Snap matchlock

The snap matchlock is a type of matchlock mechanism used to ignite early firearms. It was used in Europe from about 1475 to 1640, and in Japan from 1543 till about 1880.

Description
The serpentine  (a curved lever with a clamp on the end) was held in firing position by a weak spring, and released by pressing a button, pulling a trigger, or even pulling a short string passing into the mechanism. The slow match held in the serpentine swung into a flash pan containing priming powder. The flash from the flash pan travelled through the touch hole igniting the main propellant charge of the gun. As the match was often extinguished after its relatively violent collision with the flash pan, this type fell out of favour with soldiers, but was often used in fine target weapons.

In Japan the first documented introduction of the matchlock which became known as the tanegashima was through the Portuguese in 1543. The tanegashima seems to have been based on examples of snap matchlocks purchased from Portuguese traders, and originally produced in the Portuguese armories present in Asia including Portuguese Malacca and Goa in Portuguese India, which were cities captured by the Portuguese in 1511 and 1510, respectively. The Malay arquebus, istinggar, ulitized this type of mechanism.

See also
 Black powder
 Gonne
 Matchlock
 Muzzleloading

References

External links
 Handgonnes and Matchlocks
 Matchlokkes

Category:Early firearms
Category:Firearm actions