Editing Firearm (section)

====Matchlock====
{{main|Matchlock}}
[[File:Edo period rifles.jpg|thumb|left| Various Japanese (samurai) [[Edo period]] matchlocks (''tanegashima'')]]
[[Matchlock]]s were the first and simplest firearms-firing mechanisms developed. In the matchlock mechanism, the powder in the gun barrel was ignited by a piece of burning cord called a "match". The match was wedged into one end of an S-shaped piece of steel. When the trigger (often actually a lever) was pulled, the match was brought into the open end of a "touch hole" at the base of the gun barrel, which contained a very small quantity of gunpowder, igniting the main charge of gunpowder in the gun barrel. The match usually had to be relit after each firing. The main parts of the matchlock firing mechanism are the pan, match, arm, and trigger.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.credoreference.com/entry/move/musket |title=> Where Are You From? |publisher=Credo Reference |access-date=2014-04-19}}</ref> A benefit of the pan and arm swivel being moved to the side of the gun was it gave a clear line of fire.<ref>Weir, William. 50 Weapons That Changed Warfare. Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page, 2005. 71–74. Print.</ref> An advantage to the matchlock firing mechanism is that it did not misfire. However, it also came with some disadvantages. One disadvantage involved weather: in rain, the match could not be kept lit to fire the weapon.  Another issue with the match was it could give away the position of soldiers because of the glow, sound, and smell.<ref>Saidel, Benjamin. "Matchlocks, Flintlocks, and Saltpetre: The Chronological Implications for the Use of Matchlock Muskets among Ottoman-Period Bedouin in the Southern Levant." ''International Journal of Historical Archaeology'' 4 (2000): 191–215.</ref> While European pistols were equipped with wheellock and flintlock mechanisms, Asian pistols used{{when|date=February 2022}} matchlock mechanisms.<ref>{{Cite book|last= DK|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Ma0MAwAAQBAJ&q=asian+snap+matchlock&pg=PA74|title=Firearms: An Illustrated History|date= 2014-04-01|publisher= Penguin|isbn= 978-1-4654-3089-2|language= en|access-date= 2020-10-31|archive-date= 2021-12-19|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211219202931/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ma0MAwAAQBAJ&q=asian+snap+matchlock&pg=PA74|url-status= live}}</ref>