| Wheel Lock |
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Information AboutWheel Lock |
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to 1690 .]] The wheel lock was a component of early that burned slowly), and it had several problems. Firstly that having any form of fire around Black Powder is undesirable. Secondly the match would often extinguish unexpectedly. Thirdly the match could be next to impossible to keep lit in Fog or Rain . The wheel lock worked by using a spiral spring that was already used in various Clockwork devices and thus well known and reliable. A roughened Steel or Iron wheel was attached to the spring. The spring was wound with a handle with a square socket that mated to the receptical in the center of the wheel lock. This device is exactly the same as the ones in use on today's Longcase Clock s. When the spring was wound, pulling the Trigger would press the arm of the wheel lock against the rotating wheel. A shower of sparks would then be sprayed into the Priming Pan and ignite the black powder. Ignition of the powder in the barrel of the firearm was via the small hole drilled into the barrel next to the priming pan. While a major advance on the match lock, wheel locks were expensive and fragile. The spiral springs would often snap. The wheel lock was the precursor to the more robust flint lock firearm, which would dominate Battlefield s for the next two hundred years. SOURCES: 1 and 2 |