Frizzen

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The frizzen is a curved plate of steel used in flintlock firearms. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer, which includes a shaped piece of flint held into a set of jaws by a scrap of leather, snaps forward causing the flint to hit the frizzen. This in turn causes a shower of sparks to be thrown into the pan, which contains black powder, this ignites and sets fire to the powder in the touch hole. The main charge of powder then explodes and sends the projectile out the barrel.

It should be noted that this is a purely modern term. In historic times, the component now known as the frizzen was referred to as the hammer. In historic times, the component now known as the hammer was referred to as the cock.