. Sport with gun and rod in American woods and waters [microform]. Hunting; Hunting; Fishing; Fishing; Chasse; Chasse; Pêche sportive; Pêche sportive. I i 766 T/te MECHANISM OK THE hammer which was sent for- ward by a spring on pull- ing the trigger. This, the match-lock, is the first and the simplest of gun locks. In 1515, a notable im- provement in fire-arms was made at Nuremburg in the invention of the wheel-lock, by which fire was obtained by the friction of flint against pyrites, a method of pro- curing fire which Kuropeans had used since prehistoric times. A steel
. Sport with gun and rod in American woods and waters [microform]. Hunting; Hunting; Fishing; Fishing; Chasse; Chasse; Pêche sportive; Pêche sportive. I i 766 T/te MECHANISM OK THE hammer which was sent for- ward by a spring on pull- ing the trigger. This, the match-lock, is the first and the simplest of gun locks. In 1515, a notable im- provement in fire-arms was made at Nuremburg in the invention of the wheel-lock, by which fire was obtained by the friction of flint against pyrites, a method of pro- curing fire which Kuropeans had used since prehistoric times. A steel wheel, H, with a grooved and roughened edge, was set in rapid rota- tion by the action of a spring coiled in its interior. This wheel was wound up by a key turning the axis C. The piece of pyrites, E, carried in the hammer, 1), was thrown onto the rotating wheel when the trigger was pulled. The friction of these substances caused a stream of sparks to fly into the flash- pan. The wheel-lock greatly increased the rapidity of fire, especially at game which unex- pectedly came in sight; it also allowed the marksman to use freely both hands in aiming and firing his piece. With the improvement of the wheel-lock, the gun began to sup- plant the long-bow and cross-bow among European sportsmen. The invention of "hail-shot," about 1550, added to the popularity of the gun (Which now first became a shot-gun) by giving greater success to the sportsman when shooting at moving game. Hut the long- bow and the arbalest by no means disappeared from the hands of sportsmen or from the armies of Europe. The bow had its peculiar advantage over the shot-gun as a hunting arm in being noiseless, and its inexpensiveness placed it within the reach of all who were privileged to carry arms. Besides, in those days, the art of shooting on the wing was unknown : and at still game, the arrow launched from the long-bow of a skillful archer was probably as effective as the wheel-lock gun. The kUlui
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectfishing, booksubjecthunting, bookyear
