flintlocks

Flintlocks are a family of muzzle-loading firearms that use a flint striking steel to ignite the main powder charge. They emerged in the 17th century as an advance over matchlock and wheellock systems and became the standard firearm mechanism in Europe and its colonies through the 18th and early 19th centuries. The lock, or firing mechanism, consists of a steel frizzen, a piece of flint held in a jaw of a hammer (the cock), a priming pan with a touch hole to the main charge, and a mainspring. When the trigger releases the cock, the flint strikes the steel, shaving off fragments and generating sparks that ignite the priming powder in the pan. The flame then travels through the touch hole to ignite the main charge in the barrel, propelling the projectile. Flintlock rifles and muskets were commonly single-shot muzzleloaders requiring careful handling, priming, and reload time.

The design allowed relatively reliable ignition across a wide range of conditions compared with earlier systems, but was still susceptible to misfires in damp weather and requiring careful maintenance. The flintlock era began to decline in the 1830s and 1840s with the adoption of percussion caps and, later, cartridge-based firearms. Flintlocks remained in use for pistols and less specialized roles for some time, and they continue to be produced for historical reenactment, sport, and collectors.