Here are 50 of the greatest guns of all time. Each one, in its own way, shaped the world as we know it.
Since the development of gunpowder, the history of the world can be traced through the history of the gun. The development of the modern firearm has, perhaps more than any other invention, shaped the world as we now know it.
While there have been literally thousands of different firearms designed in the past three centuries, which ones are the greatest?
For a gun to be considered great, it must do one (or more) of several things well. In addition to functioning well, great guns represent the next step in technological development. Great guns are guns that are not only be popular when they are introduced, but remain desirable (or useful) today. Truly great guns are guns that forever change the course of history.
Here is our list of the 50 greatest guns of all time. Each one, in its own way, had a hand in shaping world history.
