Editing Flintlock mechanism (section)

{{Short description|Ignition system for early firearms}}
[[File:Ketland1.jpg|thumb|A flintlock pistol made by [[Thomas Ketland|Ketland]]]]
[[File:Flintlock ignition movie.gif|thumb|right|Sparks generated by a flintlock mechanism]]
The '''flintlock mechanism''' is a type of [[lock (firearm)|lock]] used on [[musket]]s, [[rifle]]s, and [[pistol]]s from the early 17th to the mid-19th century. It is commonly referred to as a "[[flintlock]]" (without the word ''mechanism''). The term is also used for the weapons themselves as a whole, and not just the lock mechanism.

The flintlock mechanism, also known as the true flintlock, was developed in France in the early 17th century.<ref name="Lenk 1965 MCMLXV">{{cite book |last1=Lenk |first1=Torsten|title=The Flintlock: its origin and development; MCMLXV |url=https://archive.org/details/flintlockitsorig00lenk |url-access=registration |year=1965 |publisher=Bramhall House|location=London|author2=Translated by G.A. Urquhart}}</ref> It quickly replaced earlier technologies, such as the [[matchlock]], [[wheellock]] and earlier flintlocks. It continued to be in common use for over two centuries, until it was finally replaced by the [[percussion lock]].<ref>Flatnes, Oyvind. ''From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms''. Crowood Press, 2013, pp. 31–36. {{ISBN|978-1847975935}}</ref>