The bolt-action 7.62×51mm M24 Sniper Weapon System is capable of 0.

5 MOA accuracy to maximal

effective range of about 800 meters. The M24 was the United States Army standard-issue sniper rifle.

The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare series of sniper rifles is standard issue in the armies of several
countries, including those of Britain, Ireland, and Germany (picture shows a rifle of the German Army).

A sniper rifle is a high-precision rifle designed for sniper missions. It serves to fulfill the tactical need for
long range surveillance, effective anti-personnel and anti-materiel operations with a high hit probability,
and can be used by military, law enforcement and civilian militias. The modern sniper rifle is a portable
shoulder-fired weapon system with a choice between bolt-action or semi-automatic action, fitted with a
telescopic sight for extreme accuracy and chambered for a high-ballistic performance centerfire
cartridge.

The Gatling gun is one of the best-known early rapid-fire spring loaded, hand cranked weapons, and a
forerunner of the modern machine gun and rotary cannon. Invented by Richard Gatling, it saw
occasional use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time
it was employed in combat. It was later used in numerous military conflicts, including the Boshin War,
the Anglo-Zulu War, and the assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish–American War.[4] It was also
used by the Pennsylvania militia in episodes of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, specifically in
Pittsburgh

A machine pistol is typically a handgun-style submachine gun,[1] capable of fully automatic or burst fire.
The term is a calque of the German word "Maschinenpistole". They were developed during World War I,
and originally issued to German artillery crews who needed a self-defense weapon, lighter than a rifle
but more effective than a standard pistol. Today, machine pistols are considered a special purpose
weapon with limited utility, and difficult for all but the best shooters to control.

During World War I, the Austrians introduced the world's first machine pistol the Steyr Repetierpistole
M1912/P16. The Germans also experimented with machine pistols, by converting various types of semi-
automatic pistols to full-auto, leading to the development of the first practical submachine gun. During
World War II, machine pistol development was more or less ignored as the major powers were focused
on mass-producing submachine guns. After the war, machine pistols development was limited and only
a handful of manufacturers would

A revolver (also called a wheel gun[1][2]) is a repeating handgun that has a revolving cylinder containing
multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) and at least one barrel for firing. Before firing a
round, the hammer is cocked and rotates cylinder partially, aligning one of the chambers with the
barrel, allowing the bullet to be fired through the bore. The hammer cocking can be achieved by either
the user manually pulling the hammer back (single action), or via internal linkage relaying a rearward
movement of the trigger (double action operation). By sequentially rotating through each chamber, the
revolver allows the user to fire multiple times until having to reloading the gun, unlike older single-shot
firearms that had to be reloaded after each shot.

Although largely surpassed in convenience and ammunition capacity by semi-automatic pistols,

revolvers still remain popular as back-up and off-duty handguns among American law enforcement
officers and security guards and are still common in the American private sector as defensive and
sporting/hunting firearms. Famous revolvers models include the Colt 1851 Navy Revolver, the Webley,
the Colt Single Action Army, the Colt Official Police, Smith & Wesson Model 10, the Smith & Wesson
Model 29 of Dirty Harry fame, the Nagant M1895, and the Colt Python.

Though the majority of weapons using a revolver mechanism are handguns, other firearms may also
have a revolver action. These include some models of grenade launchers, shotguns, rifles and cannons.
Revolver weapons differ from Gatling-style rotary weapons in that in a revolver only the chambers
rotate, while in a rotary weapon there are multiple full firearm actions with their own barrels which
rotate around a common ammunition feed.

A service pistol is any handgun or sidearm issued to military personnel or law enforcement officers. It is
also known as a personal weapon or ordnance weapon.

Typically service pistols are revolvers or semi-automatic pistols issued to officers, non-commissioned
officers, and rear-echelon support personnel for self defense, though service pistols may also be issued
to special forces as a backup for their primary weapons. Pistols are not typically issued to front-line
infantry.

Before firearms were commonplace, officers and often NCOs typically carried swords instead. 60-70% of
American LEO now carry Glock 22 which with a standard magazine can hold 15 rounds, compared to the
S&W which held 6 in a revolving magazine and had to be reloaded one round at a time

The arquebus (/ˈɑːrk(w)ɪbəs/ AR-k(w)ib-əs; see § Terminology for synonyms), derived from the German
word Hakenbüchse ("hook gun"), was a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman
Empire during the 15th century. Although the term arquebus was applied to many different forms of
firearms from the 15th to 17th centuries, it originally referred to "a hand-gun with a hook-like projection
or lug on its under surface, useful for steadying it against battlements or other objects when firing".[1]
These "hook guns" were in their earliest forms defensive weapons mounted on German city walls in the
early 1400s.[2] The addition of a shoulder stock, priming pan,[3] and matchlock mechanism in the late
15th century turned the arquebus into a handheld firearm and also the first firearm equipped with a
trigger. The exact dating of the matchlock's appearance is disputed. It could have appeared in the
Ottoman Empire as early as 1465 and in Europe a little before 1475.[4]

The heavy arquebus, known as the musket, was developed to better penetrate plate armor and
appeared in Europe around 1521.[5] A standardized arquebus, the caliver, was introduced in the latter
half of the 16th century. The name "caliver" is derived from the English corruption of calibre, which is a
reference to the gun's standardized bore. The caliver allowed troops to load bullets faster since they fit
their guns more easily, whereas before soldiers often had to modify their bullets into suitable fits, or
were even forced to make their own prior to battle. The smoothbore matchlock arquebus is considered
the forerunner to the rifle and other long gun firearms. Heavy arquebuses mounted on wagons were
called arquebus à croc.[6] These carried a lead ball of about 3.5 ounces (100 g)

A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century,
at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating heavy armor.[1] By the mid-16th
century, this type of musket went out of use as heavy armor declined, but as the matchlock became
standard, the term musket continued as the name given for any long gun with a flintlock, and then its
successors, all the way through the mid-1800s.[2] This style of musket was retired in the 19th century
when rifled muskets (simply called rifles in modern terminology) became common as a result of
cartridged breech-loading firearms introduced by Casimir Lefaucheux in 1835,[3] the invention of the
Minié ball by Claude-Étienne Minié in 1849,[4] and the first reliable repeating rifle produced by Volcanic
Repeating Arms in 1854.[4] By the time that repeating rifles became common, they were known as
simply "rifles", ending the era of the musket

The musketoon is a shorter-barrelled version of the musket and served in the roles of a shotgun or
carbine. Musketoons could be of the same caliber as the issue musket or of a much larger caliber, 1.0–
2.5 inches (25–63 mm). The musketoon is most commonly associated with naval use, and pirates in
particular, though they also served in a carbine role with cavalry. Musketoon barrels were often flared at
the muzzle, resembling a cannon or blunderbuss.

The wall gun or wall piece was a type of smoothbore firearm used in the 16th through 18th centuries by
defending forces to break the advance of enemy troops. Essentially, it was a scaled-up version of the
army's standard infantry musket, operating under the same principles, but with a bore of up to one-inch
(25.4 mm) calibre. These weapons filled a gap in firepower between the musket and the lightest artillery
pieces, such as the swivel gun. This sort of weapon may also be found described as an amusette,
rampart gun, or Hackbut, a name originally given to early medieval hand cannon.[1]

A grenade launcher[1][2][3] is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often

with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated
firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The most common type are man-portable, shoulder-fired
weapons issued to individuals, although larger crew-served launchers are issued at higher levels of
organisation by military forces.[4]
Grenade launchers can either come in the form of standalone weapons (either single-shot or repeating)
or attachments mounted to a parent firearm, usually a rifle. Larger crew-served automatic grenade
launchers such as the Mk 19 are mounted on tripods or vehicles.

Some armored fighting vehicles also mount fixed arrays of short range, single-shot grenade launchers as
a means of defense.

A submachine gun, abbreviated SMG, is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to shoot handgun
cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson
submachine gun.[1]

The submachine gun was developed during World War I (1914–1918). At its peak during World War II
(1939–1945), millions of SMGs were made as close quarter offensive weapons. After the war, new SMG
designs appeared frequently.[2] However, by the 1980s, SMG usage decreased.[2] Today, submachine
guns have been largely replaced by assault rifles,[2] which have a greater effective range and are
capable of penetrating the helmets and body armor used by modern infantry.[3] However, submachine
guns are still used by military special forces and police SWAT teams for close quarters battle (CQB)
because they are "a pistol-caliber weapon that's easy to control, and less likely to over-penetrate the
target".[3]

Personal defense weapons (PDWs) are a class of compact, selective fire, magazine-fed, submachine gun-
like firearms—essentially a hybrid between a conventional submachine gun and a compact assault rifle.
Most PDWs fire a small-caliber (less than 6 mm), high-velocity centerfire bottleneck cartridge resembling
a scaled down/shortened intermediate rifle cartridge. This gives the PDWs better effective range,
accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire the larger-caliber handgun
cartridges.

The name describes the weapon's original conceptual role: as a compact but powerful small arm that
can be conveniently carried by support troops behind the frontline such as military engineers, logistic
drivers, artillery crews or signallers. These personnel may be at risk of encountering decently equipped
enemy infiltrators and having to defend themselves in close quarters, which warrants an effective
weapon that can suppress enemy charges and hold them beyond a safe distance to prevent the
defenders from being overrun, but such risk is rare enough that a long-barrel service rifle would be an
unnecessary burden during their normal duties. Because of their ease of use, light weight and
controllability, PDWs have also been used by special forces, paramilitaries, heavily-armed police and
even bodyguards.
Lever action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area (often
including the trigger guard itself) to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever
is worked. This contrasts to bolt-action, pump-action, semi-automatic, or selective-fire weapons. Most
lever-action firearms are rifles, but some lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made.
The Winchester Model 1873 rifle is one of the most famous lever-action firearms, but many
manufacturers—notably Henry and Marlin—also produce lever-action rifles. The Winchester Model
1887, a well-known lever-action shotgun gained notoriety for being one of the signature weapons of the
T-800 (Model 101) in the Terminator movie franchise. Even Colt's Mfg. Co. produced the 6403 lever-
action Colt-Burgess rifles from 1883 until 1885. Mossberg produces the 464 in centerfire .30-30 and
rimfire .22. While the term lever action generally implies a repeating firearm, it is also sometimes—and
incorrectly[according to whom?]—applied to a variety of single shot or falling block actions that use a
lever for cycling, such as the Martini–Henry or the Ruger No. 1.

Bolt action is a type of firearm action where the handling of cartridges into and out of the weapon's
barrel chamber is operated by manually manipulating the bolt directly via a bolt handle, which is most
commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed). When the
handle is operated, the bolt is unlocked from the receiver and pulled rearward to open the breech
allowing the spent cartridge case to be extracted and ejected, the firing pin within the bolt is cocked
(either on opening or closing of the bolt depending on the gun design) and engages the sear, then upon
the bolt being pushed back, a new cartridge (if available) is loaded into the chamber, and finally the
breech is closed tight by the bolt re-locking against the receiver.

Bolt-action firearms are most often repeating rifles, but there are some bolt-action variants of shotguns
and a few handguns as well. Examples of this system date as far back as the early 19th century, notably
in the Dreyse needle gun. From the late 19th century, all the way through both World Wars, the bolt-
action rifle was the standard infantry firearm for most of the world's military forces. In modern military
and law enforcement use, the bolt action has been mostly replaced by semi-automatic and selective-fire
firearms.

A battle rifle is a military service rifle that is fed ammunition via a detachable magazine and fires a full-
powered rifle cartridge.[1] The term "battle rifle" was created largely out of a need to better
differentiate the intermediate-power assault rifles (e.g. StG-44, AK-47, M16, AUG) from full-powered
automatic rifles (e.g. FG 42, FN FAL, M14, H&K G3) as both classes of firearms have a similar appearance
and share many of the same features such as detachable magazines, pistol grips, etc.[2]

This term may also describe older military full-powered semi-automatic rifles such as the Fedorov
Avtomat, M1 Garand, SVT-40, Gewehr 43, FN Model 1949, and the MAS-49.[3][4] Before the 1980s and
1990s, the term was not well defined and was used as a general description for all types of military rifles
A carbine (/ˈkɑːrbiːn/ or /ˈkɑːrbaɪn/),[1] from French carabine,[2] is a long gun firearm but with a shorter
barrel than a standard rifle or musket.[3] Many carbines are shortened versions of full-length rifles,
shooting the same ammunition, while others fire lower-powered ammunition, including types designed
for pistols.

The smaller size and lighter weight of carbines make them easier to handle. They are typically issued to
high-mobility troops such as special-operations soldiers and paratroopers, as well as to mounted,
artillery, logistics, or other non-infantry personnel whose roles do not require full-sized rifles, although
there is a growing tendency for carbines to be issued to front-line soldiers to offset the increasing weight
of other issued equipment. An example of this is the US Army's M4 carbine, which is standard issue.

A service rifle or service weapon (also known as a standard-issue rifle) is a weapon which an armed force
issues as standard to its service members. In modern forces, this is typically a versatile and rugged battle
rifle, assault rifle, or carbine suitable for use in nearly all environments. Most armies also have service
pistols or side arms.

Although certain weapons issued to special forces units are rarely considered "service weapons" in the
truest sense, certain specialist rifles and submachine guns are categorized as such if issued as per
standing operating procedures upon entering special environments or scenarios. These may include
urban warfare (FIBUA/MOUT) and jungle warfare environments.

Most armies also have service pistols/side arms.

A shotgun (also known as a scattergun,[1] or historically as a fowling piece) is a firearm that is usually
designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small
spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns come in a wide variety of sizes,
ranging from 5.5 mm (.22 inch) bore up to 5 cm (2.0 in) bore, and in a range of firearm operating
mechanisms, including breech loading, single-barreled, double or combination gun, pump-action, bolt-,
and lever-action, revolver, semi-automatic, and even fully automatic variants.

A shotgun was originally a smoothbore firearm, which means that the inside of the barrel is not rifled
but later rifled shotgun barrels and slugs become available. Preceding smoothbore firearms, such as the
musket, were widely used by armies in the 18th century. The direct ancestor to the shotgun, the
blunderbuss, was also used in a similar variety of roles from self-defense to riot control. It was often
used by cavalry troops because of its generally shorter length and ease of use, as well as by coachmen
for its substantial power. In the 19th century, however, these weapons were largely replaced on the
battlefield with breechloading rifled firearms, which were more accurate over longer ranges. The
military value of shotguns was rediscovered in the First World War, when American forces used 12-
gauge pump action shotguns in close-quarters trench fighting to great effect. Since then, it has been
used in a variety of roles in civilian, law enforcement, and military applications.

The shot pellets from a shotgun spread upon leaving the barrel, and the power of the burning charge is
divided among the pellets, which means that the energy of any one ball of shot is fairly low. In a hunting
context, this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting birds and other small game. However, in a
military or law enforcement context, the large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close
quarters combat weapon or a defensive weapon. Militants or insurgents may use shotguns in
asymmetric engagements, as shotguns are commonly owned civilian weapons in many countries.
Shotguns are also used for target shooting sports such as skeet, trap, and sporting clays. These involve
shooting clay disks, known as clay pigeons, thrown in various ways

.The Nordenfelt gun was a multiple barrel organ gun that had a row of up to twelve barrels. It was fired
by pulling a lever back and forth and ammunition was gravity fed through chutes for each barrel. It was
produced in a number of different calibres from rifle up to 25 mm (1 inch). Larger calibres were also
used, but for these calibres the design simply permitted rapid manual loading rather than true
automatic fire. This article covers the anti-personnel rifle-calibre (typically 0.45 inch) gun

Metal Storm Limited was a research and development company based in Brisbane, Australia that
specialized in electronically initiated superposed load weapons technology and owned the proprietary
rights to the electronic ballistics technology invented by J. Mike O'Dwyer.[2][3][4] The Metal Storm
name applied to both the company and technology. The company had been placed into voluntary
administration by 2012.

A mitrailleuse (French pronunciation: [mitʁajøz]; from French mitraille, "grapeshot") is a type of volley
gun with barrels of rifle calibre that can fire either rounds at once or in rapid succession. The earliest
true mitrailleuse was invented in 1851 by Belgian Army captain Fafschamps, ten years before the advent
of the Gatling gun. It was followed by the Belgian Montigny mitrailleuse in 1863. Then the French 25
barrel "Canon à Balles", better known as the Reffye mitrailleuse, was adopted in great secrecy in 1866. It
became the first rapid-firing weapon deployed as standard equipment by any army in a major conflict
when it was used during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71

machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm designed to fire rifle cartridges in rapid
succession from an ammunition belt or magazine. Not all fully automatic firearms are machine guns.
Submachine guns, rifles, assault rifles, battle rifles, shotguns, pistols or cannons may be capable of fully
automatic fire, but are not designed for sustained fire. As a class of military rapid-fire guns, machine
guns are fully automatic weapons designed to be used as support weapons and generally used when
attached to a mount or fired from the ground on a bipod or tripod. Many machine guns also use belt
feeding and open bolt operation, features not normally found on rifles.
The M134 Minigun is a 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high, sustained rate of
fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute).[2] It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an
external power source, normally an electric motor. The "Mini" in the name is in comparison to larger-
caliber designs that use a rotary barrel design, such as General Electric's earlier 20 mm M61 Vulcan, and
"gun" for the use of rifle ammunition as opposed to autocannon shells.

The Nordenfelt gun was a multiple barrel organ gun that had a row of up to twelve barrels. It was fired
by pulling a lever back and forth and ammunition was gravity fed through chutes for each barrel. It was
produced in a number of different calibres from rifle up to 25 mm (1 inch). Larger calibres were also
used, but for these calibres the design simply permitted rapid manual loading rather than true
automatic fire. This article covers the anti-personnel rifle-calibre (typically 0.45 inch) gun.

general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) is an air-cooled, fully automatic weapon that can be adapted to
light machine gun and medium machine gun roles.[1] A GPMG weapon will typically feature a quick-
change barrel, configuration for mounting on bipods, tripods, and vehicles as infantry support weapons,
and calibered to fire full-powered rifle cartridges such as the 7.62×51mm NATO, 7.62×54mmR,
7.5×54mm French, 7.5×55mm Swiss, and 7.92×57mm Mauser.[2]

light machine gun (LMG) is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or
without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad
automatic weapons.

squad automatic weapon (SAW), also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon
(LSW), is a fully automatic firearm used to give infantry squads or sections a man-portable source of fully
automatic firepower. Weapons used in this role are often selective-fire rifles, usually fitted with a bipod
and heavier barrel to perform as light machine guns. Squad automatic weapons usually fire the same
cartridge as the assault rifles or battle rifles carried by other members of the unit. This reduces logistical
requirements by making it only necessary to supply one type of ammunition to a unit. Squad automatic
weapons are light enough to be operated by one person, as opposed to heavy machine guns such as the
M2 Browning, which fire more powerful cartridges but require a crew to operate at full effectiveness.

The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) is a lightweight, magazine-fed 5.56mm, select-fire weapon based
on the HK416 rifle designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch. It is used by the
United States Marine Corps and is intended to enhance an automatic rifleman's maneuverability. The
U.S. Marine Corps initially planned to purchase 6,500 M27s to replace a portion of the M249 light
machine guns employed by automatic riflemen within Infantry and Light Armored Reconnaissance
Battalions. Approximately 8,000–10,000 M249s will remain in service with the Marine Corps to be used
at the discretion of company commanders. In December 2017, the Marine Corps announced that it
would equip every Marine in an infantry squad with the M27.[5]
medium machine gun (MMG), in modern terms, usually refers to a belt-fed automatic firearm firing a
full-power rifle cartridge.

heavy machine gun or HMG is a class of machine gun implying greater characteristics than general
purpose or medium machine guns.

There are two generally recognized classes of weapons identified as heavy machine guns. The first are
weapons from World War I identified as "heavy" due to the weight and encumbrance of the weapons
themselves. The second are large-caliber (12.7x99mm, 12.7×108mm, 14.5×114mm, or larger) machine
guns, pioneered by John Browning with the M2 machine gun, designed to provide increased range,
penetration and destructive power against vehicles, buildings, aircraft and light fortifications beyond the
standard rifle calibers used in medium or general-purpose machine guns, or the intermediate cartridges
used in light machine guns.

pistol is a type of handgun, short-barrelled projectile weapons that also include the revolver and the
derringer. The English word was introduced in ca. 1570 from the Middle French pistolet (ca. 1550), when
early handguns were produced in Europe. The most common type of pistol in modern times is the semi-
automatic pistol, while the older single-shot pistols are now far less common and used primarily for
hunting, and the fully automatic machine pistols are rare due to strict laws and regulations governing
their manufacture and sale.

autocannon or automatic cannon is a large, fully automatic, rapid-fire projectile weapon that fires
armour-piercing and/or explosive shells, as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons
have a longer range and a larger calibre than machine guns (e.g., 20 mm or greater, most often in the
range of 20–57mm, but bigger also exist), but are usually smaller than tank guns, howitzers, field guns or
other artillery. When used on its own, the word "autocannon" indicates a non-rotary weapon. When
multiple rotating barrels are involved, the word "rotary" is added, and such a weapon is referred to as a
"rotary autocannon". Modern autocannons are typically not single soldier-portable or stand-alone units
due to high weight and recoil; rather they are usually vehicle-mounted, aircraft-mounted, or boat-
mounted, or even remote-operated as in some naval applications. As such, ammunition is typically fed
from a belt to reduce reloading or for a faster rate of fire, but a magazine remains an option. Common
types of ammunition, among a wide variety, include HEIAP, high-explosive dual-purpose (HEDP) and
more specialised armour-piercing (AP) types, mainly composite rigid (APCR) and discarding sabot
(APDS).

revolver cannon is a type of autocannon, commonly used as an aircraft gun. It uses a cylinder with
multiple chambers, like those of a revolver handgun, to speed up the loading-firing-ejection cycle. Some
examples are also power-driven, to further speed the loading process. Unlike a rotary cannon, a revolver
cannon has only a single barrel, thus its spun weight is lower. Automatic revolver cannons have been
produced by many different manufacturers.
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons built to launch munitions far beyond the range and
power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls
and fortifications during sieges, and led to heavy, fairly immobile siege engines. As technology improved,
lighter, more mobile field artillery cannons developed for battlefield use. This development continues
today; modern self-propelled artillery vehicles are highly mobile weapons of great versatility generally
providing the largest share of an army's total firepower.

Originally, the word "artillery" referred to any group of soldiers primarily armed with some form of
manufactured weapon or armor. Since the introduction of gunpowder and cannon, "artillery" has largely
meant cannons, and in contemporary usage, usually refers to shell-firing guns, howitzers, mortars, and
rocket artillery. In common speech, the word "artillery" is often used to refer to individual devices, along
with their accessories and fittings, although these assemblages are more properly called "equipment".
However, there is no generally recognized generic term for a gun, howitzer, mortar, and so forth: the
United States uses "artillery piece", but most English-speaking armies use "gun" and "mortar". The
projectiles fired are typically either "shot" (if solid) or "shell" (if not solid). Historically, variants of solid
shot including canister, chain shot and grapeshot were also used. "Shell" is a widely used generic term
for a projectile, which is a component of munitions.

cannon is a type of gun classified as artillery that launches a projectile using propellant. In the past,
gunpowder was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during the 19th
century. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms
of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees, depending on their intended use on
the battlefield. The word cannon is derived from several languages, in which the original definition can
usually be translated as tube, cane, or reed. In the modern era, the term cannon has fallen into decline,
replaced by guns or artillery if not a more specific term such as howitzer or mortar, except for high
calibre automatic weapons firing bigger rounds than machine guns, called autocannons.

The earliest known depiction of cannon appeared in Song dynasty China as early as the 12th century;
however, solid archaeological and documentary evidence of cannon do not appear until the 13th
century.[1] In 1288 Yuan dynasty troops are recorded to have used hand cannons in combat, and the
earliest extant cannon bearing a date of production comes from the same period.[2][3][4] By the early
14th century, depictions of cannon had appeared in the Middle East[5] and Europe, and almost
immediately recorded usage of cannon began appearing.[6][7] By the end of the 14th century cannon
were widespread throughout Eurasia.[8][9][10][11][12][12] Cannon were used primarily as anti-infantry
weapons until around 1374 when cannon were recorded to have breached walls for the first time in
Europe.[13] Cannon featured prominently as siege weapons and ever larger pieces appeared. In 1464 a
16,000 kg (35,000 lbs) cannon known as the Great Turkish Bombard was created in the Ottoman Empire.
[14] Cannon as field artillery became more important after 1453 with the introduction of limber, which
greatly improved cannon maneuverability and mobility.[15][16] European cannon reached their longer,
lighter, more accurate, and more efficient "classic form" around 1480. This classic European cannon
design stayed relatively consistent in form with minor changes until the 1750s.

carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy and first
produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland. It was used from the 1770s to the
1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range, anti-ship and anti-crew weapon.[1]
Carronades were initially found to be very successful, but they eventually disappeared as naval artillery
advanced, with the introduction of rifling and consequent change in the shape of the projectile,
exploding shells replacing solid shot, and naval engagements being fought at longer ranges.

falconet was a light cannon developed in the late 15th century that fired a smaller shot than the similar
falcon. During the Middle Ages guns were decorated with engravings of animals, such as reptiles, birds
or mythical beasts depending on their size. For example, a culverin would often feature snakes, as the
handles on the early cannons were often decorated to resemble serpents. The falconet fired small yet
lethal shot of similar weight and size to a bird of prey, and so was decorated with a falcon. Similarly, the
musket was associated with the sparrowhawk.[1]

Its barrel was approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) long, had a calibre of 2 inches (5 cm)[2] and weighed 80
kilograms (176 lb) to 200 kilograms (441 lb). The falconet used 0.5 pounds (0.23 kg) of black powder to
fire a 1 pound (0.5 kg) round shot at a maximum range of approximately 5,000 feet (1,524 m).[3][4] They
could also be used to fire grapeshot.

The falconet resembled an oversized matchlock musket with two wheels attached to improve mobility.
[5] In 1620s Germany a breechloading version was invented, seeing action in the Thirty Years War.[6]
Many falconets were in use during the English Civil War[4] as they were lighter and cheaper than the
culverins, sakers and minions. During times of unrest they were used by the nobility to defend their
grand houses.[7]

Though developed for use on land, the falconet gained naval prominence during the 17th century for
the defence of light vessels; for example, on small boats for boarding manoeuvres.

falconet was a light cannon developed in the late 15th century that fired a smaller shot than the similar
falcon. During the Middle Ages guns were decorated with engravings of animals, such as reptiles, birds
or mythical beasts depending on their size. For example, a culverin would often feature snakes, as the
handles on the early cannons were often decorated to resemble serpents. The falconet fired small yet
lethal shot of similar weight and size to a bird of prey, and so was decorated with a falcon. Similarly, the
musket was associated with the sparrowhawk.[1]
Its barrel was approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) long, had a calibre of 2 inches (5 cm)[2] and weighed 80
kilograms (176 lb) to 200 kilograms (441 lb). The falconet used 0.5 pounds (0.23 kg) of black powder to
fire a 1 pound (0.5 kg) round shot at a maximum range of approximately 5,000 feet (1,524 m).[3][4] They
could also be used to fire grapeshot.

The falconet resembled an oversized matchlock musket with two wheels attached to improve mobility.
[5] In 1620s Germany a breechloading version was invented, seeing action in the Thirty Years War.[6]
Many falconets were in use during the English Civil War[4] as they were lighter and cheaper than the
culverins, sakers and minions. During times of unrest they were used by the nobility to defend their
grand houses.[7]

Though developed for use on land, the falconet gained naval prominence during the 17th century for
the defence of light vessels; for example, on small boats for boarding manoeuvres.

A howitzer /ˈhaʊ.ɪtsər/ is a type of artillery piece characterized by a short barrel and the use of small
propellant charges to propel projectiles over high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent.[1

In the taxonomies of artillery pieces used by European (and European-style) armies in the 17th to 20th
centuries, the howitzer stood between the "cannon" (characterized by a longer barrel, larger propelling
charges, smaller shells, higher velocities, and flatter trajectories) and the "mortar" (which was meant to
fire at even higher angles of ascent and descent). Howitzers, like other artillery equipment, are usually
organized in groups called batteries.

A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. Modern tank guns are large-caliber high-velocity guns,
capable of firing kinetic energy penetrators, high explosive anti-tank rounds, and in some cases guided
missiles. Anti-aircraft guns can also be mounted to tanks.

As the tank's primary armament, they are almost always employed in a direct fire mode to defeat a
variety of ground targets at all ranges, including dug-in infantry, lightly armored vehicles, and especially
other heavily armored tanks. They must provide accuracy, range, penetration, and rapid fire in a
package that is as compact and lightweight as possible, to allow mounting in the cramped confines of an
armored gun turret. Tank guns generally use self-contained ammunition, allowing rapid loading (or use
of an autoloader). They often display a bulge in the barrel, which is a bore evacuator, or a device on the
muzzle, which is a muzzle brake.

An air gun, or airgun, is any kind of gun that pneumatically launches projectiles with compressed air or
other gases that are pressurized without involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm,
which pressurizes gases chemically by oxidation of combustible propellants that generates propulsive
energy by breaking molecular bonds. Both the long gun (air rifle) and handgun forms (air pistol) typically
propel metallic projectiles that are either diabolo-shaped pellets or spherical shots called "BBs". Certain
types of air guns (usually air rifles) may also propel darts or arrows.

The first air guns were developed as early as the 1500s, and have since been used in hunting, sporting
and warfare. Modern air guns use one of three types of power source depending on the design: spring-
piston, pneumatic, and bottled compressed gas (most commonly carbon dioxide).

BB guns are air guns designed to shoot metallic ball projectiles called BBs (not to be confused with ball
bearings), which are approximately the same size as BB size lead birdshot — 0.180 inches (4.6 mm)
diameter. Modern BB guns usually have a barrel with a bore caliber of 4.5 mm (0.177 in), though many
other varieties are available. These guns usually use steel BBs, either zinc- or copper-plated to resist
corrosion, that measure 4.3 to 4.4 mm (0.171 to 0.173 in) in diameter and 0.33 to 0.35 g (5.1 to 5.4 gr) in
weight. Some manufacturers still make the larger-diameter traditional lead balls that weigh around 0.48
to 0.50 g (7.4 to 7.7 gr), which are generally intended for use in rifled barrels (due to lead having better
malleability).

The term "BB gun" is often incorrectly used to describe a pellet gun, which fires non-spherical
projectiles. Although in many cases steel BBs can be fired from a pellet gun, the reverse situation is not
true: pellets usually cannot be fired from a gun specifically designed for BBs. Similarly, the term is also
often used incorrectly to describe airsoft guns, which shoot plastic balls that are larger but much less
dense than metal BBs, and have significantly lower ballistic performance.

An elephant gun is a large caliber gun, rifled or smoothbore, originally developed for use by big-game
hunters for elephant and other big game. Elephant guns were black powder muzzle-loaders at first, then
black powder express rifles, then later used smokeless powder cartridges

The term express was first applied to hunting rifles and ammunition beginning in the middle 19th
century, to indicate a rifle or ammunition capable of higher than typical velocities. The early express
cartridges used a heavy charge of black powder to propel a lightweight, often hollow point bullet, at
high velocities to maximize point blank range. Later the express cartridges were loaded with
nitrocellulose based gunpowder, leading to the Nitro Express cartridges, the first of which was the .450
Nitro Express.[2]

The term express is still in use today, and is applied to rifles, ammunition, and a type of iron sight. With
the widespread adoption of small bore, high velocity rifle cartridges, the meaning of express has shifted
in modern usage, and refers to high velocity, large bore rifles and ammunition, typically used for hunting
large or dangerous game at close range.[3]
Rimfire ammunition refers to a type of metallic firearm cartridges. It is called rimfire because the firing
pin of a gun strikes and crushes the base's rim to ignite the primer. Invented in 1845, by Louis-Nicolas
Flobert, the first rimfire metallic cartridge was the .22 BB Cap (aka: 6mm Flobert) cartridge, which
consisted of a percussion cap with a bullet attached to the top.[1][2] While many other different
cartridge priming methods have been tried since the 19th century, only rimfire technology and
centerfire technology survive today. The rimfire .22 Long Rifle cartridge, introduced in 1887, is by far the
most common ammunition in the world today in terms of units sold.

A speargun is an underwater fishing implement designed to launch a spear at fish or other underwater
animals or targets. Spearguns are used in sport fishing and underwater target shooting. The two basic
types are pneumatic and those powered by rubber bands. Spear types come in a number of varieties
including threaded, break-away and lined. Floats and buoys are common accessories when targeting
larger fish

Varmint rifle is an American English term for a small-caliber precision firearm or high-powered airgun
primarily used for both varmint hunting (the elimination of outdoor animals which harass properties)
and vermin control (the eradication of indoor infestation by destructive species). These tasks include
killing three types of pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases or destroy crops or livestock:

Small/medium-sized non-game animals such as crows, ground squirrels, jackrabbits, nutria, marmots,
groundhogs, porcupines, opossums, skunks and weasels;[1]

Non-native feral/invasive species such as starlings, cats, dogs, goats, wild boar/pigs and donkeys;

Animals considered to be nuisance vermin destructive to man-made properties and vegetation, crops
and domestic livestocks, such as rats, house sparrows, gophers, and small predators such as coyotes and
jackals.[2]

Varmint guns fill a design gap between the more powerful big game rifles and the less powerful rimfire
firearms. Big game rifles are more suitable for stalking and taking down individual large-sized animals
such as reindeer, elk and buffalo at medium ranges, but not adequate for frequent repeated firing.
Rimfire firearms (such as the highly popular .22 LR caliber) are best used to shoot small vermin such as
squirrels and rats at close distances, and are somewhat underpowered for many outdoor rodents (which
are often alert enough to spot hunters from a long distance away and flee or hide underground), small
predators such as coyotes and larger feral animals such as goats and pigs. The varmint rifles are very
suitable for repeated medium/long-range shots from a fixed firing position, thus fulfilling and
overlapping the functional demands with both in terms of hunting applications.

A flare gun, also known as a Very pistol or signal pistol, is a large-bore handgun that discharges flares.
The flare gun is used to create illumination for improved vision or as a distress signal. A flare gun can be
used as a deadly weapon; however, that is not its intended function.
Airsoft guns are replica toy weapons used in airsoft sports. They are a special type of very low-power
smoothbore airguns designed to shoot non-metallic spherical projectiles often colloquially (but
incorrectly) referred to as "BBs", which are typically made of (but not limited to) plastic or
biodegradable resin materials. Airsoft gun powerplants are designed to have low muzzle energy ratings
(generally less than 1.5 J, or 1.1 ft⋅lb) and the pellets have significantly less penetrative and stopping
powers than conventional airguns, and are generally safe for competitive sporting and recreational
purposes if proper protective gear is worn.

Depending on the design mechanism for pellet propulsion, airsoft guns can be categorized into two
groups: mechanical, which consists of a coil spring-loaded piston air pump that is either manually cocked
(e.g. spring guns) or automatically cycled by a battery-powered electric motor gearbox (e.g. AEGs); and
pneumatic, which operates by valve-controlled release of prefilled bottled gas such as compressed
propane mixed with silicone oil (commonly known as "Green Gas") or CO2 canisters (e.g. GBB guns).

As toy weapons, airsoft guns can often be designed to realistically resemble genuine firearms in external
appearance, and it can be very difficult to visually distinguish from one despite the orange muzzle tips in
some jurisdictions. However, regardless of the cosmetic resemblance, airsoft guns cannot be
functionally modified into real firearms due to its construction and design.[1]

A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused
energy, including laser, microwaves and particle beams. Potential applications of this technology include
weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices.[1][2]

In the United States, the Pentagon, DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, United States Army
Armament Research Development and Engineering Center, and the Naval Research Laboratory are
researching directed-energy weapons and railguns to counter ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise
missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles. These systems of missile defense are expected to come online no
sooner than the mid to late-2020s.[3]

Russia,[4][5][6][7][8][9] China,[10][11][12][13] India,[14] and the United Kingdom[15][16] are also

developing directed-energy weapons while Turkey has directed-energy weapons in active service[17]
[18][19] and the first usage of directed-energy weapons in a combat was claimed to have been
happened in Libya in August 2019 by Turkey[20][21].
After decades of R&D, directed-energy weapons are still at the experimental stage and it remains to be
seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons.[22][23]

How Guns Work

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives defines a firearm as, “Any weapon
(including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by
the action of an explosive.” In other words: If you have a tube and a projectile, and the projectile is
designed to fly out of the tube as the result of an explosion, you have a firearm. This is a broad definition
that covers everything from potato guns to fully automatic machine guns, but it gets at the basic idea of
what a gun is.

In the most basic sense, guns work like this: A bullet is loaded into the rear of the barrel, which is a tube
connected to the firing pin. What happens mechanically when you pull the trigger is that the firing pin is
released. It flies forward, striking a tiny explosive charge located in the base of the bullet. That explosion
ignites the gunpowder, which is tucked inside the shell casing surrounding the bullet. The pressure
change forces the bullet out of the casing and down the barrel toward the targeT

Calibers & Bullet Types

You'll hear "caliber" tossed around in any discussion of guns, on the news or otherwise. The term is
merely a way to identify the type of cartridge that the weapons fires.

Bullet calibers are identified two ways: by fractions of an inch or in millimeters. The .45 ACP round used
in many handguns is 0.45 inches in diameter—just under half an inch wide. The .22 round, .38 Special,
and .500 Action Express rounds are all named for their sizes as a fraction of an inch. The 5.56-millimeter
round used in an AR-15 (also expressed, in inches, as .223) is 5.56 millimeters in diameter. The nine-
millimeter round is nine millimeters in diameter. And so on.

That said, a bullet's diameter does not mean it will fit in every gun of that size, and there are many sub-
varieties of ammunition. A .357 Magnum revolver bullet will not fit in a Glock pistol chambered in .357
SIG. The .22 Short round is primarily meant for pistols, while the .22 Long round is meant for rifles. This
is starting to sound complicated, but what you really need to know is that, generally, a single gun can
only shoot a single kind of bullet.

A belt of 0.50 caliber ammunition loaded to an M2 Browning. Every fifth round (red tips) is an M20
(armor piercing incendiary tracer).

Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped or detonated from any weapon.
Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the
component parts of other weapons that create the effect on a target (e.g., bullets and warheads).[1]
Nearly all mechanical weapons require some form of ammunition to operate.

The term ammunition can be traced back to the mid-17th century.[1] The word comes from the French
la munition, for the material used for war. Ammunition and munitions are often used interchangeably,
although munition now usually refers to the actual weapons system with the ammunition required to
operate it.[2] In some languages other than English ammunition is still referred to as munition, such as
French ("munitions"), German ("Munition") or Italian ("munizione").

The purpose of ammunition is to project a force against a selected target to have an effect (usually, but
not always, lethal). The most iconic example of ammunition is the firearm cartridge, which includes all
components required to deliver the weapon effect in a single package.

Ammunition comes in a great range of sizes and types and is often designed to work only in specific
weapons systems. However, there are internationally recognized standards for certain ammunition
types (e.g., 5.56×45mm NATO) that enable their use across different weapons and by different users.
There are also specific types of ammunition that are designed to have a specialized effect on a target,
such as armor-piercing shells and tracer ammunition, used only in certain circumstances. Ammunition is
commonly colored in a specific manner to assist in the identification and to prevent the wrong
ammunition types from being used accidentally.