pistol

A German wheel-lock pistol of the 16th century. Probably invented c. 1515, the wheel-lock represented a great technical and practical advance over the earlier matchlock pistol. Operating on a similar principle to the modern cigarette lighter, the pistol could be fired one-handed.

Two of Samuel Colt's single-action army cavalry model revolvers (barrel length 71/2 in/19 cm, calibre .45) or ‘revolving pistols’. The standard military issue had a plain, unornamented butt. In civilian hands, this gun was the most common of all used in ‘Wild West’ brawls and shootouts, was a much-prized possession, and might accordingly be ornamented and even jewelled. It was somewhat ironically known as the ‘Peacemaker’.

Any small firearm designed to be fired with one hand.

Pistols were in use from the early 15th century.

The problem of firing more than once without reloading was tackled by using many combinations of multiple barrels, both stationary and revolving. A breech-loading, multichambered revolver from 1650 still survives; the first practical solution, however, was Samuel Colt's six-gun, patented in 1835. It was mass-produced during the Mexican War (1846-48) when the US government ordered 1,000 guns. Behind a single barrel, a short six-chambered cylinder was rotated by cocking the hammer and a fresh round of ammunition brought into firing position. The automatic pistol, operated by gas or recoil, was introduced in Germany in the 1890s. Both revolvers and automatics remain in widespread military use.