Snaphance refers to a method of igniting a bullet's propellant in a loaded gun. The method, which first appeared in the late 1500s, uses flint and steel in a manner like that of the wheellock to create a spark to set off the gunpowder, but in a simpler and thus easier-to-produce weapon. The flint is held in a vice at the end of a cocked lever, which upon pulling the trigger strikes a plate of metal, releasing a shower of sparks into the flashpan to ignite the propellant and fire off the bullet.

See also

• Percussion cap