Flintlock firearms

Flintlock firearms produce ignition sparks by striking flint against steel, removing the need for a continuously burning match. Europe had several early spark-striking mechanisms; the mature French flintlock of the early 17th century was one highly influential branch. Firearms made by the Le Bourgeois family around 1620 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art provide material evidence, but the date of those objects cannot be treated as the invention date of all flint-based ignition technology.

China: zisheng huochong and zilai huoqiang

Research by the China Maritime Museum discusses the zisheng huochong (自生火铳, self-igniting firearm) in Bi Maokang's late-Ming Junqi Tushuo (《军器图说》, Illustrated Account of Military Equipment). This shows that related designs appeared in China before the modern period, and the late-Ming record should be included in the account of this technology's development. The material verified so far is insufficient to establish that its mechanism was identical to every European type, or to determine independent invention or the scale of actual deployment.

The Qing period also used names such as zilai huoqiang (自来火枪, self-igniting firearm). Qing imperial classifications sometimes grouped both wheel and striking mechanisms under flint ignition, so not every firearm called zilai huoqiang should be treated as having a French flintlock. The technical introduction uses mainstream modern classification, while historical names and specific implementations are retained in their corresponding contexts.