECIALIST GUNS
The 9 mm Parabellum, or
Luger, is the most common
cartridge in the world.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Top folding
stock
Trigger
guard
Magazine
housing
WELGUN SMG
1943
UK
7 lb (3 kg)
Not known
9 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Wrist strap
WRIST PISTOL
193945
UK
Not known
Not known
.25 in
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel
291
GENTRY
GUNS
Chamber
Trigger
Chamber
Trigger
BULGARIAN DEFECTOR
BRIDGE IN LONDON
BY A RICIN-FILLED PELLET
SPECIALIST GUNS
Barrel in
shaft of
cane
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Muzzle
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
GENTRY GUNS
293
COVERT
FORCES GUNS
Guns are in many way obtrusive pieces of technology. They can be
bulky, heavy, expensive to make, and deliver a highly conspicuous
report when red. With the development of Special Forces and
secret service government agencies during the 20th century,
attempts were made to obviate many of these problems and
produce guns congured for covert use. Hiram Maxim patented a
working sound suppressor device in 1908, and suppressors were
rst issued to the Ofce of Strategic Services (OSS) in WWII for
their High Standard .22 pistols. Other projects
saw the production of extreme low-budget
guns such as the Liberator, designed to be
dropped in their thousands into war zones
to fuel friendly insurgencies. Such projects
and technologies, while interesting, did not
always balance innovation with practicality.
LIBERATOR PISTOLS
WERE MANUFACTURED IN JUST
THREE MONTHS,
MUCH OF THE WEAPON
SHEET STEEL.
Optical sight
Cocking handle
Ejection port
Sight
Hand-operated
breech block
Trigger guard
Pressed
steel body
LIBERATOR
1942
US
1 lb (0.45 kg)
4 in (10 cm)
.45 ACP
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Suppressor
Sling swivel
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
295
SILENCED
GUNS
Hammer
Integral silencer
TYPE 67
Magazine
inserted
into grip
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1980s
China
2 lb (1.02 kg)
3 in (89 mm)
7.62 x 17 mm
Ejection port
Slide
Rear sight
External silencer
M20 SILENCED
1950s
China
1 lb (0.83 kg)
9 in (23 cm)
7.62 x 25 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Ejection port
FULL VIEW
VZ27
Trigger
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1927
The VZ27 was a redesign of the 9 mm VZ24.
Instead of the latters short-recoil operation, the
Czechoslovakia
VZ27 had a much simpler blowback mechanism
1 lb (0.7 kg)
and its caliber was taken down to 7.65 x 17 mm.
4 in (10 cm)
The VZ27 also had a longer barrel. This popular
7.65 x 17 mm
gun stayed in production until the 1950s.
SILENCED GUNS
297
Hammer
spur
Rear sight
Barrel
Slide grips
Trigger guard
298
SPECIALIST GUNS
Suppressor
HI-STANDARD MODEL B
1932
DATE
One of High Standards rst guns was the Model B,
a highly accurate .22 handgun designed for casual
US
ORIGIN
target shooting, but which also found military
2 lb (1.3 kg)
WEIGHT
applications. Unlike the Model A target pistol, which
9 in (23 cm)
BARREL
was similar but had adjustable sights, the Model B had
.22 LR
CALIBER
xed sights. This gun was used by OSS forces in WWII.
SUPPRESSED PISTOLS
CAN BE HEARD
External suppressor
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SILENCED GUNS
299
CONCEALED
SPY GUNS
Flashlight casing
conceals weapon
mechanics
Trigger
Hammer
Knife grip
Grip
300
SPECIALIST GUNS
Trigger
Trigger
Bullet res
through front
of ashlight
FLASHLIGHT STINGER
1980s
This covert weapon is disguised as a ashlight,
and actually contains a .22 LR single-shot
US
rearm.
The bullet is loaded behind the
1 lb (0.8 kg)
ashlights bulb section, and is red by
2 in (5 cm)
depressing the light switch. The gun was
.22 LR
developed in the US during the post-war period.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
KNIFE PISTOL
2000s
China
lb (0.31 kg)
1 in (2.5 cm)
.22 LR
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Muzzle
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Truncheon head
301
Barrel
RING PISTOL
1990s
Switzerland
2 oz (55 g)
1 in (2.5 cm)
.22 LR
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Trigger
Barrel
Muzzle housed
within cigarette
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel
Cocking
mechanism
302
SPECIALIST GUNS
PEN PISTOL
1990s
Lebanon
2 oz (70 g)
2 in (5 cm)
.22 LR
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
PIPE PISTOL
193945
UK
Not known
Not known
Not known
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
LIPSTICK PISTOL
193945
Russia
Not known
Not known
Not known
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Firing string
Firing mechanism
housed within casing
Muzzle
Trigger
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
303
IMPROVISED
GUNS
Improvised rearms vary enormously in their build-quality
and performance. At the more sophisticated end of the
scale, we see examples of submachine guns constructed in
home workshops that feature selector and safety switches
and detachable magazines. At the opposite end there are
guns that consist of nothing more than a piece of pipe
and a spring-loaded nail for a ring pin. In insurgency
or terrorist contextsthe principal environments in
which improvised guns are producedmost homemade weapons have proved as dangerous to the
user as the victim. The poor quality of metals
used, the inability to form gas-tight seals
around the chamber, and
incorrect calibration cause
many improvised guns to
explode when red.
Trigger
Stock
reminiscent of
a Lee-Eneld
MAU-MAU CARBINE
1950s
This short-barreled, bolt-action, single
shot carbine was made in Kenya during
Kenya
the time of the Mau-Mau insurrection
3 lb (1.6 kg)
against British rule in the 1950s. Most
20 in (51.2 cm)
of the improvised weapons made by the
.303 in
rebels exploded when they were red.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Muzzle
Perforated barrel
shroud serves as the
fore grip
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
304
SPECIALIST GUNS
Unried barrel
Cartridge case from 20 mm
cannon shell serves as barrel
Barrel band
and rear
sight
Bolt
handle
Fore sight
Hole used to ignite charge
Roughly
carved
wooden grip
Magazine
release
catch
EOK A PISTOL
1950s
Cyprus
lb (.23 kg)
4 in (11 cm)
Not known
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Square-section
receiver
FULL VIEW
Pistol grip
34-round box
magazine from
Sterling SMG
Trigger
Safety
catch
IMPROVISED GUNS
305
Rear sight
PROTOTYPE
GUNS
Prototype rearms have an important role in the
development of guns. Although many trials weapons
never actually reached production, the data collected
has helped rene everything from operating systems to
ammunition. The prototype phase became especially
important during the late 19th and 20th centuries, when
prototypes had to establish the groundwork for mass
production models. Sometimes the development phases
have felt undue political inuencethe rush to produce
an indigenous replacement for the British Armys SLR
rie in the 1980s resulted in disastrous deciencies in the
adopted SA80A1. However, when the
process is politically impartial,
prototypes have proved
extremely inuential.
Selector switch
Ammunition feed
Muzzle brake
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cocking handle
Ejection port
Folding stock
Magazine release
306
SPECIALIST GUNS
MAUSER-CETME LMG
1960s
The Mauser-CETME light machine gun (LMG) was a
joint German-Spanish development of the German
Spain/Germany
MG42, although chambered for the 7.62 x 51 mm
18 lb (8 kg)
NATO round. The gun was not a success in this
23 in (59 cm)
chambering, but CETME later achieved a good workable
7.62 x 51 mm
design in its 5.56 x 45 mm NATO Ameli machine gun.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fire selector
switch
Box magazine
Vented housing
Flash hider
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
PROTOTYPE GUNS
307
310
MACHINE GUNS
& SUBMACHINE
GUNS
MACHINE GUNS & SUBMACHINE GUNS
311
EARLY BATTERY
& MACHINE GUNS
Ladder type
rear sight
Ejection port
Water coolant
jacket
Trigger
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
312
Elevation/traverse
controls
Elevation
adjustment
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Gas-powered
driving arm
FULL VIEW
313
FAMOUS GUNS
GATLING GUN
Invented by Dr. Richard Gatling and patented in 1862, the
Gatling Gun was a revolution in infantry repower. It was a
rotary hand-cranked weapon, with 10 barrels arranged around
a central axis. Turning the crank rotated the barrels, into which
were fed cartridges from a cartridge container set above the gun.
Each barrel red and ejected its cartridge once during a full
rotation of the barrel group, the advantage not only being the
rate of re but also that barrel overheating could be controlled.
Barrels
Pivot for
revolving
mechanism
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
LENGTH
CALIBER
314
Shackle for
attaching rope, to
help move gun over
difcult terrain
ZULU WAR
British soldiers crew a Gatling
Gun during the 1879 Zulu War.
The gun increased the Europeans
advantage against natives
in colonial wars.
Elevating gear
RECOIL-OPERATED
MACHINE GUNS
By the beginning of WWI, a variety of different mechanisms
were powering the worlds machine guns, with two types
dominantrecoil operation and gas operation. The former
was perfected in types such as the British Vickers and the US
Browning, and in the updated versions of the Maxim gun.
These weapons offered repower on a truly industrial scale and
with impressive reliability. During one trial of the Browning
M1917, a single gun red 40,000 rounds and suffered only two
jams, both the fault of the ammunition. Development from
191845 saw many machine guns adopt air cooling, and superb
general-purpose machine guns such as the German MG42 gave
enormous manportable repower for both attack and defense.
Ammunition
belt feedway
Rear sight
Fore sight
Water jacket
Pistol grip
FULL VIEW
BROWNING M1917
1912
DATE
US
ORIGIN
38 in (58 cm)
LENGTH
20 in (58.1 cm)
BARREL
.30-06 in
CALIBER
316
Recoil
enhancer
Vernier aperture
sight (folded down)
Condenser hose
connection
Water jacket
Ammunition
belt feedway
Five arch
sight bridge
Muzzle
cap
Sangster
auxiliary tripod
Trigger
bar
Trigger bar
extension for
use with Youlton
Hyperscope
Tripod
extension
pantograph
VICKERS MK 1
1912
DATE
Adopted by the British Army as a
replacement for the Maxim in November,
UK
ORIGIN
1912, the MK 1 differed from its
43 in (110 cm)
LENGTH
predecessor in that its locking toggle-joint
28 in (72 cm)
BARREL
broke upward rather than downward,
.303 in
CALIBER
reducing the size of the receiver.
Traversing
turntable clamp
Traversing
turntable
Elevation
screw
FULL VIEW
Elevation
wheel
Tripod leg
317
Flash hider
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
Triggers
Firing
lever
Heavy barrel
Amunition box
Tripod mount
.5/12.7 MM M2
Developed for the M2 machine
gun and adopted as a rie
round, the M2 has a 710-grain
(46 g) bullet and a muzzle
velocity of 2,800 fps.
BROWNING M2 HB
1936
DATE
The US Army was pleased with Brownings
M1917, but wanted a heavier weapon too,
US
ORIGIN
and Browning obliged with the water64 in (164 cm)
LENGTH
cooled M1921. Like the rie-caliber gun,
45 in (114 cm)
BARREL
its water jacket was later removed, and
.5 in (12.7 mm)
CALIBER
it meta-morphosed into the M2.
318
Ventilated
barrel
shroud
21 in
(53.3 cm) barrel
Recoil
transmission
bar
Recoil-actuated
automatic
traverse
mechanism
Pistol
grip
Bracing bar
7.92 MM X 57 MAUSER
The cartridge was loaded with a
steel-jacketed 177-grain (11.5 g)
boat-tailed bullet that left the
muzzle at 2,745 fps.
MG42
1943
DATE
Germany
ORIGIN
48 in (122 cm)
LENGTH
21 in (53 cm)
BARREL
7.92 mm
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
319
GAS-OPERATED
MACHINE GUNS
Flash hider
Gas-operated machine guns evolved
in the 1880s and 90s, the rst claim
to a working design being the ColtBrowning Potato Digger of 1890.
In 1893, Austrian cavalryman Baron
Odkolek von Augezd designed a
more sophisticated weapon, sold it to the French Hotchkiss
company, and in turn this became the hugely successful
Hotchkiss machine gun. Since then gas-operated systems
have proliferated and are one of the major systems of
machine gun. Gas-operation is reliable and guns using
the system tend to be light and easily controlled (the gas
piston and springs inside a gas-operated gun absorb much
of the recoil). For these reasons many light and medium
machine guns have been gas-operated.
ZB 53 (VZ/37 OR BESA)
1937
Machine gun designer Vaclav Holek was
one of the stars of the 1930s. He used
Czechoslovakia
similar locking methods on both the Bren
Not known
gun and the ZB 53. The latter was known
26 in (67.8 cm)
as the VZ/37 by the Czechs and Besa by
7.92 mm
the British, who used it in their tanks.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
320
Gas port
Fore sight
26.7 in
(67.8 cm)
barrel
Ammunition
belt feedway
Cooling ns
Cooling ns
Rear sight
Ammunition
strip feedway
Optical sight
Elevation
gear
Shoulder
brace
Steadying grip
Trigger
Pistol grip
Elevation
wheel
Traversing turntable
FULL VIEW
321
Ammunition
belt feedway
Trigger bar
Feed cover
Ammunition
belt feedway
322
Fore sight
Flash hider
GORYUNOV SGM
Carrying handle
Gas port
1943
DATE
USSR
ORIGIN
44 in (112 cm)
LENGTH
28 in (72 cm)
BARREL
7.62 mm x 54
CALIBER
Heat shield
22 in (56 cm) barrel
Flash
eliminator
M60
1963
DATE
The US Army replaced its Browning M1917 derivatives
with a new, gas-operated, general-purpose machine gun in
US
ORIGIN
the early 1960s. The M60 used the feed system of the
43 in (110 cm)
LENGTH
MG42 and the locking system of the German FG42 assault
22 in (56 cm)
BARREL
rie. It was unsatisfactory to begin with, but a series of
7.62 mm NATO
CALIBER
modications over two decades corrected most of its faults.
Bipod (folded)
323
Rear sight
Gas cylinder
TRIPOD-MOUNTED
BEATEN ZONE
Ammunition belt
Ammunition box
Barrel can be
changed quickly
MG43
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
324
2001
Germany
19 lb (8.5 kg)
19 in (48 cm)
5.56 mm
FN MAG (GPMG)
1958
DATE
The MAG (Mitrailleuse Gaz), produced by FN,
used a modied form of the locking system
Belgium
ORIGIN
developed by John Browning for his Automatic
40 in (104 cm)
LENGTH
Rie; this was mated to the feed mechanism of
21 in (55 cm)
BARREL
the MG42. The gun was adopted by the British
7.62 mm NATO
CALIBER
Army as the General-Purpose Machine Gun.
FULL VIEW
Barrel handle
attachment
point
Barrel
locking
catch
Bipod folded
beneath gas tube
Trigger
325
FAMOUS GUNMAKERS
STEYR-MANNLICHER
Steyr-Mannlicher was born in the Austrian town of Steyr in
1853, when Joseph Werndl took over his fathers gunmaking
factory. By 1890 the company, now named sterreichische
Waffenfabriks-Gesselschaft (OWG), was producing
approximately 11,000 ries every week. A dip in commercial
fortunes in the early 20th century was remedied by the
mobilization for war in 191314, and in total OWG made over
10 million arms between 1914 and 1918. The tough inter-war
years brought structural changes, rst with the creation of
Steyr-Werke AG in 1922 then an amalgamation into SteyrDaimler-Puch in 1934. WWII galavanized
production again, and since 1950 SteyrMannlicher GmbH, as it became in 1963,
has returned to being a world force in
rearms manufacture, producing
submachine guns, assault ries (the excellent
Steyr AUG), sniper ries and sport guns.
STEYR AUG LMG
1980
Austria
10 lb (4.9 kg)
25 in (62 cm)
5.56 X 45 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
326
STEYR FACTORY
A large part of the
gunmaking process
is still done by
hand at Steyrs
Austrian factory.
Bipod
Front grip
Flash hider
Ejector port
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Magazine in
pistol grip
Telescoping
stock
Ejector port
Sling
Magazine
Magazine catch
See-through
plastic magazine
STEYR MPI 81
1990s
Austria
6 lb (3 kg)
10 in (26 cm)
9 mm
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
STEYR-MANNLICHER
327
Wooden butt
stock
FULL VIEW
Ejector
port
Trigger
Cocking
handle
Flash hider
MG08/15
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1917
Germany
48 lb (22 kg)
28 in (72 cm)
7.92 mm x 57
Bipod
Pan magazine
holds 47 rounds
Barrel shroud
and heat
dissipator
LEWIS
Cooling ns
continue inside
barrel shroud
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1912
The British Army adopted the air-cooled, gasoperated Lewis gun in 1915, and it remained
US
its standard light support weapon until it was
26 lb (12 kg)
superseded by the Bren. The original design
26 in (66.5 cm)
was the work of Samuel MacLean, but it was
.303 in
modied by Colonel Isaac Lewis of the US Army.
LIGHT MACHINE GUNS 19001945
329
Laminated wooden
butt stock
Recoil spring
housing
Top-mounted
magazine
Rate-of-re
selector and
safety catch
Ejection port
Rear sight
Single shot
trigger
Automatic
re trigger
330
Wooden fore-end
Barrel
Flash hider
Gas tube
Ammunition
belt feedway
DEGTYAREV RP46
1946
The Red Army adopted the Degtyarev RP in
1928. It was modied in 1945, and the
USSR
following year, it received a heavier barrel and
28 lb (13 kg)
was adapted to take belts as well as drum
23 in (60.5 cm)
magazines. It was still not entirely satisfactory,
7.62 mm x 54 R
however, and was soon replaced by the RPD.
Ejector
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Bipod
Bipod
Barrel
Gas cylinder
FULL VIEW
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
331
LIGHT MACHINE
GUNS 1945
Since 1945 light machine guns (LMGs) have retained, if not increased, their
inuence within small-unit tactical thinking. Many light machine gunssuch
as the RPK74 and L86A1are little more than standard infantry ries with
extended barrels and, sometimes, an increased ammunition capacity. These
guns typically have xed barrels, meaning that they are not suited to sustainedre modes, but they offer extended range over the squads ries. However,
many armies have turned to belt-fed light machine guns to soup up squad
repower, the FN Minimi and its variants being a particular favorite in
this regard. These are capable of delivering sustained re at 750 rpm
and beyond, and have a quick-change barrel facility.
Cocking handle
Rear sight
Rate-of-re
selector and
safety catch
FULL VIEW
332
STANAG
30-round
detachable
magazine
Plastic
forestock
Barrel support
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Cocking
handle
Carrying handle
Fore sight
Muzzle
compensator
Ejector port
FN MINIMI
1975
FNs gas-operated, air-cooled Minimi accepts
the NATO STANAG magazine or disintegratingBelgium
link belts, without modication. The Minimi
15 lb (6.83 kg)
was adopted by the US Army as its M249
18 in (46.5 cm)
Squad Automatic Weapon, and also by the
5.56 mm x 45
British Army as the L108A1.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
333
FAMOUS GUNS
BREN GUN
The Bren Gun is a textbook lesson in superb gun design.
This .303 in machine gun was produced from 1937, but
its origin actually lay several years further back in the ne
Czech 7.92 mm ZB30. During the 1930s the British
commissioned the Ceskoslvenska Zbrojovka company to
redesign the ZB30 as a .303 in weapon, with a view to
replacing the British Armys venerable Lewis Guns.
BREN
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Rear sight
The result, the ZB33, was accepted and was renamed the
Bren Gun (the name derives from Brno, the Czech town
where the ZB30 was designed and made, fused with Eneld,
where British production began). The Bren
was an infantrymans dream weapon. It
was easy to operate and simple to strip
down for cleaning. Properly maintained its
gas-operated system rarely went wrong, and
it was also extremely accurate. The Brens
virtues kept it in British Army service in
variant forms until the 1970s, the last in
the series being the 7.62 mm L4.
334
Body
locking pin
Righthand grip
Tripod attachment
point
FULL VIEW
Carrying handle
Magazine
port cover
Gas cylinder
JUNGLE PATROL
With Bren gun at the ready, a
soldier of the New Zealand 22nd
Squadron Air Service, patrols a
river and surrounding swamps
in the Malayan jungle in 1957.
Rear sight
Skeleton light-alloy
butt stock
Cocking
handle
Optical sight
RATE OF FIRE, IS AT
THE CENTER OF THE
Fore sight
Barrel
FULL VIEW
Bipod folded
under gas
cylinder
NEGEV
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1988
Israel
15 lb (7.2 kg)
18 in (46 cm)
5.56 mm
Gas tube
Gas regulator
Folded bipod
RPK74
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1976
USSR
11 lb (5 kg)
23 in (59 cm)
5.45 mm x 39
337
SUBMACHINE
GUNS
WITHIN A TRENCH
OR BUILDING, THE
Noise/ash
suppressor
FULL VIEW
338
GROUP TARGETS.
Magazine catch
Front sling
attachment
VILLAR PEROSA
1920s
Italy
6 lb (3 kg)
11 in (28 cm)
9 mm Glisenti
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel shroud
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Fore sight
MP40
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1940
Germany
9 lb (4 kg)
9 in (25 cm)
9 mm Parabellum
Cocking
handle
Skeleton
butt stock
(folded)
Pistol grip
32-round magazine
Wooden
butt stock
Cocking sleeve
Burst-re trigger
Single-shot
trigger
Rear sight
Pressed and
stamped steel body
SUBMACHINE GUNS
339
FAMOUS GUNS
PPSH41
As the Germans experienced with the MP38, so the Russians
acknowledged that their PPD40 submachine gun was not
ideally suited to the conditions of fast production during the
early years of WWII. A new design program resulted in the
7.62 mm PPSh41, a crude weapon produced from stamped
steel, welding, and pinning, and which used Mosin-Nagant
rie barrels that were cut in half.
340
FULL VIEW
1944
USSR
7 lb (3.5 kg)
10 in (27 cm)
7.62 mm soviet
Magazine
port
Rate-of-re
selector
CLOSE RESEMBLANCE
Peforated
barrel shroud
TO AUTOMOTIVE
Cocking handle
342
Cocking-handle cover
acts as safety catch
Magazine port
32-round snail
drum magazine
BERGMANN MP18/I
1918
The Hugo Schmeisser-designed MP18/I can lay
claim to being the rst effective submachine gun.
Germany
It was produced in response to a request from the
11 lb (5.25 kg)
German Armys storm troopers for a handier
7 in (19.6 cm)
weapon than the heavy, cut-down MG08/15s they
9 mm Parabellum were using when assaulting defended positions.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Barrel locking nut
Flash suppressor
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
FULL VIEW
SUBMACHINE GUNS
343
Pivoting magazine
housing doubles as fore grip
32-round detachable
box magazine
MAT 49
Rear
pistol
grip
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1950s
France
7 lb (3.5 kg)
9 in (23 cm)
9 mm
ARE INACCURATE
THEY ARE OFTEN AIMED
BY WATCHING THE
BULLETS IMPACT
FULL VIEW
Optical sight
Transparent plastic
50-round detachable
box magazine
FN P90
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1990s
Belgium
6 lb (2.7 kg)
11 in (30 cm)
5.7 mm
Trigger
SUBMACHINE GUNS
345
FAMOUS GUNSLINGERS
AL CAPONE
Alphonse (Al) Scarface Capone (18991947) is the dening
American gangster. He joined Johnny Torrios criminal
fraternity in New York at the age of 14, and later became his
partner in bootlegging and brothel operations in Chicago.
Fore
sight
Forward pistol
grip
FULL VIEW
346
WITH A SMILE
AND A GUN
AL CAPONE
THOMPSON M1921
1921
By 1919, John Tagliaferro Thompson had
produced an early version of what would
US
be widely known as the Tommy Gun. The
10 lb (4.9 kg)
M1921 was the rst to come to the market,
10 in (26.7 cm)
and it quickly became a rm favorite
.45 ACP
among Americas criminal fraternity.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Receiver machined
from solid steel
Advanced
collimator
sight
FULL VIEW
Optional noise/
ash suppressor
Mounting rail
Retractable
buttstock
Ambidextrous
controls
348
Magazine
Cocking handle
Skeleton stock both
retracts and hinges to
lie over the receiver
Wrist strap
INGRAM MAC-10
1970s
US
7 lb (3.4 kg)
5 in (14.5 cm)
9 mm Parabellum
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
Combined pistol
grip and magazine
housing
SOME MAC-10S
THE US ARMYS
SPECIAL UNIT,
DELTA FORCE.
Folding
vertical
foregrip
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
SUBMACHINE-GUNS
349
Cocking handle
Fore sight
in protective
shroud
Barrel-locking nut
Replaceable
barrel
Molded-plastic
fore grip
Forward
sling swivel
Pistol grip
20-round
detachable
box magazine
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
350
Pressed-steel receiver
Rear sight in
protective shroud
Rate-of-re
selector
UZI
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
1950s
Israel
8 lb (3.6 kg)
10 in (26 cm)
9 mm Parabellum
FULL VIEW
32-round
detachable
box magazine
SUBMACHINE GUNS
351
FAMOUS GUNS
352
GRENADE
The MP5 can re a range
of 40 mm grenades over
distances of several
hundred yards.
DATE
ORIGIN
WEIGHT
BARREL
CALIBER
EMBASSY SIEGE.
Rear sight
Butt
locking
pin
Magazine
release catch
Rate-of-re icons:
single-shot, three
round burst (above),
and automatic (top)
NAVY SEALs
These US Navy SEALs are equipped with
MP5N variants. They are standard MP5s with
a fully ambidextrous Navy trigger group, a
retractable stock, and a threaded barrel for
mounting steel suppressors.
Glossary
ACTION The method of loading
and/or ring a gun.
AUTOMATIC A rearm that will
continue to load and re while the
trigger is pressed.
BREECH-BLOCK Analogous to
the bolt.
FLASH ELIMINATOR An
attachment at the muzzle that
cools the propellant gas below its
ash point.
GAS OPERATION A weapon
in which the cycle is effected by the
propellant gas.
GENERAL-PURPOSE
MACHINE GUN (GPMG)
A machine gun that can be used
as a light machine gun or in the
sustained-re role.
GRIP SAFETY A device that
keeps the weapon from being red
unless held correctly.
GROOVES The parallel spirals
cut into the barrel that give spin to
the bullet.
GUNPOWDER A mixture of
saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur.
HEAD The closed end of a
cartridge case, where the primer
is located.
RECOIL OPERATION
A weapon in which the cycle is
effected by the recoil of the barrel
or breech-block.
Glossary
355
Index
3-Line rie M1891, 186
1809-pattern musket, 141
A
Adams double-action revolver model
1851, 55
AGS-17 Plamya grenade launcher,
264, 285
AK-47 assault rie, 22425, 265
with GP25 grenade launcher, 283
AKM assault rie, 111, 337
Ameli machine gun, 307
Apache pistol, Dolne, 60
AR7 Explorer Armalite rie, 249
Arisaka Meiji 30 rie, 191
Arisaka Type 99 rie, 191
Armalite AR15 rie, 229
arquebuses, 110, 11415, 228
assault ries, 210, 218, 22425
Astra M901 pistol, 75
automatic rie (Browning), 325
ax, carbine, 268
ax match and wheellock, 269
B
Baby Dragoon revolver, 47
Baker rie, 110, 134, 135
Baltic intlock, Swedish, 233
Barrett Mod.90 rie, 207
Barrilet truncheon pistol, 301
Bazooka missile launcher, 287
Benelli 12G shotgun, 255
Beretta 89 target pistol, 79
356 Index
M2 HB, 318
Browning Model 1893 shotgun, 229
Brunswick rie, 110
C
cane guns, 293, 300
carbine ax, 268
carnatic torador, 125
Charleville musket, 134, 138
Charter Arms revolvers, 103
Chassepot percussion carbine, 163
Chtellerault Modle 1924/29 LMG,
331
Chauchat machine gun, 331
cigarette-lighter pistol, 303
cigarette pistol, 302
Colt Patterson revolving rie, 239
Colt pistols & revolvers, 9, 47, 70,
71, 76
Agent, 96
All American 2000, 34
automatic, 343
dragoon, 48
Frontier double-action 1878, 35
Lightning double-action, 59
M1895 Potato Digger, 313, 320
M1911, 9
Model 1849, 133
Navy conversion, 58
Navy Model 1851, 4445
Navy Model 1861, 35
New Service, 94, 95
Police Positive, 94
Python, 100, 101
D
Darne rotary-breech shotgun, 259
De Lisle carbine, 290
De Lisle silenced pistol, 265
Deane-Harding army model
revolver, 54
Degtyarev RP46 LMG, 331
Desert Eagle pistol, 9, 91
Dolne Apache pistol, 60
dragoon pistols, 47, 48
Dreyse guns, 165
Needle Gun, 16869
dueling pistols, 30, 33, 4041
EF
Eneld 1853 Pattern rie musket,
15253, 157, 164
Eneld L42A1 rie, 203
Eneld No.2 Mk I revolver, 97
Eoka pistol, 305
FG42 rie, 323
FGM-Javelin anti-tank weapon, 286
intlock blunderbuss, 140
intlock carbines, 129, 145
G
Gabbett-Fairfax Mars pistol, 65
Galil assault rie, 218
Gatling Gun, 288, 310, 312, 31415
Gatling Minigun M134, 288
General Purpose Machine Gun, 325
Gewehr 43 rie, 213
Gewehr 98 rie, Mauser, 186, 196,
201, 202, 209
H
halberd double-barreled wheellock,
267
Hall rie 137
Hammerli 162 target pistol, 289
Harpers Ferry pistol, 37
Heckler & Koch pistols,
USP, 85
VP 70M, 84
Heckler & Koch ries,
G3A3, 22021
G41, 219
PSG-1, 207
Heckler & Koch submachine guns,
MP5, 348, 35253
MP7, 348
Henry Model 1860 rie, 170, 171
Hi-Standard HD.22 pistol, 265, 294
Hi-Standard Model B gun, 299
Holland & Holland shotguns, 260,
261
hook guns, 11415
Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine gun,
310, 321
hunting guns, 23037
IJ
India-Pattern musket, 135
Indian rearms, 2627, 14647
Infanteriegewehr ries, 165, 179
Ingram Mac-10 submachine gun, 349
iron barrel hook gun, 115
Ithaca M6 survival rie, 249
Jericho 941 pistol, 88
jezail matchlock, 146
Joseph Lang transitional revolver, 53
KL
Kalashnikov weapons, 337
KAR98K rie, Mauser, 196, 201
Kerr double-action revolver, 53
knife pistol, 301
Krag ries, 197
Krag-Jrgensen M1888, 180
Kunitomo Tobei Shigeyasu, 123
L108A1 LMG, 333
L1A1 rie, 223
L2 Stirling submachine gun, 304
L484 Bren gun, 333
L85A1 rie, 223
L86A1 light support weapon, 332, 333
L96A1 sniper rie, 207
Lahti Model 39 anti-tank rie, 277
Land-Pattern musket, 142, 134
Land-Pattern pistol, New, 37
Le Mat pistol, 49
Le Mat revolver rie, 173
Lebel ries, 193, 198
Lee-Eneld ries, 186, 202
No.4 Mk 1, 19495
Lee-Metford ries, 183, 186
Lefaucheux pin-re revolver, 61
Lemmers intlock blunderbuss, 140
Lewis gun, 328, 329
Liberator pistol, 265, 294, 295
Lige pistol, 23
lipstick pistol, 303
Lowell gun, 312
Loyalist submachine gun, 304
Luger handgun, 64
Luger P08 pistol, 9, 70, 73, 76
Luger P088 silenced pistol, 290
M
M1 carbine, 211
M1 Garand rie, 111, 210, 211
M14 rie, 216, 217
M16 rie, 216, 219
M16A1 rie with M203 grenade
launcher, 282
M1896 revolver, 76
M19 grenade launcher, 285
M1905 Mannlichers revolver, 76
M1917 machine gun, 311
M1A1 Bazooka missile launcher,
264, 287
M20 silenced pistol, 297
M203 grenade launcher, 264
M240 machine gun, 311
M249 Squad Automatic Weapon,
311, 333
M2HB machine gun, 311
M3/M3A1 (Grease Gun)
Index
357
358 Index
M/71, 165
M1896, 193
Model 71/84, 179
T-gewehr anti-tank, 274
Mauser Zig-Zag revolver, 60
Mauser-CETME LMG, 307
Maxim machine guns, 310, 31617, 323
Early Pattern, 312
MG08/15, 329
McMillan TAC-50 rie, 111
Mechem/Milkor MGL Mk 1 grenade
launcher, 284
meda, Tibetan, 150
MG08/15 LMG, 329
MG34 machine gun, 311
MG42 machine gun, 311, 316, 319,
323, 324, 325
Mills bomb launcher, Smle with, 281
Minimi LMG, 332, 333
miquelet dueling pistol, 33
miquelet handguns, Ottoman, 24
miquelet sport gun, Italian, 230
miquelet tfenk, Balkan, 145
missile launchers, 28687
Model 1798 musket, Austrian, 139
Model 1888 infantry rie, 241
Model 1900 pocket pistol, 70
Monkey Tail carbine, Westley
Richards, 159
Montigny Mitrailleuse machine gun, 312
Mosin-Nagant carbine M1944, 201
Mosin-Nagant M1891 Remington
rie, 187
mousqueton dartillerie modle
1842, 157
NO
Nambu Taisho 14 pistol, 75
Negev LMG, 337
No. 4 Rie with a grenade launcher, 280
organ guns, matchlock, 272
Ottoman Empire rearms, 2425,
14445
P
Panzerfaust anti-tank weapon, 264
Pattern 1842 coastguard pistol, 43
Pattern 1914 rie, 197
pellet-lock percussion gun, English, 237
pen pistol, 302
pepperbox pistols, 8, 42, 264
percussion underhammer rie, 239
Piat anti-tank weapon, 264
pill-lock carbine, Japanese, 149
pin-re revolver, Lefaucheux, 61
pin-re shotgun, French, 241
pipe pistol, 303
pocket pistol, Colt Model, 1849 133
police shotgun, Greener-Martini, 251
Potato Digger, Colt M1895, 313,
320
PPSH41 submachine gun, 34041
PTRD anti-tank rie, 275
pump-action Winchester guns,
250, 251
PzB41 anti-tank rie, 277
QR
Queen Anne pistol, 30
Radom M1935 pistol, 77
Raketenpanzerbchse rocket launcher,
287
Remington 1100 automatic shotgun,
257
Remington Double Derringer
revolver, 57
Remington Model 700 Etron-X rie,
289
Remington Rolling-Block rie, 167
repeating intlock, Italian, 233
revolver model 1851, Adams doubleaction, 55
revolver rie, Le Mat, 173
revolving musket, matchlock, 147
revolving ries, 171, 239, 270, 271
rie musket, Eneld, 1523
rie-mounted grenade launchers,
28083
Rigby Mauser rie, 247
ring pistol, 302
rocket launchers, 287
rook and rabbit rie, English, 237
rotary-breech double-barreled
shotgun, Darne, 259
RPG7 anti-tank weapon, 264,
286
RPG7V rocket launcher, 287
RPK74 LMG, 332, 337
Ruger 10/22 rimre rie, 229,
295
Ruger GP-100 revolver, 102
S
SA80 assault rie, 111
Schmidt-Rubin M1889 rie, 181
sea service intlock musket, 131
Sharps carbine, 16061
SIG 220 pistol, 107
single-shot breechloaders, 16467
Skorpion Mod 83 submachine gun,
VZ/68, 350
Smith & Wesson .410 Shot pistol, 63
Smith & Wesson Military & Police
pistol, 94
Smith & Wesson revolvers, 9
Airweight, 100
M1917, 97
Model 27, 63
No. 3, Russian model, 57
Smith & Wesson Tiffany Magnum, 62
Smle Mk III, 194
Smle with Mills bomb launcher, 281
snaphaunce handguns, Ottoman, 24
snaphaunce tfenk, 145
snaphaunce, Scottish, 231
sniper ries, 20209
Solothurn S18-100 anti-tank rie, 277
Spencer rie, 172
sport guns, 228229, 230, 236-41,
25659
Springeld ries, 164
M1903, 197
Model 1863 type II, 155
Trapdoor 165
Star Model M pistol, 80
Starr single-action army model pistol, 49
T
Tanegashima matchlock, 122
tap-action pistol, double-barreled, 22
Taser gun, 27879
teppo, Japanese, 122
Terry bolt-action carbine, 159
Thompson submachine gun, 343
Thunderer revolver, 59
Tokarev SVT38 semi-automatic
rie, 111
UV
umbrella gun, 265, 293
under-hammer pistol, Cooper, 42
under-hammer turret rie, 273
US percussion-cap revolvers, 4649
USAS12 shotgun, 253
Uzi submachine gun, 342, 351
Vetterli Model 1880 rie, 177
Vickers machine guns, 310, 316
Vickers Mk 1 machine gun, 317
Villar Perosa submachine gun, 338
volley gun, 272, 273
VZ27 silenced pistol, 297
VZ/37 machine gun, 320
VZ/68 Skorpion submachine gun, 350
W
wall gun, Chinese matchlock, 150
Walther PP pistols, 83, 106
Walther WA2000 rie, 209
war hammer wheellock, 267
Webley & Scott 1907 silenced pistol, 299
Webley & Scott MkVI revolver, 9899
Webley-Fosbery revolver, 64
Webley Model 1910 pistol, 74
Webley-Pryse pocket pistol, 61
Welgun submachine gun, 291
Welrod silenced pistol, 265, 290
Westley Richards hammerless ejector
gun, 247
Westley Richards Monkey Tail
carbine, 159
wheellock-intlock musket, 12021
wheellock ax, matchlock and, 269
wheellocks, 230, 231,
combination weapons, 26769
pistols, 8, 1213, 1011, 266
ries, 12627
Whitworth rie, 157
William Ford Eclipse shotgun, 257
Wilson cane gun, 293
Wilson umbrella gun, 293
Winchester Model 1866 carbine, 174,
228
Winchester Model 1876 rie, 175
Winchester Model 1894 survival rie,
245
Winchester Model 1895 rie, 175
Winchester Model 1897 rie, 250, 251
wrist pistol 291
XZ
XM-214 Six-Pac machine gun, 288
XM307 Advanced Crew Served
Weapon, 284
ZB 53 machine gun, 320
Zig-Zag revolver, Mauser, 60
Index
359
Acknowledgments
Dorling Kindersley would like to thank
Philip Abbott and Mark Murray-Flutter
at the Royal Armouries for their
assistance; Jane Parker for the index;
Gary Ombler for photography; and
Myriam Megharbi for picture research.
Picture Credits
The publisher would like to thank the
following for their kind permission to
reproduce their photographs:
(Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-center;
l-left; r-right; t-top)
12-13 DK Images: The Board of
Trustees of the Armouries. 13 Alamy
Images: Mary Evans Picture Library
(r). 18-19 DK Images: The Board of
Trustees of the Armouries. 19 Mary
Evans Picture Library: Bruce Castle
Museum (r). 24-25 DK Images: By
kind permission of the Trustees of the
Wallace Collection. 26-27 DK Images:
The Board of Trustees of the Armouries.
28-29 DK Images: The Board of
Trustees of the Armouries (c). 29
Corbis: Bettmann (r). 34 Corbis:
Andrew Lichtenstein / Sygma (bl). DK
Images: The Board of Trustees of the
Armouries (br). 35 DK Images: The
Board of Trustees of the Armouries. 4445 DK Images: The Board of Trustees
of the Armouries. 45 The Bridgeman
Art Library: Private Collection / Peter
Newark Western Americana (r). 50-51
DK Images: The Board of Trustees of
the Armouries. 51 National Archives
and Records Administration, USA:
(r) (photo no. 111-SC-94129). 62 DK
Images: The Board of Trustees of the
Armouries (br). Getty Images: Time &
Acknowledgments
360