Ashley Hlebinsky, the Robert W. Woodruff Curator at the Cody Firearms Museum, opens the gun vault and invites visitors to look at the oldest firearm on display at the museum–a more than 500 year-old repeating hand cannon.

Also on display are classic examples of some of the earliest ignition systems developed, such as the matchlock, wheel-lock, flintlock and a percussion pistol.

The Cody Firearms Museum is one of five major museums including a research library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Visit the Cody Firearms Museum and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming in person or online.