Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A flintlock is a firearm that operates in the following manner: The operator loads the gun, usually from the barrel end, with black powder followed by shot or a bullet wrapped in a paper patch, all rammed down with a special rod; A hammer tightly holding a shaped bit of flint is cocked; The gun is aimed and the trigger pulled, releasing the hammer; The flint strikes a piece of steel or iron, producing a spark that is directed into a pan filled with powder; The powder ignites, and the flame passes through a small hole in the pan that leads to the firing chamber, igniting the powder there; and The gun discharges. Although a few guns of this type are still manufactured for black powder enthusiasts, the flintlock otherwise passed out of common use around 1860, after cap and cartridge-based guns were invented. The last major use of flintlocks in the Americas occurred in the first years of the American Civil War. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.