History of the Gun in 500 Photographs.pdf

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HISTORY OF THE GUN
IN
500
PHOTOGRAPHS
In May 1940, an M1941 Johnson was fired in a trial comparing it to the M1 Garand in Quantico
Marine Depot, Virginia.
Contents
Cover
Title
Copyright
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
Black Powder, Alchemy, and Bombards
The earliest weapons were defined by human strength and ingenuity. Then
came the discovery, possibly in 10th-century China, that combining charcoal,
potassium nitrate, and sulfur could cause explosions.
CHAPTER 2
Matchlocks and Muskets
Innovative gunsmiths introduced features that made it easier for a single
shooter to aim, fire, and hit a target. The new matchlock ignition device would
remain popular through the early 1700s.
CHAPTER 3
An Era of Experimentation
More sophisticated ignition devices led to weapons that were smaller and
easier to carry. That meant they could also be concealed, introducing fears
about guns and crime.
CHAPTER 4
Coming to America
The early settlers mostly relied on basic matchlocks brought from the Old
World. But by the 18th century, American gunsmiths were producing flintlocks
the colonists could call their own.
CHAPTER 5
The Road to the Revolver
Early 19th-century gunsmiths fitted pistols, muskets, carbines, and rilfes with
percussion caps, which allowed weapons to be fired more rapidly and
reliably in most any kind of weather.
CHAPTER 6
The Civil War and the Rise of the Rifle
Referred to as the first truly “modern war,” the conflict between Northern and
Southern states involved the widespread use of breech-loading infantry
firearms, repeating rifles, and rudimentary rapid-fire guns.
CHAPTER 7
Firearms and the Wild West
In the battle for new territory, lawmen, outlaws, soldiers, and showmen
embraced guns that would become legendary: Colt six-shooters, Winchester
lever-action repeaters, and Sharps rifles.
CHAPTER 8
World War I and Industrialized Warfare
Ordinary infantrymen fought with bolt-action, repeat-fire rifles made more
effective by better cartridges and magazines. But the Great War was also
defined by the debut of the automatic machinegun.
CHAPTER 9
World War II: A Great Generation of Guns
During the course of the war, militaries moved toward more advanced self-
loading, or semiautomatic, battle rifles such as the American M1 Garand and
the German Mauser 98.
CHAPTER 10
Modern Times, New Materials
Wood gave way to plastics; pressed metal parts replaced components milled
from solid steel; magazine capacity increased; assault weapons like the Soviet
AK-47 and the American M16 came into play.
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