Rifles were first created when the Europeans adopted gunpowder from the Chinese. The Chinese primarily used gunpowder for fireworks and cannons. The Europeans however made a hole in a cylinder of metal, drilled a small hole in the closed end of the tube, placed some gunpowder and a lead ball in it, put a fire in the small hole, and bang(Look at the picture above)! Just like that the first rifle was created. The first recorded use of a firearm was in 1364.
Later when people realized they needed a more dependable and quicker way to light the gunpowder they created the flash pan. To make it the touch hole was placed to the side and a cup with a lid on it was put over it. The cup would protect all the gunpowder from being wet.They would then put a small amount of gunpowder in the cup that would start a small fire and light the gunpowder in the barrel.
Later when people realized they needed a more dependable and quicker way to light the gunpowder they created the flash pan. To make it the touch hole was placed to the side and a cup with a lid on it was put over it. The cup would protect all the gunpowder from being wet.They would then put a small amount of gunpowder in the cup that would start a small fire and light the gunpowder in the barrel.