Flint lock

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Mr. Black

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May 21, 2003
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Anyone out here fire non-precussion cap arms, something using the good old flint or matchlock or anything of the sort?
 
I've a Lyman GPR flinter and a 50 caliber rifle I built myself. I've got another 50 cal kit in progress (did the relief carving) that still needs some lock work. Also have a 70% finished smootbore Trade Gun. Need to fit a few parts and shape the foreend, scrape and finish. So many projects, so little time.

Have a bunch of percussions too, but flintlock is more fun. fffttt-boom!
 
Them newfangled caplocks ain't gonna catch on anyway!!

Got 4 flinters... .54. poorboy .40 poorboy .40 pistol with a stock from the same piece of wood and a .58 trade gun

You can always find a rock that will make sparks, but when you're outta caps, you're outta bidness..;)
 
Here is something from the past: BP Shooting

I think shooting flinters is about the most challenging and fun all around shooting experience. It will make you remember a whole lot of words you may have forgotten, like &^# $%^&( @&*( and so on. The TC Hawken is an excellent choice. Look in the used gun racks after BP hunting season and you can pick one up for a good price. Get flints from Track of the Wolf as TC sawn flints suck big time. Work up an accuracy load, usually not the most powder your gun will take.
 
I have built 2 so far. A Dickert .50 cal flint and a Tennesee .45 cal flint. Right now I'm working on a Southern/Tennesee .40 cal rifle. I like flints, I have percussion also but I think that Flints are prettier.
 
I've got a .50 cal Pennsylvania longrifle style flintlock for shootin patched roundballs. Lotta fun, lotta smoke!

Ty
 
Got a .75 Brown Bess and a .69 horse pistol - now that's ALOT of smoke. All the guys with Hawkens just LOVE me on the team shoots. :cool:
 
My Fiancee gave me a Pedersoli French 1777 musket for Christmas, which I absolutely love and am planning on using in upcoming Rev-War reenactments. When the tax refund gets here I'm going to add a Brown Bess to round out the collection. There's just something REALLY intruiguing about a flintlock; it just seems so "elemental" even as compared to a percussion weapon. Italian and Indian repro flinters often require a bit of "tweaking" to be at their best; American-made custom rifles and muskets are the best in the world (IMO) but are expensive.

Oh, and yes, there's something very satisfying about sending a 500-ish grain, 3/4" lead round ball downrange - it's like having your own little cannon!

HTH,
vanfunk
 
I think flintlocks are about the most fun kind of shooting there is! It's been a little over 300 years since the French and Indians attacked my neighborhood but still you can never be sure, so I keep my Kit Ravenshear .75 Doglock Trade Musket handy. :)
 
My twice great grandfather was a quartermaster to General Greene during the Revolution. When he mustered out the General presented him with a English Dragoon 'horse pistol'. It's .58cal and has the Geo III Tower Stamp on the lock which is dated 1761 and bears the name of 'Wilot' as the manufacturer. I'm sure that the wood has been replaced. Probably back in the 19th century. The pistol's furniture and tube are in excellent condition and I fire it occassionaly at my local range. Since it's a smoothbore I can load it like a sawed-off 20 gage. Got a real nasty looking pattern. On the 4th of July every year the kids in my family draw lots to read the Declaration of Independence and fire the old gun. (with a ball of bread not lead) It took me awhile to figure out how to tune the flint in the jaws of the lock but once I got that down it became very reliable with few if any hangfires. Considering the purpose for which the gun was designed, (which was to shoot the horse out from under the other guy) it's remarkably accurate with the proper charge and ball. I have had groups of six to two inches at 30 feet or more.
 
Just added a TVM Jaeger in 54 cal to my flintlock assortment.Gotta love it...
And a hearty WELCOME to CapnBall.Glad to see some more of us blackpowder folk here at The High Road especially from this neck of the woods.
 
Shanghai, Thanks for the welcome! I was a regular poster at the old TFL and haven't been able to get here due to my having an old computer that just couldn't make the adjustments and other things.

I'll posts some pics of the gun soon.
 
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