A firelock mechanism where a hammer holding flint strikes a piece of steel and produces sparks. The sparks fall into a pan of gunpowder and ignites the powder. A small hole from the pan to the barrel allows flame to travel and ignite the powder in the barrel. Thanks to its cheap cost and ease of use, the flintlock fully replaced the matchlock and wheellock, and was the primary firearm mechanism until it was replaced in turn by the caplock.
General time periods for the use of flintlocks span from the late Renaissance circa ~1610s to the Napoleonic Wars of the 1810s, including the Golden Age of Piracy, American Revolution, and War of 1812 among many other world events.
