The topic of firearms is so vast that, to show this beauty, we only went through the top and presented a small part of those, let’s not be afraid of this word, works of art of weaponry that are in the world.
Moroccan gun, miquelet, 1758-1759
Caucasian flintlocks belong to the Mediterranean type of locks, which are often called miquelet lock. Similar locks were widely used on Spanish and Ottoman weapons. The main difference between Circassian flintlocks and Turkish ones are minor design features, less massiveness of Circassian castles, and, as a rule, the absence of exquisite decorations on the surface of Circassian castles compared to Turkish ones.
Ottoman miquelet gun, late 18th century, steel, wood, ivory, brass, mother-of-pearl.
The stable flintlock form was popular in the Ottoman Empire from the 17th to the early 20th centuries.
Ottoman pistol, miquelet, circa 1850 and Caucasian (possibly Georgian or Circassian) miquelet pistol, dated 1846
Indian (Sindh) matchlock, 18th century; Ottoman flintlock pistol, 18th century; Persian (Qajar) blunderbuss, early 19th century
Indo-Persian flintlock pistol, 19th century, 4 barrels
Double-barreled pistol with a wheel lock. Made for Emperor Charles V (ruled 1519-56) by Peter Peck (German, Munich, 1503-1596).
A wheel lock is a firearm mechanism common in the 15th–17th centuries, in which the spark necessary to ignite a powder charge is struck using a rotating knurled wheel.
Saxon pistol, with wheel lock and inlay, 1529
Belgian pocket pistol from the city of Liege (centre of gunsmithing), four barrels, Flintlock, 1740
Flintlock, or flintlock weapon, is a type of firearm that was first introduced no later than the beginning of the 16th century. Later it replaced the wick and wheel mechanisms.
Dutch pair of pistols, 18th century, flintlock.
Swiss pistol, flintlock, ivory, 18th century.
Elegant flintlock pistol, Northern Italy, 18th century.
Pair of flintlock pistols, ivory and silver, circa 1675-80
Richly carved ivory flintlock pistol, late 17th century.
Tula flintlock pistols
Fragment. Double-barreled breech-loading hunting shotgun with flintlock. 1790s Master I. Lyalin. Tula. Steel, gold, bone; forging, engraving, instructions, gilding, bluing.
In the 17th-18th centuries, the wheel lock was supplanted by the flintlock, which was less reliable in terms of misfires, but easier to load, cheaper and not afraid of dirt; in the first half of the 19th century, the latter was replaced by a capsule or piston lock.
Since the flintlock pistol was single-shot, various attempts were made to increase the pistol's rate of fire. This led to the appearance of double-barreled and even multi-barreled samples. Already in the 16th century the revolver was invented
Rare Chamelot & Delvigne revolver, Liege, third quarter of the 19th century
Revolver (from Latin revolvere - roll back, rotate) is a multi-shot melee firearm, the cartridge feeding mechanism of which is made in the form of a rotating cylinder (drum), in the chambers of which there are cartridges, and at the moment of firing, the barrel is a continuation another chamber.
Colt Model 1861 Navy
Rare 8-shot pistol by master Jarre, Paris, 19th century.
At the end of the 19th century, approximately between 1859 and 1862, the French inventor A.E. Jarre received several patents for weapons of a very unusual design. The American patent was registered in 1873. The stud cartridges used at that time, due to the studs protruding from the cartridge cases, created difficulties for their centering relative to the striking part of the trigger in multi-shot weapons. Jarre decided to make a horizontal chamber block in which the cartridges were located. In essence, it turned out to be a drum deployed in a horizontal line.
Revolver, France, third quarter of the 19th century
Six-shot revolver of the Colt system with a bullet, in a case. 1854 Master N. Zahava. Tula. Steel, wood, copper alloy, cloth, paper, cardboard, sealing wax; engraving, inlay, carving, bluing, sizing, typographical printing.
Unusual weapon - 1600g. - the jailers' keys were filled with gunpowder, thereby creating a primitive pistol that would fire if there were problems opening the cell.
And just a gorgeous engraving on a German rifle, late 19th century.
