>A study published in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology, revealed a detailed discovery of what has been described as “the oldest firearm ever found within the continental USA, and perhaps the oldest cannon currently known on the continent.” >**As reported by ancient-origins, the cannon, a bronze wall gun dated to the Coronado expedition of 1539–1542, was found in the Santa Cruz Valley of southern Arizona. The weapon is described as measuring 42 inches long and approximately .95 inches in bore diameter, weighing in at approximately forty pounds. The outlet described it as roughly the equivalent of a 5-gauge shotgun of the sort typically employed to breach the fortifications of the 16th Century.** >The weapon was reportedly discovered on the floor of a heavily eroded adobe-and-rock-walled building, undisturbed for approximately 480 years. Though its date of manufacture is unclear, the context of its use can be effectively determined at 1541. . . [Picture Only](https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1861253902068252704) [Source](https://azfreenews.com/2024/12/oldest-firearm-in-north-america-discovered-in-arizona/)