Matchlocks, Wheellocks, And Flintlocks
How early small arms were fired
In the centuries before the invention of the percussion cap, which came into use in the 1830s and 1840s, small arms had to be fired by the cumbersome (and often dangerous) means of igniting a primer charge of gunpowder in the weapon’s “pan,” which then ignited the main charge in the barrel.
There were three basic methods of so doing, namely the matchlock, wheellock, and flintlock. Wheellock and flintlock weapons were devised to overcome the problems presented by the matchlock method.
Matchlock weapons
The matchlock ignition system was developed around the end of the 15th century, and was clearly copied from the means used to fire larger artillery pieces. The idea was that a piece of cord was kept smouldering and used many times to fire charges of gunpowder. This avoided the need to “strike a light” each time, which was itself a tricky and uncertain procedure in the days before friction matches had been invented.
The match was essentially a fuse, comprising a length of cord that was soaked in a very strong solution of saltpetre (potassium nitrate, one of the components of gunpowder) and allowed to dry. Once ignited, the cord would burn very slowly.
