The first small arm ever invented was the hand cannon.  Conceived in the early 14^th century, it was little more than a miniature cannon mounted on a stick.  One fired it by igniting the gunpowder in the rear of the barrel by jamming a hot iron rod through a hole above the rear end of the barrel.  Today, we have rapid fire assault rifles that can hold 50 round magazines and sniper rifles that can hit targets at ranges of 1 mile.  The manufacturers of these weapons are wealthy companies owned by multinational corporations.  The firearms industry in America is what is concentrated on here.  It began when with tinkerers and blacksmiths who revolutionized the market and founded those powerful companies.  The American companies focused on in this study are the big name, traditional American trademark manufacturers: Colt, Remington, the Springfield Armory, Smith and Wesson, Winchester, and Browning.  Colt began when Sam Colt produces the first practical revolver.  He got the idea from staring at a wheel.  His single action army model is said to have made all men equal.  Eliphalet Remington gained recognition at a shooting competition with his home made shotgun in 1816.  The Springfield Armory was a government plant set up by George Washington.  Oliver Winchester produced the first practical American repeating rifle, the Henry Gun.  His model 1866 lever action is said to be the gun that won the west.  Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson produced some of the finest revolvers, including their famous model 1852 “volcanic.”  John Browning came after the previous gunsmiths and began to be recognition in the late 1800’s.  He produced a .50 caliber water cooled heavy machine gun used in both World Wars, the model 1911 colt .45 which was the US military’s standard sidearm until 1985, and the Browning Automatic Rifle, the first American light machine gun which saw use in the military from 1917 until the early 1960’s.  Each of these men, along with their revolutionary firearms, founded the corporate powerhouses of today’s firearms industry.

 

Related Links:

www.colt.com

www.browning.com

www.remington.com

www.winchester.com

www.winchester-guns.com

www.smith-wesson.com