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priming iron

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | 365 words | Copyright

priming iron, a thin piece of iron with a point at one end and a wooden handle at the other. This was thrust down the vent hole of a muzzle-loading cannon when loaded to pierce the cartridge and expose the powder. A quickmatch was then put to the powder train—or, later, the quill-tube inserted and fired—and the powder in the cartridge would ignite.

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