Flintlock Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism . The term may also apply to the mechanism itself . Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century , the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm - ignition technologies , such as the doglock , matchlock , and wheellock mechanisms . It continued to be in common use for over two centuries , replaced by percussion cap and , later , cartridge - based systems in the early - to - mid 19th century . Although long superseded by modern firearms , flintlock weapons enjoy continuing popularity with black - powder shooting enthusiasts . History . French court gunsmith Marin le Bourgeoys made the first firearm incorporating a true flintlock mechanism for King Louis XIII shortly after his accession to the throne in 1610 . The development of firearm lock mechanisms had proceeded from matchlock to wheellock to snaplock to snaphance and miquelet in the previous two centuries , and each type had been an improvement , contributing some design features which were useful . Le Bourgeoys fitted these various features together to create the flintlock mechanism . The new system quickly became popular , and was known and used in various forms throughout Europe by 1630 . In particular , dragoons serving with the Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War were known to use snaphaunce muskets , or early forms of flintlocks . Examples of early flintlock weapons can be seen in the painting " Marie de ' Medici as Bellona " by Rubens ( painted around 1622 - 25 ) . Various breech - loading flintlocks were developed starting around 1650 . The most popular action has a barrel which was unscrewed from the rest of the gun . Obviously this is more practical on pistols because of the shorter barrel length . This type is known as a Queen Anne pistol because it was during her reign that it became popular ( although it was actually introduced in the reign of King William III ) . Another type has a removable screw plug set into the side or top or bottom of the barrel . A large number of sporting rifles were made with this system , as it allowed easier loading compared with muzzle loading with a tight fitting bullet and patch . One of the more successful was the system built by Isaac de la Chaumette starting in 1704 . The barrel could be opened by 3 revolutions of the triggerguard , to which it was attached . The plug stayed attached to the barrel and the ball and powder were loaded from the top . This system was improved in the 1770s by Colonel Patrick Ferguson and 100 experimental rifles used in the American Revolutionary War . The only two flintlock breechloaders to be produced in quantity were the Hall and the Crespi . The first was invented by John Hall and patented c . 1817 . It was issued to the US Army as the Model 1819 Hall Breech Loading Rifle . The Hall rifles and carbines were loaded using a combustible paper cartridge inserted into the upward tilting breechblock . Hall rifles leaked gas from the often poorly fitted action . The same problem affected the muskets produced by Giuseppe Crespi and adopted by the Austrian Army in 1771 . Nonetheless , the Crespi System was experimented with by the British during the Napoleonic Wars , and percussion Halls guns saw service in the American Civil War . Flintlock weapons were commonly used until the mid 19th century , when they were replaced by percussion lock systems . Even though they have long been considered obsolete , flintlock weapons continue to be produced today by manufacturers such as Pedersoli , Euroarms , and Armi Sport . Not only are these weapons used by modern re - enactors , but they are also used for hunting , as many U . S . states have dedicated hunting seasons for black - powder weapons , which includes both flintlock and percussion lock weapons . Subtypes . Flintlocks may be any type of small arm : long gun or pistol , smoothbore or rifle , muzzleloader or breechloader . Pistols . Flintlock pistols were used as self - defense weapons and as a military arm . Their effective range was short , and they were frequently used as an adjunct to a sword or cutlass . Pistols were usually smoothbore although some rifled pistols were produced . Flintlock pistols came in a variety of sizes and styles which often overlap and are not well defined , many of the names we use having been applied by collectors and dealers long after the pistols were obsolete . The smallest were less than 6 inches long ( 15 cm ) and the largest were over 20 inches ( 50 cm ) . From around the beginning of the 1700s the larger pistols got shorter , so that by the late 1700s the largest would be more like 16 inches long ( 40 cm ) . The smallest would fit into a typical pocket or a hand warming muff and could easily be carried by women . The largest sizes would be carried in holsters across a horse ' s back just ahead of the saddle . In - between sizes included the coat pocket pistol , or coat pistol , which would fit into a large pocket , the coach pistol , meant to be carried on or under the seat of a coach in a bag or box , and belt pistols , sometimes equipped with a hook designed to slip over a belt or waistband . Larger pistols were called horse pistols . Arguably the most elegant of the pistol designs was the Queen Anne pistol , which was made in all sizes . Probably the high point of the mechanical development of the flintlock pistol was the British duelling pistol ; it was highly reliable , water resistant and accurate . External decoration was minimal but craftsmanship was evident , and the internal works were often finished to a higher degree of craftsmanship than the exterior . Dueling pistols were the size of the horse pistols of the late 1700s , around 16 inches long ( 40 cm ) and were usually sold in pairs along with accessories in a wooden case with compartments for each piece . Muskets . Flintlock muskets were the mainstay of European armies between 1660 and 1840 . A musket was a muzzle - loading smoothbore long gun that was loaded with a round lead ball , but it could also be loaded with shot for hunting . For military purposes , the weapon was loaded with ball , or a mixture of ball with several large shot ( called buck and ball ) , and had an effective range of about 75 to 100 metres . Smoothbore weapons that were designed for hunting birds were called " fowlers . " Flintlock muskets tended to be of large caliber and usually had no choke , so they could also be used to fire a ball . Military flintlock muskets tended to weigh approximately ten pounds , as heavier weapons were found to be too cumbersome , and lighter weapons were not rugged or heavy enough to be used in hand to hand combat . They were usually designed to be fitted with a bayonet . On flintlocks , the bayonet played a much more significant role , often accounting for a third or more of all battlefield casualties . This is a rather controversial topic in history though , given that casualties list from several battles in the 18th century showed that less than 2 % of wounds were caused by bayonets . Antoine - Henri Jomini , a celebrated military author of the Napoleon ic period who served in numerous armies during that period , stated that the majority of bayonet charge s in the open resulted with one side fleeing before any contacts were made . Flintlock weapons were not used like modern rifles . They tended to be fired in mass volleys , followed by bayonet charges in which the weapons were used much like the pikes that they replaced . Because they were also used as pikes , military flintlocks tended to be approximately five or six feet in length ( without the bayonet attached ) , and used bayonets that were approximately 18 to 22 inches in length . Rifles . Some flintlocks were rifled . The spiral grooves of rifling make rifles more accurate and give a longer effective range – but on a muzzle - loading firearm they take more time to load due to the tight - fitting ball , and after repeated shots black powder tended to foul the barrels . Military musketeers could not afford to take the time to clean their barrels in between shots and the rifle ' s greater accuracy was unnecessary when tactics were based on mass volleys . Most military flintlocks were therefore smoothbore . Rifled flintlocks did see some military use by sharpshooters , skirmishers , and other support units ; but most rifled flintlocks were used for hunting . By the late 18th century there were increasing efforts to take advantage of the rifle for military purposes , with specialist rifle units such as the King ' s Royal Rifle Corps of 1756 and Rifle Brigade ( Prince Consort ' s Own ) of 1800 . Despite this , smoothbores predominated until the advent of the Minié ball – by which time the percussion cap had made the flintlock obsolete . In the United States , modifications to small game rifles originally designed in Europe led to the long rifle ( " Pennsylvania Rifle " or " Kentucky Rifle , " ) which due to their long barrels were exceptionally accurate for their time , with an effective range of approximately 250 meters . Since Pennsylvania / Kentucky rifles were used primarily for hunting , they tended to fire smaller caliber rounds , with calibers in the range of . 32 to . 45 being common . This type of rifle was sometimes referred to as a " pea rifle " since the round ball was approximately the same size as a pea . The jezail was another example of a long flintlock rifle , but its use in Afghanistan , India , Central Asia and parts of the Middle East was primarily as a military weapon , so tended to fire a larger and heavier round . Multishot flintlock weapons . Multiple barrels . Because of the time needed to reload ( even experts needed 15 seconds to reload a smooth - bore , muzzle - loading musket ) , flintlocks were sometimes produced with two , three , four or more barrels for multiple shots . These designs tended to be costly to make and were often unreliable and dangerous . While weapons like double barreled shotguns were reasonably safe , weapons like the pepperbox revolver would sometimes fire all barrels simultaneously , or would sometimes just explode in the user ' s hand . It was often less expensive , safer , and more reliable to carry several single - shot weapons instead . Single barrel . Some repeater rifles , multishot single barrel pistols , and multishot single barrel revolvers were also made . Notable are the Puckle gun , Mortimer , Kalthoff , Michele Lorenzoni , Abraham Hill , Cookson pistols , the Jennings repeater and the Elisha Collier revolver . Drawbacks . Flintlocks were prone to many problems , compared to modern weapons . Misfires were common . The flint had to be properly maintained , as a dull or poorly napped piece of flint would not make as much of a spark and would increase the misfire rate dramatically . Moisture was a problem , since moisture on the frizzen or damp powder would prevent the weapon from firing . This meant that flintlock weapons could not be used in rainy or damp weather . Some armies attempted to remedy this by using a leather cover over the lock mechanism , but this proved to have only limited success . Accidental firing was also a problem for flintlocks . A burning ember left in the barrel could ignite the next powder charge as it was loaded . This could be avoided by waiting between shots for any leftover residue to completely burn . Running a lubricated cleaning patch down the barrel with the ramrod would also extinguish any embers , and would clean out some of the barrel fouling as well . Soldiers on the battlefield could not take these precautions though . They had to fire as quickly as possible , often firing three to four rounds per minute . Loading and firing at such a pace dramatically increased the risk of an accidental discharge . When a flintlock was fired it sprayed a shower of sparks forwards from the muzzle and another sideways out of the flash - hole . One reason for firing in volleys was to ensure that one man ' s sparks didn ' t ignite the next man ' s powder as he was in the act of loading . An accidental frizzen strike could also ignite the main powder charge , even if the pan had not yet been primed . Some modern flintlock users will still place a leather cover over the frizzen while loading as a safety measure to prevent this from happening . However , this does slow down the loading time , which prevented safety practices such as this from being used on the battlefields of the past . The black powder used in flintlocks would quickly foul the barrel , which was a problem for rifles and for smooth bore weapons that fired a tighter fitting round for greater accuracy . Each shot would add more fouling to the barrel , making the weapon more and more difficult to load . Even if the barrel was badly fouled , the flintlock user still had to properly seat the round all the way to the breech of the barrel . Leaving an air gap in between the powder and the round ( known as " short starting " ) was very dangerous , and could cause the barrel to explode . Handling loose black powder was also dangerous , for obvious reasons . Powder measures , funnels , and other pieces of equipment were usually made out of brass to reduce the risk of creating a spark , which could ignite the powder . Soldiers often used pre - made " cartridges " , which unlike modern cartridges were not inserted whole into the weapon . Instead , they were tubes of paper that contained a pre - measured amount of powder and a lead ball . Although paper cartridges were safer to handle than loose powder , their primary purpose was not safety related at all . Instead , paper cartridges were used mainly because they sped up the loading process . A soldier did not have to take the time to measure out powder when using a paper cartridge . He simply tore open the cartridge , used a small amount of powder to prime the pan , then dumped the remaining powder from the cartridge into the barrel . The black powder used in flintlocks contained sulfur . If the weapon was not cleaned after use , the powder residue would absorb moisture from the air and would combine it with the sulfur to produce sulfuric acid . This acid would erode the inside of the gun barrel and the lock mechanism . Flintlock weapons that were not properly cleaned and maintained would corrode to the point of being destroyed . Most flintlocks were produced at a time before modern manufacturing processes became common . Even in mass - produced weapons , parts were often handmade . If a flintlock became damaged , or parts wore out due to age , the damaged parts were not easily replaced . Parts would often have to be filed down , hammered into shape , or otherwise modified so that they would fit , making repairs much more difficult . Machine - made , interchangeable parts only began to be used shortly before flintlocks were replaced by caplocks . Method of operation . The gun is now in a " primed and loaded " state , and this is how it would typically be carried while hunting or if going into battle . To fire : The Royal Infantry and Continental Army used paper cartridge s to load their weapons . The powder charge and ball were instantly available to the soldier inside this small paper envelope . To load a flintlock weapon using a paper cartridge , a soldier would The weapon can then be cocked and fired . Cultural impact . The flintlock mechanism was in main use for both military and civilian use for over 100 years . Not until the Reverend Alexander John Forsyth , a Scottish minister , invented the rudimentary percussion cap system in 1807 did the flintlock system begin to decline in popularity . The percussion - cap system replaced the flintlock ' s flint and flashpan with a waterproof copper cap that created a spark when struck . The percussion ignition system was more weatherproof and more reliable than the flintlock . The transition from flintlock to percussion cap was a slow one , even at that , since the percussion system was not widely used until around 1830 . The Model 1840 U . S . musket was the last flintlock firearm produced for the U . S . military , although obsolete flintlocks were seeing action in the earliest days of the American Civil War , for example , during the first year of the war , the Army of Tennessee had over 2 , 000 flintlock muskets in service . As a result of the flintlock ' s long active life , it has left lasting marks on the language and on drill and parade . Terms such as : " lock , stock and barrel " , " going off half - cocked " and " flash in the pan " remain current in the English language . In addition , the weapon positions and drill commands that were originally devised to standardize carrying , loading and firing a flintlock weapon remain the standard for drill and display ( see manual of arms ) .