Flintlock of an 18th Century hunting rifle, with piece of flint missing.

A flintlock musket being fired

Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. Introduced about 1630, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the matchlock and wheellock mechanisms. It continued to be in common use for over two centuries, replaced by percussion cap and, later, cartridge-based systems in the early-to-mid 19th century. The Model 1840 U.S. musket was the last flintlock firearm produced for the U.S. military although there is some evidence that obsolete flintlocks were still seeing action in the earliest days of the American Civil War. While technologically obsolete, flintlock firearms have enjoyed a renaissance among black powder shooting enthusiasts and many fine flintlock rifles and pistols are still being made today. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 629 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Flintlock Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2048 pixel, file size: 629 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Work by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Flintlock Metadata This... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 548 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1370 × 1500 pixel, file size: 587 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Flintlock User:Durin/Contributions ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 548 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1370 × 1500 pixel, file size: 587 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Flintlock User:Durin/Contributions ... Forces from the Republic of the Solomon Islands receive instruction on the FN FAL rifle from American Special Forces Joint Combined Exchange Training or JCET programs are exercises designed to provide training opportunities for American Special Forces who are stationed outside of the United States by holding the training exercises... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Events February 22 - Native American Quadequine introduces Popcorn to English colonists. ... The Matchlock was the first firearm to have a trigger mechanism for firing. ... Wheellock, Wheel-Lock or Wheel lock, is a mechanism for firing a firearm. ... The percussion cap or primer was the crucial invention that enabled firearms to fire in any weather. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ...

The flintlock mechanism produces sparks when a piece of flint, held in the jaws of a spring-loaded hammer or "cock" (left in photo) strikes the hardened steel face of the "frizzen", (right in photo) knocking the frizzen forward to uncover a small pan of gunpowder beneath the frizzen. The resulting spark ignites the powder in the pan and this flame is transferred through a small hole to ignite the main powder charge inside the barrel. Under damp or rainy conditions, the gunpowder in the pan could get wet and the gun would be unable to fire. The frizzen is a curved plate of steel used in flintlock firearms. ...

Subtypes

Flintlocks may be any type of small arm: long gun or pistol, smoothbore or rifle, muzzleloader or breechloader. Because of the time needed to reload (the fastest experts could reload a smooth-bore muzzle-loading musket in about fifteen seconds), these weapons were sometimes produced with two, three or more barrels; however, multiple-barreled weapons were never very popular. The designs tended to be expensive to make and failure-prone. It was frequently cost-effective and more reliable to simply carry multiple single-shot weapons instead. The term small arms describes any weapon that a person can easily transport and fire. ... A long gun is a firearm with an extended barrel, usually designed to be fired braced against the shoulder. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... Smoothbore refers to a firearm which does not have a rifled barrel. ... A rifle is a firearm with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the barrel walls. ... A US soldier drops a shell into the muzzle of an M224 60-mm mortar. ... A breech-loading weapon, usually a gun or cannon, is one where the bullet or shell is inserted, loaded, into the gun at the rear of the barrel, the breech; the opposite of muzzle-loading. ...

Flintlock mechanism

Flintlock muskets were the mainstay of European armies between 1660 and 1840. A musket was a muzzle-loading smoothbore long gun that was loaded with a round lead ball, but it could also be loaded with shot for hunting. For military purposes, the weapon was loaded with ball, or a mixture of ball with several large shot, and had an effective range between 40 and 100 yards. Smoothbore weapons that were designed for hunting birds were called "fowlers". They tended to be of large caliber. They usually had no choke, so they could also be used to fire a ball. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 528 pixelsFull resolution (2040 × 1347 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 528 pixelsFull resolution (2040 × 1347 pixel, file size: 1. ... A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth-bore long gun. ... This article is about the continent. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Lead shot is small balls of lead, traditional made using a shot tower. ... Hunter and Huntress redirect here. ... A pump-action and two semi-automatic action Remington 1100 shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a clay trap, and three boxes of clay pigeons. ...

Some flintlock hunting arms had rifled barrels. Rifling is the process of cutting spiral grooves into the inside of the barrel. A tight-fitting projectile will tend to spin, which stabilizes its flight by the gyroscopic principle. Rifles are more accurate and have longer effective ranges than muskets but they take more time to load than a smooth-bore musket. The first rifled arms were introduced about 1500. Versions made in Germany for hunting large game such as boar had barrels about 20-30 inches long. When German immigrants settled in America, particularly in Pennsylvania, they adapted their technology to the type of game available and the demands of the Indian trade, and built the long rifle, an improvement on the small game rifles used in Europe. This weapon has a barrel 36 to 45 inches long, and carefully loaded and shot, will be accurate up to 300 yards. Rifling of a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 A 35 caliber Remington, with a microgrove rifled barrel with a right hand twist. ... A gyroscope is a device which demonstrates the principle of conservation of angular momentum, in physics. ... 1500 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... An Alberta fur trader in the 1890s. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. ...

Flintlock pistols were used as self-defense weapons and for duelling, and as a cavalry arm. Their effective range was very short, and they were frequently used as an adjunct to the sword or cutlass. Pistols were usually smoothbore although rifled pistols were produced. It has been suggested that War-sword be merged into this article or section. ... French naval cutlass of the 19th Century A cutlass is a short, thick saber or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. ...

History

Scottish Flintlock pistol: David McKenzie, a Dundee gunsmith made this pistol. The heart shaped butt is commonly found on pistols made in Scotland. The gun is steel with silver inlay showing Celtic designs.

French courtier Marin le Bourgeoys made the first firearm incorporating a true flintlock mechanism for King Louis XIII shortly after his accession to the throne in 1610^{[citation needed]}. The development of firearm lock mechanisms had proceeded from matchlock to wheellock to snaplock to snaphance and miquelet in the previous two centuries, and each type had been an improvement, contributing some design features which were useful. le Bourgeoys fit these various features together to create the flintlock mechanism. The new system quickly became popular, and was known and used in various forms throughout Europe by 1630. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 386 pixelsFull resolution (1210 × 584 pixel, file size: 41 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) author: Cyril Thomas Taken with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P32 I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 386 pixelsFull resolution (1210 × 584 pixel, file size: 41 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) author: Cyril Thomas Taken with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P32 I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify... For other uses, see Dundee (disambiguation). ... A stock or buttstock is present in many firearms and some crossbows to transfer the recoil from firing the weapon into the shooters shoulder. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  -  First Minister Jack McConnell... Muiredacha Cross. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Louis XIII (September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643), called the Just (French: le Juste), was King of France from 1610 to 1643. ... // Events January 7 - Galileo Galilei discovers the Galilean moons of Jupiter. ... The Matchlock was the first firearm to have a trigger mechanism for firing. ... Wheellock, Wheel-Lock or Wheel lock, is a mechanism for firing a firearm. ... Snaplock refers to a mechanism for igniting a firearms propellant usually in a muzzleloading gun. ... Snaphance or Snaphaunce refers to a mechanism for igniting a firearms propellant usually in a muzzleloading gun. ... Miquelet (miguelet) is a modern term applied to a distinctive form of flint-against-steel ignition mechanism (lock) prevalent in the Mediterrean lands in the late 16th to early 19th centuries. ... Events February 22 - Native American Quadequine introduces Popcorn to English colonists. ...

Various breech-loading flintlocks were developed starting around 1650. The most popular action has a barrel which was unscrewed from the rest of the gun. Obviously this is more practical on pistols because of the shorter barrel length. This type is known as a Queen Anne pistol because it was during her reign that it became popular (although it was actually introduced in the reign of King William III). Another type has a removable screw plug set into the side or top or bottom of the barrel. A large number of sporting rifles were made with this system, as it allowed easier loading compared with muzzle loading with a tight fitting bullet and patch. One of the more successful was the system built by Issac de la Chaumette starting in 1704. The plug passed completely through the barrel and could be opened by 3 revolutions of the triggerguard, to which it was attached. The plug stayed attached to the barrel and the ball and powder were loaded from the top. This system was improved in the 1770's by Colonel Patrick Ferguson and 100 experimental rifles used in the American Revolutionary War. The only two flintlock breechloaders to be produced in quantity were the Hall and the Crespi. The first was invented by John Hall for the US Army in 1810. The Hall rifles and carbines were loaded using a combustible paper cartridge inserted into the upward tilting breechblock. Hall rifles leaked gas from the often poorly fitted action. The same problem affected the muskets produced by Giuseppe Crespi and adopted by the Austrian Army in 1771. Nonetheless, the Crespi System was experimented with by the British during the Napoleonic Wars, and percussion Halls guns saw service in the American Civil War. Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) became Queen of England and Ireland and Queen of Scots on 8 March 1702. ... William III of England (The Hague, 14 November 1650 – Hampton Court, 8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William III of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and a Protestant Prince of Orange from his birth, Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic from 28... Events Building of the Students Monument in Aiud, Romania. ... Patrick Ferguson (1744–1780), British Army officer. ... Combatants American Revolutionaries French Monarchy Spanish Empire Dutch Republic Oneida and Tuscarora tribes Polish volunteers Prussian volunteers Kingdom of Great Britain Hessian mercenaries Iroquois Confederacy Loyalists Commanders George Washington Nathanael Greene Gilbert de La Fayette Comte de Rochambeau Bernardo de Gálvez Tadeusz KoÅ›ciuszko Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Sir... John Hall was the inventor of the the most successful breech-loading flintlock rifle of the 19th century. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Allies: Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] French Empire Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[6] Saxony[7] Denmark [8] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von Blücher Karl... This article is becoming very long. ...

Mechanism of flintlock (from [1]).

The flint for flintlock - 17th century

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 250 × 165 pixelsFull resolution (250 × 165 pixel, file size: 10 KB, MIME type: image/gif)from http://guns. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 250 × 165 pixelsFull resolution (250 × 165 pixel, file size: 10 KB, MIME type: image/gif)from http://guns. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 576 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (977 × 1016 pixel, file size: 79 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Skałka muszkietu z XVII wieku. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 576 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (977 × 1016 pixel, file size: 79 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Skałka muszkietu z XVII wieku. ...

Method of operation

• The operator loads the gun, usually from the muzzle end, with black powder followed by shot or a round lead ball, usually wrapped in a paper or cloth patch, all rammed down with a special rod (the ramrod), usually stored on the underside of the barrel;
• A cock or striker tightly holding a shaped bit of flint is rotated to half-cock;
• The flash pan is primed with a small amount of very finely ground powder, and the flashpan lid or "frizzen" is closed;

The gun is now in "primed and ready" state, and this is how it would be carried hunting or going into battle. A safety notch at half-cock prevents the hammer from falling by pulling the trigger. To fire: Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ... The term shot may refer to: Look up shot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up ramrod in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A flint nodule from the Onondaga limestone layer, Buffalo, New York. ... Hunter and Huntress redirect here. ...

• The cock or striker is moved from half-cock to full-cock;
• The gun is aimed and the trigger pulled, releasing the cock or striker holding the flint;
• The flint strikes the frizzen, a piece of steel on the priming pan lid, opening it and exposing the priming powder;
• The contact between flint and frizzen produces a spark that is directed into the flashpan;
• The powder ignites, and the flame passes through a small hole in the barrel (called a vent, or touchhole) that leads to the combustion chamber, igniting the main powder charge there; and
• The gun discharges.

The British army used paper cartridges to load their weapons. The powder charge and ball were instantly available to the soldier inside this small paper envelope. When commanded, he:

• Moved the cock to the half-cock position;
• Tore the cartridge open with his teeth;
• Poured a small amount of powder into the flashpan;
• Closed the frizzen to keep the priming charge in the pan;
• Poured the rest of the powder in the cartridge down the muzzle and stuffed the cartridge in after it;
• Took out his ramrod and rammed the ball (still in the cartridge) all the way to the breech;
• Returned his ramrod and shouldered his weapon. Now he is ready to place the weapon on full cock and fire when commanded.

Cultural impact

Unlike most weapons systems and configurations, which last a few decades, the flintlock mechanism was center stage for both military and civilian use for over 200 years. Not until the Reverend Alexander John Forsyth, a Scottish minister, invented the rudimentary percussion system in 1807 did the flintlock system begin to slide into oblivion. Because there is a moments hesitation between the sound of the flint striking the frizzen and the main charge igniting, Forsythe was often frustrated when hunting waterfowl, which bolted at the first sound. Also, the humid marsh conditions he hunted in often caused a failure of the pan gunpowder to ignite. Reading scientific pamphlets informed him of chemically made crystals that made sparks when crushed. This led him to conceive the idea of a small copper cup filled with these crystals that were sealed against moisture. Flintlock rifles were easily modified to allow the cap to be placed over the existing priming hole. The slide from flintlock to percussion cap was a slow one, even at that, since the percussion system was not widely used until around 1830, and the flintlock continued in common use until the time of the American Civil War. Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article is becoming very long. ...

As a result of the flintlock's long active life, it has left lasting marks on the language and on drill and parade. Terms such as: "lock, stock and barrel," "going off half-cocked" and "flash in the pan" remain current in the English language. In addition, the weapon positions and drill commands that were originally devised to standardize carrying, loading and firing a flintlock weapon remain the standard for drill and display. (see Manual of arms). United States Marines on parade. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Drill commands are commands that are generally utilized in regard to a group that is marching; most often military or marching band. ... A manual of arms was an instruction book for handling and using weapons in formation, whether in the field or on parade. ...

See also

• Boyer Rifle
• Wheellock
• Caplock
• Snaplock
• Snaphance
• Miquelet
• Musketoon
• Brown Bess
• Charleville musket

The Boyer Rifle was a specialized over-and-under flintlock gun with one smooth gun barrel and one rifled barrel. ... Wheellock, Wheel-Lock or Wheel lock, is a mechanism for firing a firearm. ... The caplock mechanism was the successor of the flintlock mechanism in firearm technology, and used a percussion cap struck by the hammer to set off the main charge, rather than using a piece of flint to strike a steel frizzen. ... Snaplock refers to a mechanism for igniting a firearms propellant usually in a muzzleloading gun. ... Snaphance or Snaphaunce refers to a mechanism for igniting a firearms propellant usually in a muzzleloading gun. ... Miquelet (miguelet) is a modern term applied to a distinctive form of flint-against-steel ignition mechanism (lock) prevalent in the Mediterrean lands in the late 16th to early 19th centuries. ... The musketoon is a shorter barelled version of the Musket mainly found on ships sailing in the 17th century. ... Short Land Pattern The Brown Bess in History Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown provenance for the British Long Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. ... The Charleville musket was the primary musket used by the French during their participation in the American Revolutionary War. ...

External links

• How Flintlock Guns Work
• Flintlocks in Wet Weather
• Tuning the Flintlock
• Flintlock FAQ
• How to fire a flintlock musket on YouTube.
• Loading and firing a flintlock wall gun on YouTube It suckes