In Part 1 we discussed the discovery of black powder, the first cannons, hand cannons, matchlocks and wheellocks. In Part 2 we will explore the development of the snaphaunce lock, flintlock, pill lock and the percussion locks.
     The Snaphaunce lock is somewhat less known than other locks. This lock was invented by the
     Dutch.The first written record that can be found was provided by a Swedish armory in 1556.
     The Snaphaunce came from the Dutch word (snaphaan) which translated means pecking rooster. It was named this because of the hammer's action of snapping forward and striking the steel. This action must have resembled a chicken feeding to somebody because legend has it that the phrase "cock your gun" was first coined because of this lock. The snaphaunce lock used a hammer with jaws that held a piece of flint. When the trigger was pulled the main spring snapped the hammer forward striking a piece of steel. This action produced sparks to set off the priming powder. The flash pan cover of the snaphaunce was not connected to the steel and looked much like those on wheel locks. All of the working parts of snaphaunce locks were on the outside of the side plate. This exposed them to the weather and also allowed them to be easily damaged. The snaphaunce spring tension hammer design was the method that all successive locks would use in some form or the other.
     The flintlock was invented by the Le Bourgeoys family in 1615. The Le Bourgeoys improved the snaphaunce lock by putting the lock's working parts on the inside of the lock plate and inside the gun. This protected the lock from most of the outside elements. They also combined the steel, striker and the flash pan cover creating the frizzen. When the trigger is pulled on a flintlock, a main spring snaps the hammer forward striking the frizzen. As the flint in the jaws of the hammer rakes down the frizzen this creates sparks and at the same time flips the frizzen forward, exposing the powder in the flash pan. The priming powder in the flash pan ignites and travels through a touch hole in the barrel setting off the main powder charge.
     The flintlock was affordable to make, easy to maintain and reasonably weatherproof. It's ignition was much more reliable than previous locks and the time between hammer fall and the ball leaving the barrel was fast enough so that you could hit a moving target. The invention of the flintlock made the firearm superior to any other weapon of its day. It could be used for hunting and was standardized for the military. The first military standardized flintlock was the Brown Bess for the English forces. Up until this time Colonels could purchase whatever guns they liked. The Brown Bess is one of the most famous flintlocks ever invented probably because English troops were stationed all over the world at the time it was used. The Brown Bess was not any better than many of the flintlocks of its day; there were just a lot of them and the British made them famous.
     The European flintlocks were the best firearms made in this period of history. They were mostly smooth bore guns that were not very accurate. The locks were also very large and the hammers had to travel a considerable distance before striking the frizzen.
     In the American colonies, life was much different than in Europe. In Europe hunting was illegal except for a privileged few but in America a boy was expected to put meat on the family's table before he reached his teens. European wars were grand affairs in which soldiers dressed up pretty and stood in long straight lines and shot at each other. Being able to reload a smooth bore more quickly was an advantage over a rifle since the target was very large and usually standing out in the open. In the New World Americans hadn't had any of these fancy wars yet. Instead, it was a day-to-day fight for survival. Whether you and your firearm were in search of food or engaged in conflict with your enemies, an accurate shot was of the utmost importance.
     A better firearm was desperately needed for the American frontier and thanks to some Swiss, Dutch and German immigrants located in Pennyslvania we got them. These Pennsylvania-made rifles later became known as the Kentucky Rifle. The Kentucky rifle had an improved flintlock and a long rifled barrel for better accuracy. It was reliable, balanced and tough. The Kentucky rifle became the best firearm in the world. Put this rifle in the hands of the American rifleman and if you were inclined to have a fight you would be facing a formidable opponent.
     These American rifles were used to defeat the British and allowed America to gain its independence. From this time to present day, America has set the stage for the development of firearms and military weapons.
     When Reverend Alexander John Forsyth wasn't preaching he spent much of his time hunting the Scottish wetlands for ducks. Reverend Forsyth complained that the flash of the priming powder in his flintlock scared the ducks off before the shot had time to leave the barrel. (It seems to me that the Reverend either had an awfully slow flintlock or was shooting at some very fast ducks.) Whichever it was, Reverend Forsyth's new lock would change the firearm ignition system forever.
     On April 11, 1807 Reverend Alexander John Forsyth patented the pill lock and all uses of fulminating mercury and percussive compounds. The pill lock's use of percussive compounds gave Reverend Forsyth the distinguished honor of inventing the first percussion lock. The fulmination mercury and other percussive compounds were molded into a pill shape and, when struck, would detonate.
     The Reverend then converted his flintlock by removing the flash pan and striker. He then modified the hammer so that it would hit a different type of striker. The force of the hammer hitting the striker would detonate the percussive compounds. The fire from this detonation would travel through a hollow passage in the striker to the main powder charge contained in the barrel. The pill lock reduced the ignition time (or hang time) of a muzzleloader to the extent that the projectile left the barrel almost simultaneously with the pulling of the trigger.
     When Reverend Forsyth's fulminate and percussive compound patent expired, there were many other types of percussion locks invented.
     In 1822 a patent was awarded to Joshua Shaw for a percussion lock system using copper caps. This percussion cap lock allowed a copper cap filled with fulminate to be placed over a nipple with a hollow tube running through it. The hammer fall would then detonate the fulminate contained inside the cap and the flame produced by this detonation would travel through a small hole in the nipple to reach the main powder charge contained in the barrel. John Shaw's percussion lock has been modified by many inventors but it very much resembles the ones that are used today.
     The percussion locks had a short life span compared to most of the other locks we have mentioned, due to the invention of the metallic cartridge. The first metallic cartridge was patented in 1854, only 47 years after the pill lock was patented. In 1854 Samuel Colt patented a .22 caliber rim fire metallic cartridge and a revolver pistol to use it in. By 1875 the metallic cartridge guns had replaced the muzzleloader as the standard modern firearm.
     Although short-lived, the percussion lock greatly influenced American history and played a significant part in some of its bloodiest wars. More Americans died in the War Between the States than in all other wars combined and the percussion lock was the most commonly used firearm.
     There were so many different lock styles and designs invented in other countries of the world that no one can recall them all. Some locks became famous and many are vaguely remembered, while others merely faded away into history's forgetful memory. The muzzleloader, however, will never be forgotten, nor it's influence on the history of mankind.

     Accurately yours,
     The Shootist