Ignition speed and offhand shooting with flintlocks

[Habu]

The Manton rifle I fired at Tom Dawson's farm 50+years ago was as fast as my caplock Whitworth which had a top of the line Brazier lock.I dry fired that lock one time and the sparks were WHITE hot and sizzled in that tiny pan.I have yet to see ANY modern lock including mine that could do that.Some were better than others but not ONE up to the old Manton.Has ANYone in our time ever tried to see what those antique frizzens were made from??

A while back I picked up an orphan lock signed by Staudenmayer, one of Manton's apprentices.  Lock is roughly 4" long, semi-waterproof pan, no safety, so I figured it was off a pistol.  With the right flint it will throw white hot sparks that dance briefly in the pan.  Anyhow, the frizzen is made of very fine grained wrought iron, with a laminated striking face about 1/16" thick of what appears to be crucible steel.  Judging by a file test, the face is hardened to just under RC 60.   

Based on some experiments done with a friend who is trying to make copies of the lock, I suspect the frizzen may have been tempered using some type of interrupted quench.  Using a 1095 face, martempering has given similar sparking characteristics.  On the other hand, it may be that we were just more careful with heat-treating that test frizzen vs our usual methods. 

[Bob Roller]

If you can make a good representation of that little lock it will sell.Can you post a picture of it here?The INTERNAL mechanism IS the lock.
Bob Roller

[Habu]

Ronnie asked for a "good" lock to study, so he has this one on extended loan while he works out making a CNC lock.  I'll try to remember to get pic's next time we get together. 

[Scota4570]

If lock time and barrel time was zero we could time the trigger break and flinch all we want.  Since it is not we have to hold as best we can and stick to the fundamentals.  That is no flinching and follow through.

I used to shoot a modern bow every day.  I could make groups of about 1" per 10 yards.  The zero wandered.  It took a long time to figure out that my follow through and grip were not consistent from day to day.  The same applies to all firearm's to a greater or lesser extent.

Flintlocks having a longer time between the trigger break and ball exit require perfect follow through.   On a perfect day I can lead my wobble onto the 10-ring.  Most days I try to wobble in the middle of the black and concentrating on not flinching and perfect follow through.  That will get me above 90% on the aggregate targets. 

I guess my approach is not to fight the inherit disadvantages of the flintlock but to embrace them and understand them.   

If you notice any sort of flinch when a misfire happens, work on that. 

[rich pierce]

The rare misfires sure tell us if we are flinching!  One technique I’m trying lately is what I call the “fire hose”.  Pretend I’m still pouring lead into the target after the gun goes off.

[Daryl]

That's one way, for sure. I try to see the ball go into the target. That negates my flinch, sometimes.
I hate it when I call the shot in the middle and it's actually hit at the side of the page.

[Scota4570]

Emphasize the trigger squeeze.  Hold it back as you follow through.  Let it go when you break position.  During rapid fire stages of service rifle completion, I hold the trigger back until I am back on target for the next shot.  I high master shooter told me that, and it helps me. 

[Mule Brain]

One thing I found about shooting flint, and I am not very good at it.

I shoot them much better when I extend my grip further out on the stock.

Lock speed is a big help too

[Daryl]

I hold them all like this: The smoothbore is slightly longer to the forend tip, which is where I hold them all.
Thus, with the "pelter"(pellet shooter), the arm is not bent quite as much & the barrel is gripped. My back
will not allow an Olympic-type hold back near the lock, with back arched.