Flintlock mechanism
[2] Flintlock firing mechanisms made their appearance in the 16th century in the form of the snaplock, the snaphance, the miquelet, and the doglock.
Though its exact origins are not known, credit for the development of the true flintlock is usually given to Marin le Bourgeoys,[1] an artist, gunsmith, luthier, and inventor from Normandy, France.
Marin le Bourgeoys's basic design became the standard for flintlocks, quickly replacing most older firing mechanisms throughout Europe.
Previously the sear, located within the lock, had acted through a hole in the lockplate to engage the cock on the outside of the plate.
A typical flintlock mechanism has a piece of flint which is held in place in between a set of jaws on the end of a short hammer (sometimes called the "cock" due to its shape resembling a rooster's beak).
Pulling the trigger disengages the sear and releases the hammer, which swings forward causing the flint to strike a piece of steel called the "frizzen".
At the same time, the motion of the flint and hammer pushes the frizzen back, opening the cover to a concealed flash pan, which contains a small charge of gunpowder.
A high proportion of the fragments' iron is in contact with air and it rapidly oxidises, making them extremely hot.
Flame from this burning powder travels through a small touch hole into the gun barrel; the main propellant charge is ignited, causing the weapon to fire the projectile.
[9] The experience of modern flintlock shooters shows that a good quality flint can be used for hundreds of shots, although for reliable shooting it must be sharpened periodically.
[14] The industry reached its height during and after the Napoleonic Wars, when Brandon flints were exported worldwide with a near global monopoly.
[10] In the Eastern United States, Indigenous American people reportedly made their own gun flints by re-working stone spear heads.
Their use spread slowly as they could not be retrofitted to older guns – the French had still not generally adopted them by the time of the Battle of Trafalgar (1805).
[17] The earlier method of firing a cannon was to apply a linstock – a wooden staff holding a length of smoldering match at the end – to the touch hole of the gun, which was filled with loose priming powder.
Loading the gun was faster and safer as the gunlock didn't use loose priming powder; the main charge was ignited by a quill filled with priming powder that was pushed through the touch hole during loading and pierced the cartridge bag, containing the main charge of gunpowder.
It somewhat resembled a small flintlock pistol, but without a barrel and with a candle holder and with legs so it could be stood upright.
