Weapon Evolution~Rifles

Rifles have been used in warfare for centuries, but how exactly did the rifle evolve? This is what this page will try to cover.

## History of Rifles

Ever since the invention of gunpowder (more on that later in this page, many nations around the world have tried to invent their own weapons that can use gunpowder. But there was no area that was so adamant of making firearms than in Europe. They made several of their own rifles which included the Arquebus which was invented sometime in the 15th century and was used when the Spanish drove out the Islamic Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. As the age of exploration began, many soldiers that went along with the explorers also brought their rifles which gave them an advantage over their enemies.

By the time European explorers colonized America, rifles evolved into what was known as Muskets which were only effective for around 60-70 yards. However, armies of the world at the time tried to overcome this shortcoming by using what was called "Volley Fire" where the army would march in rigid squares and level their rifles and the commander shouts "fire" and the soldiers pulled the trigger. The British were masters of this as they were able to use it to massive effect, especially during the American Revolution.

Dutch settlers had something different, they had something what was called the Jäger (pronounced Yay-ger) which was known as the Rifle, over the decades the Jäger was Americanized, thus creating the Pennsylvania and Kentucky Rifles. These rifles had the advantage over muskets as they had an effective range of around 300 yards. This is because the rifles had grooves inside the barrel, what that means is that the bullet would spin during the ignition process which would allow the bullet to fly further and with much more accuracy.

This point was made clear during the Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolution. A part of the American Continental Army which was called Daniel Morgan's Rifle Corp. had a soldier named Tim Murphy do a job to kill the British commander Simon Fraser. It took 3 shots to kill him (as the first 2 missed) but the killing of Fraser also caused the British fighting in the battle to lose a viable commander, the British would eventually suffer 1,000 casualties. As we know from previous wiki pages the British (led by John Burgoyne) to surrender 10 days after the battle began. Showing that sometimes that not just how many you kill, but "who" you kill. Throughout history (and with the invention of accurate rifles) there have been numerous attempts on any leader's lives. One of those leaders was Adolf Hitler during World War 2. Though what also kept Hitler from being the target of assassination was that Allied strategists believed that Hitler was bringing the downfall of his Nazi Empire faster than the Allies. But this didn't stop the assassinations of world leaders. In 1963, (as we know already) that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald pulled the trigger on President John F. Kennedy and the United States was in total shock. The rifle Oswald used was the inaccurate Carcano which was used by the Italian army during both World Wars.

## Mechanisms

Throughout history, rifles used a lot of mechanisms in order to work the way soldiers wanted to. They ranged from using the soldier's figures to using a trigger.

### Fuses

The first rifles (or guns) which were created by the Chinese, had a slow burning fuse which made the rifle inaccurate since it was also a smoothbore barrel.

### Matchlock

In the 15th century, rifles would begin to use a Matchlock mechanism. Though at first, soldiers would have to hold the burning match cord into a small hole which would ignite the gunpowder inside the barrel, however this wasn't very useful as it also made the gun inaccurate, so in a few decades, they put the lever mechanism on the rifle which only took away the need to hold it with a person's fingers. With the invention of the Arquebus also came with a trigger mechanism which had a hammer fall into the priming pan which ignites the gunpowder in the barrel. Matchlocks also had a problem of not working when wet so when it rains, the rifles became useless.

### Wheelock

The wheelock mechanism was a way to replace matchlocks, but the wheelock didn't work too well as it jammed frequently. Something better was needed.

### Flintlock

Flintlock mechanism was different from the wheelock, it used a piece of flint which was attached to the hammer of the rifle, and how a flintlock worked is that the trigger released the hammer which had the piece of flint and it would strike a steel plate known as a Frizzen which creates a spark which ignites the gunpowder inside the priming pan which then transfers to the barrel of the gun which it goes off, sending the bullet towards the target. Though flintlocks did have one weakness, and that is when the flint strikes the frizzen and ignites the gunpowder inside the priming pan it doesn't transfer all the way to the gunpowder inside the barrel, something that is called a flash in the pan, or sometimes it takes time to transfer from the pan to the barrel, and it's slow to fire.

It wouldn't be until the 9th century when something better was invented, something better than even flintlocks. In 1807, a Scottish reverend named Alexander John Forsyth invented what would be known as the Percussion Cap which would also cause a spark which would ignite the gunpowder inside the barrel, making guns much more reliable when firing and less of a chance to misfire.

### Bolt-Action

By the 19th century and with the invention of metallic casings, this lead to another breakthrough in rifles, the bolt-action. Exactly how and when it's invented is unknown, but this also led to the design of all kinds of rifles. By World War 1, every warring faction had their own rifle, the British had the Lee Enfield SMLE, the Germans had the Mauser, the Russians had the Mosin-Nagant, and the Americans had the 1903 Springfield.

## Loading a rifle

How to properly load a rifle had also changed during the rifle's evolution. Ranging from having to load from the muzzle to bolt action rifles which used a spring loaded magazine to bring the bullet up to the receiver.

### Muzzle Loaders

For centuries, loading from the muzzle was considered the norm to lading rifles (or any guns for that matter), how this is done is that first you put in the gunpowder, and then use a piece of cloth and ram it to the bottom of the barrel, this is a wading which creates the airtight seal, and then put in the bullet, and then the mechanism which powers the rifle will ignite the powder and the gun fires. The time to complete all of this can take several minutes, not too much of a problem if you're not in the heat of battle where you're more likely to get shot.

### Breech Loaders

At the time of the American Civil War rifles like the Sharps Carbine used a simpler and less time consuming loading system where the breech had a slip where you can put a paper cased bullet with gunpowder right into the breech. The Sharps Carbine was used mostly by the Union, and the Sharps Carbine was proven its worth during the Battle of Gettysburg where a Union force led by General John Buford was successful on holding off a Confederate force invading the town.

## Propellants

All different kinds of propellants were used in rifles which makes the bullet leave the gun and towards its target.

### Black Powder

The original gunpowder, it was invented by Chinese doctors in the 11th century as they were looking for the Elixir of Life, they mixed Charcoal with Potassium Nitrate, and Sulfur and they created an explosive compound. Soon, the Chinese would use this new explosive powder in many projects such as making firecrackers, early rockets, and some medicine. For centuries, black powder was used for the propellant of firearms as it spread across the Eurasian Continent. There were problems using black powder, it doesn't work when it was wet, and it's also very dangerous when ignited, it also produced a lot of smoke when ignited. Something better was needed.

### Ballistite

Invented in the 19th century by Alfred Nobel (yes, that Nobel who came up with the $1,000,000 prize) this was different than original black powder. It produced no smoke when ignited and had a more powerful output and making bullets deadlier.

## Projectiles

There are a lots of kind of bullets that were used during the evolution of the rifle.

### Lead Ball

Before lead balls, the early firearms used stone pellets, but were different sizes. However when the lead ball came into play, they also came in different sizes since they came in a block of lead with it's own mold, and every time the lead ball would be a different size. This problem was eventually addressed when the manufactures decided to make lead balls the same size. What the lead ball does is that it flattens out when it hits the human body, causing a lot of damage to it, leaving the victim with horrible injuries. But in a world where rifles are always evolving, something better was needed.

### Minie Ball

At the time of the American Civil War, the bullet was modified, this was called the Minie Ball its shape is more aerodynamic than the regular lead ball as it fits tighter around the barrel, and it can go longer than the regular lead ball. Like the lead ball, the Minie Ball also flattens out when it hits a human body, but it also tumbles and does more damage.

## Sniper Equipment

When accurate rifles were made, there also came what would be known as Snipers who are special shooters, and they're trained to rarely miss. However, their rifles are the ones that make them stand out between their fellow soldiers.

### Scopes/Sights

The first rifles were about killing the soldier next to you rather than many yards away, so the first rifles didn't have any way to line up a shot. But as rifles evolved, they began to have sights on them which allowed for more precise shots. Soon scopes were added to make the object you're shooting at bigger and easier to see, this also made it easier for a sniper to kill an officer, in fact by the time of the American Civil War, officers began to stop wearing their ranks so to confuse the sniper, one of those officers was Ulysses S. Grant where he would be seen wearing a private's coat (with his own ranking on it) so that would protect him from snipers. As with rifles, scopes would also evolve and they would even have the ability to zoom on a target making it that much easier to see your target, especially if whatever you're shooting at must be dead if you 're aiming for the head or the heart. Scopes would then be equipped with the vision of the moon and the stars to allow the sniper to see at night, then night vision came which is the standard piece of equipment for snipers when they operate at night.

### Ghillie Suit

A sniper also sees it to blend into his surrounding environment, by using what is known as Camouflage as they would either paint their faces to blend in or use something called a Ghillie Suit which can be worn all over the body and allowing the sniper to better blend in with his surrounding environment, highly effective, it is also used by law enforcement.

### Having to kill your target

In a world where rifle technology is always evolving, manufacturers also made sniper rifles that hit hard, this is a Barret .50 Sniper rifle and it uses a huge bullet (.50 caliber) which can destroy any minor or moderate targets especially if that human target is wearing body armor or hiding in a car, it can go through armor or a car door very easily.

Eventhough snipers had freedom in the wars they were fighting, but when it came to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, their freedom has came into question because the enemy would use buildings for cover, or even use the presence of civilians as the American soldiers would have to call in the target they intend to shoot at while following the rules of engagement. But who knows what the future will hold for rifles, or for snipers for that matter.

That'll do it for this page, don't forget to check out my Games and Movies wikis too. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.