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Period: to
War Technology
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The Start of Guns
The flintlock was the first simple and cheap way for the firing of a gun. The flintlock was extensively used by the British and was used during the Revolutionary War. The flintlock was used on the majority of gun for almost 300 years until about the Civil War -
The Replacement of the Flintlock
During the time of the Civil War, the flintlock was replaced with the percussion cap. The percussion cap was a lock and ignition system. The percussion cap many great advantages. These include the facts that it was easier to load, better in tough weather, and more reliable. The percussion cap change the evolution of guns and help create better, stronger weapons -
Gatling Gun
The Gatling gun which was designed in 1862 was considered the first real machine in history. It could fire over 700 50. caliber bullets a minute. This gun was only used a small amount during the American Civil War. It was more used during the Spanish-American war. -
Guns of the Civil War
During the Civil War, Union soldiers commonly recieved the Springfield Musket. In addition, they would also recieve the British Enfield. -
Colt Peacemaker
The Colt Revolver is commonly known as "The gun that won the West" and this is a great description of them. Invented by Samuel Colt, the Colt was the first revolver made on an assembly line. The Colt sold for 17 dollars by mail order. In addition, the Colt was very reliable and cheap. -
The Maxim Gun
Hiram Maxim created this gun. This was the first machine gun that was self powered. It was used by both the British and America. It was so good, it was used until the 1950s. -
Colt M1911, 1911
The Colt pistol was designed by John Browning in 1911. The Colt 1911 was created because the United States Army Wanted new gun for the army. This gun had to be semi-automatic and have a round size of .45. The Colt 1911 had a reputation for reliabltity. It also had very good accuracy. This handgun shows how guns are becoming more accurate and stronger. -
The M2 Browning
The M2 Browning is a machine gun that was created because of General Pershing. General Pershing wanted a machine gun that could take down aircraft, tanks, and boats. This gun was the direct result of this. Originally watercooled, this machine became aircooled. The M2 Browning is so powerful that it can go through two inches of steel. Because of its power and ability to be used on tanks, this machine gun is still used today. -
M1 Garand
This rifle was created by John Garand in 1936 at the Springfield Armory. This semi-automatic rifle was used heavily during World War 2 and helped defeat the Germans. This gun was so important because when a cartridge was empty, it would fall out. This made the gun fire more. Army General George Patton even said the Garand "the greatest battle implement ever devised." -
The Uzi
The Uzi was developed in 1948 by Uziel Gal. This gun was revolutionary because it incorporates a telescoping bolt. Because of its small size, the Uzi is still in use today and more than than 10 million have been made. It is also an important gun because it replaced hand guns for many solidiers because of the size and higher rate of fire. -
The Ak-47
The famed AK-47 was designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1949 due to the Soviet Army wanting a cheap, reliable, and powerful weapon. Kalashnikov created just that with the AK-47. The AK-47 can handle conditions that many other guns just cannot. The downside to this is that the accuracy of the AK-47 was not up to the standards of other weapons of that time. Because of its small price, the AK-47 is still used today around the world by armies and militant groups around the world.