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Early German musket with serpentine lock. A matchlock or firelock [1] is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of flammable cord or twine that is in contact with the gunpowder through a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with their finger.
A firelock is a firearm in which the priming is ignited by sparks. [3] [4] [5] More specifically, it refers to the mechanism or lock of such firearms. It may also refer to a gun's lock which uses slow match to ignite the powder charge. [6] [7] The matchlock was a lever mechanism that simplified the ergonomics of firing. Slow match would be held ...
The flintlock mechanism is a type of lock used on muskets, rifles, and pistols from the early 17th to the mid-19th century. It is commonly referred to as a "flintlock" (without the word mechanism). The term is also used for the weapons themselves as a whole, and not just the lock mechanism.
They tended to fire smaller caliber rounds, with calibers in the range of .32–.45 in (8.1–11.4 mm) being the most common - hence being sometimes referred to as a "pea rifle." [19] The Jezail was a military long flintlock rifle, developed near and popular throughout Afghanistan, India, Central Asia and parts of the Middle East.
One hypothesis is that the "Brown Bess" was named after Elizabeth I of England, but this lacks support.Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries, traces the name to at least the 1760s, and his research suggests the name was adopted from slang for a mistress, prostitute, or lowly woman who also appear in period sources referred to as "Brown Bess".
At least on one occasion musket and arquebus were used interchangeably to refer to the same weapon, [19] and even referred to as an arquebus musket. [20] A Habsburg commander in the mid-1560s once referred to muskets as double arquebuses. [18] The matchlock firing mechanism also became a common term for the arquebus after it was added to the ...
Percussion caps have been manufactured in various sizes to fit snugly over different sized nipples. Nipples for 4.5mm and 6mm percussion caps. The percussion cap, percussion primer, or caplock, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. [1]
Springfield Model 1840 percussion conversion. The Springfield Model 1840 was a flintlock musket manufactured by the United States during the mid-19th century. The .69 caliber musket had a 42-inch (107 cm) barrel, an overall length of 58 inches (147 cm), and a weight of 9.8 pounds (4.4 kg).