A shotgun with a matchlock. Antique weapon with matchlock
At the World Muzzleloading Championships, held in the fall of 2014, the matchlock shooting competition attracted constant delight from spectators and respectful attention from shooters.
HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN SERVICE.
Matchlock weapons lasted the longest in Japan. Due to their isolation, the gunsmiths of the Land of the Rising Sun had virtually no competition and, as a result, did not develop the weapon lock, but improved the old one. When percussion guns already ruled in Europe, in Japan they still shot from matchlock guns.
PHOTO RAMA/WIKIMEDIA.ORG (CC BY-SA 2.0)
It must be admitted that, despite more than forty years of holding world competitions in shooting from muzzle-loading weapons, matchlock still stands apart, and not only for Russians.
A brief glance at the number of participants in matchlock disciplines indicates that there are always two to three times fewer of them than shooters from silicon and, especially, percussion weapons. There are several explanations for this. First: a technically complex loading process and unusual shooting. Second: few manufacturers of muzzle-loading weapons produce copies of matchlock weapons, and the originals are almost impossible to find, and these are, as a rule, examples of Japanese origin. Actually, all matchlock disciplines have Japanese names: tanzutsu - shooting with a matchlock pistol at 25 meters, tanegashima - shooting with a matchlock musket at 50 meters from a standing position, hizadi - shooting with a matchlock musket at 50 meters from a kneeling position.
By the way, at the autumn, already 26th world championship, for the first time a representative of Russia took part in shooting from a replica matchlock pistol. Thus, our team has accumulated initial experience in shooting from all types of muzzle-loading weapons.
If we do not take into account the earliest examples of firearms, in which the ignition of the main charge was carried out manually with a hot metal rod or burning tinder, then the matchlock weapon was the first to use a gun lock in one form or another, which made it possible to fire an aimed shot. It is believed that similar weapons were brought to Japan by Portuguese sailors in the mid-16th century. There is even a beautiful legend about how the captain of a Portuguese ship sold two guns to the local shogun (prince) only after he married his beautiful daughter. True, dry pedants, in defiance of romantics, cite data on the appearance of firearms in Japan as a result of trade with China at the beginning of the 16th century, or even earlier, during the Mongol invasion of the Japanese islands in the 13th century. One way or another, by the end of the 16th century, Japan not only bought large quantities of weapons from European merchants, but also produced matchlock weapons on its own.
Here, too, according to legend, there was a woman involved, this time the daughter of a local blacksmith. A master gunsmith from Europe agreed to pass on the secrets of his craft only in exchange for the hand of a beauty. Since blacksmithing was at a high level in Japan, local craftsmen were quickly able to satisfy the growing demand for weapons. But the subsequent sakoku, the policy of self-isolation of Japan from the outside world, introduced by the Togukawa shoguns who came to power, may have served as one of the reasons for the lack of technical development of firearms. The fact that the samurai code, like the European knightly code of rules, had a negative attitude towards firearms also played a role. In addition, during the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868, Japan fought virtually no major external or internal wars. And the development of gunsmithing in the country until the end of the 19th century was reduced to the filigree decoration of matchlock weapons with precious metals. During this time, several ignition systems were replaced in Europe: wheel, silicon, capsule. Japan continued to live with the wick, using it even on multi-barrel structures like “pepper shakers” or revolvers. True, a similar picture was observed throughout the East. But if in India the lack of technological progress could be explained by the negative impact of constant invasions of foreign conquerors, then in Japan the reason was exactly the opposite. In addition, a primer ignition system would require the development of various fields of science and technology necessary to produce the components of the primer. But Japanese craftsmen perfected the design of the wick lock, offering several options that differed from the original European one.
Matchlocks on European guns of the time were primitive: the serpentine (hammer) was connected directly to the trigger so that they moved together. European craftsmen placed serpentine in front of the powder shelf with seed powder (the so-called reverse hammer, cocked from the muzzle to the butt), and in Japanese guns the hammer was cocked from the butt towards the barrel (Asian type). In my opinion, this division is arbitrary. For example, the Royal Armory Museum of Madrid displays two Spanish matchlock guns from the 16th century. Outwardly they are similar, but one has reverse serpentine, and the other has straight serpentine. Most likely, the first matchlock guns brought by Europeans to the East had a serpentine moving from the butt to the barrel, since this is the simplest system.
Japanese matchlocks were mainly of two types. The first had an external brass trigger spring, which acted on the end of a serpentine (trigger) attached on an axis to a brass pin that passed through the keyplate into the stock shaft. This hammer axis was held in place by a bamboo or brass pin and positioned vertically behind the breech of the barrel. The serpentine was held in the cocked position by the tip of an S-shaped horizontal trigger lever located inside the lock; it projected through the locking board and was rotated on an axis by a light internal spring so that the tip of the lever was drawn into the board when the trigger was pulled.
The second mechanism, more complex, had the serpentine rotating on an axis that also passed through the locking board and was secured by a spiral brass escape spring inside. A sliding horizontal release lever, which was pulled back, acted on a protrusion cut into the serpentine and held the lock in the cocked position. The tension of the trigger spring could sometimes be varied, allowing the shooter to adjust the pull of the trigger lever.
There are no screws in either of these two types of gun locks, all parts are riveted to the lock board and the various components are attached to the handle with brass or bamboo pins. Even the lock plates themselves are held in the stocks by sharpened brass pins driven into tapered holes in the stock shaft. This is justified by the absence of large shock loads, so a drift and a small hammer are enough to disassemble the lock.
Now let’s look at what is special about sports shooting from tanzutsu, the goal of which is results and safety.
A container for a burning fuse is added to the usual set of accessories for shooting from muzzle-loading weapons. Most often this is a beer or cola can. The top cover is cut off and many holes are made in the body for air circulation. Experienced shooters light two wicks at once (main and spare) of the appropriate length, but only on one side, unlike real musketeers, who, for reliability, lit the wick on both sides. Serpentine on Japanese wick locks does not have a clamp for the wick, there is only a hole through which the wick is fixed in the serpentine with a special needle. I must admit, this solution is very successful, installation and removal of the wick occurs quickly, and the fixation is reliable. If the wick is not secured, then the back flash from the barrel through the ignition hole can throw it a couple of meters. Finding a fuse during a competition will take a lot of time and nerves, but in battle it can cost your life. The length of the wick used is determined by the burning rate of a particular sample, and all manufacturers have different burning times. Some shooters prepare the impregnation mixture themselves, because it is important to maintain the proportions between burning time and the ability to ignite gunpowder. I had the opportunity to try wicks made in Spain and Germany and I can say that with a higher burning rate, the German one, unlike the Spanish one, ensured a clearer ignition of the seed powder. In the 30 minutes that the exercise lasted, about 30-35 cm of the wick burned out. By the way, a little off topic, but our Russian black powder, the so-called Mexican, does not ignite from any fuse.
Loading the main charge occurs in the same way as for any type of muzzle-loading weapon. In wick, as in silicon, the seed hole is closed with a needle, which then serves to fix the wick. This operation prevents gunpowder from spilling out of the barrel through the seed hole and at the same time forms a channel for the penetration of flame from the seed shelf. Then a measured portion of gunpowder is poured into the barrel, and then, depending on the shooter’s preferences, either a wad, or cornmeal, or a bullet wrapped in a plaster, or a patch is placed - a piece of fabric that serves to improve the sealing of the bullet in the barrel. Patches are made from cotton fabric soaked in a special liquid or a mixture of wax and animal fats. Some aesthetes (or champions of traditions - there is no other way to put it) before equipping a bullet, put a patch on the tongue, moistening it with saliva. A wet or greasy patch goes down the barrel much easier, and there is no need to make excessive efforts to drive the bullet in the barrel to the powder charge. After the barrel is loaded, you need to pull the needle out of the priming hole, pour gunpowder onto the shelf and carefully close the lid of the shelf. The burning wick must be removed from the container, blown on it to remove soot and better combustion, and installed in the serpentine, fixing it with a needle through the holes. Time begins to count down, the wick becomes shorter every second, carbon deposits appear, interfering with normal ignition, and after opening the lid, what remains in your hands is essentially a grenade with a limited angle of impact (i.e., where the barrel is facing). The shooter is required to have maximum restraint and control of the situation. The trigger on a matchlock weapon is extremely easy, and there is also the possibility, albeit small, of the charge being ignited by a spark falling from the fuse. Aiming, if something goes wrong, can be postponed, but for this you need to perform a number of manipulations: close the shelf lid, inspect the wick and, if it burns out, remove it and reinstall it again.
A shot from a matchlock weapon is faster than from a silicon or even a capsule weapon. There is no hammer strike on the arm or brantube, the amplitude of movement of the serpentine is shorter than in other types of locks. The shot comes out somewhat unexpected. After five or six salvos, the shooting range, even an open one, becomes clouded with smoke and the targets become difficult to distinguish. Shooting continues until the last second of the allotted time. According to the rules, you need to fire 13 shots in 30 minutes. Of these, the best 10 are taken into account. While most shooters shoot within 20-25 minutes when shooting from a percussion weapon, not everyone has time to fire the required number of shots. The results in shooting from a matchlock pistol are lower than in other types. The world record, set in 2004, is 94 points, while the flintlock pistol has 97 points, and the cap revolver and pistol have 100 points each. It is noteworthy that the record for capsule pistols was set from an original pistol of the 19th century, and for replica capsule pistols it is still 99 points.
There are probably several reasons for this result. This is a smooth barrel, and the difficulty of loading, and an unusual firing algorithm, when first there is a flash on the shelf, and only then the main charge fires, and... a small number of shooters who are passionate about this weapon: after all, less than half of the participating countries have exhibited their representatives in this discipline .
In the second half of the 15th century, the Spaniards created an arquebus with a matchlock. This gun differed from the culverin in its smaller caliber, longer barrel and lighter weight
The main thing was that there was a wick lock, albeit of a very primitive design: the wick was clamped into a serpentine (similar to a trigger). The tail of such a serpentine or trigger simultaneously served as a trigger: when the tail was pressed, the serpentine bent its wick towards the shelf and ignited the seed gunpowder. Since the shape of the trigger resembled a snake (serpent), the weapon was called serpentine.
Matchlock spring lock (second half of the 15th century)
A more advanced wick spring lock is shown in Fig. 1. Top - outside, bottom - inside.
The matchlock was improved by German craftsmen (Fig. 2).
In 1477, spring wick locks with reverse serpentine were already produced, that is, cocking not from the barrel in the direction of the butt, but back.
By the end of the 15th century, around 1480, gunsmiths used a crossbow stock for guns, which was rested on the right shoulder when firing. This type of stock was produced simultaneously by the Spaniards and the Germans. Soon, guns with new-style stocks spread to other countries. The bow and crossbow continued to serve alongside firearms.
In Russia, culverins and arquebuses were called arquebuses and were divided into “zatinnye” or “tyufyak” * arquebuses (these were serf guns and small-caliber weapons: hand squeaks or hand-held squeaks) and curtain squeaks, worn on a belt behind the back.
In Europe, gradually lightening the arquebus, they brought it to 10-15 gauge (10-15 round zeros from a pound of lead) weighing 15-10 pounds (6-4 kg); such an arquebus was considered a hunting and cavalry weapon. In 1494, the cavalry in Italy was armed with arquebuses, 75 cm long. Since wooden ramrods often broke, iron ramrods began to be made for arquebuses in Metz. This was in 1493.
Asian matchlock with spring lock. The trigger (1), trigger (2) and spring (3) are made from one piece of steel. There is a hole (4) in the trigger for a safety pin. On the fore-end there is an iron swivel (5) for a belt
Spring wick locks that appeared in Europe at the end of the 15th century were of two types: 1) Asian, found on Turkish and Russian guns (Fig. 3 and 4), had a serpentine (trigger) with a wick cocked from the barrel towards the butt (the simplest mechanism devices)**; 2) a German or European lock sometimes had a hammer cocked in the opposite direction (from the treasury to the barrel); it had a more advanced impact and trigger mechanism (Fig. 1 and 2).
Siberian matchlock gun with a spring lock. 1 - trigger; 2 - tail (trigger) of the trigger; 3 - trigger axis (pin); 4 - wick; 5 - trigger spring; 6 - shelf and seed; 7 - leather pocket for wicks; 8 - belt eye, replacing the swivel
The shelves with matchlocks had a lid on a hinge, which the shooter folded to the side before aiming. Although the wick lock allowed for more convenient use of the gun, because the shooter controlled the weapon with both hands, the wick still remained sensitive to dampness, a lit night gave away the hidden shooter and, in addition, it was necessary to light the wick before shooting and extinguish it after the shot (before new loading).
In Fig. Figure 5 shows a Tibetan matchlock gun with a spacer and accessories.
Tibetan matchlock gun with spacer and accessories
Matchlock guns did not have a high rate of fire. Thus, in the Battle of Kissingen (1636), the shooters fired 7 shots within 8 hours. Almost the same thing was repeated at the Battle of Witmergen (1638). When testing matchlock guns in England, it turned out that the gun required 2 minutes to load. During the designated period of time, the archer fired from 8 to 10 well-aimed arrows. At 100 yards (130 steps), the bow had 16 hits out of 20 arrows, the gun only 12 out of 20; but the penetration power of a rifle bullet was superior to that of a bow arrow.
A rifle lead musket bullet killed a man-at-arms at a distance of 200 m and could inflict wounds at a distance of up to 600 m.
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The need to free the shooter's hands from the wick to make aiming easier led to the creation of the matchlock. Probably one of the first mentions of a matchlock is an illustration in an old manuscript dated 1411. The figure shows a mechanical device in the form of a curved lever, which is attached approximately in the middle to an axis to the stock on the side of the barrel. The upper end of the lever clamps the smoldering wick, and if you press the lower end of the lever, the wick will touch the gunpowder located on the shelf near the priming hole, which will initiate a shot.
First wick lock had an S-shaped lever. The upper heads of the levers were often made in the shape of a snake or dragon's head, probably because of this, and perhaps because of the S-shaped shape of the lever, resembling a serpent, the ignition device was called in Europe serpentine.
In Rus', the first matchlocks appeared at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. and they were called zhagra(probably a variation of the word burn, set fire).
Despite the apparent primitiveness, wick lock device constantly improved:
- to protect the gunpowder located on the priming shelf from moisture, a lid was installed on a hinge, which the shooter folded to the side before aiming;
- all the parts were assembled into a single mechanism, placed on the key board;
- the shooter's eyes were protected from a flash of gunpowder on the shelf using a special shield;
- the lock parts were equipped with a spring to return the lever to its initial position, or for the convenience of releasing the trigger;
- To make it easier to fasten the wick, the upper head of the lever was made in the form of two plates (jaws), between which the smoldering end of the wick was clamped with a screw.
There were several main types of matchlocks.
The very first ones include locks in which there was no key plate, and the lever was attached either to the side of the stock, or in a special slot for the lever inside the stock.
FItalic lock with trigger lever appeared after they began to use key boards. On the inside of the locking board there was a spring-loaded lever, which at one end received pressure from the trigger or trigger lever, and at the other end, using an earring, acted on the trigger with the clamped wick. Gradually, the seed shelf moved and began to be attached not to the trunk, but also to the key board.
Also widely used side release wick lock. It consisted of a locking board, an S-shaped lever on an axis, a combat leaf spring and a trigger mechanism, which consisted of a leaf spring with a sear protrusion and a trigger button. To fire, the shooter pressed a button located on the side of the stock near the lock; the button was recessed, releasing the trigger from being fixed by the sear; under the action of the mainspring, the trigger was lowered onto the priming shelf and ignited the gunpowder.
It is not difficult to imagine what people felt when they first saw and, moreover, experienced the effect of a firearm with a matchlock. A sudden flash, a roar, clouds of acrid smoke and invisible shells that hit at a great distance...
All this was unusual, and fundamentally new for military affairs, although, as you know, the Chinese invented gunpowder quite a long time ago, but used it to make harmless fireworks. Only Europeans began to use it in firearms at the turn of the 13th - 14th centuries - the reason for this was the specificity of the economic and social structure of European state formations.
The first examples of firearms with matchlocks
The first samples of fire wick weapons were a metal pipe up to half a meter long, with a diameter of 20 - 40 mm, one end of which was made blind, and a small ignition hole was drilled nearby. Such a trunk was placed in a wooden stock and secured with metal rings.
Rider with a matchlock handbrake.
Loading was done through the barrel: dusted gunpowder was poured into it, compacted with a wad, and then a charge was placed - a piece of stone or metal. The shooter aimed the weapon at the target, resting the butt on his shoulder or chest, holding it under his arm, or placing it on the ground - everything depended on the size and weight of the firearm system - and brought a rod hot on the brazier to the ignition hole.
Western European matchlock from the late 14th century, equipped with a carrying hook.
Length - 297 mm, caliber - 32 mm.
At first, hand-held firearms did not have any standards, and structurally they were reduced similarities to artillery systems. Even its names often reminded of its kinship with more powerful brothers. Thus, in the countries of Western Europe there were bombardelles (small bombards), and in Rus' there were hand-held guns, that is, guns designed for hand-held shooting.
Although the first samples of matchlock weapons were noticeably inferior in rate of fire and accuracy of fire to bows and crossbows brought to perfection, firearms systems were constantly improved. For example, at the end of the 15th century, the ignition hole was moved to the right side of the breech of the barrel, and a small shelf with a recess was installed next to it, where before the shot a little seed gunpowder was poured, which was set on fire with a hot rod, without obscuring the target with it, as was the case before.
Western European hand grip with a lightweight butt.
Length - 950 - 1000 mm, weight - 25.5 kg, caliber - 30 - 35 mm.
Then the shelf was equipped with a hinged lid to protect the seed powder from moisture and wind. And soon the unknown inventors replaced the inconvenient rod with a wick - treated with saltpeter (or wine alcohol, or boiled in ash), it smoldered slowly and for a long time. However, bringing it to the seed shelf was still difficult. Then a hole was made in the stock, a strip of metal bent in the shape of the letter S was passed through it, and a wick was attached to its upper end. When the shooter pressed the lower end of such a serpentine (in Muscovy it was called a zhagra), the upper one dropped and the smoldering wick touched the gunpowder on the shelf. From now on, shooters no longer needed to stay close to the field brazier in order to heat up the steel rod from time to time.
Matchlock
At the end of the 15th century, this device was turned into a matchlock. A leaf spring with a protrusion—the sear—was attached to the inside of the locking board, and it was connected to the serpentine so that when the trigger was pressed, the sear rose and the wick touched the seed powder.
Handle with iron handle.
First half of the 15th century.
The English in the 16th - 17th centuries
In the 16th - 17th centuries, the British attached a shield to the shelf - a kind of screen that protected the eyes from a flash of flame when fired. In addition, in the 70s of the 16th century, the Nurembergers produced the first rifled guns in Western Europe. The craftsmen also improved the butt. After all, the straight line had to be rested against the chest, which was extremely inconvenient, and besides, due to the recoil, the aim was lost. Therefore, the French came up with curved butts, in which the recoil energy was directed not only back, but also upward, and the Spaniards figured out resting the butt on the shoulder, which has since become generally accepted. By the end of the 16th century, hand-held small arms had become so “independent” that they acquired names unique to them (and not borrowed from artillery): arquebus, musket, carbine, etc. Thus, muskets were the name given to heavy matchlock guns equipped with a cushion that was pressed into the ground when firing. Their length reached 1.2 m, weight - 7 kg, caliber ranged from 18 to 20 mm. In Sweden, however, they preferred lightweight muskets for their army, for which there was no need for pads. And in Rus' in the 17th century, where Dutch and Russian muskets were used in the “new order” regiments, domestic ones were much lighter than foreign ones and were in no way inferior to them in combat characteristics.
German handbrake, made in 1400 in Regensburg.
Handling matchlock weapons
Handling matchlock weapons was not much different from what shooters had to do armed with handguns or bombardells. Before firing, it was necessary to take the gun in the left hand, rest the butt on the ground, pour the required dose of gunpowder into the barrel, nail it with a ramrod and wad, lower the bullet on top, pour seed gunpowder onto the shelf, close it with a lid, blow off excess gunpowder, insert a wick , open the lid and finally take aim. Even an experienced shooter can do all this
it took about two minutes.
Western European bronze hand grip from 1399.
Length - 320 mm, weight - 1.2 kg, caliber - 17.9 mm.
Manual for infantrymen
In 1608, German publishers published a manual for infantrymen, illustrated by the famous Dutch engraver J. van Geyn. So, in the first part there were 42 drawings of methods for loading and unloading a musket, and in the second - 43 images of drill techniques adopted for musketeers. In some drawings, bandeliers are clearly visible - leather belts worn over the soldier’s left shoulder, to which were attached 10 - 12 wooden, sometimes leather-lined vessels with measured portions of gunpowder, a flask with small, seed gunpowder, a pouch made of horn, leather or wood, where bullets were kept , wads, needles for cleaning the seed hole, rags and scraper; they wore coiled wicks on a bandelier.
An interesting detail: on the march, every tenth soldier was supposed to keep the fuse lit so that, if necessary, his comrades could quickly “refuel the light.” Only after the appearance of ready-made cartridges in the 18th century were heavy bandeliers replaced with small cartridge belts, which were also thrown over the shoulder or fastened to the belt.
Russian handbrake from the late 14th - early 15th centuries.
In the second half of the 16th century
In the second half of the 16th century, they switched to a new, more effective type of gunpowder. The previous one, crushed into dust, quickly stuck together due to the humid air, burned unevenly, and unburned particles clogged the barrel and the seed hole.
Therefore, hard cakes were first sculpted from the powder mixture, and then crushed into relatively large grains, which, although they burned more slowly, released more energy. Such gunpowder successfully remained in service with the troops until the second half of the 19th century, when it was replaced by nitroglycerin.
The diagrams of the structure of a matchlock weapon show: A - serpentine (jagra),
B - the simplest wick lock with a sear,
B - improved matchlock of the second half of the 17th century (inside view).
The bullets also changed
Bullets were made from stone, metal, giving the shape of a rhombus, cube, arrow, ball... Finally, through trial and error, they came to the optimal option - a round bullet made of lead, which is easy to manufacture.
This is what Western European musketeers and riflemen looked like, armed with matchlock guns.
The end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century.
However, matchlock weapons were far from perfect.
In a night battle, the light on the wick unmasked the shooter, the trigger mechanism was not reliable, and it failed in wet and windy weather. It was possible to get rid of “childhood diseases” only when the wick was replaced with a combination of flint and steel - this is how the wheel or ring lock appeared.
Due to the increased thickness of safety weapons (chain mail, armor, etc.), bullets weighing 6 spools had a weak effect, and it was necessary to increase the caliber of the gun to 8 1/2 line and the weight of the bullet to 12 spools, the charge was about ½ the weight of the bullet. The weight was so great that they were equipped with a special stand with a fork; the stand was stuck into the ground, and the muzzle of the gun was placed on the fork when aiming. To reduce recoil, shooters wore a leather pillow over their right shoulder; A matchlock was used to fire a shot. Gustav Adolf significantly lightened the musket and equipped it with a wheel lock; as a result of the lightening, the stand became unnecessary.
Matchlock — a mechanical device for igniting a powder charge, used on long-barreled hand-held firearms - muskets and arquebuses. The invention of the matchlock made it possible for one shooter to make an aimed shot without outside help.
All parts of this device were assembled on a key board (1). The trigger (2), rotating on an axis, had a split end, where a wick was placed, which was clamped by a trigger screw (3). An earring (5) was installed on the axis of the trigger (4), which transmitted the force of the trigger lever (6) to the trigger. The release lever spring (7) served to return all parts of the lock to their original position. Seed powder was poured onto a powder shelf (8), which was closed with a powder shelf lid (9). This was necessary when loading to prevent accidental discharge, as well as for protection from bad weather. To protect the shooter's eyes from sparks of ignited seed powder and blinding by the flash, a protective screen (10) was made at the edge of the powder shelf.
The matchlock had a number of disadvantages: the need to constantly move the burning wick, a large amount of seed gunpowder, unmasking fire and smoke of the wick, the impossibility of long-term aiming, the need to remove the wick when loading, and complete dependence on bad weather.
In the East, matchlocks were often made of one piece - a metal rod of complex shape, the flake of which served as a return spring. The upper split end of this rod clamped the wick, and the lower one served as a trigger lever.
Wheel lock - the principle of operation of this mechanical device for igniting a powder charge was based on striking a spark from the perite by rubbing a rotating wheel with notches against it. This type of castle first appeared in Germany at the beginning of the 16th century.
All parts of the mechanism were placed on the key board (1). On the outside there were: a trigger (2) with a trigger spring (3), in the jaws (4) of the trigger, using a trigger screw (5), a perite was clamped, and later - a flint; trigger plate (6), wheel (7) made of hardened steel with grooves and notches, held by a wheel plate or screen (8), mounted on an axis (9) with a square (11), on which the cocking key was put; a powder shelf (11), through which the wheel passed, with a powder shelf cover (12), which protected the seed powder and the wheel from contamination; trigger safety (13) with lock (14), preventing accidental shooting.
On the inside of the keyplate there were: a mainspring (15); the end of the axle (9) with an ankle (16), on which a chain (17) was wound, the other “T”-shaped end of which was attached to the cutout of the mainspring (15); ankle pad (18), which keeps the axle (9) from moving; a stopper (19), the toe of which jumped into the cutout of the wheel under the action of the stopper spring (20), holding the wheel in the cocked position, the other end of the stopper jumped over the cutout of the sear (21); powder shelf carrier (22) with a plate retainer (23) holding the carrier in its extreme positions.
In preparation for shooting, the trigger (2) was tilted into the non-working position, a key was put on the square (10) and turned 3/4 of an arc until the toe of the stopper (19) jumped into the cutout of the wheel (7). At the same time, a chain (17) was wound around the ankle (16), straining the mainspring; at the same time, the protrusion of the ankle folded back the carrier (22), opening the powder shelf, onto which seed powder was then poured, the cover of the powder shelf was closed, and the trigger was placed in the firing position.
When firing, they pressed on the trigger, the force was transferred to the sear lever (21), which released the stopper (19), the conical toe of which was pressed out by the pressure of the wheel. Once released, it turned sharply, while the protrusion of the ankle (16) folded back the carrier (22), opening the powder shelf, the trigger fell onto the rotating wheel, striking a spark and igniting the gunpowder.
Due to their high reliability and low dependence on weather conditions, wheel locks have received universal recognition, but the high cost, dependence on the key and the need to wash all parts of the lock from powder deposits after 20-30 shots have reduced the scope of its application to pistols, hunting rifles and combined weapons.
Among wheel locks there are:
German, powerful and large in size, the work of German masters, mainly from Nuremberg;
. Italian, elegant, smaller sizes;
. Kurland or Chink, which had an external mechanism and were used only on hunting rifles;
. self-cocking, cocking of the mainspring, which was carried out when the trigger was turned; hidden, in which the mainspring was spiral-shaped and simply wound around the axle, while all the parts, except the square for the key, were in the stock.
In the mid-17th century, handguns were improved by adopting a flintlock, a bayonet, a cartridge (the charge of gunpowder with a bullet was enclosed in one paper sleeve, previously bullets and gunpowder were carried separately) and a ramrod for chambering it when loading.
Flintlock , invented in Spain, is designed like this:
The trigger rotates with an axis passing through the key board embedded in the stock, a flint is pinched between the jaws of the trigger, on the same axis with the trigger, but on the other side of the board the ankle is wedged, which thus rotates with the trigger, a long combat feather rests against the cutout of the ankle, a two-leaf spring, the short leg of which is attached to the board. When the hammer is pulled back, the mainspring is compressed, cocked and tends to tilt the hammer forward, bringing the flint closer to the flint. In the cocked position, the hammer is held by the end of the hook, which slides into the cutout (cocking) of the ankle, the hook rotates on an axis and is constantly pressed onto the surface of the ankle by a spring - a perk. To pull the trigger, you need to press the tail of the trigger, rotating on an axis, then the latter, pressing on the hook, will bring its end out of the cocking of the ankle; the trigger, not held back by anything, falls, driven by the pressure of the mainspring and strikes with flint the steel flint, which serves as a continuation of the lid covering the shelf with gunpowder; the lid opens, rotating on an axis - sparks ignite the gunpowder on the shelf and transfer the fire to the charge through the seed. To keep the lid closed and provide resistance to the strike of the trigger by the flint (the latter is necessary to obtain a spark), there is a bending spring, the upper free feather of which supports the flint.
Spanish-Moorish castle
A castle of this type, one of the oldest flint locks, appeared in the 30s of the 16th century in Spain. The Arabs, who were called Moors in Europe, very actively used these weapon locks, which is where their names came from - Arabic, Hispano-Moorish or Spanish. The lock has an external mechanism. The mainspring (1), the bending spring (2) are located outside the locking board (3). The flint and the powder shelf cover are combined into one part (4). The trigger (5), which had jaws (6) and a hammer screw (7), was cocked to the safety cocking (8) and to the combat cocking (9). The descent was carried out by a trigger that pressed on the sear lever (10).
Dutch castle
This type of flintlock, used in the countries of the Baltic basin and the North Sea, differed from other types in the external placement of the main parts. A hammer (2) with a tail (3) and a hammer screw (5), which clamped the flint (7), were attached to the key board (1); combat (4) and bending (10) springs, as well as flint (8) and powder shelf cover (9). On the inside of the key board there was a sear (6) with a spring (11). having a vertical axis of rotation. This castle was a simplified combination of a Spanish-Moorish castle and a movable gunpowder shelf taken from the wheeled castle. In England, the mainspring (4) was moved inside and a pawl safety was introduced, creating the English or dog lock.
Battery lock was the pinnacle of flintlock development. It got its name from the combination of a battery, a flint and a powder cover, which were previously separate in European and Eastern European castles.
On the outside of the key board (1) there were: a trigger (2) with an upper movable jaw (3) and a trigger screw (4) for clamping the flint; powder shelf (5), usually brass; battery (6); bending spring (7).
On the inside there were: a mainspring (8), ending with a king resting on the ankle (9), on which there were two notches for the safety and combat cockings; the axis of the ankle (10), passing through the larva or ankle pad (11), which held the sear (12) with the sear spring - perk (13).
In preparation for the shot, the trigger was put on the safety cock, the battery was folded into a non-combat position and seed powder was poured onto the powder shelf. They closed the shelf and cocked the hammer just before the shot. At the same time, the ankle turned, with its protrusion straining the mainspring until the toe of the sear jumped onto the combat cock of the ankle.
When firing, they pressed on the trigger, which transferred the force to the sear lever, which, turning, disengaged the toe, freeing the ankle. It turned under the action of the mainspring, set the trigger in motion, and as a result the flint hit the flint. The battery axis was located in such a way that under the pressure of the trigger it tilted back, opening the powder shelf, onto which a sheaf of sparks fell, igniting the seed gunpowder.
Simplicity, reliability and relative cheapness led to the widespread use of the battery lock in the world, with the exception of the countries of the Far East, where the leading place remained with the wick lock. Battery locks dominated the battlefields for more than a century and a half, until they were replaced by capsule locks, even simpler and faster-firing.
The flintlock served until the first quarter of the 19th century.
Schneller, or "accelerator",- a mechanical device to facilitate the release of hunting and target weapons - crossbows and rifles.
It was a mechanism assembled on a plate with a cocking hammer (1) and a trigger pin (2). The trigger is a continuation of the firing pin (3), which, when the trigger is pressed, depresses the spring and is locked by a protrusion on the head of the spoke (2). The adjusting screw (4) limits the travel of the spoke. When you lightly press the spoke, the striker hook is released and, under the action of a powerful spring, it rises sharply and hits the sear lever with its striker, firing a shot.