Flintlock Guns
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). 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.
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.
Flintlock Guns
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 to simply carry multiple weapons instead.
Flintlock muskets were the mainstay of European armies between 1660
and 1840. A musket is a muzzle-loading smoothbore long gun that is
loaded with a round lead ball, but it can 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 are called "fowlers". They tend to be of
large caliber. They usually have no choke, so they can also be used
to fire a ball.
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.
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.
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 removeable 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.
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,
usually located 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:
* 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
The flintlock was the standard weapon used by the military and
civilians all over the world for over two centuries. As a result, 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).