Shen Qiang (神鎗)

Early Ming variant

Drawing of a dart-shooting Shen Qiang, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Shen Qiang (神鎗, lit. 'Divine gun' or 'Divine spear'), also known as Shen Ji Chong (神機銃, lit. 'Divine engine gun') and Shen Ji Huo Qiang (神機火鎗, lit. 'Divine engine fire lance'), was a  handgonne of the early Ming Dynasty. It was primarily designed to shoot a heavy metal-tipped dart made of Ceylon ironwood, said to be powerful enough to punch through two men and a horse at the same time, although it could also shoot lead shots or shrapnel.

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