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,
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.
Snaphance
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A snaphance or snaphaunce is a type of firearm lock in which a flint struck against a striker plate above a steel pan ignites the priming powder which fires the gun. It is the mechanical progression o
Wheellock
…rotating steel wheel to provide ignition. Developed in Europe around 1500, it was used alongside the matchlock (c. 1410s), the snaplock (c. 1540s), the snaphance (c. 1560s), and the flintlock (c. 1610s). The wheellock works by spinning a spring-loaded steel wheel against a piece of pyrite to generate intense…
Swedish snaphance guns from the mid 17th century