Nothing has changed the manner of warfare as the appearance of firearms in the Middle Ages. Talented designers have created many wonderful samples, but this article deals with the food.
What is food, its creation
The development of firearms went in several directions. Manufacturers of those times sought to create more and more advanced designs. At the same time, the craftsmen tried to make them mobile and easy to use, cumbersome and durable. As a result, a whole class of hand and siege weapons appeared, which in Russia was called peasants.
What is peeping, they knew mainly in Russia. So called early weapons with a medium or long barrel. This parameter was determined both by the skill of the manufacturers and by the features of the order. It was customary to equip equestrian troops with long-barrels, and infantry with short-barreled beeps.
The meaning of the word “peep” came from the concept of “pipe” and was first mentioned in Old Slavonic sources from the eleventh century, and applies to weapons - tentatively since 1400.
It should also be noted the various sizes of the squeak. There were hand and serf guns, which had a much larger size and mass, which reduced their mobility and made them look more like classical guns.
Hand squeak
What is a manual peep? This is a weapon for close combat, or rather, direct fire contact with enemy forces. It had a small caliber, which was due to the need for firing from hands and a long transfer, when the troops were on the march.
The squeak could conduct effective fire at a distance of about three hundred meters, however, the absence of sights made the accuracy of firing mediocre. The speed of fire was small, and reloading took a long time, since it was a laborious process.
To prepare the squeak for shooting, it took time and relevant skills, so in this regard there was a big difference between beginners and experienced shooters. In the conduct of hostilities, the main method was volley fire, and it should be made as dense and effective as possible. The tactics of warfare - the linear construction of the shooters, provided a larger number of barrels in the salvo.
Siege weapon
What is siege squeak? This is the second type represented by serf and siege weapons. As the name implies, they were used to protect fortresses and forts or to destroy them from a considerable distance. Having less mobility, they nevertheless possessed a much greater destructive force and range of fire.
Multi-barrel weapon
Also, history has preserved stories of multi-barreled beeps, which in theory had a huge fire density and considerable destructive power. They were designed to compensate for the low accuracy. The design of this type of weapon made it possible to fire from more barrels, which increased both the damage done and the chances of hitting the target.
The shells and bullets of multi-barrel peepers were of different sizes, and the greatest efficiency was achieved against crowding. Regarding their size, there are many opinions, but not a single weapon has survived to our time.
Primitive device squeaked
The design of the squeak was very simple and even artless. It was an iron tube or barrel, while still smooth, without grooves, mounted on a wooden base.
It was called a bed, and in the back it went into the butt. Some peepers had a bell on the trunk, resembling a funnel in shape. The gauges were great. This was explained by both the complexity of manufacturing and the inability to perform work with small sizes, since the technology did not allow this.
The most common caliber is 20-30 mm, the trunk is 80-110 cm long, the handbrake is 110-140 cm, the squeak weight is 5-7 kg. Mostly trunks were made of iron. In front of the food was a stubborn metal rod.
This was done because of the considerable weight of the weapon and the impossibility of holding it for a long time on weight. The shot was carried out by ignition of a propellant propellant charge. Not all shots had the same strength, since the size of the charge of gunpowder was determined by eye.
In the future, the history of the development of this type of weapon followed the path of lightening the weight and increasing accuracy. This led to the fact that the beeps gradually became guns and muskets.