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Petronel
A petronel is a 16th and 17th century black powder muzzle-loading firearm, defined by Robert Barret (''Theorike and Practike of Modern Warres'', 1598) as a '' horsemans peece''. It was the muzzle-loading firearm which developed on the one hand into the pistol and on the other into the carbine. The name (French ''petrinel'' or ''poitrinal'') was given to the weapon either because it was fired with the butt resting against the chest (French ''poitrine'', Latin ''pectus'') or it was carried slung from a belt across the chest. Petronels are found with either matchlock or wheellock mechanisms. The sclopus was the prototype of the petronel. The petronel is a compromise between the harquebus and the pistol. Early petronels date back to the end of the 14th century, with a crude buttstock. Generally the touch hole is on the right side, and fired by a separate slow match. Sometimes they had small hinged plate covers to protect the priming from moisture.Demmin (1894). pp. 486. By extensio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harquebusier
The harquebusier was the most common form of cavalry found throughout Western Europe during the early to mid-17th century. Early harquebusiers were characterised by the use of a type of carbine called a "harquebus". In England, harquebusier was the technical name for this type of cavalry, though in everyday usage they were usually simply called 'cavalry' or 'horse'. In Germany they were often termed ''Ringerpferd'', or sometimes '' Reiter'', in Sweden they were called ''lätta ryttare''. Development According to John Cruso in his cavalry manual of 1632, the harquebusier was 'first invented in France'. This type of cavalryman was characterised by the use of a form of carbine, the earliest type of carbine used was called a "''harquebus''" (a word derived from the heavier infantry weapon, the arquebus). In the late 16th century and into the first decades of the following century the harquebusier was envisioned, like the similar and earlier '' petronel,'' as a support for more heavi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matchlock
A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Before the invention of the matchlock mechanism, the musketeer or an assistant had to apply the match directly to gunpowder by hand, much like a cannon. The matchlock mechanism allowed the musketeer to apply the match himself without losing his concentration. Description The classic matchlock gun held a burning slow match in a clamp at the end of a small curved lever known as the ''serpentine''. Upon the pull of a lever (or in later models a trigger) protruding from the bottom of the gun and connected to the serpentine, the clamp dropped down, lowering the smoldering match into the flash pan and igniting the priming powder. The flash from the primer traveled through the touch hole, igniting the main charge of propellant in the gun barrel. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Primer (firearms)
In firearms and artillery, the primer () is the chemical and/or device responsible for initiating the propellant combustion that will push the projectiles out of the gun barrel. In early black powder guns such as muzzleloaders, the primer was essentially the same chemical as the main propellant (albeit usually in a finer-powdered form), but poured into an external flash pan, where it could be ignited by an ignition source such as a slow match or a flintlock though some muzzleloaders have primers like cap gun caps. This external powder was connected through a small opening at the rear of the gun barrel that led to the main charge within the barrel. As gunpowder will not burn when wet, this made it difficult (or even impossible) to fire these types of weapons in rainy or humid conditions. Modern primers, by contrast, are more specialized and distinct from the main propellant they are designed to ignite. They are of two types, those using shock-sensitive chemicals, and those relia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carbine
A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighter weight of carbines make them easier to handle. They are typically issued to high-mobility troops such as special operations soldiers and paratroopers, as well as to mounted, artillery, logistics, or other non-infantry personnel whose roles do not require full-sized rifles, although there is a growing tendency for carbines to be issued to front-line soldiers to offset the increasing weight of other issued equipment. An example of this is the U.S. Army's M4 carbine, which is standard issue. Etymology The name comes from its first users — cavalry troopers called " carabiniers", from the French ''carabine'', from Old French ''carabin'' (soldier armed with a musket), whose origin is unclear. One theory connects it to an "ancient engine of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musketoon
The musketoon is a shorter-barrelled version of the musket and served in the roles of a shotgun or carbine. Musketoons could be of the same caliber as the issue musket or of a much larger caliber, 1.0–2.5 inches (25–63 mm). The musketoon is most commonly associated with naval use, and pirates in particular, though they also served in a carbine role with cavalry. Musketoon barrels were often flared at the muzzle, resembling a cannon or blunderbuss. Description Musketoons had a brass or iron barrel, and used a wheellock, flintlock or caplock firing mechanism, like the typical musket of the period. They were fired from the shoulder like the musket, but the shorter length (barrels were as short as a foot (30 cm) long) made them easier to handle for those in restricted conditions, such as mounted infantry and naval boarding parties. Smaller bore musketoons matched the caliber of the muskets in service, and were generally used the same way, with single musket ball or a b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jezail
The jezail or ''jezzail'' ( ps, جزائل, ultimately from the plural form ar, جزایل, "long arrels) is a simple, cost-efficient and often handmade long arm commonly used in South Asia and parts of the Middle East in the past. It was popular amongst the Pashtun tribesmen, who deposed Shah Shuja and were primarily utilized in the First and Second Anglo-Afghan Wars by Pashtun tribesmen. Features Jezails were generally handmade weapons, and consequently they varied widely in their construction. Jezails were seen as very personal weapons, and unlike the typical military weapons of the time which were very plain and utilitarian, jezails tended to be well crafted and were usually intricately decorated. Jezails tended to have very long barrels. Such lengths were never common in European rifles (with the exception of the Spanish circa 15th century), but were more common in American rifles, such as the Kentucky rifle. The American rifles were used for hunting, and tended to be o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moukahla
The Moukahla () or ''moukalla was a type of musket widely used in North Africa, produced by many tribes, clans and nations. Mechanism Lock Two systems of gunlock prevailed in the Moukahla, one, which derived from Dutch and English types of snaphance lock, usually with a thicker lockplate. Half cock was provided by a dog catch behind the cock. At full cock, the sear passing through the lockplate engaged the heel of the cock. The other mechanism was the so-called Arab toe-lock, a form of miquelet lock, closely allied to the ''agujeta'' lock (which required a back or dog catch for half cock) and the Italian ''romanlock''. The term miquelet is used today to describe a particular type of snaplock. The miquelet lock, in all varieties, was common for several centuries in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean, particularly in Spain, Italy, the Balkans, and Ottoman domains including the coastal states of North Africa. The type of musket would be described as a Kabyle snaphance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jezail
The jezail or ''jezzail'' ( ps, جزائل, ultimately from the plural form ar, جزایل, "long arrels) is a simple, cost-efficient and often handmade long arm commonly used in South Asia and parts of the Middle East in the past. It was popular amongst the Pashtun tribesmen, who deposed Shah Shuja and were primarily utilized in the First and Second Anglo-Afghan Wars by Pashtun tribesmen. Features Jezails were generally handmade weapons, and consequently they varied widely in their construction. Jezails were seen as very personal weapons, and unlike the typical military weapons of the time which were very plain and utilitarian, jezails tended to be well crafted and were usually intricately decorated. Jezails tended to have very long barrels. Such lengths were never common in European rifles (with the exception of the Spanish circa 15th century), but were more common in American rifles, such as the Kentucky rifle. The American rifles were used for hunting, and tended to be o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buttstock
A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attached. The stock also provides a means for the shooter to firmly brace the gun and easily aim with stability by being held against the user's shoulder when shooting the gun, and helps to counter muzzle rise by transmitting recoil straight into the shooter's body. The tiller of a crossbow is functionally the equivalent of the stock on a gun. History and etymology The term stock in reference to firearms dates to 1571 is derived from the Germanic word ''Stock'', meaning tree trunk, referring to the wooden nature of the gunstock. Early hand cannons used a simple stick fitted into a socket in the breech end to provide a handle. The modern gunstock shape began to evolve with the introduction of the arquebus, a matchlock with a longer barrel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afghans
Afghans ( ps, افغانان, translit=afghanan; Persian/ prs, افغان ها, translit=afghānhā; Persian: افغانستانی, romanized: ''Afghanistani'') or Afghan people are nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, or people with ancestry from there. Afghanistan is made up of various ethnicities, of which the Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks are the largest; the pre-nation state, historical ethnonym Afghan was used to refer to a member of the Pashtun ethnic group. Due to the changing political nature of the state, such as the British-drawn border with Pakistan (then British India) the meaning has changed, and term has shifted to be the national identity of people from Afghanistan from all ethnicities. The two main languages spoken by Afghans are Pashto and Dari (the Afghan dialect of Persian language), and many are bilingual. Background The earliest mention of the name ''Afghan'' (''Abgân'') is by Shapur I of the Sassanid Empire during the 3rd century CE, In th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cuirassiers
Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adopting the use of pistols as their primary weapon. In the later part of the 17th century the cuirassier lost his limb armour and subsequently wore only the cuirass (breastplate and backplate), and sometimes a helmet. By this time, the sword or sabre had become his primary weapon, with pistols relegated to a secondary function. Cuirassiers achieved increased prominence during the Napoleonic Wars and were last fielded in the opening stages of World War I (1914-1918). A number of countries continue to use cuirassiers as ceremonial troops. The French term ''cuirassier'' means "one with a cuirass" ( fr , cuirasse), the breastplate armour which they wore. 16th and 17th centuries The first cuirassiers were similar in appearance to the fully armo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Demi-lancer
The demi-lancer or demilancer was a type of heavy cavalryman in Western Europe in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Characteristics "Demi-lancer" was a term used in 16th-century military parlance, especially in England, to designate cavalrymen mounted on unarmoured horses, armed with a slightly lighter version of the heavy lance of a man-at-arms and wearing three-quarter or half-armour, in contrast to the full plate armour of the man-at-arms or gendarme, who rode barded mounts. The cuirass (torso armour) and pauldrons (shoulder protection) of the demi-lancer were intended to be at least pistol proof. An open-faced helmet, such as the burgonet, was often worn in place of the fully-enclosed close helmet. Armour for the leg and foot was replaced by long cuff-topped riding boots. In addition to the lance, the demi-lancer would have been armed with one or two wheellock or snaphance pistols carried in saddle holsters, and a sword (including Walloon swords and rapiers.)Tincey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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