Reliable, Long lasting Flints,Where can you get Them?

[Bunkymn]

Those of us who shoot flintlock pistols and rifles are constantly searching for the best flints available. Because of age and health I have not shot for many years but I am building a flintlock pistol for my son and would like to get him off on the right foot. The new pistol will be a 40 cal. with a small Siler lock. Your suggestions for kinds and sources of flints will be much appreciated.

[Bob Roller]

Contact Dixon in Pa.1-610-756-6271 and ask if they have any
of Guenter Stifter's white flints.These are not cheap but are fine
quality.

Bob Roller

[sean30ber]

Rich Pierce hand knapped. Long lasting white flint.

rpierce@dom.wustl.edu

[halfstock]

I think Rich has quit knapping flints because of some time issues, if he starts back I sure want to know it, his were really sparky for me.

[David R. Pennington]

One of the guys in our club told me about sharpening flints on a diamond hone. I think it's been discussed here before but it's worth mentioning again. I found out how easy it is to reshape flints this way. Worn out flints can be sharpened and reshaped in minutes. Old worn out musket flints can become rifle flints and rifle flints can become pistol flints. I took a handful of worn out or too thick flints and in less than an hour had a dozen excellent sharp flints. I use water as lubricant.

[wmrike]

I buy black flints wherever I find them.  I'm a little choosy about how they are shaped, but I would be bummed if one didn't give 125 strikes.  I just don't see it as enough of a problem  to worry about.

[David R. Pennington]

I made a plastic card out of coffee can lid the size of a credit card. I cut slots in it to represent the ideal size of the flint I like for my lock. I cut another slot to represent the thickness I like. I made a card for each lock I own. When I buy flints at a show or dealer I pull out my card and quickly pick out only the flints that fit my lock.

[Habu]

I made a plastic card out of coffee can lid the size of a credit card. I cut slots in it to represent the ideal size of the flint I like for my lock. I cut another slot to represent the thickness I like. I made a card for each lock I own. When I buy flints at a show or dealer I pull out my card and quickly pick out only the flints that fit my lock.

Nice idea, one I think I'll copy.  It would sure make the search go quicker.

[Dphariss]

Those of us who shoot flintlock pistols and rifles are constantly searching for the best flints available. Because of age and health I have not shot for many years but I am building a flintlock pistol for my son and would like to get him off on the right foot. The new pistol will be a 40 cal. with a small Siler lock. Your suggestions for kinds and sources of flints will be much appreciated.

French flints from TOW.
The British Army liked them.
Dan

[wet willy]

Rich Pierce flints are really good sparkers, but the white color can be off-putting to some... but not me! Hard to think the HC rondy police would object, as white flint has been around in MS and KS for a billion years. The amber French flints have also worked well for me, generally available from ToTW & Dixie.

You can re-do the edge of a flint with a green wheel (used for sharpening carbide tools) IF you can figure out how to hold the old flint against the grinding wheel. I use vise-grips & leather wrapper.

I have a dismal success rate at re-knapping flints. After I re-knap one, their either don't work at all, or work once or twice.

Green wheels for your bench grinder are not cheap, but widely available at Graingers, WS Mars, ENCO, etc. Green wheel good for shortening the flint, as some Pedersoli locks need a short flint to allow the frizzen to fully close on the pan.

[David R. Pennington]

All you need is one of the cheap diamond bench hones from Harbor Freight. The one I got has 3 different grits. Use water for lubricant. I guess you could rig up some kind of holder but I just use my fingers. I was surprised how quickly I could reshape an unusable flint in this way. 

[The Original Griz]

http://www.stonewallcreekoutfitters.com/flints/
Here is a good place and very nice folks

[Frank]

I like thin shaped flints as they have worked the best for me in my Chambers and Davis locks. Any flints that I have bought online, about half of them where almost useless, having big humps on them. I always handpick mine. Every show or shop I go to, I always check their flints and pick up whatever I can,even if it is only one. I am sure there is a way to grind down those humps, but I haven't bothered to figure it out. Got several hundred good thin flints.

[rich pierce]

I'm making a few flints from local rock again.  It's limited because everything here is snow covered and frozen so rock collecting is out of the question.  I do have a few dozen 3/4" wide flints in hand and also some 7/8" size.  Not authentic by any means, but work well for some folks.

[Dphariss]

I'm making a few flints from local rock again.  It's limited because everything here is snow covered and frozen so rock collecting is out of the question.  I do have a few dozen 3/4" wide flints in hand and also some 7/8" size.  Not authentic by any means, but work well for some folks.

I would not be the slightest surprised if they worked better than English or French or at least as good. I was almost out of English and after reading this book I ordered a sample of French flints from TOW. Like them so I ordered a couple hundred.

http://www.amazon.com/Eighteenth-century-gunflints-Michilimackinac-other-colonial/dp/B007FCEAMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391876108&sr=8-1&keywords=Michilimackinac+Hamilton+and+Emery

Dan

[halfstock]

Thanks Rich for replying, am glad your able to do a few at least, yours worked extremely well for me.

[Hungry Horse]

I have found that if the geometry of the lock is good, nearly any flint, be it English, French, of native stone, will last quite a while. But, basher type locks, or rebounding frizzens, will make short work out of the best flint.
 I use a snapping pin made from a piece of 3/16" mild steel, with a shallow shoulder turned onto one end. It allows me to remove the least about of stone, and still get a sharp edge. And the flint stays in the jaws.

                Hungry Horse

[rich pierce]

In case any newbies are here, please never knap the flint in the jaws when the cock is at half cock.  It's possible to crack the sear nose or the half cock notch.  Rare, but puts the gun out of commission.

[knapper]

Hey guys I'm new to this site as well as new to shooting flintlocks, I have been knapping arrowheads going on 21 years now. I live in Southern Illinois and work with some really high quality stone.Here is the real kicker, I've never knapped a gun flint before, now I'm going to have to learn how, lol,if any of you would rather knap your own flints I have small pieces of high quality material that should suit your needs,or you can give me your specs and I will cut the material for you,here is my number if anyone is interested (618)387-1786 also thanks for all the info from everyone

[Bill of the 45th]

  Question: How do you drive Rich Pierce crazy?  Answer  Ask him to make flints for a Becky Lock

Bill

[dlbarr]

In case any newbies are here, please never knap the flint in the jaws when the cock is at half cock.  It's possible to crack the sear nose or the half cock notch.  Rare, but puts the gun out of commission.

Thanks Rich, I didn't know that and I've knapped plenty of them just that way. Won't do it anymore though. My fav flints are the ones I've gotten from you - they are the sparkiest I've tried.

[knapper]

Hello fellow shooters, I got a couple of days off so I'm going to head to the creekthis weekend to gget some material to make some flints with. However 3 of my friends are making flints, they each have web sites if anyone is interested in contacting them, the first is Dennis Kearns at Kentucky Flint Works, second is Craig Ratzat at Neolithics. Com,the third is Eric Morris at Eric'sRocks,each one of them have English or American material,I think everyone will be satisfied with their flints, they are also knapped not sawed material.

[Bible Totin Gun Slinger]

Hello fellow shooters, I got a couple of days off so I'm going to head to the creekthis weekend to gget some material to make some flints with. However 3 of my friends are making flints, they each have web sites if anyone is interested in contacting them, the first is Dennis Kearns at Kentucky Flint Works, second is Craig Ratzat at Neolithics. Com,the third is Eric Morris at Eric'sRocks,each one of them have English or American material,I think everyone will be satisfied with their flints, they are also knapped not sawed material.

That's what its all about.

[Vomitus]

 I use English black. I've tried the amber French with a big English round face and it was about the same as the black. I couldn't justify buying the more expensive amber. How the amber would hold up in the snappy little English locks ,like the late Ketland, I don't know.  It may vary lock to lock.