A snaphance or snaphaunce is a type of firearm lock in which a flint struck against a striker plate above a steel pan ignites the priming powder which fires the gun.[1] It is the mechanical progression of the wheellock firing mechanism, and along with the miquelet lock and doglock are predecessors of the flintlock mechanism.
The name is Dutch in origin but the mechanism cannot be attributed to the Netherlands with certainty.
Examples of this firearm can be found in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
- ^ Godwin, Brian. "Brian Godwin on The English Snaphance". Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2012.