The petronel was a 16th- and 17th-century black-powder muzzle-loading firearm, defined by Robert Barret (Theorike and Practike of Modern Warres, 1598) as a "horsemans peece:.

[2] Early petronels date back to the end of the 14th century, with a crude buttstock.

[4] By extension, the term "petronel" came to characterise the type of light cavalry which employed the firearm.

[citation needed] Although petronels had fallen out of use in Europe by 1700, similar guns were made in the Middle East until the late 19th century.

Afghan horsemen used a gun that was midway between an oversized pistol or a miniature carbine, with a curved buttstock designed to keep the weapon close to the rider's chest.