Richard Lemmens website
Copyright:
Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike
This text content and maps on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license license. This means that: adapting the content is allowed; using the content for commercial purposes is not allowed; sharing and redistributing the content with others is allowed. If you do any of the above, you must attribute your copy to its creator, Richard Lemmens, and make sure any alterations and distributions are licensed in the same way as the original. More info about Creative Commons licenses can be found at the Creative Commons website.

Warmatrix

War Matrix - Caplock

First Industrial Revolution 1750 CE - 1830 CE, Weapons and technology

Caplock mechanism on a rifle
Caplock mechanism on a rifle
The caplock, also known as percussion lock, was an improvement of the earlier flintlock firing mechanism for muskets. Rather than a piece of flint, it used a percussion cap. The caplock was made possible by the discovery of mercuric fulminate, which is much more sensitive to shock than a flint. The first caplocks appeared in the early 19th century CE.
The caplock method of firing shortened the time needed for the fire to travel from its ignition to the gunpowder. This was useful in hunting, because it give game, after being alerted by the snap of the gun, less time to escape. More important in warfare, the mechanism was also easier to load. It made rates of fire of 2 - 3 rounds per minute possible. Also it was far more reliable and water-resistant than the flintlock. Besides use in muskets, the caplock mechanism enabled the development of revolver pistols, which appeared about a decade after the caplock.