Editing Firearm (section)

====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}}