Everything about Hand Cannon totally explained
The
hand cannon (
Arabic:
midfa;
Chinese: ), as it was called, was the first handheld portable
firearm, or
handgun.
Early firearms ranging from hand cannons to
arquebuses are referred to in texts of the period by many spellings:
gonne, gunne, canon being a few examples.
The hand cannon dates back to the late
13th century in
Egypt and
China, and was used until at least the
1520s in
Europe and the
Middle East, and until modern times in the
Far East. However, where it was invented remains an area of controversy. The
Arabs,
Chinese and
Mongols all have a claim - as do the
Europeans. The earliest evidence of a portable hand cannon dates back to the
Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, when they were used by the Egyptians to repel the Mongols.
The hand cannon was a simple weapon, but effective in sieges and ambushes. It was less effective in open battle and in wet or windy conditions. Despite its crude appearance, the hand cannon could kill even armoured opponents at short ranges - if the gunner could manage to hit them. Experiments indicate an effective range of about 50 metres and a maximum range of about 300 metres, depending on
calibre and type of
powder used.
Hand cannon ranged in barrel length from 190 to 600 mm and from 12 to 36 mm in calibre. Approximate weights ranged from 1.5 kg to a monstrous 15 kg for some
siege models. Barrels were typically short compared to later
firearms and made from
wrought iron or cast in
bronze. For ease of handling, the barrels were often attached to a wooden
stock. This was done in two ways: either by resting the barrel in a groove in the stock and securing it with metal bands, or by inserting the stock into a socket formed in the rear part of the barrel. Some gonnes merely had a metal rod formed as an extension to the rear of the barrel as a handle. For firing, the hand cannon could be held in two hands while an assistant applied ignition (such as hot coals or burning tinder) to the
touch hole, or propped against something and set off by the gunner himself. Illustrations depict gunners holding the stock in the armpit, or over the shoulder like a modern
bazooka to aim their weapon. During sieges, hand cannon were rested on the edges of walls, over the sides of armoured carts, or on forked rests hammered into the ground. Hooks are often found attached to the bottom of the barrel to support the gonne against stationary objects or to reduce the recoil.
Later hand cannon were made with a
flash pan attached to the barrel, and a touch hole drilled through the side wall of the gonne instead of the top of the barrel. The flashpan had a leather cover, and later on a hinged metal lid fitted, to keep the priming powder dry until the moment of firing and to prevent premature firing. The invention of corned powder, the
slow match, and the flash pan around 1400 led to the widespread adoption of gonnes, as those who used them were now no longer required to mix their powder on the spot, to stay close to a source of fire, or to avoid exposure to bad weather.
The reasons why firearms gradually came to dominate European
warfare are clear. The advantages of the hand cannon were: low cost; easy mass production; the ability to be used by fairly poorly trained troops; and a measure of control over their manufacture (and especially the manufacture of ammunition - an important consideration in a medieval Europe wracked by rebellion). Its armor-penetration capability was among the superior points of the firearm: while arrows were somewhat effective against
mail armor, they were not nearly as effective as bullets when it came to piercing
plate armor. While the hand cannon couldn't match the accuracy or speed of fire of the
longbow, gunners didn't require the special training and continuous practice from childhood required of a good bowman.
Crossbows had superior power and accuracy compared to early hand cannon, but were expensive to make, slow to reload and almost as poorly affected by wet weather as hand cannon.
In fiction
"Gonne" is also the name of the firearm in the
Discworld novel
Men at Arms by
Terry Pratchett. Believed to be the only black powder weapon in existence on the Discworld, the gonne more resembles a modern rifle than the weapon described above, as it has a magazine of six shots which can be fired in rapid succession and is accurate at long ranges. The impression is given that it's semi-automatic. It is also, in some strange way, alive, and struggles with its user in an effort to kill as many things as possible.
In the video game
Resident Evil 4, a powerful .50 caliber magnum revolver appears as an unlockable weapon under the name "Handcannon". This makes a reappearance as the strongest non-explosive weapon in
Umbrella Chronicles.
In a similar spirit,
John Travolta's character in the film
Pulp Fiction refers to a magnum-caliber revolver as a "hand cannon".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hand Cannon'.
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