Musket

A long-barreled shoulder firearm, typically muzzle-loading and smoothbore, used widely by infantry from the 16th through the 19th centuries.

Matchlock: A firearm ignition mechanism that lowers a smoldering cord onto a priming pan to fire a gun. The matchlock was an early mechanism for firing muskets.
Arquebus: An early shoulder-fired firearm, generally lighter and shorter than later muskets, used from the 15th century onward. The arquebus was a predecessor to the musket in European infantry warfare.
Volley fire: A tactic in which a body of troops fires together or in successive ranks to sustain concentrated gunfire. Volley fire compensated for slow reloading and the limited accuracy of smoothbore muskets.
Rifle: A shoulder firearm with spiral grooves in its barrel that impart spin to the projectile. Rifles offered greater accuracy and range than the typical smoothbore musket.
Military revolution: A historical debate about transformations in European warfare, armies, and state power from the 16th to 18th centuries. The spread of firearms such as muskets figures centrally in explanations of military change.
Wheellock: A firearm ignition mechanism that creates sparks by spinning a spring-driven wheel against pyrite. Wheellocks offered an alternative to the burning match used on early muskets.
Ottoman Empire: A state centered in Anatolia that governed territories across southeastern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa from 1299 to 1922. Ottoman armies adopted and adapted firearms early, influencing their wider military use.
Linear tactics: Military formations that arrange infantry in thin lines to maximize coordinated musket fire. Linear formations let large bodies of musketeers deliver volleys across a broad front.
Rifle-musket: A military firearm combining the general form of a musket with a rifled barrel. Rifle-muskets retained familiar loading methods while gaining rifling's accuracy.
Pike and shot: An early modern infantry formation combining pikemen with soldiers armed with firearms. Pike-and-shot formations balanced musketeers' firepower against cavalry and close attacks.

Linked from 9 pages