Early matchlock guns are extremely rare. The matchlock shown here was made around 1640, and is typical of the muskets used by militia in Colonial America. 1498 - Rifling principle is discovered.

Nearly 250 years ago, hundreds of militiamen lined a hillside in Massachusetts and started firing a barrage of musket balls toward retreating British troops, marking the first major battle in the ...

The National Park Service said early analysis of the 18th-century musket balls shows they were fired by colonial militia members at British forces during the North Bridge fight. Historians say the ...