Small hole near the rear portion (breech) of a cannon or muzzleloading gun
A diagram of the cannon, including the location of the touch holeA sculpture in Whitehaven depicting an American sailor in the act of spiking a cannon
A touch hole, also known as a cannon vent, is a small hole at the rear (breech) portion of the barrel of a muzzleloading gun or cannon. The hole provides external access of an ignition spark into the breech chamber of the barrel (where the combustion of the propellant occurs), either with a slow match (matchlock), a linstock or a flash pan ignited by some type of pyrite- (wheellock) or flint-based gunlock (snaplock, snaphaunce, and flintlock), which will initiate the combustion of the main gunpowder charge.[1] Without touch hole, it would be nearly impossible to ignite the powder because the only otherwise access into the barrel is from the front via the muzzle, which is obturated by the projectile.
In the later caplock firearms, the ignition sparks are generated by a shock-sensitive percussion cap placed over a conical "nipple", which has a hollow conduit known as the flash channel, that leads into the barrel and serves the same function as the touch hole.
In modern breechloading firearms, the propellant charge is packaged inside a cartridge, which has a modified percussion cap (primer) seated in a cavity at the back end of the cartridge case. Between the primer pocket and the case chamber are one or more apertures known as flash holes, which serves functionally as a touch hole inside the cartridge.
In artillery, priming powder, a fuse, squib, or friction igniter is inserted into the touch hole to ensure ignition of the charge. The ignition might be achieved via striking or electrically.
^Vauban and the French military under Louis XIV, Jean-Denis G. G. Lepage, p.38
A touchhole, also known as a cannon vent, is a small hole at the rear (breech) portion of the barrel of a muzzleloading gun or cannon. The hole provides...
but there was no longer any need to charge the touchhole with gunpowder, and even better, the touchhole was no longer exposed to the elements. As a result...
matchlock firearms it requires direct manual external ignition through a touchhole without any form of firing mechanism. It may also be considered a forerunner...
priming pan is a small receptacle for priming powder, found next to the touchhole on muzzle-loading guns. Flash pans are found on gonnes, matchlocks, wheellocks...
fuse; always located near the breech. Sometimes called the fuse hole or the touchhole. On the top of the vent on the outside of the cannon is a flat circular...
tucked under one arm, while the other arm maneuvered a hot pricker to the touchhole to ignite the gunpowder. The matchlock, which appeared roughly around...
cloth or parchment cartridge pierced by a metal 'pricker' through the touchhole, and followed by a cloth wad (typically made from canvas and old rope)...
accompanied by a corresponding touchhole that allows ignition of that charge. In the simplest case, the matchlock, each touchhole is individually primed and...
falls into the pan and ignites the powder. Flame burns through a small touchhole into the gun barrel and ignites the main propellant charge, causing the...
primer travels (unless there is only a "flash in the pan") through the touchhole into the firing chamber at the rear of the barrel, and ignites the main...
a simple smoothbore metal tube, closed at one end except for a small touchhole designed to allow ignition of the gunpowder. The tube was attached to...
ignite the priming powder in the pan, the flash partly passing through the touchhole into the barrel where it ignites the main charge (propellant). The flint...
fits into the cannon touchhole burying its lower end in the gunpowder chamber. The top end of the tube extending above the touchhole has a short perpendicular...
explosive pressure of the gunpowder. The powder chamber also has a touchhole, a small hole for the fuse that ignites the gunpowder. Behind the gunpowder chamber...
tucked under one arm, while the other arm maneuvered a hot pricker to the touchhole to ignite the gunpowder. The Ottomans may have used arquebuses as early...
Leaden plates are used to cover the touch-hole, when the piece is charged, to keep dirt from entering the touch-hole. In 1248, Roger Bacon's "Opus Maior"...
from the cannon as it was dangerous applying the lighted match to the touchhole at the breech of the gun: not only could the charge flash back, but the...
thereby igniting the priming powder therein and sending flames through the touchhole, which in turn ignites the main charge of black powder in the breech of...
it and its user lowering a long stick to ignite the cannon through the touchhole. Another similar illustration dated to 1326 shows a darker gun being set...
igniting the priming powder. The flash from the primer traveled through the touchhole, igniting the main charge of propellant in the gun barrel. On the release...
allied lines and spike the American and French cannon (i.e., plug the touchhole with an iron spike). The allies were sleeping and unprepared. As the British...
tucked under one arm, while the other arm maneuvered a hot pricker to the touchhole to ignite the gunpowder. The matchlock changed this by adding a firing...
cannon Flash pan Fuse (explosives) Matchlock Linstock Punk (fireworks) Touchhole Keegan, John (1989). The Price of Admiralty. New York: Viking. p. 277...
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