Important Dates in Gun History

Important Dates in Gun History

(Based on A History of Firearms by Major H.B.C. Pollard)
[From "Notable Gun Dates" in Edgar Howard Penrose, Descriptive Catalog of the Collection of Firearms in the Museum of Applied Science of Victoria [Australia], by, Museum of Applied Science of Victoria Handbook No. 1, 1949.]


Event - Date

The first record of the actual use of gunpowder in Europe is a statement by Bishop Albertus Magnus in 1280 that it was used at the Siege of Seville in

• 1247
  
  Roger Bacon gives an account of gunpowder in his Opus Majus. (Actually his account was written in cryptic form. See Read, T. Explosives (Pelican Books, 1942)
  
  1267
  
  Edward III used cannon against the Scots *
  
[*Date may be wrong as this is year of Edward's birth according to one site visitor.]

1327

Hand Cannon had appeared in the field of battle during the reign of Edward III in

1364

Hand guns were known in Italy in 1397, and in England they appear to have been used as early as

1375

The first mechanical device for firing the hand gun made its appearance in

1424

We hear of armour being penetrated by bullets and the hand gun showing signs of becoming a weapon capable of rudimentary precision by

1425

Henry VII organized the corps of Yeomen of the Guard, half of whom were to carry bows and arrows while the other half were equipped with harquebuses. This represents the first introduction of firearms as an official weapon of the Royal Guard

1485

Columbus discovers the Americas 1492
Rifling was invented in

1498

The first wheel lock or "rose lock" was invented somewhere about

1509

Firearms were recognized as hunting arms as early as 1515, and a book (Balleates Mosetuetas y Areabuces Pablo del Fucar, Naples, 1535) on sporting firearms appeared in

1535

Rifled arms had been made since

1540

The hair trigger was a German invention of about

1540

The invention of the typical Spanish lock is attributed by some writers to Simon Macuarte the Second, about

1560

The snaphaunce lock, the forerunner of the true flintlock, was invented about, or considerably earlier than

1580

Settlers arrive in Jamestown, VA 1607
Settlers arrive in Plymouth, MA

1620

The standard flintlock gun came in about

1630

The rates of pay for repairs and new arms were fixed in

1631

The London Gunmakers' Company initiated proofs when it was first incorporated, but it is not clear whether private proofs or a trade proof-house common to the Company was used. (A crowned A was given as the mark).

1637

The screw or cannon barrel pistol came in probably prior to

1640

The bayonet was introduced by the French; it was a long narrow blade with a wooden plug handle and was simply dropped into the muzzle of the musket

1640

The London Gunmakers' Company enjoyed powers which enabled them to enforce proof when the second charter was granted in

1672

A ring attachment was added to the bayonet so that it no longer served as a muzzle plug

1680

The earliest known English breech-loading rifle was made by Willmore, who was apprenticed to Foad in

1689

The "Brown Bess" was known in Ireland as a "King's Arm" from its use by William at the Battle of the Boyne

1690

The whole English army was equipped with flintlocks in

1690

Snaphaunces continued to be made on the Continer%+, till about

1700

In the reign of Queen Anne the "Brown Bess" was known as the "Queen's Arm" in Ireland

1702-1714

The socket bayonet had appeared and was adopted in the British service about

1710

The letters G.R. were adopted as a mark in the reign of George 1, (1714-27) but successive Georges did not add any variant

1714-1830

The broad arrow as a sign of government property, was adopted during the reign of George 1, and the word TOWER is marked on the lock plate of many of these arms

1714-1727

The French established their "Manufacturers Royales" at Charleville, St. Etienne and Maubeuge in

1718

The large box lock type of pistol made its appearance about

1730

A few hammerless flintlock sporting guns were made by Stanislaus Paczelt, of Prague in Bohemia about

1730

The French introduced the double-necked hammer and the steel ramrod in

Note- The double-necked hammer or cock was not a new invention, for it is often found on dog locks of 1670 and other early arms.

1746

The use of pistols for duelling purposes became general as the practice of carrying the rapier or small sword died out between

1750-1765

French & Indian War 1756-1763
The duelling pistol was entirely unknown until about

1760

Note: Meetings were fought with horse pistols prior to this date. The horse pistol shows a marked development into the true duelling pistol from

1760-1775

Double shotguns were rather peculiar arms, usually of the under and over revolving barrel type until About

1760

No official pistol was issued by the French prior to

1763

The French introduced the muzzle band with a funnel or guide for the ramrod and acorn sight integral with the band in

1763

American Revolution wins independence from England 1776-1783
Duelling pistols became officially standardized weapons -then it was laid down that they should be 9 or 10 inch barreled, smooth bore flintlocks of 1 inch bore, carrying a ball of forty- eight to the pound

1777

The top rib in double-barreled guns appeared about

1780

Spring bayonets are common on blunderbusses and pistols of the period subsequent to the date of the patent (John Waters, Pat. No. 1284) in

1781

The first patent for single trigger locks for double arms (James Templeman, Pat. No. 1707) was in

1789

Single trigger pistols, with side by side, and also under and over barrels, were made by Egg about

1789

The acorn pattern trigger guard extension toward the barrel used up to about

1790

The duelling pistol approached perfection by

1790-1800

Joseph Manton's first patent (No. 1865) introduces the "break-off" breech, into which the barrel fits with a lump instead of being secured by a tang and screw as previously used

1792

Springfield Armory established 1795
Barrels with a number and the letters D.C. (Dublin Castle) were personal arms registered at Dublin Castle after the rebellion and disarmament of Ireland in

Note, As the act was in force for some Years it is only of relative value in dating pieces and indicates that the piece is prior to [Webmaster's note- The first "gun registration" scheme in Ireland to prevent gun violence, totally failing for over 200 years, but politicians want to try it in the U.S.]

1798

The duelling pistol was customarily full stocked down to

1800

Pistols appear to have been seldom used in the East prior to

1800

The swivel ramrod attached to the piece by a stirrup appeared about

1800

The "First Baker Rifle" was issued in

1800

The half stocked pistol with the lower rib beneath the barrel fitted to carry the ramrod came in during

1800

Louisiana Purchase 1803
The "Second Baker Rifle" was introduced in

1807

Alexander Forsyth patented the detonating or percussion principle in

1807

The revolving principle is as old as firearms, but manufacturing methods permitting sufficient accuracy of workmanship and precision of boring for a really safe cylindered or chambered weapon date from

1810-1820

The first serious military breech loader was an American invention, Colonel John H. Hall's patent of
Note: This was made first as a flintlock, then as percussion, and is the first breech loader officially adopted by any army. The flintlocks were made till 1832, the percussion model from 1831

1811

War of 1812, Washington DC burned by British, Battle of New Orleans
1812-1815

The copper percussion cap is not definitely alluded to in the patent records till 1823, but appears to have been invented about

1814-1816

The saw handle was very popular, both in flint and percussion pistols about

1815-1825

The true flintlock revolver is the very rare weapon made by Collier about

1820

Flints were converted to percussion cap, and the flint principle lost favor from

1820

The percussion cap came into universal use on private arms about

1826

The Delvigne (French) service rifle was invented in

1826

The "Third Baker Rifle" was issued about

1830

The back action lock made its appearance about

1830

The Robert rifle was invented by Robert, a gunsmith of Paris in

1831

The needle fire cartridge was patented by Adolph Moser in

1837
The percussion cap system of ignition was in common use before it was adopted for the service weapon. It was tested at Woolwich in

1843

Coach pistols supplied to the guard of public stage coaches are extremely rare, but were made with flintlocks and brass lock plates until

1835

Percussion cap locks fitted with a pierced platinum disc below the nipple gradually fell into disuse and are seldom found in arms subsequent to

1835

The rim fire cartridge evolved naturally out of the percussion cap, and was first made by Flobert of Paris, a maker of saloon arms, about

1835

Colt claims the ratchet motion, locking the cylinder and centre fire position of the nipples as particular points of his specification

1835

Colt did not know that the revolving principle was an age-old European idea until he visited England in

1835

The Enfield percussion carbine - .65 inch calibre with hinged spring triangular bayonet folding below the barrel was made for Constabulary service in

1835

The true pin-fire cartridge emerged about

1840

It was not until 1840 that we definitely find a breech-loading needle gun cartridge patented (Wm. Bush, Pat. No. 8513) in

1840

The Brunswick rifle superseded the Baker model about 1840

1840

Duelling declined in England after

1840

The period of decadence of duelling was noticeable for the production of rather short barreled pistols

1840-1850

A few service arms were converted to the percussion cap system in 1839, and it was officially adopted in

1842

For additional later information than our time frame go to the source:  

"A History of Firearms" by Major H.B.C. Pollard

A Little History


Largely unknown to the general public is a singular weapon that never belched out gunpowder or killed a single human being in the United States, but that was perhaps the single most influential weapon in the opening of the American West: the Girandoni air rifle, the secret weapon of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The earliest known example of the Girandoni air rifle is currently on display at Stockholm, Sweden’s Livrustkammeran Museum and dates to around 1580. Featured in fairly large calibers, these pneumatic weapons were employed by the very wealthy in hunting large game such as deer and wild boar. But around 1780 an enterprising Tyrolean gunsmith named Bartolomeo Girandoni developed a rugged new model air rifle that was soon adopted by the Austrian military. Produced in .46-caliber, the Girandoni was a quantum leap forward in weapons technology.

NRA HISTORY

The famous Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery, left its jumping-off point, St. Louis, with plenty of firepower: rifles, muskets, shotguns, pistols, two blunderbusses and one swivel gun. All the firearms were single­-shot, muzzleloading, black-powder guns with flintlock ignition systems.

All but one, that is. In fact, this most unique gun of the expedition used no gunpowder at all. Rather, it fired bullets by employing compressed air, and was, of all things, a repeater, a concept only the wealthy could enjoy.    

The Girandoni air rifle owned by Merriweather Lewis had been invented around 1779 by Bartolomeo Girandoni of Italy, and was used by the Austrian army for 35 years beginning in 1780. No peashooter, the air rifle fired .46-caliber lead balls and was said to be highly accurate and lethal out to 150 yards or more.

The rifle measured 4 feet in length, weighed 10 pounds, and had a tubular magazine positioned along the right side of the barrel that held 22 rounds that could be fired in as little as 30 seconds. The club-shaped metal buttstock of the gun was a detachable (screw-on), compressed-air reservoir capable of firing some 40 shots before losing significant muzzle velocity. However, it took nearly 1,500 strokes with a bicycle-style handpump to fully pressurize the reservoir to 800 psi. Later in the gun’s evolution, wagon-mounted pumps were used to refill the air reservoirs more quickly and easily.          

But despite the gun’s quirks, the Girandoni had its advantages during battle. Not only was it capable of firing successive rounds quickly, the soldier firing the weapon from a prone position did not have to stand up to reload, as was the case with muzzleloading firearms. There was also no smoke produced, and although the air rifle was not silent when fired, the sound was much reduced from that of exploding gunpowder.

The Girandoni air rifle was retired from military service with the Austrian army about 1815 for several reasons. Always a delicate weapon, the gun didn’t hold up well under the rigors of military use. For instance, the compressed-air reservoir of the gun was made of hammered sheet iron held together with rivets and sealed by brazing, and even a small hole worn or accidentally punched into the reservoir made it inoperable. Also, the air reservoirs were difficult to manufacture given the techniques of the time, so were always in short supply. Lastly, the gun was so different from other weapons of the era that it required extensive training for soldiers to use proficiently.

Captain Lewis took his Girandoni air rifle along on the expedition more as a novelty than a serious defensive weapon. He was hoping to impress any Native American tribes that the expedition might encounter on its way West with a new technology they had not yet seen. In the journal of the expedition, the air gun is mentioned 39 times. Reserved for unveiling while in council with the Indians, Lewis writes that a demonstration usually “astonished the natives.” So much so, that the tribes thought the air gun possessed magical powers—big medicine—because it produced no smoke and little noise when fired.

Phil Schreier, senior curator of the NRA’s National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia, goes so far as to call Lewis’ Girandoni air rifle, “The most important historical gun in the entire history of the United States.” Why? He believes it allowed the Corps of Discovery—fewer than 40 men in total—to travel to the Pacific Ocean and back again unopposed by the many native tribes whose braves vastly outnumbered them. “It was basically a parlor trick,” said Schreier. “Achieving peace through the perception of superior firepower.”

Schreier explained that Lewis and Clark pulled off the charade by demonstrating to the Indians the capabilities of just one air rifle—the only one they had—but leading them to believe they had many more just like it; a vast arsenal of superior weapons, secured in their boats if need be. As a result, the three-year expedition was an unmitigated success, the Corps of Discovery traveling thousands of miles essentially unscathed, and doubling the size of America in the process.

Just as today’s modern, smokeless-powder firearms are technologically light-years ahead of yesterday’s blackpowder guns, so are today’s air guns when compared to the Girandoni. But the Girandoni air rifle was the first practical air gun of its kind, so well deserves a place in the history of firearms. And the fact that Lewis and Clark thought enough of the gun to include it in their extensive arsenal makes it that much more special.

No one knows for sure what became of Lewis’ air gun following the expedition, but a Girandoni air rifle that could possibly be his is on display at the NRA National Firearms Museum.

Winter Hawk wrote:....   One was found in Utah but that is the only known example that I remember reading about.  

~Kees~

I saw this rifle at an Antique Gun Collectors meeting in 2011 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake.  I had a near new original 1833 Hall flintlock breech loading rifle to delivery to a member of this association. I was invited to review some of their wares and saw the rifle you mentioned.  When I opened up my case with the Hall that was the end of the groups "dog & pony" show. Everyone went nuts over the Hall and it's 99% new (unfired) condition.  Now I would like to have it back, sold it for $4,100.00 now valued at $6,500.00  !@#$%^

Mustang65 wrote:

Buck Conner wrote:

Winter Hawk wrote:....   One was found in Utah but that is the only known example that I remember reading about.  

~Kees~

I saw this rifle at an Antique Gun Collectors meeting in 2011 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake.  I had a near new original 1833 Hall flintlock breech loading rifle to delivery to a member of this association. I was invited to review some of their wares and saw the rifle you mentioned.  When I opened up my case with the Hall that was the end of the groups "dog & pony" show. Everyone went nuts over the Hall and it's 99% new (unfired) condition.  Now I would like to have it back, sold it for $4,100.00 now valued at $6,500.00  !@#$%^

Buck, can you just imagine the price today?!

Stan you and the boys could buy it back for me, IT'S MY FREEKIN' BIRTHDAY TODAY .....     DAMN DIDN"T THINK I WOULD LIVE THIS LONG  !@#$%^