The pistol derived from the slingshot.
Around 1530, pistols were introduced and proved useful in close combat. They employed
first a
wheel lock, then a flintlock. A long pistol could hit a target
from a distance of 50 steps, yet it could hit through cuirasses at 2 - 3 steps' distance. It
was widely used by the cavalry. Riders would fire a pistol salvo before breaking into infantry arrays.
