First published in Great Britain in 1881 and subsequently revised nine times between then and 1910, The Gun and Its Development traces the fascinating history of weaponry: the obscure, ancient origins of the slingshot and the bow, the invention of the crossbow, possibly around 1000 AD; the introduction of gunpowder into Europe in the fourteenth century; the development of sporting and military guns over the centuries thereafter; and the rise of modern, mass-produced firearms in the early twentieth century. Chapters cover early to modern handguns; gunpowder ignition methods from fuses and flintlocks to percussion fulminates; shotguns; hammerless guns; ejector guns; the history of the firearms industry; manufacturing methods and their development in Britain, America, and elsewhere; how to use and handle different types of guns; ballistics; the development of rifling and smokeless powder; and much more. Copiously illustrated with photographs and marvelous engravings, The Gun and Its Development is the classic, authoritative reference work on the subject, certain to be of great interest to marksmen, hunters, gun collectors, and anyone interested in military or industrial history.

This book provides information relative to firearms most frequently sought by sportsmen. It includes a short history of guns, ammunition, gun-making, proofing, testing, calibrating, shooting techniques, riles, and rifle characteristics.

The author, a New York Times reporter, traces the invention and mass distribution of the AK-47 assault rifle, and its effects on war. He traces the invention of the assault rifle, following the miniaturization of rapid-fire arms from the American Civil War, through World War I and Vietnam, to present-day Afghanistan, where Kalashnikovs and their knockoffs number as many as 100 million, one for every seventy persons on earth. It is the weapon of state repression, as well as revolution, civil war, genocide, drug wars, and religious wars; and it is the arms of terrorists, guerrillas, boy soldiers, and thugs. From its inception to its use by more than fifty national armies around the world, to its role in modern-day Afghanistan, he discusses how the deadly weapon has helped alter world history.

Excerpt from The Gun and Its Development This book, first published in 1881, was written with a view to supplying such information relative to fire-arms as is most frequently sought by a sportsman Owing to numerous recent inventions it became necessary not only to rearrange the matter, but to rewrite the book when the sixth edition was needed. The author thanks those critics who have pointed out literal faults in this book, and he has done his best to remove ambiguities and correct errors. He sees no reason to make any alteration of importance, and, in matters of Opinion, adheres to what he has already written, so that this ninth edition is, with the exception of a few minor alterations and some additional pages upon Gun Trials, Single Trigger mechanisms, Miniature rifles and the Rifle Club movement, practically a reprint of the last one. In the arrangement of this treatise the author has followed a method which appears to him the best suited to convey an accurate idea of different small arms and of their capabilities under varying conditions. From the nature of the subjects treated it is impossible that the book could be wholly free from technicalities, but no endeavour has been spared to make the contents readable intricate mechanisms, instead of being described in detail, have been freely illustrated; technical data are presented in tabular form, and theories relative to the action of explosives, the flight of bullets and shot pellets, have been concisely explained. The thanks of the author are due to many sportsmen and others who by their investigations and experience have added to his knowledge of guns and gunnery possibly in some instances the sources upon which the author has drawn have not been acknowledged, but the omissions are unintentional. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.