List of pre-20th century firearms
Encyclopedia
This is an extensive list of antique guns
made before the year 1900 and including the first functioning firearms ever invented. The list is not comprehensive; create an entry for listings having none; multiple names are acceptable as cross-references, so that redirecting hyperlinks can be established for them.
Antique guns
An antique firearm is, loosely speaking, a firearm designed and manufactured prior to the beginning of the 20th century. The Boer War is often used as a cut-off event, although the exact definition of what constitutes an "antique firearm" varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction...
made before the year 1900 and including the first functioning firearms ever invented. The list is not comprehensive; create an entry for listings having none; multiple names are acceptable as cross-references, so that redirecting hyperlinks can be established for them.
A
- Agar machine gun
- APX 1895 (France - Gatling Gun - 8mm Lebel)
- ArquebusArquebusThe arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
(DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- RifleRifleA rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
- 15th century) - Abus gunAbus GunThe Abus gun is an early form of howitzer or more likely a bazooka created by the Ottoman empire. They were small, but often too heavy to carry, and many were equipped with a type of tripod...
([Turkey|Ottomans]]
B
- Bailey machine gunBailey machine gunThe Bailey Machine Gun was a rapid-fire weapon developed in the late 19th century. It was a multiple barrel weapon similar to the much more commonly known Gatling gun, and was the first weapon of this type to be belt-fed. Although commonly referred to as the Bailey Machine Gun, it is technically...
- Bajouzutsu revolver (Japan - Pistol - 19th century?)
- Bira gunBira gunThe Bira gun was a .577/450 Martini-Henry calibre machine gun designed and manufactured in Nepal during the latter part of the 19th Century. It was a development of, and based upon, the American Gardner gun. It was double barreled, but fed through an overhead drum magazine similar to the later...
(Nepal - Machine Gun - 1896) - BlunderbussBlunderbussThe blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading firearm with a short, large caliber barrel, which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity and/or caliber. The blunderbuss could be considered to be an early form of shotgun,...
(Dutch - ShotgunShotgunA shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
- 18th century) - Brown BessBrown BessBrown Bess is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army's Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. This musket was used in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired symbolic importance at least as significant as its physical importance. It was in use for over a hundred...
(UK - Rifle - 1722) - Burnside carbineBurnside carbineThe Burnside carbine was a breech-loading carbine that saw widespread use during the American Civil War.-Design:The carbine was designed and patented by Ambrose Burnside, who resigned his commission in the U.S. Army to devote himself full time to working on the weapon. The carbine used a special...
(USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Rifle - 1857)
C
- Caliver (UK - Rifle - 17th century)
- Chamelot Delvigne French 1873 (French - RevolverRevolverA revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
- 1873) - CharlevilleCharleville musketThe Charleville muskets were .69 caliber French muskets used in the 18th century.- History :Marin le Bourgeoys created the first true flintlock weapons for King Louis XIII shortly after his accession to the throne in 1610. Throughout the 17th century, flintlock muskets were produced in a wide...
(FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Rifle - 1770s) - Colt 1851 NavyColt 1851 Navy RevolverThe Colt Revolving Belt Pistol of Naval Caliber , later known as the Colt 1851 Navy or Navy Revolver, is a cap and ball revolver. It was designed by Samuel Colt between 1847 and 1850. It remained in production until 1873, when revolvers using fixed metallic cartridges came into widespread use...
(US - Revolver 1851) - Colt Army Model 1860Colt Army Model 1860The Colt Army Model 1860 is a muzzle-loaded cap & ball .44-caliber revolver used during the American Civil War, made by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It was used as a side arm by cavalry, infantry, artillery troops, and naval forces....
(US - Revolver - 1860) - Colt Dragoon RevolverColt Dragoon RevolverThe Colt Model 1848 Percussion Army Revolver is a .44 caliber revolver designed by Samuel Colt for the U.S. Army's Mounted Rifles, also known as "Dragoons". This revolver was designed as a solution to numerous problems encountered with the Walker Colt...
(US - Revolver - 1848) - Colt Frontier Six-ShooterColt Single Action ArmyThe Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
(US - Revolver- ) - Colt Lightning CarbineColt Lightning CarbineThe Colt Lightning Carbine or Colt Lightning Rifle was a slide-action or pump-action rifle manufactured by Colt from 1884 to 1904 and was originally chambered in .44-40 caliber. Colt eventually made the Lightning Rifle in three different frame sizes, to accommodate a wide range of cartridges,...
(US - Carbine - 1884) - Colt M1861 NavyColt M1861 NavyThe Colt Model 1861 Navy cap & ball .36-caliber revolver was a six-shot, single-action percussion weapon produced by Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1861 until 1873. It incorporated the "creeping" or ratchet loading lever and round barrel of the .44-caliber Army Model of 1860 but had a barrel one...
(US - Revolver - 1861) - Colt revolving rifleColt revolving rifleThe Colt Revolving Rifle Model 1855 was an early repeating rifle produced by the Colt's Manufacturing Company.-History:Revolving rifles were an attempt to increase the rate of fire of rifles by combining them with the revolving firing mechanism that had been developed earlier for revolving pistols...
(US - Repeating Rifle - 1855) - Colt Single Action ArmyColt Single Action ArmyThe Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
(US - Revolver - 1873) - Confederate Revolving Cannon
E
- Enfield 1853 Rifled Musket (UK - Rifle - 1853)
- Enfield RevolverEnfield revolverEnfield Revolver is the name applied to two totally separate models of self-extracting British handgun designed and manufactured at the government-owned Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield; initially the .476 calibre Revolver Enfield Mk I/Mk II revolvers , and later the .38/200 calibre Enfield No...
(UK - Revolver - 1880)
H
- Hinawa revolverHinawa revolverThe Hinawa revolver was an early Japanese handgun of the Edo period used by Samurai troops. It was invented around the same time, or slightly before the Americans and Europeans began manufacturing multi-shot firearms.-External links:*...
(Japan - Pistol - 19th century?) - Henry Repeating RifleHenry rifleThe Henry repeating rifle was a lever-action, breech-loading, tubular magazine rifle.-History:The original Henry rifle was a .44 caliber rimfire, lever-action, breech-loading rifle designed by Benjamin Tyler Henry in the late 1850s. The Henry rifle was an improved version of the earlier Volcanic...
(US - Rifle - 1850s-1866)
L
- Lebel 1886 (French - Rifle - 1886)
- LeMat RevolverLeMat RevolverThe LeMat revolver was a .42 or .36 caliber cap & ball black powder revolver invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, which featured a rather unusual secondary 16 gauge smoothbore barrel capable of firing buckshot, and saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of...
(CSConfederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
- Revolver - 1856) - Lowell machine gun
M
- Maxim GunMaxim gunThe Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
(UK - Machine Gun - 1883) - Mitrailleuse Gatling modèle APX 1895 (France - Gatling Gun - 1895)
- M1870 GasserM1870 GasserThe M1870 Gasser was a revolver chambered for 11.2x29.5mm and was adopted by the Austro-Hungarian Cavalry in 1870. It was an open-frame model, with the barrel unit attached to the frame by a screw beneath the cylinder arbor. The arbor pin was screwed into the barrel unit and fitted into a recess in...
(Austria-Hungary - Revolver - 1870) - M1879 ReichsrevolverM1879 ReichsrevolverThe M1879 Reichsrevolver, or Reichs-Commissions-Revolver Modell 1879 and 1883, were service revolvers used by the German Army from 1879 to 1908, when it was superseded by the Luger.The two versions of the revolver differ only in barrel length...
(German Empire - Revolver - 1879) - Steyr Mannlicher M1894Steyr Mannlicher M1894The M1894 Steyr Mannlicher blow-forward, semi-automatic pistol was an early semi-automatic pistol.-General features:This earliest Steyr Mannlicher pistol, manufactured by FAB.D'ARMES Neuhausen, Switzerland, was designed to be self loading and to use a special rimmed cartridge in 6.5 mm caliber...
(Austria-Hungary - Pistol - 1894)
R
- Rast-Gasser M1898Rast-Gasser M1898The Rast & Gasser Model 1898 was a service revolver used by the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and various armies in World War II-Operation:...
(Austria-Hungary - Revolver - 1898) - Remington Model 1858Remington Model 1858The Remington New Model, was a percussion revolver manufactured by Eliphalet Remington & Sons in .36- or .44- caliber revolver used during the American Civil War. Known as it was used primarily by Union soldiers, and widely favored over the standard issue Colt Army Model 1860...
(US - Revolver - 1862) - RibauldequinRibauldequinA Ribauldequin, also known as a rabauld, ribault, ribaudkin, infernal machine or organ gun, was a late medieval volley gun with many small-caliber iron barrels set up parallel on a platform, in use during the 14th and 15th centuries. When the gun was fired in a volley, it created a shower of iron...
(UK - 1339) - Robertson machine gun
- RevolverRevolverA revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
- repeaterRepeaterA repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...
S
- Salvator-Dormus M1893Salvator-Dormus M1893The Salvator-Dormus M1893 also known as Skoda M1893 was a heavy machine gun of Austro-Hungarian origin. It was patented by Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria and Count George von Dormus and was manufactured by Skoda Works Plzeň. The Salvator-Dormus was chambered in the 8x50mmR round fed from an...
(Austria-Hungary - Heavy Machine Gun - 8x50mmR) - Schmidt M1882Schmidt M1882The Schmidt M1882 also referred to by the name Model 1929, is a revolver fabricated in Switzerland by the Waffenfabrik Bern and used as an ordnance arm by the Swiss Army. It was designed by Colonel Rudolph Schmidt.- Bibliography :...
(Switzerland - Revolver) - Schofield Model 3 (US - Revolver - 1875)
- Sharps RifleSharps RifleSharps rifles were those of a series begun with a design by Christian Sharps. Sharps rifles were renowned for long range and high accuracy in their day.-History:Sharps's initial rifle was patented September 17, 1848 and manufactured by A. S...
(US - Rifle - 1848) - Schwarzlose Model 1898Schwarzlose Model 1898The Schwarzlose Model 1898 was a semi-automatic pistol invented by Prussian firearm designer Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose. It was chambered for cartridges such as the 7.65x25mm Borchardt and 7.63x25mm Mauser....
(Austria-Hungary - Pistol - 1898) - Schönberger-LaumannLaumman PistolThe Schönberger-Laumann 1892 was the first semi-automatic pistol. It was invented by the Austrian inventor Joseph Laumann in 1892. The design is very similar to the Bergmann 1896 pistol.Caliber 7.8x19R FMJ...
(Austria-Hungary - Pistol - 1892) - Smith & Wesson Model 1Smith & Wesson Model 1The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was the first firearm manufactured by Smith & Wesson, with production commencing in 1857. It was also the first commercially available revolver to use rimfire cartridges instead of loose powder, musket ball, and percussion caps...
(US - Revolver - 1857) - Smith & Wesson No. 3 RevolverSmith & Wesson No. 3 RevolverThe Smith & Wesson model 3 was a single-action, cartridge-firing, top-break revolver produced by Smith & Wesson from 1870 to 1915, and again recently as a reproduction by Smith & Wesson themselves, Armi San Marco, and Uberti.It was produced in several variations and sub-variations, including both...
(US - Revolver - 1870) - Spencer Rifle (US - Rifle - 1860)
- Springfield Model 1795 MusketModel 1795 MusketthumbThe Model 1795 Musket was a .69 caliber flintlock musket produced in the late 18th and early 19th century at both the Springfield and Harper's Ferry US Armories.The Model 1795 was the first musket to be produced in the United States...
(US - Rifle - 1795) - Springfield Model 1855Springfield Model 1855The Model 1855 Springfield was a rifled musket used in the mid 19th century. It was produced by the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts.Earlier muskets had mostly been smooth bore flintlocks. In the 1840s, the unreliable flintlocks had been replaced by much more reliable and weather resistant...
(US - Rifle - 1855) - Springfield Model 1861Springfield Model 1861The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket shoulder arm used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" , it was the most widely used U.S...
(US - Rifle - 1861) - Springfield Model 1863Springfield Model 1863The Springfield Model 1863 rifled musket is a .58 caliber rifled musket produced by the Springfield Armory between 1863 and 1865.The Model 1863 was only a minor improvement over the Springfield Model 1861. As such, it is sometimes classified as just a variant of the Model 1861. The Model 1861, with...
(US - Rifle - 1863) - Springfield Model 1865Springfield Model 1865The Springfield Model 1865 was an early breech-loading modification of the Springfield rifle musket design.During the U.S. Civil War, the advantage of breech loading rifles became obvious. The rifled muskets used during the war had a rate of fire of 3 or 4 rounds per minute...
(US - Rifle - 1865) - Springfield Model 1866Springfield Model 1866The Springfield Model 1866 was the second iteration of the Allin-designed trapdoor breech-loading mechanism. Originally developed as a means of converting rifled muskets to breechloaders, the Allin modification ultimately became the basis for the definitive Model 1873, the first breech-loading...
(US - Rifle - 1866) - Springfield Model 1868Springfield Model 1868The Springfield Model 1868 was one of several model "trapdoor Springfields", which used the trapdoor breechblock design developed by Erskine S. Allin. Originally, the trapdoor Springfields were created to convert Model 1863 Springfield rifled muskets to breech loading rifles at a relatively low cost...
(US - Rifle - 1868) - Springfield Model 1871Springfield Model 1871The Springfield Model 1871 Rolling Block U.S. Army rifle was manufactured in 1871-72 by Springfield Armory, using the design originated by Remington Arms Company, under a royalty agreement.-Origin:...
(US - Rifle - 1871) - Springfield Model 1873Springfield Model 1873The Model 1873 "Trapdoor" Springfield was the first standard-issued breech-loading rifle adopted by the United States Army...
(US - Rifle - 1873)
T
- Tanegashima revolverTanegashima revolverThe Tanegashima revolver was a 6 shot handgun of Japanese origin dating back to the Edo period when it was manufactured in Tanegashima who were noted for importing weapons. Its possible it was invented at the same time, before the Americans and Europeans were in search of multi shot...
- (Japan - Pistol - 19th century?) - Tu Huo QiangTu Huo QiangTu Huo Qiang is a kind of early Chinese long gun that first appeared in 1259. The projectile is called zi kē ....
(ChineseChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
- Rifle - 1259)
W
- Walker ColtWalker ColtThe Colt Walker is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six charges of black powder behind six bullets. It was designed in 1846 as a collaboration between Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker and American firearms inventor Samuel Colt....
(US - Revolver -1847) - Wilder machine gun
- Winchester Model 1887Winchester Model 1887/1901The Winchester Model 1887 and Winchester Model 1901 were lever-action shotguns originally designed by famed American gun designer John Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company during the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
(US - Shotgun - 1887) - Winchester Model 1894Winchester Model 1894Winchester Model 1894 is a lever-action rifle which became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles...
(US - Rifle - 1894) - Winchester RifleWinchester rifleIn common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
(US - Rifle - 1873)
See also
- List of firearms
- List of firearms by era
- Lists of firearms by country
- List of firearms by type