Speaking of flinters...

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milemaker13

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I have a cap lock rifle that i enjoy shooting from time to time. I have often wondered what would be involved in shooting a flint lock gun... beyond the obvious.

Are there generally more ignition problems? Does the flint need replacing after so many shots? Can it crack or break?

I've heard that 4f powder would be used in the pan... does a man carry 2 flasks? How do you go about keeping the pan clean and clear?

In a show I'm watching (Turn)... there are never ignition problems or fouling issues and it shows men tearing open paper sachets and priming the pan, then pouring the rest in the barrel, followed with a ball. And as we all know... hollywood (and netflix in particular) is always correct and historically accurate ;)
 
Yes flints can fail but they rarely do. They do have a service life but that is individual to the gun and the flint. They are easily knapped to extend their life.

4f is the preferred prime but any true black, no subs, will do.

Shooting a flinter is a bit more complicated but, for me, far more enjoyable.

IronHand
 
I have a cap lock rifle that i enjoy shooting from time to time. I have often wondered what would be involved in shooting a flint lock gun... beyond the obvious.
Are there generally more ignition problems?
Yes and no..., there is more involved in learning to make the flintlock reliable. The first rule, don't buy a flintlock with a cheap lock. As for ignition time being "slower", well yes, but in a well operating lock, you won't notice the difference. IF you see re-runs of Daniel Boone on TV, Daniel's and Mingo's rifle and gun are not working well, so you get a puff-KaBOOM. That was the 1960's and the prop-guys didn't know any better.

Does the flint need replacing after so many shots? Can it crack or break?
Sure. You replace the cap after every shot right? The flint in a proper lock will last for a bunch of shots, but it is a natural product, and so no one can say how many. You can resharpen the edge of the flint by knapping it, for more shots.

I've heard that 4f powder would be used in the pan... does a man carry 2 flasks? How do you go about keeping the pan clean and clear?
I stopped using 4Fg about one week after trying it. It is good in a lock with a small pan, such as you find in say a Pedersoli Kentucky or Pennsylvania rifle, BUT in a large pan, it's not necessary, and I found trying to coordinate two horns was cumbersome. (KISS principle works well with flinters) So I use 3Fg for all..., main charge, followed by the priming. Works in used TC flint locks, and in Lyman flint locks, the Pedersoli Frontier longrifle, and in my semi-custom rifle with a large Siler lock. ;)

You wipe the pan, and you have a pin or a piece of wire to keep the touch-hole open. This is part of the "more involved in learning how to keep it reliable" that I mentioned.

In a show I'm watching (Turn)... there are never ignition problems or fouling issues and it shows men tearing open paper sachets and priming the pan, then pouring the rest in the barrel, followed with a ball. And as we all know... hollywood (and netflix in particular) is always correct and historically accurate
Actually, in this case, TURИ, does it right. To combat load a musket, you tear open the paper cartridge, prime the pan, then pour the remaining powder down, stuff the paper and the ball into the barrel, and ram it down. Don't do this on a range..., as its dangerous, and a violation on probably every range out there. :confused:

I almost exclusively hunt with a flinter..., it's an amazing amount of personal satisfaction when you down a deer with a flinter, and more so when you do it in a light rain. :thumbup:

But, flinters become addictive, obsessive, and most dedicated flintlockers cannot own just one (even if they reply to internet questions "if you could own only one") . I have a dozen or so....
I am a very ill fellow....:D

LD


 
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Dave has it right. Might I add a flint usually won't last more than 30 to 50 shots without being knapped. A lot of people don't think about it, but when the powder in the pan goes off, the flame you want going into the flash hole is going UP and out. This is why not too much powder is put in the pan. It's kept below the flash hole. A good English flint cost a couple of bucks and a couple of them will last a 100 shots - still cheaper than buying caps. All my guns [ other than revolvers ] are either flint or match locks. Yes there's a learning curve in using them - flint up or down, how much space from flint to frizzen, how much powder in the pan, touch hole size, etc. but it's not something anyone can't learn. Try it, you'll like it.
 
Knapping the flint in a flintlock refers to freshening or sharpening the edge that contacts the frizzen.
With the gun unloaded, put the hammer at half cock and support the flint with the index finger of your left, or right, hand. Lightly tap the edge of the flint with a small hammer or a screwdriver to expose the fresh surface.
Takes some practice but it's a necessary skill that "one" needs for shooting a flinter.
 
milemaker13 said:
How does one knapp a flint?
Click to expand...
Im no expert, but have done it many times. You basically chip off the edge of the flint with a small hammer or other tool to make a sharp edge on the flint.
This is usually enough to get decent spark again. But you know to get a new flint in for the next shoot or hunt.
I usually get 50 shots or more from a new flint.
 
Just remember, when it comes to priming the pan, less is more. Many folks use way too much powder in the pan and then wonder why they get poor or no ignition even though they generate a huge fireball.
 
I have shot well over a hundred shots on a single flint. Lock geometry is crucial to this. I have seen some Traditions locks that would eat flint like eggs for breakfast with out sparking. My own locks are Siler either built from kits or bought complete. I agree about getting a good quality lock.
 
Do shoot only the real BP in the flintlock, I use 4F in the pan, and carry one little powder flask for that when hunting, and a bit larger powder flask for the main charge containing 3F or 2F depending on whether I'm hunting rabbits and squirrels, .32-.36, or deer with the larger bores .50-.54 caliber.
 
Check out you tube... many flint videos.... after a bit, it's easy to sort out the long time shooters from the newbies too. Sort of like reading these forums :)
 
Didn't Thompson Center make a flinter that would work with pyrodex pellets? Seems they had some kinda fancy breech plug. Any one have one and does it work?
 
milemaker13 said:
I have a cap lock rifle that i enjoy shooting from time to time. I have often wondered what would be involved in shooting a flint lock gun... beyond the obvious.

Are there generally more ignition problems? Does the flint need replacing after so many shots? Can it crack or break?

I've heard that 4f powder would be used in the pan... does a man carry 2 flasks? How do you go about keeping the pan clean and clear?

In a show I'm watching (Turn)... there are never ignition problems or fouling issues and it shows men tearing open paper sachets and priming the pan, then pouring the rest in the barrel, followed with a ball. And as we all know... hollywood (and netflix in particular) is always correct and historically accurate ;)
Click to expand...

If a flint or cap lock failed during a scene, they would simply edit it out or reshoot the scene. It's TV, like when someone gets shot they don't really die :)
 
I don't ever remember TC making a flintlock that worked with Pyrodex pellets. Something else, a short starter or priming horn was never found with original equipment.
 
I think T/C called it the firehawk? It had some sort of special breechplug that gave a better chance of igniting Pyrodex.
 
The Firehawk was an inline, using caps and I think later, 209 primers.

Pyrodex shouldn't work with a flinter, by its very concept. If you look at the MSDS for Pyrodex you find it pretty much IS black powder, but with half the sulfur. Sulfur is what allows black powder to begin deflagration from a spark, as very early versions of gun powder in the West, meaning Western European use, needed a very high temp heat source to be set off. A cherry red, or amber-hot, wire was often used with the first gonnes to make them go bang. When they added the sulfur, and got the amount right, slow match and later a sparking mechanism could be used. Pyrodex is reverse engineered, with a little modern chemistry added, so that it does not deflagrate when not under compression as fast (or as easily) as black powder, and thus, really doesn't work well with a simple spark as its ignition source.

LD
 
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