b'Antique Firearms 101By Jim and Bobbi Jeen Olson,WesternTradingPost.comWHAT IS AN ANTIQUE FIREARM? factor by this point. We had predominately percussion By a statute that came out in 1968, a firearm made in 1898systems for the first 50 years or so of the 1800s.or before (with few exceptions), or a black powder replica, is considered an antique. Why is the cut-off 1898 someThen, in the mid-1800s, they figured out how to combine may ask? That is the date when most firearms switchedthe explosive material and the bullet. They came up with from black powder to smokeless powder. What is thea metallic cartridge. The little mercury explosion from the difference between black powder and smokeless powder?percussion caps was now encapsulated in the back of a The former, when fired, is more of an explosive. Itmetal cartridge which was filled with powder, and a lead explodes in all directions and makes a big puff of smoke.ball was seated at the end of it. It was all in one for the first On the other hand, smokeless powder is a propellant.time! Now the weather\'s not a factor at all. You can drop Therefore, it has much more force behind it (and withoutyour cartridge in the river, pull it out, put it back in your the big puff of smoke). And that\'s one of the main reasonsgun, and fire it. It was a massive improvement over the why black powder guns are exempt from modern firearmsother systems.laws. They do not pack as much force behind them asThe next significant improvement came in the early smokeless powder (modern) guns. Therefore, anything1500s and was called a wheel-lock. But the wheel-lockThen came some other major advances. While the metallic that shoots a modern smokeless powder bullet cannot bewas very complicated. It was invented in Germany,cartridge was being invented, people had also been traded without going through the Federal Firearms Lawand those guys were into making clocks and high-techworking with the idea of multiple shots being available (FFL) paperwork. On the other hand, antique firearmsstuff (for this time period).The wheel-lock generated abetween reloading times. Around the 1840s, a guy in do not need FFL transfer paperwork or backgroundspark mechanically. The wheel-lock works by spinningFrance invented what is known as a pepperbox. With a checks. Instead, they\'re considered more of a curio or aa steel wheel against a piece of pyrite to generate a sparkpepper box, they would load from four to six barrels and relic by the federal government. A "novelty" collected by(similar to a Zippo lighter). This ignited the gunpowderwhenever you fire it, the barrels would rotate around collectors, but rarely used to commit a crime. in the flash pan, which flashed through a smallthe firing pinand some pepper boxes even had firing touchhole to ignite the main charge in the barrel.Withpins that revolved. Then in 1852, a man named Roland no match to lite, the wheel-lock was more reliable thanWhite patented the idea of a revolving cylinder. With the matchlock (especially on windy days). However,his invention, you pull the trigger back and the cylinder wheel-locks were expensive and complicated to produce,is cycling around the trigger. Now you just needed one so matchlocks remained in common use for a number ofbarrel. The metallic cartridge and revolving cylinder years alongside the wheel-lock. Matchlocks and wheel- changed firearms tremendously. In the mid-1800s, lever locks were produced side by side until the technologyaction rifles were also invented and now you could shoot for producing the wheel-lock system became moremultiple rounds from both pistols and rifles.affordable. Meanwhile, about 1540 or so, they came HISTORY OF out with a device called the Snap-Lock, and thenThe 1800s was an exciting time for firearm innovations. THE FIREARM in 1560 or so a Snap-Hance. But those wereThe 1800s started out by using flintlocks and ended It has been reported, Thebasically just minor improvements made to thewith the invention of semi-automatics using metallic oldest surviving firearm iswheel-lock system. cartridges. There were numerous inventions tried and the Heilongjiang hand cannon dated to 1288,produced during this era and firearms advanced more which was discovered at a site in modern-dayThe next significant improvement for firearmsduring this 100-year period than any other time, before China.However, the accepted rule is that firearmswas called a flintlock. In the early 1600s, theor since. As the end of the century came about, smokeless were invented in the early 1300s. So, the antiqueflintlock was invented in France. It was anpowder was invented and this change, from black powder period covers anything from about 1300 to 1898. That\'simprovement over the other lock systems which had beento smokeless in the late 1890s marked the end of the around 600 years worth of items for antique firearmsin place for over a century. The flintlock mechanism hadantique firearm era. Modern firearms have gotten lighter collectors to choose from, but they are not always thata piece of flint which is held between a set of jaws on theand quicker as time went by, but the same basic way they easy to come by. end of a short hammer. This hammer was pulled back intofunctioned by the 1890s is still in place today. the "cocked" position. When released by the trigger, the IMPROVEMENTS ALONG THE WAY spring-loaded hammer caused the flint to strike a piece In the beginning, firearms were fired by lighting a wickof steel called the frizzen." As the flint struck the frizzen, to spark the powder in the barrel. Loading and firing it wasit created a spark which fell into the pan and ignited the similar to how one would fire an antique cannon (hencepowder. The flame burned through a small touchhole the term hand cannon). One hand steadied it while thein the barrel and ignited the main powder charge, other lit the fuse. The operator had to brace the gun oncausing the weapon to fire. This greatly improved something to fire it and accuracy was not great. Sometimesfirearms as powder ignition was now even two men were used in an effort to improve accuracy. more reliable (and less susceptible to weather conditions).The first major improvement in firearms came around 1400 when the matchlock was invented. The PortugueseFIREARMS OF THE 1800Sare credited with this invention. With the matchlock,The Flintlock was king for about 200 years, primer powder was now held in a "flash pan" and the lockfrom the 1600s till the early 1800s. ThenThe 1800s was an exciting held a slow burning wick in a clamp at the end of a smallin the early 1800s, the percussion system curved lever (the serpentine) which had to be lighted firstwas invented. In this system, there was a little cap withtime for firearm innovations. by hand. When you pulled the trigger, the clamp droppedsome fulminate of mercury in one end, and it would fit down, lowering the match into the flash pan, thus ignitingover a nipple or cone at the back of the barrel.Then youThe 1800s started out by using the powder. The powder ignition in the flash pan wentcocked the hammer, and when you pulled the trigger,flintlocks and ended with the through a small touchhole, igniting the main charge ofthe hammer hit the little cap, making a tiny explosion powder in the gun barrel and firing the weapon. Now youthat went through the hollow nipple into the back ofinvention of semi-automatics could have two hands on your gunyou could light it andthe barrel, igniting the main charge of powder. It was a then aim. It was a great improvement! significant improvement. Now we\'re no longer relyingusing metallic cartridges. on an external spark. The weather became a lot less of a 32 February 2023'