Editing Flintlock mechanism (section)

==Gunlocks==
[[File:Vuursteenslot voor kanon van 6 pond, NG-MC-689.jpg|thumb|right|A French-made gunlock, c. 1800, with the [[lanyard]] that operated it, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam]]

A ''gunlock'' was a flintlock mechanism that fired a [[cannon]]. They were a significant innovation in [[Naval artillery in the Age of Sail|naval gunnery]] and were first used by the [[Royal Navy]] in 1745. Their use spread slowly as they could not be retrofitted to older guns – the French had still not generally adopted them by the time of the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] (1805).<ref name=Rodger>{{cite book | last = Rodger | first = Nicholas | title=The Command of the Ocean:A Naval History of Britain 1649–1815 |author-link= Nicholas Rodger| year=2004 | publisher= Penguin Books| page=420 |isbn = 0-14-028896-1}}</ref>

The earlier method of firing a cannon was to apply a [[linstock]] – a wooden staff holding a length of smoldering match at the end – to the [[touch hole]] of the gun, which was filled with loose priming powder. This was dangerous and made accurate shooting from a moving ship impossible as the gun had to be fired while standing to the side to avoid its recoil, and there was a noticeable delay between the application of the linstock and the gun firing.<ref name=Rodger />

The gunlock was operated by pulling a cord, known as a [[lanyard]]. The gun-captain could stand behind the gun, safely beyond its range of recoil, and sight along the gun, firing when the roll of the ship lined the gun up with the enemy and so avoid the chance of the shot hitting the sea or flying high over the enemy's deck. Loading the gun was faster and safer as the gunlock didn't use loose priming powder; the main charge was ignited by a quill filled with priming powder that was pushed through the touch hole during loading and pierced the cartridge bag, containing the main charge of gunpowder.<ref name=Rodger />

After the introduction of gunlocks, linstocks were retained, but only as a backup means of firing.