The Musket is a type of firearm that typically featured a long, smoothbore barrel and fired either a musket ball or (from the 1840's) a Minie ball. The Musket was heavily developed during its 4 centuries of use from the 1400's to the late 1800's, with different types of muskets evolving. The name "musketeer" is often applied to the user.

Contents 1 History 2 Musket Types 2.1 Matchlocks 2.2 Wheellocks 2.3 Snaphance 2.4 Flintlock 2.5 Percussion Lock (Cap lock) 2.6 Rifled Musket 3 Different forms and sizes 4 References

HistoryEdit

The earliest reference to the Musket is found in 1260 in the region now named China, referred to as a "Hand cannon". This device originally fired what was effectively a firework, before the design was refined to include a primitive stock, safer loading mechanisms/systems and, ultimately, the development of the Matchlock musket, the very first firing mechanism that allowed the musket to be built. China became the leader in firearm technology in this era, before European nations developed the design and outpaced them.

In Europe the Musket began to appear on a wide scale in the 15th century, used not only for its firearm purpose but also its psychological impact (the loud noise, in reality had a greater effect on the enemy then the actual firearm itself did). In Hungary the direct decendent of the Musket, the Arquebus, was developed in the 15th century, a smoothbore, muzzle loaded, matchlock weapon that provoked the development of the Musket as its potential power became recognised (particularly as the Arquebus could penetrate the 15kg armor of a pikeman, prompting an increase in armor to 25kg.)

The matchlock mechanism was sometimes replaced by a wheellock mechanism, which utilised a steel wheel which was spun to produce sparks to ignite the powder in the breech. This was an improvment on the Matchlock and the first instance of a firearm being capable of self-ignition. However with the invention of the flintlock mechanism, the matchlock and wheellock mechanisms would soon disappear.

The Flintlock mechanism (eventually) became the definition of a musket, first appearing in the 17th century (credited to Swede Sven Aderman) and spreading across Europe. The flintlock mechanism used a piece of flint held in the hammer which (when the hammer was pulled) would strike a steel plate above the flash pan, igniting the powder in the flash pan which would then ignite the charge.

Famous examples of the flintlock musket include the British Brown Bess (the longest serving firearm in history) and the Charleville Musket (which would form the basis of other designs for well over a century). The earliest rifles also began appearing in the era of the flintlock musket, in around 1750 in Europe, with new units commonly named "Jagers" ("Riflemen") using them.

The Flintlock would eventually be replaced, after nearly 200 years of use, by the cap/percussion lock, which used a percussion cap (struck by the hammer) to ignite the powder charge, rather than the sparks of the flintlock mechanism. Along with the percussion lock mechanism came, almost immediately, the Rifled Musket using a rifled barrel to use (from 1847) the Minie Ball, designed specifically for use in rifled barrels, greatly improving accuracy.

The era of the musket ended with the emerging use of breechloading rifles, which began to appear in the 1840s (the Norwegian made Kammerlader and Prussian Dreyse Needle Gun to name two of the earliest widely used examples). Although the M1819 Hall rifle had been developed in the 1810s, it was not until the Dreyse Needle Gun dominated the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 that the breechloading rifle came into the fore. Although the name "musket" would be applied to the earliest breechloading rifles the practice was dropped as the era of the rifle began.

Musket TypesEdit

The Musket saw centuries of development. From the early 13th century with the "Hand Cannon", to the "Rifled Muskets" of the mid 19th century, the Musket was developed continously during the ages, with various types emerging.

MatchlocksEdit

The Matchlock Musket effectively used a slow burning twine, clamped in a vice, which was ignited (via a match) which would touch the powder in the flashpan when the lever (or later trigger) was pulled. This was a crude design and unreliable at best, but showed the potential of the Musket, and prompted its development.

WheellocksEdit

A design which used a high-friction steel wheel to generate sparks (when it was spun) to ignite powder in the flash pan. Appearing in the 1500s the Wheellock was a more complicated, yet more reliable, alternative to the Matchlock mechanism, improving the versatility of the Musket.

SnaphanceEdit

The Snaphance is the little known, short lived step between the Wheellock and Flintlock mechanisms. Virtually identical to the flintlock mechanism, the Snaphance used a flint clamped to a cock that would strike, when the hammer was pulled, a steel plate and ignite the powder in the flash pan. This design formed the basis of the flintlock mechanism and was among the first weapons to feature some forms of safety to prevent accidental firing (albeit limited to later models).

FlintlockEdit

The Flintlock Musket was, by far, the most famed and most widely used design of the musket. Like the Snaphance Muskets the mechanism used a flint, located in a cock/hammer to strike a steel plate (although the design of a flintlock was much less complicated with fewer moving internal parts and springs). The most well known Flintlock Musket, the Brown Bess, would become the longest serving long arm in military history, used from the 1820's until the late 1860's (in some form) by the British Empire. The Flintlock also had a cultural impact (un-surprising given its 200 years of use) with military terms such as "Flash in the Pan" and "Lock, stock and barrel" emerging with Flintlocks and lasting until the modern day.

Percussion Lock (Cap lock)Edit

The Percussion lock (or Cap lock due to the use of a percussion cap used to ignite the charge) was the last mechanism to be developed for the Musket, replacing the flintlock mechanism. Using a hammer attached directly to the trigger to strike a percussion cap (located on a hollow nipple above the charge in the breech) to ignite the charge, the Percussion lock mechanism was an improvement on the old flintlock mechanism, not least due to its wet-weather usage.

Rifled MusketEdit

Emerging on a wide scale soon after the Percussion lock was developed (although the first "Rifles" had been built as early as the 1750's) the Rifled Musket was designed around a brand new ammunition named the Minie Ball, which was designed to deform when the powder was ignited to engage with the rifling and cause it to spin, improving accuracy, massively, compared to older firearms. The earliest of these was the Minie Rifle (designed for the Minie Ball) which would form the basis of the majority of Rifled muskets until they were replaced by breechloading rifles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Different forms and sizesEdit

As more musket and gunlock types were created, the overall shapings and forms of individual musket types were very different. The side of a wheellock rifle was normally larger since the lock plate had more parts in it, with older designs such as the Matchlock not having a trigger guard. 

Yet as the gunlock evolved into the Flintlock and Percussion lock, the shape of all muskets became virtually standardised, with manufacturers copying various elements from eachother. In 1842 the first musket with machine made components, which meant that every part could be interchanged with other Model 1842 Muskets. Throughout the era of the musket, however, the length of the barrel remained extremely long (particularly when compared to modern rifles), despite the emergence of Carbines during the later years of the Musket.

ReferencesEdit

• Wikipedia:Musket
• Wikipedia:Musketeer