How to fire a Matchlock Musket

Kevin Hicks from The History Squad demonstrates how to fire a matchlock musket at English Heritage s Bolsover Castle. The matchlock was the first mechanism, or lock invented to facilitate the firing of a handheld firearm. This design removed the need to lower by hand a lit match into the weapon s flash pan and made it possible to have both hands free to keep a firm grip on the weapon at the moment of firing, and, more importantly, to keep both eyes on the target.