Early Guns By Imperator-Zor Watch

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This picture involves some primitive firearms.



A-Early Firelance: The Grandaddy of them all. A simple bamboo tube affixed to the shaft of a spear with string which has a mass of black powder and some pebbles stuffed in the back end. It is fired by lighting a fuse. The weapon is short range, inaccurate and unreliable. Getting off more than one shot in a battle with this Fire Lance is generally not feasible for several reasons. Among the important ones is the fact that they are short lived. Even if they are reinforced (as this one is), the bamboo barrels don't last long and with each firing the chance of an explosion increases. These weapons are used by peasant soldiers and ignored by full time soldiers for their listed short comings. That said they are cheap, scare the crap out of horses, can blast through armor, is still a perfectly servicable spear and having even a one shot at short distance is better than nothing.



B-Metal Barreled Firelance: This comes after Firelances have been used for some time, people see the potential in them and invest in improving them. In this case, replacing the Bamboo barrel with a cast iron one. It still has many of the shortcomings of it's predecessor, but reliability has been improved. As has ignition. A small hole is in the back of this weapon, thus allowing it to be fired by placing a burning stick or kindling in the back. This makes firing more precise and reliable. Since the diameter of barrels can be roughly standardized, people begin making use of single lead balls in place of packing down pebbles. In addition to peasant militia, some generals are taking note of these new weapons, but they are still a minor consideration in battle.



C-Early Handgonne: At this point, there is more interest in this new technology for weaponry and people are looking at other ways of using it besides strapping barrels to long spears. This weapon deletes the spearhead, puts the barrel in the forn and has a shorter handle, though the handle is still somewhat long. Even though they are safer than bamboo, these gun barrels still sometimes shatter. Keeping the weapon away from one's body is seen as safer. In close quarters such weapons can be used as a mace or, in this case, an axe. Mostly these weapons are used by irregular infantry, such as skirmishers and scouts. Older and more tried and true weapons remain king on the battlefield.



D-Late Handgonne: Handgonnes have been around for a while and the design, by trial and error, is getting more refined. People are finding out how to make the most of them. Powder is also getting more reliable. They make them them more compact, thus making them easier to carry and store and use in confined spaces, such as battlements or wagons, as well as somewhat easier to reload. The general shape of a crossbow emerges, though this is not universal.



E-Matchlock Handgonne: The effectiveness of Handgonnes is mired by the fact that they can only be fired one handed. Eventually people look for ways to more easily ignite the power. Eventually they settle for bolting a lever onto the side of the weapon which lowers a wick into a pan, setting off the charge. This makes aiming easier. The crossbow shape comes to be dominant in this time, displacing other designs. Gradually militaries begin taking note on how effective these weapons are. This increases the number being bought and will lead gunsmiths to further refine their craft.



F-Arquebus: The gun begins to take on the form we know today, lock stock and barrel as step by step. Several factors contribute to this. Improved metallurgy for barrels, improved powder and trial and error in design. The barrel becomes longer to improve accuracy as well as efficiency in propellent use. The result is a weapon which becomes a primary weapon of war, alongside the sword, bow, haberd, lance and pike.



G-Late Arquebus: A general cleanup of the Arquebus, including a new mechanism, improved ergonomics and the addition of sights. While these weapons are used alongside swords, pikes, crossbows and bows, gradually these older weapons are overshadowed.

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