History of flintlock

[Riku]

Anybody got some specific info about the flintlock (just the lock) and I mean when it came first time in use. So far I found the years 1612, 1626 and around 1630. These are kind of far apart. So if someone has better info I would appreciated it. Thanks in advance.

Riku

[famouseagle]

Like most mechanisms there is no one time where it first came into use (at least in its mature form).  The first snapping locks (Snaphaunce) were used in the late 1500s.  Shortly afterwards the Spanish "miquelet" lock was developed.

I believe that the first "true" flintlocks were developed in France in the early 1600s.  The English had a cruder "Jacobean" lock at that time.  The flintlocks that we use on our reproductions are evolved from these earlier versions of the Flintlock.

It's a marvelous mechanism that worked well for 250 years before being replaced by the percussion system.  It still works well today.

A great reference book on the development of the flintlock (and guns in general) is Robert Held's "The Age of Firearms".  I have a copy that I bought in the early 60s.  It's well written and full of contemporary drawings and illustrations.

[keweenaw]

Lenk's book is considered the definitive work in this area, although there is one signed gun that he didn't have access to that changes the date by some years and a couple of the gunsmiths involved have similar names and overlapping dates.  Having read though the book, I find the discussion of actually defining a "flintlock" to be a bit arbitrary as there is a rather clear evolution of the flintlock from other lock forms so it's not like there were no flintlocks of any form and a gunsmith had a revelation on Tuesday morning, October 28, 1627 and built the first lock that afternoon.   We'll never know the date of the first flintlock.  The best we could know is the date of the first known "surviving" flintlock.  Maybe Gary will tell us what date Wallace now things is correct?

Tom

[smart dog]

Riku,
No one really knows when the first "true" flintlock was invented.  I believe most historians would say the French design (vertical acting sear, notched tumbler) was the first "true" flintlock and the date of its invention varies between 1610-1630.  The dates depend on when and by whom certain existing French guns were made.  Torsten Lenk's book provides one version of the evolution of the flintlock.  He suggested a date between 1610-1620. Wallace Gusler and James Lavin re-evaluated Lenk's conclusions and suggested the earliest known "true" flintlock was later, possibly in the late 1620's or 1630's.  All of the dates and conclusions are pretty speculative.

dave