smoothbores
Guns lacking rifling
Smoothbores are firearms or artillery pieces whose barrels lack rifling—the spiral grooves that spin a projectile for stability.
Muskets, shotguns, and early cannons are smoothbores.
The term distinguishes these weapons from rifles, which have grooved barrels: Smoothbores dominated warfare until the mid-nineteenth century.
The singular smoothbore works as both noun and adjective: a smoothbore musket.
Flint-sparked firearm mechanism
- matchlockCord-ignited gun mechanism
- percussionSound through impact
- arquebusEarly portable firearm
- blunderbussFlare-muzzled scatter weapon
musketoon · fusil · muzzle-loading · barrel · ramrod · ball · powder · lock
Large mounted gun
- howitzerShort-barreled artillery piece
- mortarGrinding bowl or binder
- culverinHistorical long-range cannon
- sakerLarge Old World falcon
minion · bombard · siege · battery · bore · caliber · shot · grapeshot
Standard of measurement
- chokeObstruct breathing or airflow
- buckshotCoarse shotgun pellets
- birdshotSmall shotgun pellets
- shellsProtective outer layers
scattergun · barrel · pump-action · over-under · side-by-side · skeet · trapshooting · recoil
flintlock
Flint-sparked firearm mechanism
- matchlockCord-ignited gun mechanism
- percussionSound through impact
- arquebusEarly portable firearm
blunderbuss · musketoon · fusil · muzzle-loading · barrel · ramrod · ball · powder · lock · stock
cannon
Large mounted gun
- howitzerShort-barreled artillery piece
- mortarGrinding bowl or binder
- culverinHistorical long-range cannon
saker · minion · bombard · siege · battery · bore · caliber · shot · grapeshot · canister
gauge
Standard of measurement
shells · scattergun · barrel · pump-action · over-under · side-by-side · skeet · trapshooting · recoil · ammunition
encampment
Temporary military or refugee settlement
uniforms · costumes · reenactor · volley · charge · skirmish · maneuver · battlefield · tactics · cavalry
- armsguns, rifles, pistols, swords, firearms
- coastal artillerycoastal batteries, gun emplacements, heavy ordnance, Fort Sumter, Fort McHenry