Flintlock

A flintlock was any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism, and was introduced around 1630, supplanting earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the matchlock and wheellock mechanisms.

The flintlock mechanism produced sparks when a piece of flint, held in the jaws of a spring-loaded hammer or "cock" struck the hardened steel face of the "frizzen", knocking the frizzen forward to uncover a small pan of gunpowder underneath. The resulting spark ignited the powder in the pan and this flame was transferred through a small hole to ignite the main powder charge inside the barrel. Under damp or rainy conditions, the gunpowder in the pan could get wet and the gun would be unable to fire.

Captain Jack Sparrow owned a flintlock pistol while operating as a pirate in the Caribbean. He was left with one shot by his mutinous first mate, Hector Barbossa, when the crew of the Black Pearl marooned Jack on a desert island. Jack escaped, however, and kept his pistol, still with its single shot, to ultimately use on Barbossa himself. Jack killed Barbossa during a showdown at Isla de Muerta nine years on, and continued to use a flintlock in his later adventures.