This article is about guns in general, including cannons and other mounted weapons.
A gun is a device designed to propel a using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquids (e.g. in water guns/canons), or gas(e.g. a light gas gun ). Solid projectiles may be free-flying (as with bullets and artillery shells ) or tethered (as with tasers, spearguns and harpoon guns ). A large- gun is also called a canon.
Projectile propulsion methods differ based on designs. Traditionally, they are achieved through pneumatic means using high gas pressure in a barrel (like a gun barrel). This pressure can come from fast combustion of propellants (as seen in firearms) or mechanical compression (as in air guns). The high-pressure gas is directed behind the projectile, pushing and speeding it along the tube. This imparts enough launch speed for the projectile to keep moving toward the target after the propelling gas stops acting on it at the muzzle exit. Newer linear motor weapons might use an electromagnetic field for acceleration, replacing the barrel with guide rails (as in railguns) or wrapping it with magnetic coils (as in coilguns).
The earliest guns, or proto-guns, were first seen in China around AD 1000. By the late 13th century, they evolved into "true guns," which were firearms with metal barrels firing single projectiles that sealed the barrel. Gunpowder and gun technology then spread across Eurasia during the 14th century.
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Gun Encyclopedia
RandomA firearm, an essential component of modern weaponry, is a portable and hand-held device designed for launching projectiles at high speeds. The primary components include a barrel, which guides the projectile's trajectory, a firing mechanism to init...
