Wheel-lock Harquebus - inv. 2168

The wooden stock has an attractive inlaid decoration in ivory with scenes of combat and a some of the labours of Hercules. The gun is a muzzle-loader: the balls were rammed into the front of the barrel using a ramrod, and the gunpowder was placed in the central priming pan above the wheel. Then the wheel was cocked with a small key, lowering the “dog”, with the flint clamped between its jaws, bringing it into contact with the toothed wheel. On pulling the trigger the wheel created friction with the flint and released the sparks which fired the gunpowder and so shot the bullet.