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Jeez Louise.........
How complicated could it be to put a flint in a flintlock, you guys amaze me.
How complicated could it be to put a flint in a flintlock, you guys amaze me.
The devil is in the details.Jeez Louise.........
How complicated could it be to put a flint in a flintlock, you guys amaze me.
I guess after doing this since the 70's I really do not see why it takes a degree in flintology to put a flint in.The devil is in the details.![]()
I think you would find that a vast majority of folks are closer to sources for supplies than most people think. There are trade fairs and Rendezvous going on around the country quite frequently. Most have open to the public days. Maybe not as easy as on line but more funI can certainly see where that would be advantageous, but it’s just not really practical (or even possible) for the vast majority of folks, myself included.
They want to show off how much they know. Now if he had a stuck ball we would really see something.Jeez Louise.........
How complicated could it be to put a flint in a flintlock, you guys amaze me.
Insofar as installing the flint leather from the side of the jaws, John’s told me that the technique is in use by more than one member of our local muzzleloading club. As some of these guys have been engaged in the sport for decades, it’s got me intrigued. I simply haven’t been able to find a single thread on the matter.
I can see your point, but can't quite completely agree because: I've been playing with muzzleloaders and history for 55 years and still learn stuff on this site, plus some people join in here as new to our interests. We try to remember when we were new and such stuff as in this thread we had to learn somehow. Not criticizing your post, just holding the lantern a little bit closer to what we do.Jeez Louise.........
How complicated could it be to put a flint in a flintlock, you guys amaze me.
I guess after doing this since the 70's I really do not see why it takes a degree in flintology to put a flint in.
After a discussion with the club member, it would seem that this is the reason for putting the leather in from the side: it negates having to notch the leather.Another reason to notch the leather is if your flint is a bit too long. If the flint is touching or pushing on the frizzen at half cock then the notch allows the flint to be positioned further back.
If a flint is too long I don't see how inserting it sideways makes it any shorter. Perhaps i'm missing something.After a discussion with the club member, it would seem that this is the reason for putting the leather in from the side: it negates having to notch the leather.
I've trimmed the front of cock jaws to shorten them up before on certain locks and also taken a punch or awl to the upper and lower cock jaw surface to rough up the grip on the leather or lead pad around the flint.Thanks for chiming in here, rafterob. I measured my frizzen and ordered some 5/8” flints from October Country, only to find they were also short. I went with the next size up (5/8”) and found they were also far too short. It would appear as though the flints John offers are all square, and I needed something more rectangular. I ended up going with Tom Fuller’s 3/4" x 7/8 flints through Track of the Wolf and I think they’re going to work out great.
Still… I’m confused about the whole “flint not touching screw” thing, as it was my understanding you’d need to have a spacer behind the flint to keep it from sliding back during impact. John didn’t mention any such thing.
I've heard it said that notching the leather helps the cock jaws grip the flint better also but can't really see any reason for that to be true unless the pucker at the fold over in the middle is effecting the grip.The only reason to make a hole in the leather is to use an over-long flint. I have seen folks knap a notch in the rear of the flint so be able to move it back more. If your flints are shorter the notch is not needed.
Position your flint so it is 1/16" or a touch more away from the frizzen face when the rifle is at half cock, with the edge parallel to the frizzen face to throw the most sparks into the pan. As you knap the edge you will occasionally need to move the flint out. That will allow you to get many more shots out of it, until it is a small nubbin and there isn't enough for the jaws to grip, which may be a surprising number of shots.
As mentioned, use thin leather. The British used lead for their rifles, It was issued with the ammunition, flint and one piece of lead for 7 balls if memory serves me correctly (but don't take my word for it; it may have been 12 or more balls at a time). The flint and lead were changed together when those balls ran out. There was no worry about the flint loosening once the jaws had been tightened down. Civilians who use lead wrap take way more shots per flint and the lead doesn't spring back so the flint gets loose. Leather (as has also been mentioned here) has more give so it pops back to hold the flint securely.
I hope this helps. If you have a Dixie catalog, the rear section has all sorts of tips on shooting m/l guns and I believe this topic has been covered in there, or at least, it used to be unless it remove the pucker at the fold over mid grip on the flint.
~Kees~
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