For more than two centuries, from the early 1600s until the percussion cap took over in the 1840s, the flintlock was the usual way to fire a gun. Pirates carried flintlock pistols, and so did duellists and coach guards. The British soldiers who garrisoned early Sydney carried flintlock muskets. Here's how the lock works, the main types, and what to look for in a non-firing replica.
How a flintlock works
The lock is the firing mechanism on the side of the gun. A shaped flint is clamped in the jaws of the cock, the part that swings like a hammer. Facing it is the frizzen, a steel plate that also closes over a small pan of priming powder.
- Load. With the cock at half-cock, a safe position a working lock won't fire from, the shooter puts a little powder in the pan and closes the frizzen over it, then loads powder and a lead ball down the barrel.
- Cock. The cock is pulled back to full cock.
- Fire. The trigger releases the cock. The flint scrapes down the frizzen, throwing sparks and tipping the frizzen forward to open the pan.
- Ignite. The priming flashes, and the flame passes through a small touch hole in the barrel to fire the main charge.
It didn't always work. Weather could spoil the priming, the flint sometimes gave no spark, and sometimes only the powder in the pan went off: a "flash in the pan". People have used that phrase for a fizzer since at least the late 1600s. The gun's three main parts gave English another saying, "lock, stock and barrel", meaning the whole lot.
Pirate pistols and the blunderbuss
A flintlock pistol fired one shot, then needed a slow reload. Blackbeard, active as a pirate from 1716 to 1718, was armed with three pairs of pistols strapped across his chest, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.
Our pirate-style replicas include the French pirate flintlock pistol, with a skull and crossbones set into the stock, and the pirate flintlock pistol with a skull butt cap. Both are made by Denix.
The blunderbuss takes its name from the Dutch donderbus; donder means thunder. Its short barrel ends in a flared muzzle. The flare made it easier to load, and despite the cartoons, it didn't spread the shot much. Pirates, merchant crews and Royal Navy sailors used blunderbusses, and British mail coach guards carried one to protect the mail from highwaymen. Our flintlock blunderbuss replica is a 74 cm Denix model.
Duelling pistols and pocket pistols
From about 1770, gunmakers made pistols just for duelling. They were made in matched pairs, often in a fitted wooden case with a powder flask, spare flints, tools and a bullet mould. London makers such as Wogdon & Barton, Manton and Nock were the best known, and Museums Victoria holds a cased pair of Wogdon flintlock pistols from about 1790.
Duelling reached Sydney too. On 14 September 1801, Captain John Macarthur fought a duel with his commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel William Paterson, who had challenged him. Paterson was shot in the shoulder, and Governor King sent Macarthur to England under arrest.
London gunmakers of the late 1700s also made small double-barrelled pocket pistols. As the London Museum notes, the second barrel helped when the first misfired. See our box-lock pistols, such as the London double-barrel box-lock and the Charing Cross box-lock of 1795.
Nicolas-Noël Boutet made a double-barrelled flintlock for Napoleon in 1806; our Napoleon pistol is the Denix replica. We also stock Denix's three-barrel Italian pistol of 1680 and its French revolving two-barrel flintlock.
The Brown Bess: a flintlock with an Australian story
The best-known flintlock of all is the Brown Bess, the British Army's Land Pattern musket. No one is sure where the nickname came from. First adopted in 1722, the musket stayed in service for more than a century, through the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.
It came to Australia too. The Australian War Memorial holds a Short Land Pattern Brown Bess made around 1785, its lock marked "Tower" with a crown over GR. The Memorial notes that British troops serving in the colonies used this type of musket from 1788 to 1814, from the arrival of the First Fleet onwards.
Our Brown Bess replica with bayonet is the Denix model, 190 cm long. Like our other long guns, including the Kentucky flintlock rifle, an American hunting rifle first made in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s, it's pick-up only from our showroom.
Flintlock or percussion?
In 1807 Alexander Forsyth, a Scottish minister, patented a lock fired by a priming compound that exploded when struck. The copper percussion cap followed in the early 1820s. It sits on a hollow nipple, and the hammer crushes it to send a flash into the barrel. Caplocks were quicker to load, coped better with the weather and were far more reliable. Armies began converting their muskets in the 1820s, and in 1842 the British government ordered its Brown Bess muskets converted to caplocks.
Telling them apart is easy. A flintlock has a flint in the jaws of the cock and a frizzen over a pan. A percussion lock has a solid hammer and a nipple for the cap. Our percussion replicas include the Paris percussion pistol, with "Forsyth & Patent" on its lock, the boxed pair of Forsyth patent duelling pistols, the Italian pirate percussion pistol and the six-barrel London 1840 pepperbox.
Choosing a replica flintlock
Our flintlock and percussion pistols are non-firing display replicas. Most are by Denix, which has made replicas in Menorca, Spain, since 1967, or Kolser, a Spanish maker of historical replicas since 1970. On most models the cock and frizzen move, so you can see how the lock works, but they can't fire.
- Start with the story. A pirate pistol, a cased duelling pair, Napoleon's pistol or a coach guard's blunderbuss.
- Check the size. Most of our flintlock pistols are about 35 to 37 cm long. The Brown Bess is 190 cm.
- Plan the display. Wall hangers or a shelf both work. See how to display your replica gun collection.
- Look after it. Museum advice for old guns suits replicas too: keep them out of direct sun and damp, wipe fingerprints off the metal with a soft cloth, and use just a touch of light, non-drying oil on moving parts.
Are replica flintlocks legal in Australia?
Each state and territory sets its own rules for replica (imitation) firearms. We post our antique-style flintlock and percussion pistols Australia-wide to buyers 18 and over, and long guns are pick-up only from the showroom. For the rules where you live, read our guide to replica gun laws by state. It's general information, not legal advice.
See them in person
Our showroom is at the front of the Gold Coast War Museum at Mudgeeraba, which the Coote family opened in 1975. It's free to walk in, Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm, and you're welcome to handle the replicas before you buy. Find us, or browse our replica flintlock pistols online.
Flintlock FAQs
Who invented the flintlock?
Credit traditionally goes to Marin le Bourgeoys of Lisieux in Normandy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a flintlock gun made around 1620 in his workshop for King Louis XIII of France. Simpler flint-striking locks, such as the snaplock, came earlier.
What is a blunderbuss?
A short gun with a flared muzzle, used from the 1600s to the mid-1800s by coach guards, sailors and pirates. The name comes from the Dutch donderbus; donder means thunder.
What does "flash in the pan" mean?
It comes from the flintlock: the priming powder in the pan flashed, but the main charge didn't fire. In use since the late 1600s, it now means something that starts with promise but fizzles out.
Why is it called the Brown Bess?
Nobody knows for sure. It was the nickname for the British Army's Land Pattern musket, first adopted in 1722, and its origin is uncertain.
Do your replica flintlocks fire?
No. They're non-firing display replicas. On most, the cock and frizzen move, but they can't fire.
Do I need a licence for a replica flintlock pistol?
It depends on your state or territory. We post antique-style pistols Australia-wide to buyers 18 and over, and long guns are pick-up only. See our state-by-state guide (general information, not legal advice).