Percussion muzzleloader who is now buying a flintlock

[Ramrod1219]

I have a few Hawkens,2 shotguns,a blue ridge rifle and I just ordered blue ridge 50 flint. I wrote down  new stuff I need but would like to compare with y'all's thoughts. Also is there any tuning to lock as I hear things like there is sometimes too strong a lock,need lead not leather flint holder etc. hat are your thoughts and tips for me,the new flinter?

[elk killer]

Just dont get discouraged by the blue ridge flinter....
always use leather to hold the flint

[GANGGREEN]

I don't think you'll be discouraged by a Blue Ridge flintlock at all.  I had one for years and can tell you this.......it was highly accurate and the lock was extremely reliable.  I will admit that it ate up flints much quicker than my Chambers locks do, but so what, that wasn't a deal killer for me.  I had that gun for 15 years or so and killed at least that many whitetail with it.  I sold it because I now have multiple custom guns and simply wasn't using it anymore.  Good luck and enjoy.

[L. Akers]

Congratulations on your purchase of a "real" gun.  Learn to shoot it well, and you'll shoot your percussions better than you do now.  A good flintlock's ignition is fast--the BANG happening with the sound of the flint striking the frizzen but will still probably be slower than a cap gun.  It will teach you follow-through.  As an aid to good sparking try mounting your flint with the bevel up and then with the bevel down.  See which give you the most sparks and that's the way you want to mount the flint.  Try both english black flint and the french blond flint for sparking and longevity.

Remember--real men shoot a flintlock!

[Old Ford2]

Remember--real men shoot a flintlock!  WRONG!

Real men have rocks!

[SCLoyalist]

You might consider a purchase of Eric Bye's book on Flintlocks.  It's a good overview of flinters in particular and muzzleloading in general.

 If you have a friend who shoots flinters, getting him to accompany you to the range might save some puzzlement if you run into any problems you can't readily figure out.   

Were I going to the range with a new flinter, I'd have in mind how I was going to prime it (priming flask with 4F or from main horn), I'd have a screwdriver that fit the top jaw screw well,  a knapping hammer (and would read up on how to knap a flint), a touchhole pick, a couple of extra flints and leathers.     

Good luck and enjoy.   SCL

[Kentucky Colonel]

I just got my first flintlock and I find the transition to be fun, but rocky.

I was always taught to let the shot surprise you. Well, the hammer drop into the frizzen
can surprise you, but the shot can't. I am really having to readjust my shooting technique
to keep from messing the shot up after the hammer drops.

But, you are going to have a lot of enjoyment with it. I am. 

[Pete G.]

Just go to the TOW catalog and order one of everything flint related.....you're going to end up with it eventually anyway

[oldtravler61]

Take it slow, learn to shoot your flinter  ACCURATELY  an reliably first. Get a good (or make ) vent pick, pan brush. The rest you probably already have. Enjoy your journey.

[Daryl]

There is equipment you need and equipment you do not need.  A pan brush you do not need. No one up here (most everyone shoots a flinter) uses a pan brush. I won a pan brush once in a shoot and it is in the bottom of my shooting box - or I threw it out - I haven't seen it for years.

If the pan fills with water form rain or humidity absorption by the fouling, I wipe it out with a dry patch or pocket flap. Otherwise, it never gets wiped for a day's shooting - not needed.

You also need a tool to knap (sharpen) your flint.

You do need a vent pick - we use fine steel needle or wire with a wooden handle.  The pick needs to be smaller in diameter than the vent diameter  and it should reach the other side of the bore, or it is too large or not long enough. You should be able to "feel" the powder charge with the pick as you shove it through the vent into the bore.

The only time I use a vent pick, is if I have a flash in the pan while shooting a trail.

If I was hunting with a flinter, (I don't) I would pick the vent before or after priming.

While getting to know your flinter, you will find if it "likes" a full pan of prime, or if it doesn't matter - like layer in the bottom or full. I always fill the pan myself. I want the flash in the pan to be HOT!

For priming, 2f and 3f give slower ignition than 4F, 5F and NulB, NulB being the fastest - these are listed in order, slowest to fastest.

 
 

[michaelB.]

Get you a really nice vent pick and brush set.  There is some garbage out there, so be wary.  Also, check with the TOW folks on size of flints you'll need and for the first couple of months buy half a dozen or so and put some in your box, bag, pocket, hat and anywhere else where you can always get to one.  That way, you will always have some extras built up as your lock eats them up...  also, TOW sells a tube and clamp cleaning system thingy that I bought a few years ago.  I don't use it every time I come home from shooting, but after a weekend shoot, I always use it to get lots of hot, hot water through the barrel.  Just a nice to have, not a necessity. A flinter's tool kit works well for bag  or box with a well sized turnscrew , but again, it a nice to have, not an absolute necessity. Oh... consider some Ballistol for both lube and cleaning.  Mark Elliott turned me on to this when I got one of his rifles, and 've never been happier with a product and I've been shooting flintlocks since 1976, by cracky!

[Ky-Flinter]

Good for you Ramrod! 

If God had intended men to shoot caplocks, he would have scattered caps on the ground instead of flint!

-Ron

[oldtravler61]

Don't hunt with a flintlock! Why never heard of such a thing. No brush then how yeah gonna clean your teeth! Hmm

[Candle Snuffer]

I have, but no longer use my pan brush, I prefer a good ol' Q-Tip if the pan needs cleaned. A little spit on one end and dry with the other end. Most pans that are well polished (smooth) will seldom need cleaned during a shooting session. Good luck and have fun with that flinter! 

[Standing Bear]

To repeat the best recommendation from posts above, shoot with experienced flint shooters, observe for a while then ask questions.  There are some basics that are universal and most you are familiar with from per-suction shooting.

I had a pan brush but like Daryl I don't know where it is now.  I cut patches at the muzzle with a strip of patch material tied to the strap on my bag and use it to wipe the pan on humid days.  Like said above polish the pan.  I recommend a touch hole at least 1/16" diameter.  I shot for a long time with a touch hole large enough that I had to plug the hole to keep FFF from blowing out when I pushed the ball down.  IT WAS FAST.

I use knapped English flints the width of the frizzen and long enough to almost touch the frizzen at half cock.  You will learn how to position your flint (in, out, bevel up or down) but it should strike the frizzen 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up from the bottom of the frizzen. If the flint is too long, cut a notch in the back of the leather so the flint can ride all the way back to the screw.  When just range shooting I don't care if it is too long as it will wear away but it will hold the frizzen open a little.  Trail walks and hunting get a proper length.  I'm lucky to get to a match 3 times a year where the vendor lets me pick thru the bulk flints and select 10-15.  They don't cost much, last forever and its better to have too many.

Lots of ways to knap a flint - use the frizzen (IF the gun is unloaded), brass hammer, brass rod with a notch in it, etc.  Ive made knapping hammers with brass rod for a head but my all time favorite is a small commercial hammer I bought from Brownells 30+years ago.

I think it was Patrick F. McManus speaking canoeing when he said it was "a fine and pleasant misery".   Enjoy the journey.
TC

[Black Jack]

You might consider a purchase of Eric Bye's book on Flintlocks.  It's a good overview of flinters in particular and muzzleloading in general.

 If you have a friend who shoots flinters, getting him to accompany you to the range might save some puzzlement if you run into any problems you can't readily figure out.   

SCL

+1 on both of the above suggestions. Besides containing all of the information you will ever need to shoot a flintlock, Mr. Bye's book is a great read and is very reasonably priced.

A friend who has hands-on experience with flinters would be very helpful to explain and demonstrate the basics.

Having said all this, shooting a flint gun is not all that mysterious a pastime as you might think. Thousands of us were self-taught using nothing more exotic than a Thompson Center Hawken and the instruction manual the came with the gun. And we all had loads of fun in the learning process.

[Daryl]

As to actually shooting flinters a lot! Taylor used to say, "some people can't stand to have this much fun".

[yardhunter]

Real men shoot flint.
All other guns will eventually be sold or left in the gun safe.

Here's what fun can be performed with a flint:

[heelerau]

Mate, I have shot cap locks since the age of about 13, 10 years ago I got a Niel Fields Lancaster Flintlock, and another Lancaster style flintlock arrived unbidden,  they are so much fun to shoot. Good luck. I to endorse using leather and not lead to hold the flint.

[mmprwarner]

Welcome to the world I rock locks you're going to find it to be a lot of fun.  Sometimes in the beginning somewhat challenging.  I suppose in the beginning.  That's what was fun for me was the challenge.  Like a couple of others, I don't use a brush .  I usually carry my patching cut an appropriate with strip for the caliber that I'm shooting.  I just simply use the tail end of that loading patch which is often pillow ticking or 40 drill , mostly because I think cloth does a better job of cleaning the pan but that's just my opinion and the other is is just one less thing I have to carry as stated before in this thread.  There's nothing like a good vent pick keeping the diameter of the wire smaller is absolutely important.  It does need to reach the other side of the chamber, but coming from a man who has rather large cumbersome fingers.  Don't be afraid to put a large enough handle on it.  I don't fill my pan but I have noticed that different rifles have different personalities when it comes to this as I was just stating on another forum I had trouble with a couple of rifles.  Not wanting to fire during competitions and found that if I used a really wet patch between shots enough to see a mist come out of the vent and then dried both the inside of the barrel and the pan.  The rifles performed flawlessly.  But that's just one man's opinion.  Best of luck you're going to enjoy your new rifle.  Oh, by the way to put leather on a piece of rock.

[EC121]

As a percussion shooter you may have inadvertently learned to try to "grab" a shot as the sight passes by the bull then relax after pulling the trigger.  It won't work with a flintlock.  Keep holding(following through) until the recoil pushes you.  Then mentally try to recall the sight picture and hit before looking at the target.