A flintlock is a type of gun that uses a piece of flint rock to create sparks that ignite gunpowder. When you pull the trigger, a hammer holding the flint snaps forward and strikes a steel plate, creating a shower of sparks. These sparks fall into a small pan of gunpowder, which ignites and fires the bullet down the barrel.

Flintlocks were the most common firearms from about 1650 to 1850. Pirates carried flintlock pistols, Revolutionary War soldiers marched with flintlock muskets, and frontier settlers hunted with flintlock rifles. The crack of flintlocks echoed across the battlefields of the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Using a flintlock required real skill. You had to pour the right amount of gunpowder down the barrel, push in the bullet with a ramrod, add more powder to the firing pan, and cock the hammer, all while keeping the powder dry. In rain, flintlocks often misfired. That's where we get the expression a flash in the pan: sometimes the powder in the pan would flash and spark but fail to fire the main charge, leaving you with nothing but noise and smoke.

Modern guns use metal cartridges with built-in primers instead of flint and loose powder, making them faster and more reliable. But flintlocks changed warfare and history, and collectors and historical reenactors still use them today.