Flintlock

flintlock

Ignition system for firearms developed in the early 16th century. It superseded the matchlock and the wheel lock and remained in use until the mid-19th century. The most successful version, the true flintlock, was invented in France in the 17th century. When the trigger was pulled, a spring action caused the frizzen (striker) to strike the flint, showering sparks onto the gunpowder in the priming pan; the ignited powder, in turn, fired the main charge in the bore, propelling the ball.

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Flintlock 

a pistol, handgun, hand firearm (smooth or rifled bore) with a flint lock, in which the charge was ignited by sparks produced by the flint hitting the steel plate.

Flintlocks were used by Russian and foreign armies from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The flintlocks of the 17th to 19th centuries adopted by the Russian forces ranged in caliber from 17.5 to 21.5 mm; they weighed 4.0 to 5.6 kg; and they had a 140 to 800 m range of fire, depending on the type of weapon (smooth or rifled bore). The firing rate of smoothbore flintlocks was one shot a minute and that of rifled-bore weapons was one shot in five minutes. In the mid-19th century flintlocks were replaced by rifles in all armies.