Evolution of Early Firearms: Muzzleloading through the Ages

1. Muzzleloading Muzzleloader: term given to early firearms because they are loaded from the muzzle or open end of the gun

2. Early gunpowder: • __________ • __________ • __________ • __________

3. First Firearms: • Tubes __________ at one end • Usually made of ______ or cast iron • Sometimes made of __________________________________ • Ignited using a lighted ______ or ______ • “______________” caused by fast-burning powder launched metal objects

4. “Early Handguns”: • ________________ to shoot • Hand-held cannon • Shooter had to hold it, aim it, and light it at the same time

5. Held with two hands When the trigger was pulled a lighted ________ could be lowered into a ________________containing gun powder Matchlock (1400’s)

6. Parts: • ____________: trigger along with the jaws which held the wick formed an “S” shaped lever • ______________: closed end of the barrel

7. __________: tiny hole drilled into the ___________ • __________: located next to the breech -after powder was ignited, it caused a chain reaction through the vent hole which lit the main charge.

8. Wheel Lock: A rough-edged steel wheel was used instead of a wick Once the trigger was pulled a coiled spring forced the wheel to spin against a piece of _________________ The resulting sparks flew into the priming pan under the wheel

9. Flintlock (late 1500s) • A piece of ____________ is held in the jaws of a hammer • When the trigger is pulled, the hammer falls against a steel surface sitting over the priming pan • The steel pan cover (_________) falls out of the way as a result of the striking hammer thus exploding the pan powder

10. Kentucky & Pennsylvania Rifles • Made by colonists with the help of Swiss and Germans • Long, slender barrels • Aim better Kentucky Rifle Pennsylvania Rifles

11. New Plains rifles • Made by “Lancaster” • Offshoots of Kentucy patterns

12. Tennessee Rifles • Jake and Sam Hawkins made them famous on the frontier Sam Hawkins

13. Founders: ______________________(1799) -mercury fulminate could be exploded by the blow of a hammer ___________________ (1807): -a Scottish minister -patented the fulminate ignition -father of the percussion lock system

14. Parts Continued • ________________: vented screws which hold percussion caps • ________________: Build up of residue

15. ____________: Used to clean vent if dirty or clogged ____________: used to change nipples when vent is clogged or dirty ______________: explosive caps used over nipples of caplocks to ignite main powder charge when struck by the hammer

16. Early Percussion Locks: • Used pellets of fulminates (salt) inside a metallic foil cap placed over the vent

17. Later Percussion Caps: • Used a metal cap laced over a nipple which contains the vent hole leading to the breech • Now known as caplocks or percussion caps

18. Colt (1836) • Patent the multi-shot design • Now knows as the modern revolver

19. Flintlock and Percussion Caps • The most popular in shooting competitions and hunting • Less expensive, lighter, more reliable and easy to load and maintain

20. Chain Firing: When the chamber round fires, its sparks could accidently ignite loads in any of the other cylinders Protect each load in the cylinder with a coating of _______ to prevent

21. Hangfire: • The gun might fire some time after the cap or flint created the initial sparks

22. 3 basic types of ammunition • __________-conical shape, lubricated before loading, some use a paper patch • _____-loaded above the wad and below the “over-shot wad” (forerunner of the wad and crimp in today’s shotshells) • __________– used mainly for target practice

23. ________________: -The only type of powder which should be used in a muzzleloader _____________: synthetic substitute for blackpowder -causes a dense cloud of smoke -_____ sizes of granulation

24. ____________ Bag • purse-like bag -you store “everything you could possible need” in one