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The flintlock pistol was the greatest advance in pirating since the wooden leg. The concept was fairly simple: gunpowder was stuffed into the barrel. A lead ball, usually wrapped in some sort of fabric, was stuffed in. A hammer was then pulled back half-way and left that way until the gun was ready to fire. The pistol technically was not meant to fire in this position, although sometimes they were known to go off half-cocked (and yes, that is the origin of that expression). When the gun was ready to be fired, the hammer was pulled back all the way and the trigger was squeezed. If you're feeling flinty, go check out the Strongblade selection of flintlock pistols, blunderbuss pistols and flintlock rifles.
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