Editing Firearm (section)

===Early firearm models===
====Fire lances====
{{main|Fire lance}}
[[File:Fire Lance Knight.jpg|thumb|A cavalryman wielding a fire lance.]]
The Chinese [[fire lance]] from the 10th century was the direct predecessor to the modern concept of the firearm. It was not a gun itself, but an addition to soldiers' spears. Originally it consisted of paper or bamboo barrels that would contain incendiary gunpowder that could be lit one time and which would project flames at the enemy. Sometimes Chinese troops would place small projectiles within the barrel that would also be projected when the gunpowder was lit, but most of the explosive force would create flames. Later, the barrel was changed to be made of metal, so that more explosive gunpowder could be used and put more force into the propulsion of projectiles.<ref name="Chase">{{Harvcolnb |Chase|2003}}</ref>{{rp|31–32}}

====Hand cannons====
{{main|Hand cannon}}
[[File:Dictionnaire raisonné du mobilier français de l’époque carlovingienne à la Renaissance, tome 6 - 357.png|thumb|A Swiss soldier firing a hand cannon.]]
The original predecessor of all firearms, the Chinese [[hand cannon]] from the 13th century, was loaded with gunpowder and the projectile (initially [[lead shot]], later replaced by cast iron{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}) through the muzzle, while a fuse was placed at the rear. This fuse was lit, causing the gunpowder to ignite and propel the projectiles. In military use, the Chinese hand cannon was tremendously powerful, while also being somewhat erratic{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} due to the relative inability of the gunner to aim the weapon, or to control the ballistic properties of the projectile. Recoil could be absorbed by bracing the barrel against the ground using a wooden support, the forerunner of the [[Stock (firearms)|stock]]. Neither the quality nor amount of gunpowder, nor the consistency in projectile dimensions was controlled, with resulting inaccuracy in firing due to [[windage]], variance in gunpowder composition, and the difference in diameter between the [[Caliber|bore]] and the shot. Hand cannons were replaced around the 15th century by lighter carriage-mounted [[artillery]] pieces, and ultimately by the [[arquebus]].

In the 1420s, gunpowder was used to propel missiles from hand-held tubes during [[History of Czech civilian firearms possession#Origins of civilian firearms possession|the Hussite revolt]] in Bohemia.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/development-early-handguns.html |title=Andrew Knighton, The Development of Early Handguns, warhistoryonline.com, Oct 19, 2018 |date=19 October 2018 |access-date=January 4, 2021 |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210227152539/https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/development-early-handguns.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=April 2023}}

====Arquebuses====
[[File:Musée du Château de Foix 02.jpg|thumb|A 17th Century arquebus at the [[Château de Foix]] Museum, France.]]
The [[arquebus]] is a long gun that appeared in Europe and the [[Ottoman Empire]] during the 15th Century. The term ''arquebus'' is derived from the Dutch word ''haaqbus'' (literally meaning ''hook gun''). The term arquebus was applied to many different types of guns. In their earliest form they were defensive weapon mounts on German city walls in the 15th Century. The addition of a shoulder stock, priming pan and matchlock mechanism in the late 15th century turned the arquebus into a handheld firearm, and also first firearm equipped with a trigger. Heavy arquebuses mounted on [[war wagon]]s were called ''arquebus a croc''. These heavy arquebuses fired a [[lead]] ball of about 3.5 ounces (100g).

====Muskets====
{{main|Musket}}
[[File:Grand Turk(36).jpg|thumb|Muskets and bayonets aboard the [[sailing frigate|frigate]] [[Étoile du Roy|Grand Turk]].]]
[[Muzzleloader|Muzzle-loading]] muskets (smooth-bored long guns) were among the first firearms developed.{{when|date=August 2018}} The firearm was loaded through the muzzle with gunpowder, optionally with some wadding, and then with a bullet (usually a solid lead ball, but musketeers could shoot stones when they ran out of bullets). Greatly improved muzzleloaders (usually rifled instead of smooth-bored) are manufactured today and have many enthusiasts, many of whom hunt large and small game with their guns. Muzzleloaders have to be manually reloaded after each shot; a skilled archer could fire multiple arrows faster than most early muskets could be reloaded and fired, although by the mid-18th century when muzzleloaders became the standard small-armament of the military, a well-drilled soldier could fire six rounds in a minute using prepared cartridges in his musket. Before then, the effectiveness of muzzleloaders was hindered both by the low reloading speed and, before the firing mechanism was perfected, by the very high risk posed by the firearm to the person attempting to fire it.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}

One interesting solution to the reloading problem was the "Roman Candle Gun" with [[superposed load]]s. This was a muzzleloader in which multiple charges and balls were loaded one on top of the other, with a small hole in each ball to allow the subsequent charge to be ignited after the one ahead of it was ignited. It was neither a very reliable nor popular firearm, but it enabled a form of "automatic" fire long before the advent of the machine gun.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.scotwars.com/html/equip_firearms2.htm#3|title=Roman Candle Gun|work=Scotwars.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090302211812/http://scotwars.com/html/equip_firearms2.htm|archive-date=March 2, 2009}}</ref>