Early Ming Handgonnes

Timeline

1. 1360–1362Eastern China battlefields · ChinaDuring the Yuan–Ming transition, rival powers experimented in war with short-tube firearms cast in bronze and iron; powder chamber and touch-hole designs became increasingly practical, laying the technical foundation for handgonnes operable by a single soldier.
2. 1363Poyang Lake · JiangxiIn the naval battle at Poyang Lake between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang, Ming forces were already equipped with metal handgonnes for close-quarters boarding and ship assaults, showing the handgonne's shift from experimental weapon to routine battlefield equipment.
3. 1368–1370Yingtian Prefecture (Nanjing) · JiangnanAfter the founding of the dynasty, the court established armaments bureaus in Nanjing and elsewhere, casting bowl-mouthed handgonnes and hand guns to uniform specifications and issuing them to guards and battalions; handgonne production shifted from wartime capture and workshop imitation into the state armaments system.