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Lock (firearm)

Lock (firearm) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lock (firearm) rather than just read about it. In short: The lock of a firearm is the mechanism used to initiate firing. It is generally used as a historical term, referring to such mechanisms used in muzzle-loading and early breech-loading firearms, as modern firearms uniformly fire by use of a firing pin to strike the rear of a cartridge.

Lock (firearm) — main illustration
Lock (firearm) — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Lock (firearm) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Lock (firearm) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Lock (firearm) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The lock of a firearm is the mechanism used to initiate firing. It is generally used as a historical term, referring to such mechanisms used in muzzle-loading and early breech-loading firearms, as modern firearms uniformly fire by use of a firing pin to strike the rear of a cartridge. Side-lock refers to the type of construction in which the individual components of the mechanism are mounted on either side of a single plate. The assembly is then mounted to the stock on the side of the firearm. In modern firearm designs, the mechanism that initiates firing is generally built into the frame or receiver of the firearm and is referred to as the firing or trigger mechanism.

Hand cannon The hand cannon, which was the earliest of firearms, had arrived in Europe by c. 1338. These cannons were loaded from the muzzle. The propellant charge is lit through a touch hole. A small priming charge over the touch hole is ignited with a lit piece of slow match or similar. These hand cannons were ungainly: the difficulty being in holding and aiming the weapon while manipulating the slow-burning fuse needed to fire it. Improvements to the basic design placed the touch hole and a priming pan (flash pan) to the side of the barrel. A cover to the priming pan allowed this to be filled with priming powder in advance of firing, but there was no actual mechanism for firing.

Firelock A firelock is a firearm in which sparks ignite the priming. More specifically, it refers to the mechanism or lock of such firearms. It may also refer to a gun's lock that uses slow match to ignite the powder charge. The matchlock was a lever mechanism that simplified the ergonomics of firing. A slow match would be held clear of the flash pan in a spring-loaded pivoting arm (the serpentine). Depressing the firing lever would dip the burning match into the flash pan. The snap matchlock latched the serpentine back against spring tension. Actuating the trigger or firing lever would release the serpentine, allowing it to rotate and dip the lit match into the priming pan. This reduced hesitancy at the moment of firing, thereby improving accuracy. However, rather than firing, the match might be snuffed out when it struck the flash pan. The next advance was a self-igniting firearm that did not require a lit slow match to fire. The first of this type is the wheellock. The wheellock produces a spark in much the same way as a Zippo lighter. Pyrite held against a rotating steel wheel produces a spark directed at the priming charge in the flash pan. The wheel is rotated by a spring under tension. It would be wound up like a clock before each firing, held by a latch, and fired by a lever that released the latch. To avoid stalling, the pyrite would be lowered onto the rotating wheel rather than held against it permanently. The mechanism would also remove a cover from the flash pan at the moment of firing, sliding it forward. The cover would retain the priming charge in the flash pan during transit. The mechanism was altogether quite complicated, expensive and as a result found limited use.

The next advance in firearm design was the snaplock, which used flint striking steel to generate the spark. The flint is held in a rotating, spring-loaded arm called the cock. This is held cocked by a latch and released by a lever or trigger. The steel is curved and hinged. This accommodates the flint's arc, maintaining contact with the steel. The spark produced is directed downward into the flash pan. The snaphance incorporates a mechanism to slide the pan cover forward at the moment of firing. The doglock incorporates a second latch (or dog) as a safety mechanism that engages the cock in a halfway position, or half-cock. The dog is independent of the trigger. The dog is only released when the lock is brought to the full-cock position. The miquelet lock is the penultimate of the flint-sparking locks. It has an L-shaped frizzen, the base of which covers the flash pan and is hinged forward of the pan. The flint strikes against the upright of the "L" and flips the frizzen forward, revealing the pan to the sparks created. The miquelet lock also has a half-cock mechanism similar in function but differing in operation from the doglock. The flintlock is also referred to as the true flintlock to distinguish it from other flint-sparking mechanisms. It is also known as the French lock. It uses a frizzen similar to the miquelet lock and has a half-cock position. The distinction between the two locks is that the flintlock uses a single vertical sear to latch the cock in both the cocked and half-cocked positions. The sear is a lever that pivots in the vertical plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cock and acts much like a pawl engaging the catch points of a ratchet gear. The tumbler is similar in function to a ratchet gear. It is mounted on the inside of the lock-plate and has two catch-points corresponding to the half-cocked and full-cocked positions. The half-cock catch-point is a V-notch into which the sear fits and cannot be levered away by the trigger to disengage the tumbler. Firelock firing mechanisms are assembled on either side of a mounting plate. The assembly is then mounted to the side of the stock of the firearm. The actual trigger may be separately mounted from the lock-plate. Side lock refers to lock mechanisms of this general construction. It continued to be used in percussion-lock firearms and early firearm designs using metallic cartridges.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Lock (firearm): This flintlock mechanism is distinct from the metal barrel extending to the right, and the surrounding wooden stock encloses and obscures the trigger mechanism connection to the actuation spring.
This flintlock mechanism is distinct from the metal barrel extending to the right, and the surrounding wooden stock encloses and obscures the trigger mechanism connection to the actuation spring.
Lock (firearm): The patilla style miquelet lock fully cocked. An extension of the cock is resting on and restrained by the upper of the two horizontal sears protruding through the lock-plate. The movement of the sear is nominally parallel to the axis of rotation of the cock. Depressing the trigger causes the sear to be drawn inward and release the cock. This type of sear was used in firelocks before the advent of the true flintlock.
The patilla style miquelet lock fully cocked. An extension of the cock is resting on and restrained by the upper of the two horizontal sears protruding through the lock-plate. The movement of the sear is nominally parallel to the axis of rotation of the cock. Depressing the trigger causes the sear to be drawn inward and release the cock. This type of sear was used in firelocks before the advent of the true flintlock.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lock (firearm)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lock (firearm) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lock (firearm) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lock (firearm) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lock (firearm)

In research
Lock (firearm) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Lock (firearm) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Lock (firearm) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Firearm actions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Lock (firearm) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lock (firearm) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Lock (firearm) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Lock (firearm) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lock (firearm) in simple terms?

The lock of a firearm is the mechanism used to initiate firing. It is generally used as a historical term, referring to such mechanisms used in muzzle-loading and early breech-loading firearms, as modern firearms uniformly fire by use of a firing pin to strike the rear of a cartridge.

Why does Lock (firearm) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lock (firearm)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lock (firearm).

Tags

  • Firearm actions

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