Hand gun, XIII century
As you know, gunpowder came to us from China. In the X century in China, in addition to a wide variety of fireworks and flamethrowers, it was developed a number of gunpowder weapons, best known as the fire lance and fiery dragons.
The first real firearm, to run a shell from which the powder used, can be dated XIII century and the reign of the Yuan Dynasty. This weapon was a bronze hand gun he was holding one man and another zapalival.
Despite the fact that the long range missiles was quite small, and the accuracy of low smoke, fire and thunder must have frightened the enemies.
Gatling gun, 1862
One of the first of these samples .50 caliber machine gun with the actual rate of fire of over 700 rounds per minute, was invented by Richard J. Gatling.
Gatling gun - six-barreled weapon with a revolving block shafts, driven by a handle fitted with a gravity feed system ammunition from the store, which provides automatic charging and shot each barrel by turning the unit.
After his first brief appearance in the American Civil War, the Gatling gun was much more effective in the Spanish-American War, in the turn of his British used deadly force in colonial wars against the Zulus in South Africa and the Mahdists in Sudan.
Colt Peacemaker, 1873
Samuel Colt did not invent the revolver, but it was the first time he replaced them with single-piece production by skilled gunsmiths on conveyor. That company Colt introduced the mass production of weapons such as the single action revolver, better known as Peacemaker or Colt 45.
Initially the Peacemaker was designed for the U.S. cavalry, but the most widespread use of it got into the Wild West. According to one version, a six-shot Colt used cartridges .44-40 Winchester caliber, so the Cowboys could use the same ammunition for their rifles and pistols for.
The machine gun Maxim, 1883
Sir Hiram Maxim was an American inventor who emigrated to Europe. Among his inventions may be noted the fire suppression system and the development of an airplane with a steam engine, but the greatest success got his other creation - a fully automatic machine gun Maxim.
This weapon is working on the principle of return of the barrel - it did not need to recharge manually as Gatling gun. In contrast, the recoil force to the machine gun Maxim threw out the empty cartridge and charged the new one.
Because of its obvious advantages Maxim was much more efficient and reliable than its competitors-arms, so in the First World War both sides had used this kind of weapon, which remained in operation until the 1960s.
Colt M1911, 1911
In 1904, John Browning invented a new kind of .45-caliber cartridge with improved stopping power. Based on this design, the designer creates a gun - M1911, which in 1911 was taken into service.
Over the decades of his life M1911 not only earned a special respect, but also instilled a strong fear. Only after passing through the two world wars in Korea and Vietnam, the Colt M1911 was replaced by the 9-timillimetrovuyu Beretta M9.
M1911 has earned the respect of its accuracy and reliability and, in spite of twice the capacity of the store, Beretta, as well as a lower probability of accidental discharge, many still prefer the Colt M1911.
Browning M2, 1933
Another significant contribution of John Browning, the development of military technology was the invention of the most impressive machine gun ever made by man. Designed in the final stages of World War I, M2 was originally equipped with a water cooling system, which later gave way to the air, which required replacing the barrel on the heavier.
Fifty dollars - a rather unwieldy weapon, (about 40 pounds), but the .50 caliber projectile fired at energies greater than the energy of a conventional bullet 4 times. Such a projectile penetrates inch steel armor and deadly when hit from a distance of two kilometers.
M2 is still relevant, besides the model itself has not undergone any radical changes.
Garand M1, 1936
Canadian John Garand, the engineer weapons of Springfield Armory, has developed the world#39;s first semi-automatic rifle. Officially known as the rifle caliber .30, M1 #39;it all over the place became known as the Garand.
To recharge the cartridge into the mechanism of Garand part of the energy is used high-pressure gases generated during firing, which provides a higher rate than that of earlier models gate arms, although the shop is only 8 rounds, of course, reduces the effectiveness of the use of ammunition.
During the Second World War were produced about 4 million units of the M1, and General George Patton called Garand the greatest weapon ever created.
Uzi, 1948
New 9-timillimetrovy machine was originally designed by Major Uziel Galem for the Israeli army. Uzi was equipped with a swivel mechanism, locking the breech bolt, reducing the overall length of the weapon.
In conjunction with folding stock this inventive breakthrough made Uzi light and compact, thus enabling him popularity since its inception. Crews have taken Uzi on arms instead of pistols, while the Special Forces needed a more easy and convenient weapon in tight spaces.
There were created more than 10 million machines, including micro-model Uzi, the size of a large pistol.
AK-47, 1949
When, in the 1940s, Mikhail Kalashnikov began designing an assault rifle for the Soviet Army, he knew that the model should be simple, reliable and cheap, which would play an important role is firepower, not accuracy.
Probably the 7.62-mm AK-47-the most effective and popular weapon in history, the number of established Kalashnikov units exceeds 75 million. Large clearances between moving parts, have allowed AK-47 to be easy to produce and resistant to sand, dirt and dust.
The incredible strength of the model, ease of operation and training in the use made Kalashnikov weapon of guerrilla freedom fighters, as well as the terrorists around the world.
Glock 17, 1982
Austrian Gaston Glock was more of an engineer in the field of polymeric materials, rather than a gunsmith, which is why his revolutionary 9mm Glock 17 is not nothing but a simplified model of the gun, made mostly of plastic, with the exception of the barrel. Building Glock is much lighter and stronger than steel, also absorbs some of the energy of recoil.
Why in the name of the present number 17? The thing is 17-round magazine, which was the 17th patent Gaston Glock. Equipped with such a shop, with improved ergonomics and three independently acting automatic fuses (the shot will not happen until it is completely pressed the trigger safe action) Glock quickly captured the market of two-thirds of the U.S. police.
«XM-25, 2010, 1982
Probably the most innovative small arms can be called a modern 25-mm grenade launcher XM-25, or as it is also called The Punisher. XM-25 is equipped with a laser range finder, which allows to calculate the exact distance for a shot, so you can blow up a grenade in the air at the desired height, allowing you to hit opponents even in shelters - in the trenches and on the walls.
In 2010 in Afghanistan were released five of the first experimental models that have received good reviews. Currently, however, mass production still difficult because the estimated cost of The Punisher is about 30 thousand dollars.
