Matchlock
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A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of flammable cord or twine that is in contact with the gunpowder through a mechanism that th
Early German musket with serpentine lock.
Engraving of musketeers from the Thirty Years' War
Various Japanese (samurai) Edo-period matchlocks (tanegashima)
Jochong (조총/鳥銃), the Korean matchlock musket
Wheellock
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A wheellock, wheel-lock, or wheel lock is a friction-wheel mechanism which creates a spark that causes a firearm to fire. It was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock,
Matchlock
…This was one reason why soldiers in charge of transporting and guarding ammunition were amongst the first to be issued self-igniting guns like the wheellock and snaphance. The matchlock was also uneconomical to keep ready for long periods of time, as keeping both ends of a match lit every night for a year…
A wheellock pistol or puffer, Augsburg, c. 1580
Disassembled wheellock pistol of the 16th century
Detail of the mechanism, with the wheel visible under the dog
The exterior of a wheellock mechanism from a "puffer" or pistol made in Augsburg in about 1580. The photo has been reversed in order to facilitate comparison with the interior view below.