Misplaced Pages

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96-473: Once established as United States Military Standard , its use expanded to also attaching other accessories, such as: iron sights , tactical lights , laser aiming modules , night vision devices , reflex sights , holographic sights , foregrips , bipods , slings and bayonets . An updated version of the rail is adopted as a NATO standard as the STANAG 4694 NATO Accessory Rail . Attempts to standardize

192-443: A percussion cap struck by the hammer to set off the main charge, rather than using a piece of flint to strike a steel frizzen . They succeeded the flintlock mechanism in firearm technology. The rudimentary percussion system was developed by Reverend Alexander John Forsyth as a solution to the problem that birds would startle when smoke puffed from the powder pan of his flintlock shotgun, giving them sufficient warning to escape

288-439: A "swing-out" cylinder, as opposed to a "top-break" or "side-loading" cylinder. Swing out cylinders quickly caught on, because they combined the best features of earlier designs. Top-break actions gave the ability to eject all empty shells simultaneously and exposed all chambers for easy reloading, but having the frame hinged into two halves weakened the gun and negatively affected accuracy due to lack of rigidity. "Side-loaders", like

384-411: A .36 caliber model following a year later. As originally designed and produced, no loading lever was included with the revolver; a user had to partially disassemble the revolver to re-load it. Starting in 1839, a reloading lever and a capping window were incorporated into the design, allowing reloading without requiring partial disassembly of the revolver. This loading lever and capping window design change

480-429: A compact size. The Remington Model 95 has achieved such widespread popularity, that it has completely overshadowed its predecessors, becoming synonymous with the word "derringer". The Model 95 was made only in .41 Rimfire . Its barrels pivoted upwards to reload and a cam on the hammer alternated between top and bottom barrels. The .41 Rimfire bullet moved very slowly, at about 425 feet per second (130 m/s), around half

576-579: A concealed-carry weapon. While the classic Remington design is a single-action derringer with a hammer and tip-up action, the High Standard D-100 introduced in 1962, is a hammer-less, double-action derringer with a half-trigger-guard and a standard break action design. These double-barrel derringers were chambered for .22 Long Rifle and .22 Magnum and were available in blued, nickel, silver, and gold plated finishes. Although, they were discontinued in 1984, American Derringer would obtain

672-671: A detachable magazine housed in the pistol-grip. The design was first patented by Georg Luger as an improvement upon the Borchardt Automatic Pistol , and was produced as the Parabellum Automatic Pistol, Borchardt-Luger System by the German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). The first production model was known as the Modell 1900 Parabellum . Later versions included

768-515: A fulminate percussion cap applied to the nipples at the rear of the chamber. The Colt Army Model 1860 is a 6-shot muzzle-loaded cap & ball .44-caliber single-action revolver used during the American Civil War made by Colt's Manufacturing Company . It was used as a side arm by cavalry , infantry , artillery troops, and naval forces. More than 200,000 were manufactured from 1860 through 1873. Colt's biggest customer

864-436: A great variety of accessories and attachments are now available and the rails are no longer confined to the rear upper surface ( receiver ) of long arms but are either fitted to or machine milled into the upper, side or lower surfaces of all manner of weapons from crossbows to pistols and long arms up to and including anti-materiel rifles . Because of their many uses, 1913 rails and accessories have replaced iron sights in

960-450: A handgun. The ATF, however, does separately define "handgun – pistol" and "handgun – revolver" under its "Terminology & Nomenclature" section, both with the "pistol-type" description of "a weapon originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile ( bullet ) from one or more barrels when held in one hand". The Canadian Criminal Code defines a handgun as "a firearm that is designed, altered or intended to be aimed and fired by

1056-545: A high-capacity 18-round magazine, twice as many rounds as the single-column magazine designs of the era, and 5 more rounds than the Browning Hi-Power. In lieu of a blade front sight, the VP70 uses a polished ramp with a central notch in the middle to provide the illusion of a dark front post. Contrary to a common misconception, the VP70 does indeed have a manual safety. It is the circular button located immediately behind

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1152-454: A likelihood of supplying an enemy if overrun. A complete list of standards was maintained as Department of Defense Index of Specifications and Standards, up until 1993. Handgun A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long barreled gun (i.e., carbine , rifle , shotgun , submachine gun , or machine gun ) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and braced against

1248-402: A nipple (sometimes referred to as a "cone"), which holds a small percussion cap. The nipple contains a tube that goes into the barrel. The percussion cap contains a chemical compound called mercury fulminate or fulminate of mercury, the chemical formula of which is Hg(ONC) 2 . It is made from mercury, nitric acid , and alcohol. When the trigger releases the hammer, it strikes the cap, causing

1344-417: A pan, which flashes through a small touchhole to ignite the main charge in the firearm's barrel. The pyrite is clamped in vise jaws on a spring-loaded arm (or "dog"), which rests on the pan cover. When the trigger is pulled, the pan cover is opened, and the wheel is rotated, with the pyrite pressed into contact. A close modern analogy of the wheellock mechanism is the operation of a cigarette lighter , where

1440-706: A product", while military standards "detail the processes and materials to be used to make the product." Military handbooks, on the other hand, are primarily sources of compiled information and/or guidance. The GAO acknowledges, however, that the terms are often used interchangeably. Official definitions are provided by DoD 4120.24, Defense Standardization Program (DSP) Procedures, November 2014, USD (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics): For purposes of this article, "military standards" will include standards, specifications and handbooks. There are also standard names with different letters behind ′MIL-′ like MIL-C-5040H , MIL-E-7016F or MIL-S-901 . The DOD has standards about

1536-409: A six-shot, rotating cylinder, and fired a 0.454-inch-diameter (11.5 mm) round spherical lead ball, or a conical-tipped bullet , typically propelled by a 30-grain charge of black powder , which was ignited by a small copper percussion cap that contained a volatile charge of fulminate of mercury (a substance that explodes upon being subjected to a sharp impact). The percussion cap, when struck by

1632-459: A small hull leak threatens the whole vessel). If an enemy discovers a drawback in a standardized system, the system's uniformity leaves it vulnerable to complete incapacitation via what might otherwise have been a limited compromise. Also, if standardization promotes use by allies, it may also ease an enemy's task of using materiel that is lost as a prize of war . However, this threat is somewhat academic, as even poorly standardized materiel presents

1728-409: A toothed steel wheel is spun in contact with a piece of sparking material to ignite the liquid or gaseous fuel. A wheellock firearm had the advantage that it could be instantly readied and fired even with one hand, in contrast to the then-common matchlock firearms, which required an operator to prepare a burning cord of slow match and demanded the operator's full attention and two hands to operate. On

1824-608: A unique grip shaped like the handle of a broom. The grip earned the gun the nickname "broomhandle" in the English-speaking world, because of its round wooden handle. The Pistole Parabellum , also known in the United States as just the Luger , is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1948. It was one of the first semi-auto pistols to use

1920-465: Is a single-action , tip-up revolver holding seven .22 Short black powder cartridges. The Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Army is a 6-shot, .32 caliber revolver, intended to combine the small size and convenience of the Smith & Wesson Model 1 .22 rimfire with a larger more effective cartridge. It was manufactured 1861–1874, with a total production of 77,020 units. The Smith & Wesson Model 3

2016-490: Is activated by depressing the trigger to hit a ratcheting/rotating striker that in turn strikes one firing pin at a time. Older " pepperboxes " also used multiple barrels, but the barrels were the part that rotated. The COP .357 operates similarly to the Sharps derringer of the 1850s, in that it uses the ratcheting/rotating striker, which is completely internal, to fire each chamber in sequence. In 1896, Paul Mauser introduced

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2112-492: Is an 18+1 round, 9×19mm , blowback-operated , double-action-only , select-fire , polymer frame pistol manufactured by German arms firm Heckler & Koch GmbH , introduced in 1970. The VP70 was a revolutionary pistol, introducing the polymer frame, predating the Glock by 12 years. It also uses a spring-loaded striker, instead of a conventional firing pin and has a relatively heavy double-action-only trigger pull. It also uses

2208-556: Is an enlarged version of the .31 caliber Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers , that evolved from the earlier Baby Dragoon and, like them, is a mechanically improved and simplified descendant of the 1836 Paterson revolver. As the factory designation implied, the Navy revolver was suitably sized for carrying in a belt holster. It became very popular in North America at the time of Western expansion . Colt's aggressive promotions distributed

2304-479: Is held by cheolheumja (철흠자, iron tong-handle), which allows quick change barrel for the next shot, and fires chase-jeon (차세전, a type of standardized arrow of Joseon) with a maximum fatal range of 200 footsteps (≈250 meters). Initially, Joseon considered the gun as a failed project due to its short effective range, but se-chongtong quickly saw usage after fielding to the frontier provinces starting in June 1437. Se-chongtong

2400-470: Is relatively compact size and a powerful cartridge makes it an effective defensive weapon or a police backup gun. The COP .357 is quite robust in design and construction. It is made of solid stainless steel components. Cartridges are loaded into the four separate chambers by sliding a latch that "pops-up" the barrel for loading purposes, similar to top-break shotguns. Each of the four chambers has its own dedicated firing pin. It uses an internal hammer, which

2496-498: Is standard practice for most commercial firearms). Model 3 revolvers were later produced in an assortment of calibers, including .44 Henry Rimfire, .44-40 , .32–44, .38–44, and .45 Schofield . The design would influence the smaller S&W .38 Single Action that is retroactively referred to as the Model 2. All of these revolvers would automatically eject the spent shell cases when opened. The Colt Single Action Army , also known as

2592-567: Is standardized, what is at their discretion, and the details of the standards). In the late 18th century and throughout the 19th, the American and French militaries were early adopters and longtime developmental sponsors and advocates of interchangeability and standardization. By World War II (1939–1945), virtually all national militaries and trans-national alliances of the same ( Allied Forces , Axis powers ) were busy standardizing and cataloguing. The U.S. AN- cataloguing system (Army-Navy) and

2688-465: Is the Heilongjiang hand cannon in 1288. It is 34cm (13.4 inches) long without a handle and weighs 3.55 kg (7.83 pounds). The diameter of the powder chamber is 6.6cm (2.6 inches) while the diameter of the interior at the end of the barrel is 2.5cm (1.0 inch). The barrel is the lengthiest part of the hand cannon at 6.9 inches long. The hand cannon has a bulbous base at the breech called

2784-639: Is used to help achieve standardization objectives by the U.S. Department of Defense . Standardization is beneficial in achieving interoperability , ensuring products meet certain requirements, commonality, reliability , total cost of ownership , compatibility with logistics systems, and similar defense-related objectives. Defense standards are also used by other non-defense government organizations, technical organizations, and industry. This article discusses definitions, history, and usage of defense standards. Related documents, such as defense handbooks and defense specifications , are also addressed. Although

2880-550: The .45 ACP cartridge . It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986, however, due to its popularity, it has not been completely phased out. Designed by John Browning , the M1911 is the best-known of his designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design. The pistol was widely copied, and this operating system rose to become the preeminent type of

2976-515: The Mauser C96 , the first mass-produced and commercially successful semi-automatic pistol, which uses the recoil energy of one shot to reload the next. The distinctive characteristics of the C96 are the integral 10-round, box magazine in front of the trigger, the long barrel, the wooden shoulder stock which gives it the stability of a short-barreled rifle and doubles as a holster or carrying case, and

Picatinny rail - Misplaced Pages Continue

3072-576: The Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey . Picatinny Arsenal works as a contracting office for small arms design (they contracted engineers to work on the M4). Picatinny Arsenal requested Swan's help in developing the rail, but did not draft blueprints or request paperwork for a patent. That credit goes to ARMS Inc's Richard Swanson, who conducted Research and Development and achieved a patent for

3168-720: The Weaver rail designs date back to the early 1980s from work by the A.R.M.S. company and Richard Swanson. Specifications for the M16A2E4 rifle and the M4E1 carbine received type classification generic in December 1994. These were the M16A2 and the M4 modified with new upper receivers where rails replaced hand guards. The MIL-STD-1913 rail is at times called the 'Picatinny Rail', in reference to

3264-454: The Yoshi ( 藥室 ), or gunpowder chamber, where the explosion that propels the projectile occurs. The walls of the powder chamber are noticeably thicker to better withstand the explosive pressure of the gunpowder. The powder chamber also has a touch hole , a small hole for the fuse that ignites the gunpowder. Behind the gunpowder chamber is a socket shaped like a trumpet where the handle of

3360-409: The ".38-44" cartridge and a large N-framed Smith & Wesson .38/44 revolver chambered for this cartridge was available. By the 1930s, automobiles with heavy steel bodies had become popular and the improved ballistics of more powerful handguns was in demand. Colt had similarly introduced the .38 Super , simply a . 38 ACP loaded to higher pressure with more powder. In 1935, Smith & Wesson released

3456-494: The 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols. It is popular with civilian shooters in competitive events such as USPSA , IDPA , International Practical Shooting Confederation , and Bullseye shooting. Compact variants are popular civilian concealed carry weapons in the U.S. because of the design's relatively slim width and stopping power of the .45 ACP cartridge. The Walther PP ( Polizeipistole , or 'police pistol') series were introduced in 1929 and are among

3552-845: The American Webster's Dictionary defines it as "a firearm (such as a revolver or pistol ) designed to be held and fired with one hand". Among the Anglophone countries , neither the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which is part of the United States Department of Justice or the Government of the United Kingdom , who are in charge of American and British firearms licensing respectively, offer any specific legal definitions of

3648-734: The British Defence Standards (DEF-STAN) provide examples. For example, due to differences in dimensional tolerances, in World War II American screws , bolts , and nuts did not fit British equipment properly and were not fully interchangeable. Defense standards provide many benefits, such as minimizing the number of types of ammunition, ensuring compatibility of tools, and ensuring quality during production of military equipment. This results, for example, in ammunition and food cases that can be opened without tools; vehicle subsystems that can be quickly swapped into

3744-600: The DOD issued a new memorandum, which eliminated the requirement to obtain a waiver in order to use military specifications or standards. The 2005 memo did not reinstate any canceled military specifications or standards. According to a 2003 issue of Gateway , published by the Human Systems Information Analysis Center, the number of defense standards and specifications have been reduced from 45,500 to 28,300. However, other sources noted that

3840-537: The High Standard design in 1990 and produce a larger .38 Special version. These derringers called the DS22 and DA38 are still being made and are popular concealed carry handguns. The COP .357 is a modern 4-shot Derringer -type pistol chambered for .357 Magnum . Introduced in 1983, it is a double-action weapon about twice as wide, and substantially heavier than the typical .25 automatic pistol . Still, it

3936-470: The MIL-STD-1913 rail and the similar Weaver rail are the size and shapes of the slots. Whereas the earlier Weaver rail is modified from a low, wide dovetail rail and has rounded slots, the 1913 rail has a more pronounced angular section and square-bottomed slots. This means that an accessory designed for a Weaver rail will fit onto a MIL-STD-1913 rail whereas the opposite might not be possible (unless

Picatinny rail - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-635: The Magnum Era was in 1955 when Smith & Wesson released the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in .44 Magnum . Two decades later the Dirty Harry movies made this gun a cultural icon. The S&W Model 19 was also introduced in 1955, it is a .357 Magnum revolver produced by Smith & Wesson on its K-frame design. The Model 19 is smaller and lighter than the original the S&;W Model 27 .357 Magnums. It

4128-460: The Model 36, they sought to design a revolver that could fire the more powerful .38 Special round in a small, concealable package. Since the older I-frame was not able to handle this load, a new frame was designed, which became the Smith & Wesson J-frame. The inventions of the metallic cartridge and then smokeless powder had allowed for dramatic improvements in handgun ballistics. Standardization and adherence to cartridge standards originating in

4224-406: The Navy and his other revolvers across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The .36 caliber (.375–.380 inch) round lead ball weighs 80 grains and, at a velocity of 1,000 feet per second, is comparable to the modern .380 pistol cartridge in power. Loads consist of loose powder and ball or bullet, metallic foil cartridges (early), and combustible paper cartridges (Civil War era), all combinations being ignited by

4320-727: The Pistol Parabellum Model 1908 or P08 which was produced by DWM and other manufacturers. The first Parabellum pistol was adopted by the Swiss army in May 1900. In German Army service, the Parabellum was later adopted in modified form as the Pistol Model 1908 (P08) in caliber 9×19mm Parabellum . The Colt Model 1911 is a 7+1-round, single-action , semi-automatic , magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for

4416-482: The Registered Magnum (later referred to as the Smith & Wesson Model 27 ) which was the first revolver chambered for .357 Magnum . It was designed as a more powerful handgun for law enforcement officers. The Registered Magnum marked the beginning of the "Magnum Era" of handguns. Notably, Elmer Keith continued to demonstrate and advocate the use of the .44 Special at higher pressures. The high point of

4512-727: The Single Action Army, SAA, Model P, Peacemaker, M1873, and Colt .45 is a single-action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges . It was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company – today's Colt's Manufacturing Company  – and was adopted as the standard military service revolver until 1892. The Colt SAA has been offered in over 30 different calibers and various barrel lengths. Its overall appearance has remained consistent since 1873. Colt has discontinued its production twice, but brought it back due to popular demand. The revolver

4608-431: The U.S. during the 1980s and early 1990s, it was argued that the large number of standards, nearly 30,000 by 1990, imposed unnecessary restrictions, increased cost to contractors (and hence the DOD, since the costs in the end pass along to the customer), and impeded the incorporation of the latest technology. Responding to increasing criticism, Secretary of Defense William J. Perry issued a memorandum in 1994 that prohibited

4704-578: The action of one hand, whether or not it has been redesigned or subsequently altered to be aimed and fired by the action of both hands". The Australian gun laws , which are based on the National Firearms Agreement (1996) and interpreted and enforced independently by each state or territory , consider a "handgun" a firearm that: Firearms started in China where gunpowder was first developed . The oldest known bronze barrel handgun

4800-485: The black powder cartridge era resulted in cartridge capacity in excess of peak combustion pressure standards. Smokeless powder did not take up as much volume as black powder and cases like the .38 Special and .45 Colt were much larger than 9×19mm and .45 ACP which had similar ballistics respectively. As metallurgy was improved, handloaders began experimenting with loading the .38 Special and .44 Special cartridges with fuller cases of smokeless propellants. By 1929,

4896-519: The coat pocket pistol, or coat pistol, which would fit into a large pocket, coach pistols, meant to be carried on or under the seat of a coach in a bag or box, and belt pistols, sometimes equipped with a hook designed to slip over a belt or waistband. Larger pistols were called horse pistols. A notable mechanical development of the flintlock pistol was the English duelling pistol ; it was highly reliable, water resistant, and accurate. External decoration

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4992-417: The cylinder was prone to move out of alignment. The Smith & Wesson Model 36 is a 5 shot, revolver chambered for .38 Special . It is one of several models of "J-frame" Smith & Wesson revolvers. It was introduced in 1950, and is still in production. The Model 36 was designed in the era just after World War II, when Smith & Wesson stopped producing war materials and resumed normal production. For

5088-476: The design of many firearms and are available as aftermarket add-on parts for most actions that do not have them integrated, and they are also on the undersides of semi-automatic pistol frames and grips. Their usefulness has led to them being used in paintball , gel blasters and airsoft . United States Military Standard A United States defense standard , often called a military standard , " MIL-STD ", " MIL-SPEC ", or (informally) " MilSpecs ",

5184-412: The design was finalized. The Hi-Power is one of the most widely used military pistols in history, having been used by over 50 countries' armed forces. The name "Hi Power" alludes to the 13-round magazine capacity, almost twice that of contemporary designs such as the Luger or Colt M1911 . The Browning was one of the first pistols to use high capacity, detachable magazines. The Heckler & Koch VP70

5280-401: The designation 70 was for the first year of production: 1970. The Smith & Wesson Model 59 was a 14+1-round, semi-automatic pistol introduced in 1971. It was the first standard double-action pistol to use a high-capacity 14-round staggered-magazine. It went out of production a decade later in 1980 when the improved second generation series was introduced (the Model 459). The Model 459

5376-428: The earlier Colt Model 1871 and 1873 gave a rigid frame, but required the user to eject and load one cylinder at a time, as they rotated the cylinder to line each chamber up with the side-mounted loading gate. Smith & Wesson followed 7 years later with the ''Hand Ejector, Model 1896'' in .32 S&W Long caliber, followed by the very similar, yet improved, Model 1899 (later known as the Model 10) , which introduced

5472-457: The end of the rail and then locked in place. It is similar in concept to the earlier commercial Weaver rail mount used to mount telescopic sights , but is taller and has wider slots at regular intervals along the entire length. The MIL-STD-1913 locking slot width is 0.206 in (5.23 mm). The spacing of slot centres is 0.394 in (10.01 mm) and the slot depth is 0.118 in (3.00 mm). The only significant difference between

5568-417: The firing of a hand-held firearm. The classic European matchlock gun held a burning slow match in a clamp at the end of a small curved lever known as the serpentine. Upon the pulling of a lever (or in later models a trigger) protruding from the bottom of the gun and connected to the serpentine, the clamp dropped down, lowering the smoldering match into the flash pan and igniting the priming powder. The flash from

5664-423: The format of standards: Defense standards evolved from the need to ensure proper performance, maintainability and reparability (ease of MRO ), and logistical usefulness of military equipment. The latter two goals (MRO and logistics) favor certain general concepts, such as interchangeability , standardization (of equipment and processes, in general), cataloging , communications, and training (to teach people what

5760-577: The generic phrase palm pistol , which Deringer's competitors invented and used in their advertising. With the advent of metallic cartridges , pistols produced in the modern form are still commonly called "derringers". Daniel Moore patented a single shot metallic cartridge .38 Rimfire derringer in 1861. These pistols have barrels that pivoted sideways on the frame to allow access to the breech for reloading. Moore would manufacture them until 1865, when he sold out to National Arms Company which produced single shot .41 Rimfire derringers until 1870, when it

5856-492: The hammer, ignited the powder charge. When fired, the balls had a muzzle velocity of about 900 feet per second (274 meters/second), although this depended on how much powder was loaded. The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first firearm manufactured by Smith & Wesson , with production spanning the years 1857 through 1882. It was the first commercially successful revolver to use metallic rimfire cartridges instead of loose powder , musket ball , and percussion caps . It

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5952-551: The hand cannon is inserted. The bulbous shape of the base gave the earliest Chinese and Western cannons a vase-like or pear-like appearance, which gradually disappeared when advancements in metallurgical technology made the bulbous base obsolete. In 1432, Joseon dynasty under the reign of Sejong the Great introduced the world's first handgun named se-chongtong (세총통). Se-chongtong has a total length of 13.8 cm, an inner diameter of 0.9 cm, and an outer diameter of 1.4 cm. Se-chongtong

6048-433: The hardware was commonly a copper-nickel alloy known as " German silver ". The term derringer ( / ˈ d ɛr ɪ n dʒ ər / ) has become a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer . Many copies of the original Philadelphia Deringer pistol were made by other gun makers worldwide, and the name was often misspelled; this misspelling soon became an alternative generic term for any pocket pistol , along with

6144-405: The largest were over 51cm (20 inches). From around the beginning of the 1700s the larger pistols got shorter so that by the late 1700s the largest were closer to 41cm (16 inches) long. The smallest would fit into a typical pocket or a hand-warming muff and could easily be carried. The largest sizes would be carried in holsters across a horse's back just ahead of the saddle. In-between sizes included

6240-499: The long barreled guns of the era. In 1836, Samuel Colt patented the Colt Paterson , the first practical mass-produced revolver, which was capable of firing five shots in rapid succession and quickly became a popular personal weapon, giving rise to the saying, "God created men, but Colt made them equal." The Encyclopædia Britannica defines a handgun as "any firearm small enough to be held in one hand when fired"; while

6336-434: The mercuric fulminate to explode. The flames from this explosion travel down the tube in the nipple and enter the barrel, where they ignite the main powder charge. In 1836, Samuel Colt patented the Colt Paterson , the first practical mass-produced revolver . It uses a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers aligned with a single, stationary barrel . Initially, this 5-shot revolver was produced in .28 caliber , with

6432-460: The new .38 Special cartridge. The Model 10 went on to become the best selling handgun of the 20th century, at 6,000,000 units, and the .38 Special is still the most popular chambering for revolvers in the world. These new guns were an improvement over the Colt 1889 design since they incorporated a combined center-pin and ejector rod to lock the cylinder in position. The 1889 did not use a center pin and

6528-509: The number of standards just before the Perry Memorandum was issued was less than 30,000, and that thousands have been canceled since then. This may be due to differences in what is counted as a "military standard". Another potential drawback of thorough standardization is a threat analogous to monoculture (where lack of biodiversity creates higher risk of pandemic disease) or a ship without bulkhead compartmentalization (where even

6624-498: The official definitions differentiate between several types of documents, all of these documents go by the general rubric of "military standard", including defense specifications, handbooks, and standards. Strictly speaking, these documents serve different purposes. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), military specifications "describe the physical and/or operational characteristics of

6720-464: The other hand, wheellock mechanisms were complex to make, making them relatively expensive. A flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint -striking ignition mechanism. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, which was introduced in the early 17th century, and rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies. Flintlock pistols were used as self-defense weapons and as military arm. Their effective range

6816-424: The place of damaged ones; and small arms and artillery that are less likely to find themselves with an excess of ammunition that does not fit and a lack of ammo that does. However, the proliferation of standards also has some drawbacks. The main one is that they impose what is functionally equivalent to a regulatory burden upon the defense supply chain, both within the military and across its civilian suppliers. In

6912-411: The primer traveled through the touch hole igniting the main charge of propellant in the gun barrel. On the release of the lever or trigger, the spring-loaded serpentine would move in reverse to clear the pan. For obvious safety reasons, the match would be removed before reloading the gun. Both ends of the match were usually kept alight in case one end should be accidentally extinguished. The wheellock

7008-454: The rail in 1995. Swan has visited civil court against Colt and Troy industries regarding patent infringement. The courts found that Troy had developed rifles with rail mounting systems nearly identical to the MIL-STD-1913 rail. A metric -upgraded version of the 1913 rail, the STANAG 4694 NATO Accessory Rail , was designed in conjunction with weapon manufacturers like Aimpoint , Beretta , Colt , FN Herstal and Heckler & Koch , and

7104-432: The shot. His invention of a fulminate -primed firing mechanism deprived the birds of their early warning system, both by avoiding the initial puff of smoke from the flintlock powder pan, as well as shortening the interval between the trigger pull and the shot leaving the muzzle. Forsyth patented his ignition system in 1807. However, it was not until after Forsyth's patents expired that the conventional percussion cap system

7200-466: The shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns are single-shot pistols , the two most common types of handguns used in modern times are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols . Before commercial mass production , handguns were often considered a badge of office — comparable to a ceremonial sword – as they had limited utility and were more expensive than

7296-460: The slots in the Weaver rail are modified to have square bottoms). While some accessories are designed to fit on both Weaver and 1913 rails, most 1913 compatible devices will not fit on Weaver rails. From May 2012, most mounting rails are cut to MIL-STD-1913 standards. Many accessories can be secured to a rail with a single spring-loaded retaining pin. Designed to mount heavy sights of various kinds,

7392-449: The speed of a modern .45 ACP . It could be seen in flight, but at very close range, such as at a casino or saloon card table, it could easily kill. There were four models with several variations. The Remington derringer design is still being made; in a variety of calibers from .22 long rifle to .45 Long Colt and .410 gauge , by several manufacturers. The current production of derringers are used by Cowboy Action Shooters as well as

7488-555: The standard issue police pistol for much of Europe well into the 1970s and 80s. During World War II, they were issued to the German military, including the Luftwaffe . The Browning Hi Power is a 13+1-round, single-action , semi-automatic handgun available in 9mm . Introduced in 1935, it is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning , and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal , Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before

7584-443: The trigger and it is a common crossblock safety. One unique feature of this weapon involved the combination stock/holster for the military version of the VP70. The stock incorporates a selector switch that, when mounted, allows for a three-round-burst mode of fire. Cyclic rate of fire for the burst is 2200 rounds per minute. When not mounted, the stock acts as a holster. VP stands for Volkspistole (literally 'People's Pistol'), and

7680-496: The use of most military specifications and standards without a waiver. This has become known as the "Perry Memorandum". Many military specifications and standards were canceled. In their place, the DOD directed the use of performance specifications and non-government standards. "Performance specifications" describe the desired performance of the weapon, rather than describing how those goals would be reached (that is, directing which technology or which materials would be used). In 2005

7776-528: The world's first successful double action , blowback-operated , semi-automatic pistols developed by the German arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen . They feature exposed hammers, a traditional double-action trigger mechanism, a single-stack 8-round magazine (for .32 ACP version), and a fixed barrel that also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring. The Walther PP and smaller PPK models were both popular with European police and civilians for being reliable and concealable. They would remain

7872-399: Was a 6-shot, single-action , cartridge -firing, top-break revolver produced by Smith & Wesson from c.  1870 to 1915, and was recently offered again as a reproduction by Smith & Wesson and Uberti . The S&W Model 3 was originally chambered for the .44 American and .44 Russian cartridges, and typically did not have the cartridge information stamped on the gun (as

7968-455: Was acquired by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company . Colt continued to produce the .41 Rimfire derringer after the acquisition, as an effort to help break into the metallic-cartridge gun market, but also introduced its own three single shot Colt Derringer Models, all of them also chambered in the .41 Rimfire cartridge. The last model to be in production, the third Colt Derringer, was not dropped until 1912. The third Colt Derringer Model

8064-493: Was again improved into the third generation series, the 5904. Stainless steel versions of the second and third generation models were also widely popular, and were designated the Models 659 and 5906, respectively. The original Model 59 was manufactured in 9×19mm Parabellum caliber with a wider anodized aluminum frame (to accommodate a double-stack magazine), a straight backstrap, a magazine disconnect (the pistol will not fire unless

8160-539: Was also incorporated into most Colt Paterson revolvers that had been produced from 1836 until 1839. Unlike later revolvers, a folding trigger was incorporated into the Colt Paterson. The trigger only became visible upon cocking the hammer . Colt would go on to make a series of improved revolvers. The Colt Walker , was a single-action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six charges of black powder behind six bullets (typically .44 caliber lead balls). It

8256-593: Was approved by the NATO Army Armaments Group (NAAG), Land Capability Group 1 Dismounted Soldier (LCG1-DS) on May 8, 2009. Many firearm manufacturers include a MIL-STD-1913 rail system from factory, such as the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle . The rail consists of a strip undercut to form a "flattened T" with a hexagonal top cross-section , with cross slots interspersed with flats that allow accessories to be slid into place from

8352-567: Was designed in 1846 as a collaboration between Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker and American firearms inventor Samuel Colt . The Colt 1851 Navy Revolver is a cap and ball revolver that was designed by Samuel Colt between 1847 and 1850. The six-round .36 caliber Navy revolver was much lighter than the contemporary Colt Dragoon Revolvers developed from the .44 Walker Colt revolvers of 1847, which, given their size and weight, were generally carried in saddle holsters. It

8448-403: Was developed. The caplock offered many improvements over the flintlock. The caplock was easier to load, more resistant to weather, and was much more reliable than the flintlock. Many older flintlock weapons were later converted into caplocks so that they could take advantage of this increased reliability. The caplock mechanism consists of a hammer, similar to the hammer used in a flintlock, and

8544-545: Was made at the behest of retired Assistant Chief Patrol Inspector of the U.S. Border Patrol, famous gunfighter, and noted firearms and shooting skills writer Bill Jordan . The original Philadelphia Deringer was a single-shot muzzleloading percussion cap pistol introduced in 1852, by Henry Deringer . In total, approximately 15,000 Deringer pistols were manufactured. All were single barrel pistols with back action percussion locks, typically .41 caliber with rifled bores, and walnut stocks. Barrel length varied from 1" to 6", and

8640-609: Was popular with ranchers, lawmen, and outlaws alike, but as of the early 21st century, models are mostly bought by collectors and Cowboy Action Shooters . Its design has influenced the production of numerous other models from other companies. The Colt SAA "Peacemaker" revolver is a famous piece of Americana known as "The Gun That Won the West". In 1889, Colt introduced the Model 1889 , the first truly modern double action revolver, which differed from earlier double action revolvers by having

8736-457: Was re-released in the 1950s for western movies, under the name of Fourth Model Colt Deringer. The Remington Model 95 derringer was one of the first metallic cartridge handguns. Small and easy to use, Remington manufactured more than 150,000 of these over-under, double-barreled derringers from 1866 until the end of their production in 1935. The Remington derringer doubled the capacity of the derringers designed by Daniel Moore, while maintaining

8832-426: Was short, and they were frequently used as an adjunct to a sword or cutlass . These pistols were usually smoothbore although some rifled pistols were produced. Flintlock pistols came in a variety of sizes and styles which often overlap and are not well defined; many of the names used were applied by collectors and dealers long after the pistols were obsolete. The smallest were less than 15cm (5.9 inches) long and

8928-540: Was the US Government with more than 129,730 units being purchased and issued to the troops. The weapon was a single-action , six-shot weapon, accurate up to 75 to 100 yards, where the fixed sights were typically set when manufactured. The rear sight was a notch in the hammer, only usable when the revolver was fully cocked. The Colt .44-caliber "Army" Model was the most widely used revolver of the Civil War. It had

9024-454: Was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock and the first self-igniting firearm. Its name comes from the rotating steel wheel which generates the ignition. Developed in Europe around 1500, it was used alongside the matchlock. The wheellock works by spinning a spring-loaded steel wheel against a piece of pyrite to generate intense sparks, which ignite gunpowder in

9120-416: Was typically minimal but the internal works were often finished to a higher degree of craftsmanship than the exterior. Duelling pistols were the size of the horse pistols of the late 1700s, around 41cm (16 inches) long and were usually sold in pairs along with accessories in a wooden case with compartments for each piece. The caplock mechanism or percussion lock was developed in the early 19th century and used

9216-422: Was used by both soldiers of different units and civilians, including women and children, as a personal defense weapon. The gun was notably used by chetamja (체탐자) spies, whose mission was to infiltrate enemy territory, and by carabiniers carrying multiple guns benefited from its compact size. The matchlock appeared in Europe in the mid-15th century. The matchlock was the first mechanism invented to facilitate

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