Editing Matchlock (section)

==Description==
[[Image:Muszkieterzy.JPG|thumb|left|Engraving of musketeers from the [[Thirty Years' War]]]]
[[File:Edo period rifles.jpg|thumb|left|Various Japanese (samurai) [[Edo period|Edo-period]] matchlocks (''tanegashima'')]]
[[File:Korean Matchlock Musket.jpg|thumb|left|'' Jochong'' (조총/鳥銃), the [[Korean matchlock musket]]]]

The classic matchlock gun held a burning [[slow match]] in a clamp at the end of a small curved lever known as the ''serpentine''. Upon the pull of a lever (or in later models a trigger) protruding from the bottom of the gun and connected to the serpentine, the clamp dropped down, lowering the smoldering match into the [[flash pan]] and igniting the priming powder. The flash from the primer traveled through the [[touch hole]], igniting the main charge of propellant in the [[gun barrel]]. On the release of the lever or trigger, the spring-loaded serpentine would move in reverse to clear the pan. For obvious safety reasons, the match would be removed before reloading of the gun. Both ends of the match were usually kept alight in case one end should be accidentally extinguished.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/technology/matchlock Article on Britannica.com explaining the matchlock system]</ref>

Earlier types had only an S-shaped serpentine pinned to the stock either behind or in front of the flash pan (the so-called "serpentine lock"), one end of which was manipulated to bring the match into the pan.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dNqzjfWABSAC&pg=PA88|title=Guns for the Sultan|first=Gábor|last=Ágoston|page=88|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-521-84313-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepages.tig.com.au/~dispater/handgonnes.htm|title=Handgonnes and Matchlocks|access-date=2008-12-05}}</ref>

A later addition to the gun was the [[Rifling|rifled]] barrel. This made the gun much more accurate at longer distances but did have drawbacks, the main one being that it took much longer to reload because the bullet had to be pounded down into the barrel.<ref name="Weir 2005 71–74">{{cite book|last=Weir|first=William|title=50 Weapons That Changed Warfare|year=2005|publisher=Career Press|location=Franklin Lakes, NJ|isbn=978-1-56414-756-1|pages=71–74}}</ref>

A type of matchlock was developed called the [[snap matchlock]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Richard J. Garrett|title=The Defences of Macau: Forts, Ships and Weapons over 450 years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=24Wxr5vL1YcC&pg=PA176|year=2010|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|isbn=978-988-8028-49-8|page=176}}</ref> in which the serpentine was brought to firing position by a weak spring,<ref>{{cite book|last=Blair|first=Claude|title=European & American Arms, C. 1100-1850|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NUnYAAAAMAAJ|year=1962|publisher=B. T. Batsford|isbn=9789130014750 }}</ref> and activated by pressing a button, pulling a trigger, or even pulling a short string passing into the mechanism. As the match was often extinguished after its collision with the flash pan, this type was not used by soldiers but was often used in fine target weapons where the precision of the shot was more important than the repetition.

An inherent weakness of the matchlock was the necessity of keeping the match constantly lit. This was chiefly a problem in wet weather, when damp match cord was difficult to light and to keep burning. Another drawback was the burning match itself. At night, the match would glow in the darkness, possibly revealing the carrier's position. The distinctive smell of burning match-cord was also a giveaway of a musketeer's position. It was also quite dangerous when soldiers were carelessly handling large quantities of gunpowder (for example, while refilling their [[powder horn]]s) with lit matches present. This was one reason why soldiers in charge of transporting and guarding ammunition were amongst the first to be issued self-igniting guns like the [[wheellock]] and [[snaphance]].

The matchlock was also uneconomical to keep ready for long periods of time, as keeping both ends of a match lit every night for a year required a mile of match.<ref>Dale Taylor (1997), ''The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Colonial America'', {{ISBN|0-89879-772-1}}, p. 159.</ref>
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