Process Essay: The Origin Of Gunpowder

A firearm is a weapon from which a projectile-such as a bullet- is shot and is discharged by some chemical-usually gunpowder. It is believed that the origin of gunpowder is from Turkey, Europe, or China. The first combination of chemicals recorded was by Franciscan monk Roger Bacon around the time of 1250 A.D. The compounds were sulphur, charcoal, and saltpeter; which produced a rapidly burning and exploding powder. Around fifty years later, the first cannons were being developed. It consisted of a thick metal tube with a closed end (called a Breech) and an open end (called the muzzle). There was a small hole at the rear to light the powder (called the touchhole). The gunpowder was put in first, followed by the projectile. The powder is then ignited with an ember or torch. The expanding gases from the exploding …show more content…
They were usually loaded and fired in the same way as the full-size cannons. The greatest advances for the next four centuries would mainly focus on the search for better methods of making the gunpowder ignite, in addition to a design for a more rapid repeat of a shot and its accuracy. A term “lock, stock, and barrel” came from the design of the firearm, in which it represents the three main components of an early firearm. The stock is the wooden holder for the barrel to be mounted and allowing the gun to fire on the shoulder or from a hand. The barrel is of course, the barrel of the firearm. The lock is a mechanical contrivance that is used to light the charge of gunpowder in the chamber of the barrel. The very first gun to have all three of these components was the matchlock, which was made in the early 1400’s. Many of these early hand cannons were lit with a “slow match”, which was a length of slender rope or cord which had been chemically treated so that the end could be ignited and would keep burning or