Beyond the EU: DORA and NIS 2 Directive's Global Impact
History of firearms
1. History Of Firearms
Department of Criminology & Forensic Science
Dr. Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya
Sagar, Madhya Pradesh
Submitted To: Dr. Navjot Kaur
Kanwal
Assistant Professor
Submitted By : Rajen Kerketta
• M.Sc. Forensic Science
2. Firearms
“ An instrument or device with which it
is possible to propel a projectile by
means of the expansive force of the
gases generated by the combustion of an
explosive substance”
3. Firearms: A Quick History
• Firearms were invented in 1260 in China, after the Chinese
• had invented gunpowder in the 9th century
• These inventions were later transmitted to the Middle East,
• Europe, and Africa
• Almost every gun is based on the same simple concept: You
apply explosive pressure behind a projectile to launch it down
a barrel.
• The earliest & simplest application of this idea is the cannon
• The 1st handheld guns were essentially mini-cannons; you
loaded some gunpowder & a steel ball & lit a fuse
5. Handcannon from the Chinese Yuan Dynasty (1271-
1368)
By the mid 1300’s the first recorded use of a firearm was
noted
These were primitive muzzle
loading black powder firearms
Referred to as hand cannons
6. The earliest type of handgun was simply a small cannon of
wrought iron or bronze, fitted to a frame or stock with metal
bands or leather thongs
These weapons were loaded from the muzzle end of the
barrel with powder, wad and ball
A small hole at the breech end of the barrel, the touch hole,
was provided with a pan into which a priming charge of
powder was placed
On igniting this priming charge,either with a hot iron or
lighted match, fire flashed through the touch hole and into the
main powder charge to discharge the weapon.
8. This was really the first major advance in pistols as it enabled the
weapon to be fired in one hand and also gave some opportunity to aim
it as well.
The construction of matchlock was exactly the same as the hand cannons
and the only difference was match, a slow burning piece of cord.
A slow burning piece of cord used to ignite the priming charge, was held
in a curved hook screwed to the side of the frame.
To fire the gun, the hook was merely pushed forward to drop the burning
end of the match into the priming charge.
11. With the advent of the wheel lock the lighted match used in the
match lock was no longer necessary
The wheel lock consisted of a serrated steel wheel, mounted on the
side of the weapon at the rear of the barrel
The wheel was spring loaded via a chain round its axle with a small
key or spanner similar to a watch drum
When the wheel was turned with a spanner, the chain wound round
the axle and the spring was
tensioned
Part of the wheel protruded
into the small pan, the flash
pan or priming pan, which
contained the priming charge
for the touch hole
12. A piece of iron pyrite was fixed in its jaws
This was kept in tight contact with the serrated wheel by means of
a strong spring
On pressing the trigger, the bar was withdrawn from the grooved
wheel which then turned on its axle
Sparks produced from the friction of the pyrite on the serrated
wheel ignited the priming charge which in turn ignited the main
powder charge and fired the weapon
13. Wheel lock
Pros: Shorter lock time,
better accuracy, Less
weather sensitive
Cons: Fragile operating
system, very expensive to
manufacture
15. Flint lock
Flintlock ignition appeared in the late 1600s. When
the trigger is pulled, the hammer holding a piece of flint
fell against a steel cover (the frizzen) sitting over the
priming pan.The hammer knocked the cover out of
the way and the collision of flint and steel caused
sparks that ignited the powder in the priming pan.
Top View Flash Pan
16. The ignition system which superseded that of the wheel lock was a
simple mechanism which provided a spark by striking a piece of
flint against a steel plate
The flint was held in the jaws of a small vice on a pivoted arm,
called the cock
The steel which was called the frizzen, was called the frizzen, was
placed on another pivoting arm opposite the cock,and the pan
containing the priming compound was placed directly below the
frizzen
When the trigger was pulled, a strong spring swung the cock in an
arc so that so that the flint struck the steel a glancing blow
17. The glancing blow produced a shower of sparks which
dropped into the priming pan igniting the priming powder
The flash produced by the ignited priming powder
travelled through the touch hole, thus igniting the main
charge and discharging the weapon
18. Percussion system
The percussion lock (also called “caplock”) replaced the flintlock in
early 1800s. Early percussion locks used priming compounds inside a
metallic foil cap placed over the vent hole. When the hammer strikes
the cap, the resulting spark ignites the main charge.
Percussion
19. The percussion cap also paved the way to the self-
contained ammunition we have today – cartridges and
shotshells
The percussion cap ignition system was developed in 1805
by the Reverend John Forsyth of England
Gunpowder, the projectile and the primer were put together
into a single housing that could be loaded quickly in the
mid-1800s. In addition to this system, some of the new in-
line muzzle loaders may use a 209 primer, the same as is
used in some shotgun shells
20. Introduced in 1820s
Making serious strides
towards cartridges
Explosive pressure
sensitive
Ignition system much less
sensitive to weather.
Percussion caps
21. The compound, mercury fulminate, when struck by a hammer,
produced a flash strong enough to ignite the main charge of
powder in the barrel
A separate priming powder and sparking system was now no
longer required
With this invention, the basis for self contained cartridge was laid
Shaw employed a small iron cup into which was placed a small
quantity of mercury fulminate.
22. This was placed over a small
tube, called a nipple, projecting
from the rear of the barrel
The hammer striking the
mercury fulminate in the cup
caused it to detonate and so send
a flame down the nipple tube
igniting the main charge in the
barrel.
23. SpringfieldM1864
SPECIFICATION:
Manufacturer Springfield
Calibre .58
Rifled
Muzzle Loading
Accurate Range 400 yards
Hammer Percussion cap
goes here
Functioning:
The hammer strikes the
percussion cap and ignites
the gunpowder, which
propels the bullet out the
barrel of the gun.
Sights
24. Pros- Cheap, fast lock time,
improved weather resistance,
multi-shot (repeater) action, looks
good in Westerns
Cons- Slow reload time, possible
sympathetic detonations.
25. The pinfire system
Introduced in 1840
Off set primer
Firing pin part of cartridge.
26. Pin fire weapon was one of the earliest true breech -
loading weapons using a self - contained cartridge in
which the propellant, missile and primer were all held
together in a brass case
In this system, the percussion cup
was inside the cartridge case whilst a
pin, which rested on the percussion cup,
protruded through the side of the cartridge
case
Striking the pin with the weapon’s hammer
drove the pin into the priming compound
causing it to detonate and so ignite the
main propellant charge.
28. The Rimfire system
Introduced in 1840s
Round of ammo is
complete.
No cartridge pin
Longest lived cartridge
to date is rimfire
29. It is a thin - walled cartridge with a
hollow flanged rim
Into this rim is spun a small quantity
of a priming compound
Crushing the rim with the firing pin
causes the priming compound to
explode, thus igniting the propellant
inside the case.
30. BB caps
One of the oldest
cartridges used for indoor
gallery shooting
Primer only, no
gunpowder
rimfire
31. Rimfire has the priming
compound in the rim of the
cartridge
Cartridge is self contained
allows fast reloading,
repeating action, reliability
rimfire
37. This was the great milestone in weapon and ammunition
development
In centre fire ammunition, only the primer cup needed to be
soft enough to be crushed by the firing pin
The cartridge case could thus be made of a more substantial
material which would act as a gas seal for much higher
pressures than could be obtained with rimfire ammunition.
39. Heard, B.J., 2008, Handbook of Firearms and Ballistics, United Kingdoms,
Wiley Blackwell
Sharma, B.R., 2002, Firearms in Criminal Investigation and Trials, 3rd
edition, India, Universal Law Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd.
Gun Timeline, https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/technique/gun-
timeline/ Retrieved on 5th October, 2019
NRA Museum, http://www.nramuseum.org/gun-info-research/a-brief-
history-of-firearms.aspx Retrieved on 6th October, 2019
The History of Guns, https://historycooperative.org/the-history-of-guns/
Retrived on 10th October, 2019
Popular Mechanics,
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/g935/flying-
humvees-and-cluster-bombs-from-the-air-force-expo-12858520/
Retrieved on 30th September, 2019
Reference