Pawl
- The click or detent which falls into the teeth of a ratchet-wheel to prevent its motion backward.*
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Pepperbox
- A precursor of the revolver having from four to six barrels in a rotating cluster. Each barrel is equipped with a percussion cap and the action of pulling the trigger advances the cluster to the next barrel before firing.
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Percussion Arms
- Percussion means “striking” in music as well as in weaponry. Civil War small arms commonly used a small brass “cap” which contained a small amount of fulminate of mercury, a very volatile substance, to ignite the gunpowder charge which fired the weapon. A cap was placed on a cone or “nipple” that was mounted on the firearm in an area directly adjacent to the chamber. When loaded, the chamber contained the charge of black gun powder necessary to fire the bullet. The cap was the striking point of the firearm’s hammer. The resulting percussion of the hammer strike caused the fulminate to explode, sending a tiny flame through a hole in the cone and into the powder charge. About 100 of these caps could be carried in a small leather pouch attached to a soldier’s belt. Each bullet fired required a new cap.
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Percussion Cap
- Civil War small arms commonly used a small brass “ persussion cap” which contained a small amount of fulminate of mercury, a very volatile substance, to ignite the gunpowder charge which fired the weapon. A cap was placed on a cone or “nipple” that was mounted on the firearm in an area directly adjacent to the chamber. When loaded, the chamber contained the charge of black gun powder necessary to fire the bullet. The cap was the striking point of the firearm’s hammer. The resulting percussion of the hammer strike caused the fulminate to explode, sending a tiny flame through a hole in the cone and into the powder charge. About 100 of these caps could be carried in a small leather pouch attached to a soldier’s belt.
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Pistol
- A hand held firearm. During the American Civil War the term "pistol" referred to a single shot muzzleloaded weapon. Mutiple barrel pistols also existed.
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Point Blank
- The second point at which the line of sight intersects the trajectory of the projectile.*
Since all projectile trajectories are arced and the line of sight is a straight line, the projectile intersects the line of sight twice in flight. Once while gaining altitude upon firing and a second time when descending to the target.
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Port-Fire
- A composition of nitre, sulphur and mealed powder driven into a case of strong paper used to fire guns previous to the introduction of the friction primer.*
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Pressed and Turned
- A method of manufacturing bullets in the North. A machine pressed a lead slug to form the nose and cavity. This piece was then turned on a lathe to shape the body and cut the rings.
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Pyrotechny
- Artificial fire-works and fire-arms, including not only those used in war... but also those intended for amusement...*
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*
definitions from "Military Dictionary", Col. H.L. Scott, 1861
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