The 20 Most Important Tools - No. 7 The Rifleby David M. Ewalt
Forbes.com readers, editors and a panel of experts rank the rifle as the 7th most important tool of all time, in terms of its impact on human civilization.
For as long as humans have created tools, they've made projectile weapons. Our ancestors made spears, slings and bows and mastered their use in hunting and warfare. But the rifle put all those tools to shame, boasting unprecedented accuracy, power, reliability, and range. Rifles have won wars, tamed continents and overturned empires.
The history of firearms stretches back more than a millennium. Gunpowder may date back as far as the 4th century, when it was invented in China--perhaps by someone trying to mix sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter into medicine. The Chinese first used the stuff in weapons--including rockets and cannon--about 600 years later. In 1267, legendary English scientist Roger Bacon published a recipe for gunpowder, and by the late 1300s, handheld, muzzle-loading pistols were common in Europe. Long-barreled muskets started appearing in the 1400s.
Users of these early firearms had to deal with soot clogging their barrels, and may have eventually discovered that if they cut curved grooves in the gunk while cleaning, it would impart a spin on the projectile, making it more accurate. By 1498, craftsmen were cutting grooves directly into the metal of a weapon's barrel. But it wasn't until 1747, when an English physicist named Benjamin Robins proved that "rifled" barrels performed better, that the practice really took off. By the mid 19th-century, rifled barrels were common.
Other important firearms include the musket, the shotgun, the revolver, the repeating carbine and the machine gun.
Corporate Connections: The days of the Wild West are long past, but legendary names like Colt and Winchester are still in the guns and ammo business. Smith & Wesson (amex: SWB - news - people ), Remington Arms and Sturm Ruger (nyse: RGR - news - people ) make hunting rifles. Austria's Glock and Italy's Beretta make most of the weapons used by police in the U.S. Don't want to hurt your target? Try a stun gun from Taser International (nasdaq: TASR - news - people ).
http://www.forbes.com/personaltech/2005/08/23/technology-firearms-rifle_cx_de_0823rifle.html.
