On this forum I have seen Flintlocks described as addictive , cool , neat, fun etc . They may be all of that or none of that .
I like them because they are historic and were used in a significant part of World History .
There were many different types of small arms ignition before the Flintlock , probably the most used was the Matchlock .
A flintlock is a lock where the steel ( frizzen) and pan cover are in one piece and the ignition is by a piece of flint striking sparks off the steel .
The earliest known flintlock is a French rifle made 1605-1610 by M LE Bovrgeoys for King Henri IV of France .
The caplock was fully developed by about 1830-1836 , the metallic cartridge was well in use by the 1860's . So the Flintlock was in use for approximately 220 years ,before it was starting to be replaced by the caplock , which was in use for approximately 30 years before it was replaced by the metallic cartridge which has been in use for approximately 160 years .
It can be seen that flintlocks were used for a longer time than any other hand held firearm type .
My flintlocks cover from about 1740 to 1835 +- These were historic and heroic times of war , colonization , exploration and trade . These firearms enabled the formation of Countries , the downfall of Kings and the rise of Empires , they were used to feed our ancestors , for sport and defense, they changed the World as little else has
Flintlocks are not mystical , complicated dirty or inaccurate, many are genuine works of art , some are fakes , some are misnamed, many seem to be misunderstood . They are items of both legend and misinformation.
Above all they are, in so many ways , an immediate connection to our past and above all and most importantly are fun to use.
