THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF FIREARMS PART 2

HI I’M CHRIS METER, WELCOME BACK TO MISSION94’S LOOK AT THE

INDUSTRIALIZATION OF FIREARMS

IN PART ONE WE DISCUSSED HOW INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS ENABLED SIMEON NORTH, ELI WHITNEY, AND JOHN HALL’S REVOLUTIONARY DESIGNS.

TODAY WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ANOTHER KEY INNOVATION FROM THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, THE PERCUSSION CAP AND MECHANISM.

BEFORE THE 1820S, THE PREVAILING ACTION WAS THE FLINTLOCK. IT WAS USED IN MOST FIREARMS FOR NEARLY 200 YEARS, BUT IT HAD ITS DRAWBACKS. THE PERCUSSION CAP CAME ONTO THE SCENE WITH A BANG IN

THE 1820S AND WITHIN 20 YEARS, MOST FIREARMS WERE MADE USING THE PERCUSSION CAP MECHANISM AND MANY EXISTING FLINTLOCKS WERE CONVERTED.

WITH FLINTLOCK MUSKETS, A PIECE OF FLINT HAD TO BE STRUCK AND PRODUCE A SPARK WHICH WOULD IGNITE A PAN OF PRIMING POWDER AND FIRE THE GUN’S MAIN POWDER CHARGE. THE FLINT AND POWDER WERE EXPOSED TO THE WEATHER, MAKING IT CHALLENGING TO FIRE IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS. 

IN THE PERCUSSION SYSTEM, A HARD ENOUGH HIT COULD IGNITE THE CHARGE WITHIN THE CAP AND DISCHARGE THE FIREARM.

THIS BECAME POSSIBLE AFTER 1800 WITH THE INVENTION OF FULMINATE OF MERCURY. A SMALL AMOUNT OF THIS SHOCK SENSITIVE MATERIAL IS PLACED IN THE CAP AND WHEN STRUCK BY THE HAMMER OF THE CAPLOCK MECHANISM, CRUSHES IT AND DETONATES THE MERCURY FULMINATE INSIDE, WHICH RELEASES SPARKS THAT TRAVEL THROUGH THE HOLLOW NIPPLE INTO THE BARREL AND IGNITE THE MAIN POWDER CHARGE.

 THE PERCUSSION CAP AND THE CAPLOCK MECHANISM CREATED A BIG SHIFT IN THE HISTORY OF FIREARMS.

NOW, FIREARMS COULD BE RELIABLY USED IN ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS. THESE ADVANCEMENTS WOULD GIVE FRONTIERSMEN AND MILITIAS THE TOOLS THEY NEEDED TO PURSUE MANIFEST DESTINY BEFORE THE START OF THE CIVIL WAR.

JOIN US NEXT TIME WHEN WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NOTABLE FIREARMS BORN FROM THESE INDUSTRIAL ADVANCEMENTS AND HOW THEY IMPACTED EVENTS IN THE US.