1861 - Breech loaded guns in common use. 1861-1865 - American Civil War. Both breech and muzzle loaded guns used. 1862 - The Gatling Gun is invented. 1869 - Center-fire cartridge introduced.

The machine-gun was a game-changing weapon of mass destruction. But did this awesome threat actually save lives? When, in 1861, Dr Richard Gatling patented the Gatling gun – one of the first ...