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Heilongjiang Hand Cannon: The World's Oldest Surviving Firearm

admin · 2026-03-16T23:04:10.814Z

Spent some time down a rabbit hole on early firearms history this week and landed on the Heilongjiang hand cannon — the oldest confirmed surviving firearm on Earth, pulled out of the ground in Manchuria in 1970. Worth a few minutes of your time if you care about where this equipment actually came from. According to sources, the weapon typically required two operators — one to aim and brace, one to manage ignition — a detail that underscores both how primitive and how genuinely functional thi...

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Heilongjiang Hand Cannon: The World's Oldest Surviving Firearm

The Heilongjiang hand cannon is a cast-bronze, muzzle-loading firearm manufactured no later than 1288 CE during China's Yuan dynasty — and it is the oldest confirmed surviving firearm on Earth. It measures 34 centimeters (13.4 inches) in total length

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