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Questions and Answers
When was the socket bayonet adopted in the British service?
During whose reign were the letters G.R. adopted as a mark?
When was the broad arrow adopted as a sign of government property?
Where were the French 'Manufacturers Royales' established?
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When did the large box lock type of pistol make its appearance?
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Who made a few hammerless flintlock sporting guns?
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When did duelling pistols become officially standardized weapons?
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When was the first patent for single trigger locks for double arms granted?
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In what year was a book on sporting firearms published in Naples?
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Who is attributed to the invention of the typical Spanish lock?
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When did the standard flintlock gun come into use?
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When was the bayonet introduced by the French?
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When was the ring attachment added to the bayonet?
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Who made the earliest known English breech-loading rifle?
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When was the first record of the actual use of gunpowder in Europe?
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Who wrote an account of gunpowder in his Opus Majus?
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When was the whole English army equipped with flintlocks?
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Until when were snaphaunces continued to be made on the Continent?
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When did hand cannon appear in the field of battle?
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When were handguns known in Italy?
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When was the first mechanical device for firing the handgun invented?
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When did armor begin to be penetrated by bullets?
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When did Henry VII organize the corps of Yeomen of the Guard?
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When was rifling invented?
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In which year did Minie's patent for the self-expanding bullet get purchased?
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What type of bullet was selected as the best for the Enfield rifle in 1853?
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Who brought out the central fire under lever gun with extractor in 1852?
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In which year did the British Government establish Enfield as a government factory?
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Where did Colt produce replicas of his standard pistols in 1853-1857?
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What was the first recorded European revolver for central fire cartridges?
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When was the first effective and widely used magazine repeater patented in the United States?
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What was the last war in which all combatants used muzzle loaders?
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When did Coach pistols supplied to the guard of public stage coaches cease to be made with flintlocks and brass lock plates?
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What was fitted with a pierced platinum disc below the nipple in percussion cap locks?
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Who released the first needle fire rifle?
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When was the true pinfire cartridge emerged?
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When was duelling declined in England?
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When was the percussion cap system officially adopted?
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When was the Prussians concentrated on experiments with the needle gun?
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When did the shotgun or fowling piece began its separation from the musket?
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Study Notes
Important Dates in the History of Firearms
- 1247: The first recorded use of gunpowder in Europe, used at the Siege of Seville.
- 1267: Roger Bacon writes about gunpowder in his Opus Majus.
- 1364: Hand cannons are used in battle during the reign of Edward III.
- 1375: Handguns are used in England, and in Italy by 1397.
- 1424: The first mechanical device for firing handguns is invented.
- 1425: Handguns show signs of becoming a weapon capable of rudimentary precision.
- 1485: Henry VII organizes the corps of Yeomen of the Guard, with half carrying bows and arrows and the other half equipped with harquebuses.
- 1498: Rifling is invented.
- 1509: The first wheel lock or 'rose lock' is invented.
- 1515: Firearms are recognized as hunting arms, and a book on sporting firearms is published in 1535.
- 1535: Rifled arms have been made since 1540.
- 1540: The hair trigger is invented, and rifled arms become common.
- 1560: The typical Spanish lock is invented, attributed to Simon Macuarte the Second.
- 1580: The snaphaunce lock, the forerunner of the true flintlock, is invented.
- 1630: The standard flintlock gun is developed.
- 1637: The London Gunmakers' Company initiates proofs, and a crowned A is used as the mark.
- 1640: The screw or cannon barrel pistol is developed, and the bayonet is introduced by the French.
- 1672: The London Gunmakers' Company is granted a second charter, enabling them to enforce proof.
- 1680: A ring attachment is added to the bayonet, no longer serving as a muzzle plug.
- 1689: The earliest known English breech-loading rifle is made by Willmore.
- 1690: The 'Brown Bess' is known as a 'King's Arm' in Ireland, and the whole English army is equipped with flintlocks.
- 1700: Snaphaunces continue to be made on the Continent until about this date.
- 1714: The socket bayonet is adopted in the British service, and the letters G.R. are used as a mark.
- 1718: The French establish their 'Manufacturers Royales' at Charleville, St. Etienne, and Maubeuge.
- 1730: The broad arrow as a sign of government property is adopted, and the word TOWER is marked on the lock plate of many arms.
- 1730: A few hammerless flintlock sporting guns are made by Stanislaus Paczelt, of Prague in Bohemia.
- 1750-1765: The use of pistols for duelling purposes becomes general, and the practice of carrying the rapier or small sword dies out.
- 1760: The duelling pistol is entirely unknown until about this date, and duelling pistols become officially standardized weapons.
- 1777: Duelling pistols are standardized, with 9 or 10 in. barrels, smooth bore flintlocks, and a ball of 48 to the pound.
- 1780: The top rib in double-barrelled guns appears.
- 1781: Spring bayonets are common on blunderbusses and pistols of the period.
- 1789: The first patent for single trigger locks for double arms is granted, and single trigger pistols are made with side-by-side and under-and-over barrels.
- 1835: Coach pistols supplied to the guard of public stage coaches are extremely rare, and percussion cap locks fitted with a pierced platinum disc below the nipple gradually fall into disuse.
- 1835: Colt claims the ratchet motion, locking the cylinder, and centre fire position of the nipples as particular points of his specification.
- 1835: The Enfield percussion carbine is made for Constabulary service, with a hinged spring triangular bayonet folding below the barrel.
- 1836: Dreys releases the first needle fire rifle.
- 1840: The true pinfire cartridge emerges, and it is not until this date that we find a breech-loading needle gun cartridge patented.
- 1840: The Brunswick rifle supersedes the Baker model, and duelling declines in England.
- 1842: The service percussion musket is officially adopted, and a few service arms are converted to the percussion cap system.
- 1844: The service percussion musket is mainly experimental until this date.
- 1845: A double-barrelled 26 in. barrel, 0.67 in. calibre arm is issued for constabulary use.
- 1848: The Prussians concentrate on experiments with the needle gun, and it is used in the war of 1848.
- 1850: The shotgun or fowling piece begins its separation from the musket, and the Minie (English) service rifle is introduced.
- 1851: Minie's patent for the self-expanding bullet is purchased and adopted by the British Government for the Enfield rifle.
- 1851: Colt delivers a lecture on Colt revolvers before the Institute of Civil Engineers during his visit to London.
- 1852: Charles Lancaster brings out his central fire under lever gun with extractor and the first true centre fire cartridge.
- 1853: Colt procures a factory at Thames, Bank, Pimlico, London, and produces replicas of his standard pistols marked on the barrel 'Address Col.Colt, London'.
- 1853: The Pritchett bullet, a plain lead cylindroconoidal plug with a shallow base depression, is selected as the best type of bullet for the new Enfield rifle.
- 1854-1856: During the Crimean War, 25 000 Enfield rifles are made in America.
- 1855: There never was an official British State-maintained arms factory until the government established Enfield as a government factory when the Birmingham gunmakers struck for higher wages.
- 1857: Whitworth rifles are produced, and duelling continues in India to the date of the Mutiny.
- 1859: The first recorded European revolver for central fire cartridges appears to be that patented by Perrin and Delmas.
- 1860: The first effective and widely used magazine repeater is undoubtedly the Spencer carbine, patented in the United States.
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Test your knowledge of important dates and events in the history of firearms, from the first recorded use of gunpowder to the development of handheld weapons. See how well you know the evolution of firearms!
