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94-480: In 1948, Giuseppe Tanfoglio and a partner formed a company known as SATA to produce hunting rifle components. In 1953, they began making pistols chambered in .25 caliber and .22 caliber . Late in 1960, Giuseppe Tanfoglio formed his own company to produce pistols, revolvers , shotguns , and air rifles primarily for the United States market, continuing until 1992. Fratelli Tanfoglio (Tanfoglio Brothers)

188-535: A badge of office — comparable to a ceremonial sword – as they had limited utility and were more expensive than 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

282-443: 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

376-439: 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

470-411: 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

564-429: 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

658-579: 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

752-671: 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

846-519: A firearm that: Firearms started in China where gunpowder was first developed . The oldest known bronze barrel handgun 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

940-519: A fully-loaded one. In blowback -type semi-automatics, the recoil force is used to push the slide back and eject the shell (if any) so that the magazine spring can push another round up; then as the slide returns, it chambers the round. An example of a modern blowback action semi-automatic pistol is the Walther PPK . Blowback pistols are some of the more simply designed handguns. Many semi-automatic pistols today operate using short recoil. This design

1034-515: 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

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1128-488: A handgun as "a firearm that is designed, altered or intended to be aimed and fired by 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"

1222-725: A handgun as "any firearm small enough to be held in one hand when fired"; while 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

1316-515: A handgun with a single integral chamber within its barrel . Webster's Dictionary defines it as "a handgun whose chamber is integral with the barrel". This makes it distinct from the other types of handgun, such as the revolver , which has multiple chambers within a rotating cylinder that is separately aligned with a single barrel; and the derringer , which is a short pocket gun often with multiple single-shot barrels and no reciprocating action . The 18 U.S. Code § 921 legally defines

1410-545: 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

1504-402: 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

1598-417: 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

1692-409: 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

1786-457: A sliding magazine. The sliding magazine contained pinfire cartridges or speedloaders. The magazine needed to be moved manually in many designs, hence distinguishing them from semi-automatic pistols. Lever action pistols are very rare, the most notable of which is the Volcanic pistol and Pistola Herval . Handgun A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It

1880-409: 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

1974-545: 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

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2068-465: 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

2162-490: 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

2256-492: 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

2350-556: 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

2444-538: 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 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

2538-540: Is generally used to describe a weapon that is more compact than a typical submachine gun. Multi-barreled pistols, such as the pepper-box , were common during the same time as single shot pistols. As designers looked for ways to increase fire rates, multiple barrels were added to pistols. One example of a multi-barreled pistol is the COP .357 Derringer . Around 1850, pistols such as the Jarre harmonica gun were produced that had

2632-547: Is often coupled with the Browning type tilting barrel. A machine pistol is a pistol that is capable of burst-fire or fully automatic fire . The first machine pistol was produced by Austria-Hungary in 1916, as the Steyr Repetierpistole M1912/P16 , and the term is derived from the German word maschinenpistolen . Though it is often used interchangeably with submachine gun , a machine pistol

2726-470: 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

2820-498: 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

2914-456: Is the lengthiest part of the hand cannon at 6.9 inches long. The hand cannon has a bulbous base at the breech called 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

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3008-550: 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

3102-599: The Caracal pistol product line. These polymer framed semi-automatic pistols are produced by Caracal International L.L.C. from the United Arab Emirates and were introduced on the Italian civilian/sport shooters market during the 2009 EXA expo ( Brescia , 18–21 April 2009). Pistol A pistol is a type of handgun , characterised by a barrel with an integral chamber . The word "pistol" derives from

3196-515: 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

3290-578: The Middle French pistolet ( c.  1550 ), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the English language c.  1570 when early handguns were produced in Europe. In colloquial usage, the word "pistol" is often used as a generic term to describe any type of handgun, inclusive of revolvers (which have a single barrel and a separate cylinder housing multiple chambers) and

3384-702: The Tanfoglio Force (polymer) and Tanfoglio T95 (steel), both chambered for various cartridges and both introduced in 1997. As of 1999, Tanfoglio produced approximately 90,000 pistols per year, of which 85% were exported. As of 2024, Tanfoglio pistols are exclusively imported to the United States by the Italian Firearms Group (IFG) based in Amarillo, Texas . The original Israel Military Industries (IMI) Jericho 941 ( CZ 75 copy) semi-automatic pistols were built using parts supplied by

3478-450: The pocket-sized derringers (which are often multi-barrelled ). The most common type of pistol used in the contemporary era is the semi-automatic pistol , while the older single-shot and lever-action pistols are now rarely seen and used primarily for nostalgic hunting and historical reenactment , and the fully-automatic machine pistols are uncommon in civilian usage because of their generally poor recoil -controllability (due to

3572-409: 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

3666-585: The 16th century, when early handguns were produced in Europe. The English word was introduced in c.  1570 from the Middle French pistolet ( c.  1550 ). The etymology of the French word pistolet is disputed. It may be from a Czech word for early hand cannons , píšťala ("whistle" or "pipe"), used in the Hussite Wars during the 1420s. The Czech word was adopted in German as pitschale , pitschole , petsole , and variants. Alternatively

3760-494: 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

3854-537: 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

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3948-473: The Italian arms house Tanfoglio. Using a well-tested design allowed IMI to avoid the teething problems the newest pistol designs experience, and subcontracting much of the basic fabrication work to Tanfoglio allowed IMI to quickly and economically put into production a pistol that would have enough Israeli content to satisfy government contract requirements. In 2009, Tanfoglio became the European importer for

4042-635: 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

4136-460: 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

4230-406: 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

4324-727: 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

4418-482: 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

4606-565: The United Kingdom , who are in charge of American and British firearms licensing respectively, offer any specific legal definitions of 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

4700-485: 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,

4794-405: The chambers revolve about the cylinder's axis. After the revolver, the semi-automatic pistol was the next step in the development of the pistol. By avoiding multiple chambers—which need to be individually reloaded—semi-automatic pistols delivered faster rates of fire and required only a few seconds to reload, by pushing a button or flipping a switch, and the magazine slides out to be replaced by

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4888-519: 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

4982-417: 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

5076-412: 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

5170-401: 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

5264-418: The development of the revolver , short for revolving pistol, in the 19th century, gunsmiths had finally achieved the goal of a practical capability for delivering multiple loads to one handgun barrel in quick succession. Revolvers feed ammunition via the rotation of a cartridge-filled cylinder , in which each cartridge is contained within its own ignition chamber and is sequentially brought into alignment with

5358-428: 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

5452-406: The fuse that ignites the gunpowder. Behind the gunpowder chamber is a socket shaped like a trumpet where the handle of 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

5546-577: 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

5640-563: 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 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

5734-492: 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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5828-433: 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

5922-409: The lack of a buttstock ) and strict laws and regulations governing their manufacture and sale (where they are regarded as submachine gun equivalents). Technically speaking, the term "pistol" is a hypernym generally referring to a handgun and predates the existence of the type of guns to which it is now applied as a specific term, that is: in colloquial usage it is used specifically to describe

6016-405: 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

6110-434: 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

6204-413: The mid-15th century. The matchlock was the first mechanism invented to facilitate 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

6298-460: 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

6392-464: 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

6486-478: The pistol was loaded with a lead ball and fired by a flint striker, and then later a percussion cap . The handgun required a reload every time it was shot. However, as technology improved, so did the single-shot pistol. New operating mechanisms were created, and some are still made today. They are the oldest type of pistol and are often used to hunt wild game . Additionally, their compact size compared to most other types of handgun makes them more concealable . With

6580-520: 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 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

6674-432: 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

6768-499: The smoldering match into the flash pan and igniting the priming powder. The flash from 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

6862-449: 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

6956-555: 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

7050-512: The term "pistol" as "a weapon originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile ( bullet ) from one or more barrels when held in one hand, and having: a chamber(s) as an integral part(s) of, or permanently aligned with, the bore(s) ; and a short stock designed to be gripped by one hand at an angle to and extending below the line of the bore(s) ", which includes derringers but excludes revolvers. Commonwealth usage, for instance, does not usually make distinction, particularly when

7144-838: The terms are used by the military. For example, the official designation of the Webley Mk VI revolver was "Pistol, Revolver, Webley, No. 1 Mk VI". In contrast to the Merriam-Webster definition, the Oxford English Dictionary (a descriptive dictionary) describes "pistol" as "a small firearm designed to be held in one hand", which is similar to the Webster definition for "handgun"; and "revolver" as "a pistol with revolving chambers enabling several shots to be fired without reloading", giving its original form as "revolving pistol". The pistol originates in

7238-443: 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

7332-418: The weapon's barrel by an indexing mechanism linked to the weapon's trigger ( double-action ) or its hammer ( single-action ). These nominally cylindrical chambers, usually numbering between five and eight depending on the size of the revolver and the size of the cartridge being fired, are bored through the cylinder so that their axes are parallel to the cylinder's axis of rotation; thus, as the cylinder rotates,

7426-498: The word originated from Italian pistolese , after Pistoia , a city renowned for Renaissance-era gunsmithing, where hand-held guns (designed to be fired from horseback) were first produced in the 1540s. However, the use of the word as a designation of a gun is not documented before 1605 in Italy, long after it was used in French and German. Single-shot handguns were mainly used during the era of flintlock and musket weaponry where

7520-528: 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

7614-399: 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

7708-455: 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

7802-493: 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

7896-539: 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

7990-567: 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

8084-403: 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

8178-518: Was formed in 1969, specializeing in self-defense pistols. In 1986, the company began producing pistols for use in IPSC and IDPA competitions. As of 1991, Tanfoglio pistols were imported to the United States by Firearms Import & Export (FIE) and Excam Inc., both based near Miami, Florida . The three companies had been involved in lawsuits during the mid-1970s over distribution rights, ultimately settling out of court. Notable Tanfoglio pistols include

8272-545: 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

8366-609: 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

8460-457: 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

8554-426: 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

8648-540: 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

8742-401: 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

8836-416: 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

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