Chapter II Flashcards
This weapon was developed in the first quarter of 14th century. It was a simple, smooth-bore tube of iron, closed at the breech end except for an opening called a touchhole. It was set into a rounded piece of wood for holding under the arm. The tube was loaded with shot and powder and then fired by inserting a heated wire into the touchhole. Later models had flash pan, a saucer-like depression in the barrel at the outer end of the touchhole. A small charge of powder was placed in the flash pan and fired by applying a slow match. The slow match, consisting of a piece of cord soaked in a solution of potassium nitrate and then dried, smoldered without flaming or becoming extinguished.
Firelock
This was introduced about the middle of 15th century as a type of musket. This weapon was essentially the same as the firelock, except that the slow match was clamped in the top of a device called serpentine – an S-shaped piece of metal pivoted in the center.
Matchlock
It is an S-shaped piece of metal pivoted in the center.
serpentine
A refinement in the shape of its stock to permit firing from the shoulder produced the ____________________, a primitive portable firearm used in the 15th and 16th centuries composed of barrel fitted in a long-bent stock.
harquebus (or arquebus)
The first firelock appeared about 1515. It has improved firing mechanism compared to firelock and matchlock. The firing mechanism consisted of a spring-driven wheel. When the wheel is released by a trigger mechanism, it rotates and the hardened steel rim rubs a lump of iron pyrites. Sparks are produced that ignite the black powder found in the priming pan and thus firing the weapon. Wheel lock, however, was not generally accepted because of its complicated and expensive mechanism.
Wheel Lock
It was invented early in the 17th century. This type of firing mechanism consisted of a hammer powered by a trigger spring and bearing a piece of flint. When the trigger was pulled, the hammer struck the flint against a serrated steel striker plate located above the priming pan and thus produced a shower of sparks.
Snaphance
It was the final development if the flint-ignition firearm. It resembled the snaphance, except that the striker plate was L-shaped. The bottom limb of the L was used as a cover for the priming pan, to protect the powder from moisture until the upper limb was struck by the flint of the hammer.
Flintlock
It was the first repeating gun capable of sustained and accurate firing. Although it was the first genuinely effective rapid-fire weapon, it was not a true machine gun. It has several barrels arranged in a circle about a central axis.
Gatling Gun
Who invented and produced the gatling gun?
Richard J. Gatling
The world’s first true machine gun was the automatic machine gun that bears the name of Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was a single-barrel recoil-operated gun. Maxim invented the belt feed to continually feed ammunition to his gun.
Maxim Machine Gun
He developed a “water cooling system” to allow his gun to fire continuously without overheating. His guns were built in many sizes and were used extensively during World War I.
Hiram Stevens Maxim
The earlier versions of automatic rifles are called ____________ because they reload and re-cock automatically after each shot, and require release and another pull of the trigger to fire each succeeding shot.
semiautomatic
This was developed by John C. Garand. This rifle was officially adopted by the US military in January 9, 1936 as the first automatic rifle to be the standard infantry arm of a major army.
Caliber 30 M1 Garand rifle
It was during the 2nd Word War that military troops such as artillerymen, engineers, and signalmen were armed with the ___________.
M1 carbine
he first known carbine was developed by ______________ a.k.a ________.
David Williams; Carbine
It was considerably lighter and has shorter range compared to rifle thus it is more suited to occasional use for defense.
M1 Carbine
In 1957, the _________ was adopted by the US Army to replace the M1 carbine.
M14 rifle
The ___________, which permits full or semi-automatic fire, was introduced in 1966, during the Vietnam War. Developed by Eugene Stoner.
M16 rifle
These are firearms that propel projectiles with diameter of more than one inch. These are large-caliber guns such as mortars, bazookas and howitzers, including cannons.
Artillery
The artillery gun with the biggest caliber that was ever used in combat is the ___________ made by the Krupp Company in 1941.
“Gustav gun”
It was set up in west of Stalingrad in mid-August 1944. It was hurriedly withdrawn in September 1944, to avoid being captured outside Warsaw and Poland where it fired 30 rounds into Warsaw Ghetto during the 1944 uprising.
“Dora”
The portable weapons that developed from artillery and cannons are called __________.
small arms
Small arms are usually distinguished by ________.
caliber
It is the distance of two opposite lands in the gun barrel.
caliber
These are those that do not have rifling inside their barrel, the interior surface of their bore is smooth from end to end.
“Smooth bore”
These are those that have spiral lands and grooves at the bore (interior surface of their barrel).
“Rifled bore”
These are designed for long-range shooting. All shoulder firearms and high-caliber machineguns fall under these.
Long-Barreled Weapons
These are accurate only at relatively short ranges such as pistols, revolvers and submachine guns.
Short-Barreled Weapons
These are small short-range firearms that are intended to be fired with one hand.
Handguns
It is the smallest pistol in the world made in 1914.
“Kolibri auto pistol or Cal 2.7mm” with 5 shots
It is now considered the most powerful handgun in the world, it replaced Magnum .44.
“Caliber 50”
These are handguns that have rotating cylinder containing chambers designed to position a cartridge ready for firing. These have rifled barrel and capable of carrying up to 8 rounds in its cylinder in one loading. The revolving cylinder presents each cartridge to the striker for every pull of the trigger.
Revolvers
