firearms library

 

Firearms are one of the oldest and most evolved weapon systems. From flintlocks to automatic weapons and flamethrowers, learn how firearms have been used to wage wars and save lives.

Featured Article:  What's the world's smallest gun?

Sure, G.I. Joe's accoutrements are tiny, but this itty bitty gun actually fires rounds. What is it, and why is it illegal to import into the United States? See more »

How does a gun silencer work?

How does a gun silencer work?

How in the world can a gun silencer work? How can you possibly take an explosive noise that can damage your hearing and turn it into a little "ffft" sound?

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How Flamethrowers Work

How Flamethrowers Work

When humans discovered fire, they learned to cook their food in a controlled environment. What came next? Flamethrowers, of course. What do flamethrowers have in common with their living counterpart -- fire breathers?

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How Flintlock Guns Work

How Flintlock Guns Work

Flintlock guns were extremely important weapons in the American Revolution; they also formed the foundation of all modern guns. Learn about the gun that started it all.

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How Guns Work

How Guns Work

Guns permeate society -- police officers carry them, wars are fought with them, normal citizens own them. These articles will show you how different types of guns function from trigger to barrel.

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How Machine Guns Work

How Machine Guns Work

The invention of the machine gun forever changed the battlefield. While soldiers once had to reload after a single shot, they now can fire hundreds of rounds per minute without a single pause.

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How Revolvers Work

How Revolvers Work

The revolver turned shooting a round into a one-step process, forever changing the face of crime, law enforcement and self-defense. Find out what goes on inside a revolver.

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How Shotguns Work

How Shotguns Work

To do its job, a projectile must both make contact with the target and hit the target in a critical spot. If a rifle is like using a felt-tip pen, a shotgun is like using a can of spray paint.

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What's the world's smallest gun?

What's the world's smallest gun?

Sure, G.I. Joe's accoutrements are tiny, but this itty bitty gun actually fires rounds. What is it, and why is it illegal to import into the United States?

See more »
Top 5 Most Popular Guns - and Why

Top 5 Most Popular Guns - and Why

Whether they're antique rifles or modern handguns and shotguns, firearms are popular in the United States. So which pieces are people packing?

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Ammunition

Ammunition, projectiles fired from guns, including their fuzes, primers, and propellant charges.

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Antiaircraft Weapons

Antiaircraft Weapons, weapons designed to destroy aircraft in flight. They can be surface-to-air weapons, fired from ground positions or naval vessels; or air-to-air weapons, fired from aircraft.

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Arquebus,

Arquebus, or Harquebus, an early firearm. Several types of firearms were known by the name arquebus during the 16th and 17th centuries.

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Arrowhead

Arrowhead, or Arrow Point, the striking end of an arrow, usually made separately from the arrow shaft.

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Artillery

Artillery, weapons, including cannon and missile launchers, that fire projectiles larger than approximately one-half inch (13 mm) in diameter.

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Battering Ram

Battering Ram, a device for knocking down the walls of cities or other fortified places.

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Bayonet

Bayonet, a short steel blade attached to the muzzle of a musket or rifle. The earliest type of bayonet was the plug bayonet, a steel dagger with a wooden handle that fit into the muzzle of a musket.

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Bazooka

Bazooka, a small rocket launcher designed to be used by infantrymen. During World War II and the Korean War, it was employed primarily as an antitank weapon.

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Blowgun

Blowgun, a weapon used by certain primitive tribes. It is essentially a straight tube, usually about eight feet (2.4 m) long, made from bamboo or hollowed-out wood, and fitted with a mouthpiece.

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Blunderbuss

Blunderbuss, a type of flintlock firearm introduced into England from Holland in the 17th century.

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Bomb

Bomb, in modern military language, a kind of ammunition usually designed to be dropped from an airplane.

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