Bian Chong (邊銃)

Drawing of a Bian Chong, from 'Wu Bei Yao Lue (《武備要略》)'.

Bian Chong (邊銃, lit. 'Border gun' or 'Frontier gun'), also known as Chong Gun (銃棍, lit. 'Staff gun') was a relatively common but very obscure firearm of the Ming army. True to its namesake, it was commonly found in the hands of frontier troops. Bian Chong was essentially a double-ended handgonne that also doubled as quarterstaff. It had one rear sight and two front sights, one on each end of the barrel, to facilitate aiming.

Some Bian Chong had one half of their barrels wrapped in bamboo or rattan to for better grip.