Sidelock Flintlock Muzzle-Loading Rifle - (Early Seventeenth Century):  The Flintlock muzzleloader was developed in France around 1612. The main difference between the Flintlock and Snaphaunce is that in the Flintlock the striking surface and flashpan cover are all one piece, where in the Snaphaunce they are separate mechanisms. This made the mechanism simpler and more reliable than its predecessor. The genius behind the flintlock was that the pan containing the priming charge was always closed and therefore more protected from the elements until the hammer containing the flint would fall, opening it, creating sparks and igniting it. The small flash fire created in the pan would ignite the main charge in the barrel via a flash-hole. Note: It was at the time of the flintlock muzzleloader that rifling inside the barrel was now seen, thus ending the era of muskets and musketeers. The guns without rifling were retained for shooting multiple pellets (shot) at shorter ranges and they were called fowling pieces, or (shot guns) now (shotguns) where as rifled guns (rifles) were used to propel one projectile at a time much further and more accurate do to the spin imparted to the projectile. Sidelock Caplock Muzzle-Loading Rifle - (Late Eighteenth Century):  The first Percussion Cap muzzleloader ignition system was patented in 1799 by Joshua Shaw in Philadelphia, and then further developed in 1805 by the Reverend John Forsyth of Aberdeenshire. This firing mechanism is a great step in advancement from its predecessors because it does not use an exposed flashpan to begin the ignition process. The key to this muzzleloader system is the explosive cap which is placed on top of a nipple that is attached to the bolster which is then attached to the main powder charge in the barrel. The cap contains fulminate of mercury, a chemical compound which explodes when struck. When the cap is struck by the hammer, the flames from the exploding fulminate of mercury go down the nipple, into the bolster and then into the gun barrel, and ignite the powder inside the barrel. This firing mechanism provided a major advance in reliability, since the cap was almost certain to explode when struck and ignite the main powder charge in the muzzleloader barrel. Note: It was the Nineteenth Century that the most radical innovations were brought about to firearms and the rifle. Perfection of the percussion caplock, departure from the round ball to the bullet, the addition of rifle scopes on rifles which increased the range of accuracy for rifles and then the invention of rimfire cartridges which led to, the last and greatest innovations of all, centerfire brass cased ammunition and smokeless powder.
Copyright 2001 - 2011.
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