Labor sets out the history of the development of handguns in Russia since the beginning of the 19th century. 1 part of the work covers the period from the war with Napoleon to the introduction of a magazine rifle arr. 1891 Being mainly a manual in the study of the history of weapons, the work at the same time is intended not only for persons involved in weapons issues, but also is of interest to command and commanding personnel. Red Army, studying the history of wars of the XIX century.