Projectile weapon

Projectile weapons are mostly relatively primitive devices that accelerate and direct bullets or other solid objects toward a target to achieve damaging effects by direct application of kinetic energy. Hand-held projectile weapons are also known as firearms. Such weapons have been used by most species prior to the development of directed energy weapon technologies. Despite their "primitiveness", projectile weapons were still considered potent, effective, and reliable weapons by many civilizations in the 23rd and 24th centuries.

History
Examples of projectile weapons include their most primitive forms, the sling and the bow and arrow. Steel crossbows were used on Earth in the 14th century. The Akaali still used them in the 22nd, and the Ligonians and the Klingons still made use of them in the 24th century. 

More advanced projectile weapons, flintlocks for instance, propel their projectiles by means of an explosive chemical reaction, such as that provided in igniting gunpowder. Cannons were larger projectile weapons that fired cannon balls. To defeat the Gorn, Captain James T. Kirk once even constructed a primitive makeshift cannon by making gunpowder out of potassium nitrate, sulphur and coal, with a bamboo stick as the cannon and a diamond as the projectile. Muskets and dueling pistols were other antiquated firearms used on Earth. 

The Buntline Special, Colt .45 "peacemaker" and the Winchester rifle were 19th century Earth weapons. The .38 police special was a 20th century pistol made specially for police and law enforcement officers. 

''Some of the German soldiers who had invaded the United States of America in an alternate 1944 used Mauser Karabiner 98ks. P-51 Mustang aircraft attacked a Starfleet shuttlepod with their .50 caliber machine guns.''

Shotguns were a type of projectile weapon used on Earth well into the 21st century. During the Bell Riots of 2024, the residents who held the government personnel hostage used acquired police shotguns to ensure their cooperation. 

In 2063, Lily Sloane attempted to kill Lieutenant Commander Data with a Calico M960 submachine gun in Montana. Also in that same year, Captain Jean-Luc Picard enjoyed mowing down two Borg drones with a holographic recreation of a Thompson submachine gun from the 1920s, the time period his holonovel was set in. 

''In the mirror universe, Zefram Cochrane used a shotgun in 2063 to kill the first Vulcan who set foot on Earth. Commander Jonathan Archer kept this weapon in his quarters aboard the ISS Enterprise.''

The MK-33 and MK-34 were also weapons of the 2060s. The crew of the SS Conestoga was equipped with them when they departed Earth to found the Terra Nova colony in 2069. Wrist-mounted machine guns were used by soldiers on Earth in the 2070s. 

In 2168, a book on gangs in Chicago during the 1920s was left on Sigma Iotia II, it became a blueprint for the natives' culture. Virtually everyone carried a gun, known in slang as "heaters", including guns resembling "Tommy guns" of Earth's history. One brand of firearms was called Bang Bang. In 2268, the Ekosian Nazis and the Romans from 892-IV were armed with various firearms similar to Earth weapons of the mid-20th century. 

Grenade launchers were standard-issue weaponry used by Starfleet in the 2260s. Torpedo launchers were used on starships and other space craft and installations as projectile weapons, accelerating a torpedo for launch. While some types of torpedoes couldn't be fired without a launcher, most types of torpedoes had internal engines to sustain their flight. (et al.)

On the USS Voyager in 2374, the crew fought in a holodeck recreation of World War II using various American projectile weapons of the period (M1 Garands and Colt M1911A1s) and captured German weapons (Gewehr 98/40s and MP40s). Captain Kathryn Janeway threatened to kill Seven of Nine with a holographic Colt M1911A1 when she believed Seven was a Nazi spy. She also killed the lead Hirogen with a holographic Mauser Kar 98k after he had killed the original leader Karr, and hunted Janeway with it. 

Some time prior to 2375, Starfleet experimented with projectile weapons for possible use in areas where energy weapons were subject to the effects of dampening fields. One such weapon, the TR-116 rifle, that fired tritanium bullets and could be modified with a miniature transporter and exographic targeting sensor to allow use from longer distances and through walls. 

In 2379, the pre-warp Kolaran civilization made use of several types of machine guns and other firearms. 

Hand-held projectile weapons

 * .38 police special
 * .45 automatic
 * Bang Bang (A "heater")
 * Bow and arrow
 * Buntline Special
 * Calico M960
 * Colt .45
 * Colt M1911A1
 * Crossbow
 * Dueling pistol
 * Flintlock
 * Gewehr 98/40
 * Karabiner 98k
 * M1 Garand
 * M16A1 assault rifle
 * MK-33
 * MK-34
 * MP40
 * Musket
 * Shotgun
 * M1921/28 and M1 Thompson submachine gun
 * TR-116 rifle