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
|