File:Firing a Mexican War era flintlock.jpg

English: Firing a Mexican War era flintlock Model 1816 Springfield musket. With a squeeze of the trigger, the hammer is released and the flint comes crashing down onto the steel, sending a shower of red hot sparks down onto the powder in the pan. In a flash, the powder in the pan ignites sending flame and sparks through the vent hole on the side of the barrel, and causing the musket to go off.