Maynard Tape Primer - Invention

Invention

Muskets in the early 19th century were flintlocks, which had a high rate of misfire and performed poorly in damp and humid weather. In the early 19th century the percussion cap system had been invented, but practical percussion lock systems did not become available until the 1840s, after Alexander John Forsyth's patent had expired.

Percussion cap systems relied on small copper caps that were filled with mercury fulminate. While they greatly improved the reliability of muskets and their performance in damp weather, the slow rate of fire of muskets was still an issue. Dr. Edward Maynard, a dentist with an interest in firearms, embedded tiny pellets of priming material in thin strips of paper, then glued a second strip of paper on top of the first, creating a "tape" of primer. The tape could be manufactured quickly and cheaply, since paper was much less expensive than copper. Maynard also developed an automatic feeding system that would advance the tape when the musket's hammer was cocked. The hammer not only detonated the primer, but would also automatically cut the paper, thus removing the spent portion of the primer tape.