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16th century German matchlock musket with forked rest
Handheld firearms existed before the 1500’s but were not widely used and produce in warfare until the tail end of the century. The standard firearm during the sixteenth century was the matchlock musket. Matchlock refers to the firing system used in the weapon. Gunpowder and a lead musket ball were pushed down the barrel of the musket and a small tray on the side of the weapon was filed with gunpowder. A slow burning match cord was placed in a clamp that was connected to a trigger. When the triggered was pulled the match cord would contact the pan, igniting the gunpowder inside the gun and fire the musket ball. The pan of gunpowder would not always ignite properly in very humid or wet environments. The average musket during this time fired a 12-bore (bore referring to the amount of balls that can be made out of a pound of lead) lead ball which is about ¾ of an inch. These balls would inflict devastating injuries and the majority of soldiers would die from their injuries. Because of the lengthy reloading process the average musketeer could fire one shot every 30 seconds and even less under the stresses of combat.
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/0/0/17002798/6272793.jpg?210)
12-bore musket ball
The average musket during this time fired a 12-bore (bore referring to the amount of balls that can be made out of a pound of lead) lead ball which is about ¾ of an inch. These balls would inflict devastating injuries and the majority of soldiers would die from their injuries. Because of the lengthy reloading process the average musketeer could fire one shot every 30 seconds and even less under the stresses of combat.