Curators Choice – The Flintlock Flint

Gunflints were an important part of an early type of gun known as a flintlock. Such guns were in use between the 17th and 19th centuries. The gunflint would be placed into a part of the gun known as the cock. This was because it resembled the shape of a bird’s beak. The cock was spring-mounted. When the trigger was pulled it would swing forward and the flint would hit a piece of steel called the frizzen. This produced sparks, which ignited a charge of gunpowder and fired the gun.

Gunflints were made by knapping, or striking, flakes off a core. The flakes were then trimmed into their distinctive square shape. This is like the way many Prehistoric flint tools were made. A gunflint would soon become blunt and stop producing sparks. It could only be used for a limited number of shots. There was also the danger of it breaking within the gun. Because of this, a continuous supply of gunflints was necessary. At the peak of the industry, millions of them were made and transported all over the world.

In this video, Curator – Archaeology, Catherine Knight takes a closer look at some of the gunflints in the Museum’s collection.