flints

[chuck-ia]

What is your oppinion on french flints? Was just told by a supplier they were better than the black english. Have allways used the black english with good luck, kinda hesitant to buy some. thanks chuck

[billd]

I prefer USA Whites better than any I've tried, also known as Rich Pierce flints.

Bill

[Frank]

What do you expect a supplier of French amber flints to tell you?

 I have not used them, but from everything I have read, they are not as good as the black English flints.

[Candle Snuffer]

I use to use the black english flints all the time (and still do only because I have quite a few on hand), but now I use mostly Rich Pierce flints.

I've heard good and bad about the French flints.  I've read where folks claim they give you a better shower of sparks and I've also read where folks say they are so thin they don't last.  I can not confirm either claim.

English flints are very good, but so are Rich's - and I'm pretty well hooked on his flints now.  I really like them!

[Canute Rex]

The French flints seem to last longer than the English flints but they also seem to go dull faster. Not as sparky. Something about the way the stone flakes off. Sometimes I have had English flints fail catastrophically on me - a big corner splitting off. With the French flints, not so much.

I go back and forth between Rich Pierce's flints and English. Rich's are tough as anything and never lose a big chunk like the English ones. I can't tell any difference in the general sparking capabilities, so Rich gets my vote for reliability. Once I use up my supply of English flints I'll be shooting "all white."

Oh, better price from Rich, too.

[Pvt. Lon Grifle]

I have an opinion. Swiss cheese, yes. German beer, Jaeger rifles, yes.  English locks, yes. English flints, yes.  American long rifles, yes. American flints, yes.  French flints, no.  Pvt. Lon

[chuck-ia]

Thanks for the replys, I think I will hold off on the French flints for now. chuck

[roundball]

And one more parting shot...I bought a couple dozen French Amber for the hands on experience of using some...my results and conclusions:

Far more expensive then Fuller BEFs
No where near as long a life as Fuller BEFs, wore down faster
Seemed softer and crumbly compared to BEFs
I struggled through half of them, resold the other dozen
Can't imagine ever buying a French Amber flint again

[Frizzen]

Here's one of Rich's flints in action

[volatpluvia]

For what it's worth,
My Chambers early germanic lock has had a really good time with French Amber Flints.  I have fired more than 100 shots from several of them.  I found them to hold an edge well.  Last time I was at a shoot I fired 28 shots at clays, flying and rinning, without a failure to fire with a frenchie, in about an hour.  No knapping during that string.  Maybe I just got a good run of them.  I received about six of them for testing and hadn't had a black English in my gun in several years.  I was shooting couple hundred rounds a year at the time.
Now I can't say they are better than black English because they give me similar performance in this gonne.
I have never seen a Rich pierce flint so I can't say anything about them.
Go figure!
volatpluvia

[Ron T.]

A truly honest fella named Rich Pierce makes his own white flints and sells 'em at a very reasonable price... a dozen excellent flints for $10.00 plus $1.50 shipping & postage.

Rich is a trusting soul and sends his flints together with an invoice and a note saying to test his flints and if you don't like 'em, send 'em back.  However, if you like 'em (and you will), then send him $11.50 (for the flints, postage & handling).

I ordered a dozen flints from him to try 'em out.  His white flints gave me a bit MORE "spark" than the black English flints I was using, so I sent him my check for $11.50.   

Rich sent 13 flints because he wrote that he felt my smaller flints (5/8-inch wide) wasn't as good a value as the larger flints, so he indicated he always sends an extra flint when someone orders the "smaller, narrower flints" as I did.  WHATTA GUY !~!~!

So far, Rich's fine flints are lasting about 100 shots per flint and throwing a good "shower" of sparks... and I'm sure I can get a bit more "sparking" from the two I've used so far... I jus' need to do a bit more "knapping" on 'em.

Here's Rich's email address:  rpierce@dom.wustl.edu

Here's Rich's address:
Rich Pierce
504 West Drive
St. Louis, MO. 63130
ph: (314) 800-5018


Give Rich's flints a try... I'm sure you'll like 'em.   

Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[SCLoyalist]

 It usually doesn't take but 4 or 5 days after he receives the email request before the rocks show up in the mailbox.

I've ordered flints from him several times, most recently this last week.  A dozen 3/4X7/8" flints was $12 plus $1 shipping, and the order included 13 flints.  They're usually pretty flat, so the problem sometimes experienced of getting a hump-backed flint to stay in the jaws doesn't seem to be an issue. 

Some folks have reported shorter flint life from his flints (I suspect they are some type of chert;   'Flint' may be a geological term properly applied to black rock inside English chalk) than from Black English Flint, but others report longer life.  Maybe it depends as much on the steel in your frizzen as it does on his flints.

Anyway, I'm a satisfied customer of his, also.

SCL

 

[Larry Pletcher]

Rich,
My compliments as well!  I decided to use your flints (chert) on the woods walk at Friendship.  I snapped the flint a couple of times when I installed it.  I had one spark just set in the pan and fry for maybe 2 seconds. I was impressed.

The woods walk was 14 shots - no delays at all.

Todays shooting was 21 shots I think.  The pan flashed every time.  So. I'm up to 37  and counting.  I have not knapped yet.  It looks like new.  BTW I didn't time any tries - I just had fun shooting.

Regards,
Pletch

[leadslinger62]

   Excellent results with the  Frenchie`s in my GPR. Bevel up works better. The Richie`s work really really, did I say really, good in my .50 Cal. with an  L&R lock. But, in my .45 , that also has an  L&R lock on it, The Richie`s will snap off at the Hammer! This is the 3/4 size. I want to try the shorter 5/8 next batch I get. Maybe the Missus is right, size does matter??? 

[California Kid]

Larry, bout time you relaxed and had fun just shooting!

[J.D.]

And one more parting shot...I bought a couple dozen French Amber for the hands on experience of using some...my results and conclusions:

Far more expensive then Fuller BEFs
No where near as long a life as Fuller BEFs, wore down faster
Seemed softer and crumbly compared to BEFs
I struggled through half of them, resold the other dozen
Can't imagine ever buying a French Amber flint again

I had the same experience with newly made french flints. The 150 year old french flints sold by Dixie many years ago were among the best I have seen, but the new ones, not so much.

I have a coupla Pierce flints but haven't tried 'em yet. Still have lots of English flints and a few home made ones to finish off. My experience with white flints is good sparks, but they seem to be hard on frizzens...but scraping off relatively thick, minute layers of steel is what makes 'em spark so well.

My favorite flint is one made from a red chert provided for the contestants to make their own gun flint, at the Fort DeChartre woodswalk, a coupla years ago. IMHO, that red flint has the potential to set the woods on fire. Wish I could get more of it.

God bless

[Daryl]

Riches flints give me more 'sizzles' in the pan, much more so than the black English flints.  I haven't tried French flints, probably never will.  The agate 'flints' are another I havne't tried.  TC sells them in a blister pack - about $15.00 to $19.00 locally for 3 sawn agates - there's another 'flint' I won't be trying any time soon.
The last one of Riches flints I had in the .40 Squirrel rifle, gave me over 200 shots before I retired it. It was one of 6 he made me that was somewhat heavier than normal, and about 7/8" square.  The lock is an old Siler and throws an incredible amount of sparks, straight into the pan for excellent ignition.