How the American Gun has Changed History

The American Long Rifle or Kentucky Rifle

This gun is one of the most iconic guns in American History.

It was used by the soldiers in the American Revolution in the country's beginnings and it also was used by the frontiersmen to tame the Western Frontier by Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and others.

The Spencer Repeating Rifle

If you watch reenactments of the American Revolution and the early Civil War, you will see soldiers using flintlocks and other long guns that need to be reloaded. This is where the term "Minutemen" came from; the ability to load and reload within a minute.

The Spencer Reloading Rifle was invented to cut those reload times significantly and made it a more efficient weapon.

The Colt Single Action Army - Colt 45

Whenever you watch old or new television westerns, you will see the Colt 45.

It was the weapon of choice for good guys such as the Earps or bad guys, like BIlly the Kid.

The Colt 45 is usually shown as the gun used by the criminal element but should really be considered as the gun that tamed the West.

The Winchester 1873 Rifle

The Winchester 1873 Rifle, along with the Colt 45, helped tame the West.

This gun was seen in countless western movies and was the favorite of many outlaw and lawmen alike. Billy the Kid had an 1873 Winchester and also a Colt 45.

The 1903 Springfield Rifle

The 1903 Springfield Rifle was built at the request of President Teddy Roosevelt and was used in countless battles and skirmishes.

If this gun had not been invented, the Allies may not have won World War I as it definitely made a difference over its antiquated ancestors.

The M1911 Army Pistol

This pistol, used primarily by military officers, first made its appearance in 1911.

It was deployed during several wars and was actively issued until 1985. This 74 year span is the longest in military history.

Some still choose this weapon for use today including some elite Special Forces units.

Many officers were allowed to retire with their pistols as seen in "Scent of a Woman," where Al Pacino says, "A soldier never surrenders his sidearm."

The American Machine Gun

The machine gun was invented several years after the Gatling Gun, which really wasn't a machine gun.

The gun was heavily used by criminals and police during the 1920's and gangsters such as Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillnger and others toted them during their crime sprees.

The end of Prohibition diminished their popularity. Today, automatic weapons far exceed the destruction that these earlier models caused.

The M1 Garand Semi-Automatic Rifle

While some of the other guns before this saved the West and saved the world against crime, the M1 is considered the "Gun that saved the world."

Who knows what the world would be like today if we had not defeated the Axis powers during World War II?

The American Police Handgun

The American police handgun has evolved into a very elite weapon used by all American police forces.

Despite the model, if weren't for this gun, our country would run rampant with crime and be largely uncivilized.

The M16 Assault Rifle

The M-16 Rifle was made widely popular as a mass-produced weapon during the Vietnam War.

It is still used today by many military forces, including our own. I used one of these when I was in Desert Storm and found mine to be highly accurate and easy to maintain.