SMALL ARMS. A military term denoting the firearms carried by the soldier, in contra distinction to machine guns and artillery. Under this title will be found discussed the history of the development of the modern military rifle, while pistols and revolvers are discussed under their own heads. Firearms used for purposes of sport are treated under SHOTGUN.
The first hand firearms date from about the fourteenth century and were in the form of hand cannon or bombardello, which consisted of a small bombard, fired from the shoulder by means of a match applied to a touch-hole. The bombard was welded on to an iron rod, which was carried suspended from the neck of the soldier. The powder chamber was smaller in its internal diameter than the bore of the gun, but externally larger. These weapons are also known as bastons-a-feu (fire-sticks). The hand culverin was a small cannon secured to a stock by iron bands, and had a bore of little more than half an inch, but, nevertheless, it was in general use throughout Europe. The Swiss army at the battle of Morat (1476) included about 6000 eulveriners. The hand culverin was fired from a forked rest usually, and required two men to work it. the one aiming and holding the weapon, while the other discharged, loaded, and assisted in carrying it. Further improvements included an enlarged bore, a bent stock, and finally the placing of the touch-hole upon the side. The barrels were octagonal or hexagonal in form. Small mil verins were used for horseback fighting„ and larger ones for the foot soldiery. The first real approach to the modern small arm was the early match-lock, which was the ordinary gun of the period with the addition of a serpentine or cock for holding the match. The serpentine was hung upon a pivot which, passing through the stock, formed a lever for the hand. Before the weapon could be discharged it was necessary to bring the serpentine in contact with the burning match on the barrel, until the former was ignited, after which the lever was raised and the serpentine brought into contact with the priming of the touch-hole and the gun discharged. The next im provement was to reverse the position of the serpentine and provide a spring to hold the match away from the touch-hole, after which a certain amount of pressure brought to bear upon the lever caused the serpentine with the lighted match to fall into the flash-pan.
In the nature of things the effect of the fire arms of this period was more of a moral than a destructive character. Many strange varie ties of firearms gradually came into use, such as combinations of club and pistol, of pistol and battle-axe, and particularly the 'holy water sprinkler,' which latter consisted of a strong mace formed by four or more barrels ar ranged as is the chamber of the modern re volver. An improved invention in the form of the wheel-lock was made in 1515. It con sisted of a grooved steel wheel, having a ser rated edge connected to the lock-plate by means of a chain and spring. The spring power was obtained by winding the wheel so that when the gun was charged the wheel would be wound up, the cover of the flash-pan withdrawn, and the pyrite which was held in the cock permitted to come in contact with the wheel. When the trigger was pressed the check on the wheel was released, and sparks produced by the friction of the wheel against the pyrite and the priming III., and in one form or another remained in use in the British army up to as late a period as 1840.
Crude forms of repeating, breech-loading, re volving, and magazine weapons sprang up here and there throughout Europe, but they are of interest only as showing that these principles which form so important a part of our modern weapons are not in themselves modern. It is in the improved methods of ignition which Forsyth made possible that the arms important step in small the evolution of smarms was accomplished. His invention dates from 1807, and is described by him as "a detonating principle for exploding gunpowder in firearms, eV." Many subsequent improvements in the sysflm were made by the manufacturers whom the patentee engaged to make the guns. The percussion was applied first to muzzle loading and afterwards to breech-loading guns, and, strangely enough, did not at first appeal to the various governments of Europe as suitable for weapons for military purposes.