Gun: A Visual History

362 Pages·2012·43.98 MB·English

by  DK Publishing

Weapon
Featuring material from

LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE,
MUNICH, AND DELHI
DESIGNERS Philip Fitzgerald, Tim Lane, Victoria Clark
EDITOR Chris Stone DTP DESIGNER Laragh Kedwell
PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Elizabeth Warman
MANAGING EDITOR Debra Wolter
MANAGING ART EDITOR Karen Self
ART DIRECTOR Bryn Walls PUBLISHER Jonathan Metcalf
DK DELHI
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssstttttttttttttoooooooooooooolllllllllllsssssssssssss &&&&&&&&&&&&&
DESIGNERS Arunesh Talapatra, Enosh Francis Glock 17 86
SENIOR DESIGNER Shefali Upadhyay RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRReeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvoooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrsssssssssssssssssss 666666666666666 Self-loading pistols 1945– (cont.) 88
DTP CO-ORDINATOR Pankaj Sharma DIRTY HARRY 92
DTP DESIGNERS Harish Aggarwal, Tarun Sharma
Introduction 8 Revolvers 1900–1945 94
DESIGN ASSISTANCE Preetam Singh, Neeraj Aggarwal
Wheellock pistols 10 Webley & Scott Mark VI 98
First American Edition, 2007 Wheellock pistol 12 Revolvers 1945– 100
This paperback edition published 2012
Flintlock pistols 1550–1700 14 JAMES BOND 104
Published in the United States by
DK Publishing DICK TURPIN 18 Decorated handguns 106
375 Hudson Street
Flintlock pistols 1700–1775 20
New York, New York 10014
Ottoman Empire firearms 24
12 13 14 15 16 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Indian firearms 26 RRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS &&&&&&&&&&&
001—GD093—May/2012 BLACKBEARD 28 MMMMMMMMMMUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSS 111111111110000000000888888888888888
Copyright © 2007, 2012 Dorling Kindersley Limited Flintlock pistols 1775–1800 30
All rights reserved
Colt 34 Introduction 110
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved
above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, Flintlock pistols 1800–1850 36 Earliest firearms 112
stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or
Percussion-cap pistols 40 Arquebuses & hook guns 114
transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), Colt Model 1851 44 European muskets 116
without the prior written permission of both the
copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. US Percussion-cap revolvers 1850–1900 46 17th century musket 120
Published in Great Britain by WYATT EARP 50 Asian matchlocks 122
Dorling Kindersley Limited. British Percussion-cap revolvers 1850–1900 52 Wheellock rifles 126
A catalog record for this book is available from the Brass cartridge revolvers 56 Early flintlock rifles 128
Library of Congress.
Smith & Wesson 62 TIMOTHY MURPHY 132
ISBN 978-0-7566-9573-6
Early self-loading pistols 64 Flintlock muskets & rifles 134
DK books are available at special discounts when
purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund- Mauser C/96 68 Brown Bess 142
raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK
Publishing Special Markets, 375 Hudson Street, New Self-loading pistols 1900–1920 70 Ottoman firearms 144
York, New York 10014 or [email protected]. Self-loading pistols 1920–1945 76 Indian firearms 146
Color reproduction by Wyndeham Icon, London, UK Beretta 78 Other Asian firearms 148
Printed and bound in China by Hung Hing Self-loading pistols 1920–1945 (cont.) 80 Enfield rifle musket 152
Discover more at Self-loading pistols 1945– 82 Percussion-cap rifles 154
www.dk.com
Percussion-cap breechloaders 158 FREDERICK COURTNEY SELOUS 242
Sharps carbine 160 Hunting guns 244
Percussion-cap breechloaders (cont.) 162 Survival guns 1945– 248 MMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE GGGGGGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSSS &&&&&&&&
Single-shot breechloaders 164 Early combat shotguns 250
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Dreyse Needle Gun 168 Combat shotguns 252
Manual repeater rifles 1775–1880 170 Sport shotguns 256 Introduction 310
Winchester 174 Holland & Holland 260 Early battery & machine guns 312
Manual repeater rifles 1880–1890 176 Gatling Gun 314
ANNIE OAKLEY 184 Recoil-operated machine guns 316
Manual repeater rifles 1890–1900 186 SSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEECCCCCCCCIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTT Gas-operated machine guns 320
Lee-Enfield No.4 Mark 1 194 GGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSSS 222222222222222666666666666622222222 Steyr-Mannlicher 326
Manual repeater rifles 1900–1945 196 Light machine guns 1900–1945 328
Sniper rifles 202 Introduction 264 Light machine guns 1945– 332
VASILY ZAITSEV 204 Combination weapons 266 Bren Gun 334
Sniper rifles 206 Early multi-shot firearms 270 Light machine guns 1945– (cont.) 336
Self-loading rifles 1900–1945 210 Multi-shot firearms 272 Submachine guns 338
BONNIE AND CLYDE 214 Anti-tank weapons 274 PPSh41 340
Self-loading rifles 1945– 216 Taser Gun 278 Submachine guns (cont.) 342
Heckler & Koch G3A3 220 Rifle-mounted grenade launchers 280 AL CAPONE 346
Self-loading rifles 1945– 222 Stand-alone grenade launchers 284 Submachine guns (cont.) 348
AK-47 assault rifle 224 Missile launchers 286 Heckler & Koch MP5 352
Mechanical-electrical guns 288
Special Operations Executive 290
SSSSSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOORRRRRTTTTT RRRRRRRIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS Gentry guns 292
&&&&&&&& SSSSSHHHHHHOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTGGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUNNNNNNNSSSSSS 2222222222222222222222666666666666 Covert forces guns 294
Silenced guns 296
Introduction 228 Concealed spy guns 300 Glossary 354
European hunting guns 230 Improvised guns 304 Index 356
Sport rifles 236 Prototype guns 306 Acknowledgments 360

pistols &
revolvers
H
ANDGUNS ARE THE ultimate expression of tucked into a belt or holster ready for use. They also
portable firepower. From their earliest days in entered military service as cavalry weapons, part of the
the 16th century they were designed to be easily mounted tactic known as the caracole.
concealed, lightly carried, and operated with one hand. The caracole seems to have developed around 1540, and
In terms of ballistic performance and accuracy, the involved massed ranks of wheellock-armed cavalry riding
sacrifices made by this emphasis on portability are many. to within pistol range, discharging their handguns at the
Handgun accuracy, even in today’s high-specification enemy ranks, then wheeling back to their lines to reload.
weapons, tends to have a ceiling of around 82 ft (25 m),
the precision limited by the instability of the grip and the
shortness of the barrel. The barrel length, plus the limited While the pistol was not an ideal weapon for organized
ability for a small gun to handle any recoil, also means battlefield firepower, it was perfect as a soldier’s back-up
that range and penetration are steeply curtailed when weapon or as a self-defense tool for the civilian or law-
compared to rifles. Yet such considerations are missing the enforcement officer. Wheellocks were highly expensive
point about handguns. In pure defense terms, handguns and delicate, so with the introduction of cheaper flint
are about close-range reassurance. They can be deployed ignition systems handguns came into wider use.
quickly, carried unobtrusively (one of the principal reasons There was also innovation. Multi-barrel “volley” pistols
they are standard police weapons), and, within the limits were made, particularly for naval use, and in the early
of their performance, pack a hard punch. 1800s the “pepperbox” revolving-barrel flintlocks enjoyed
some popularity. Flintlock pistols varied in scale, but those
most commonly carried were large, heavy items, usually
The handgun evolution effectively began with the advent chambered in big calibers of .50 in and above. They were
of the wheellock system in the early 16th century. also, by virtue of being muzzle loaders, slow to load.
Wheellock guns provided pure mechanical ignition, not Handguns stretched to their full potential during the
requiring a smoldering slow match, and so could be technological revolutions of the 19th century. These came
8 pistols & revolvers