Most lantakas were made of bronze and the earliest ones were breech-loaded. Michael Charney (2004) pointed out that early Malay swivel guns were breech-loaded. This indicated that the cetbang is the direct predecessor of the lantaka. There is a trend toward muzzle-loading weapons during colonial times. Nevertheless, when Malacca fell to the Portuguese in 1511 A.D., both breech-loading and muzzle-loading swivel guns were found and captured by the Portuguese.