100% or so....underlyig theme?

[kherring]

practice and learn with your flinter. Find out what works the best for your gun. No it will not be 100%. Nothing is. Sooner or later you will pull back the hammer of that cap gun on a deer and hear a pop with no boom. It will happen. When you learn the little secrets of your flint rifle, pay attention to the prime in humid weather, and have a sharp flint it will ALMOST always go off with ignition so fast you will think its a cap gun.

 

[rich pierce]

Time to go back to cartridge guns if you can't live with an occasional misfire. We shoot black powder because we want the whole challenge and experience. We go from percussion to flint because we want more challenge.

 

[jimmy82]

I think a few people are getting a little snooty. I can't think of a more sure way to chase away someone who is frustrated and on the verge of swearing off flintlocks for life. Instead of what I consider an elitist attitude how about at least encouraging. One of the reasons I like this forum so much was when I was just getting started it was very friendly to newcomers. Everybody who ever shoots flints has to go through the learning curve. Nobody came new into the sport shooting clover leafs while holding the gun upside down in the rain... How about some humility and empathy!

 

[rabjr]

Absolutely, there are a number of steps I take my time and do in loading my flinter for a hunt, to hopefully ensure it will go off when I want it to. Theres no greater satisfaction when every thing works right and you get to put your flinter down next to a nice deer. If that ment nothing to me, I would never had given up my sin-line.

So far I have been blessed with haveing no failures in the field. I'm sure I will at some point, but I do everything I can to try to avoid it.

 

[jimmy82]

I apologize for the rant. I could have been more tactful, but I won't change it. I'll leave it to the Mods to do with what they will. The reason this thread irks me is because I cannot imagine ever telling anybody to quit. I've been trying, when time permits, to teach my sons how to shoot. I cannot possibly imagine telling them to quit just because they get frustrated. /rant I'm better now. Stick with it biggs you'll get it down.

 

[Trench]

Lot's of good input here. I'll throw my two cents in too. I started with flintlocks when I got in to this hobby. I took my first deer with one. I also lost a shot on my second deer because my main charge wouldn't go off. However, that was my fault, and it won't happen again because I'll pull my ball and charge at the end of every day. It's that learning curve that everyone is talking about. It does exist, and to get to that point where you KNOW your rifle will go off on that first shot at a deer, it's going to take some mistakes on your part.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Used to shoot with a flint lock only club where ever hammer fall is a shot. We had very few failure to fires, and it was a 30 to 40 shot match. I also have shot skeet at Friendship for years . A hammer fall counts as a shot there too. never lost a bird to a hammer fall. Of course I never tried to do any of this with less than top notch equipment either. :wink:
To be honest, I'm absolutely shocked when my flint gun doesn't fire.

 

[fyrfyter43]

As long as I do my part, my flintlock is about as reliable as I could expect any gun to be.

I've been lucky enough to get in a lot of shooting lately. I've put at least 100 balls downrange out of my GPR, with only 1 that didn't go off the first time I dropped the cock. That one was my fault, as I had not paid much attention to the condition of my flint. OTOH, out of about 300 rounds through my wife's Browning Buckmark (.22 LR), I had about a dozen misfires. And shooting trap with my family on Labor Day, we also had a large number of shells that wouldn't go off. Of course they were pretty old shells, but even in a case of new shells we often have 1-2 that don't go off.

What I'm trying to say is that nothing is 100% foolproof. Spend some time with that flinter after the season and learn its quirks. Really all it takes is some common sense and patience to see where the problems are. An experienced flintlock shooter as a mentor would also be a big help.

BTW...you're not using that sawn agate that comes from the factory in that TC lock, are you? If so, I suspect that is a big part of your troubles.

 

[fyrfyter43]

To be honest, I'm absolutely shocked when my flint gun doesn't fire.

I have to agree there, Mike. When it doesn't fire, I have to question what I did wrong.

 

[Billnpatti]

That could be your flintlock saying "Pick me, pick me" and not meaning to select it over others but to use your pick on the touch hole to keep it clear of powder and debris. Make sure that the vent hole is clear and that the charge in your pan is against the barrel but not over the touch hole. You want the flame from the pan to go uninterrupted into the touch hole to the main charge. Also make sure that you have a good flint and that it is properly positioned in the jaws of the cock. These are the things that make for a 100% ignition, not having expensive custom rifles. The custom rifles are very nice when you can afford them but the T/C is a good reliable rifle and when loaded and charged properly will give you as close to 100% as the custom rifles. Your T/C is a good reliable gun. I know, I have two of them ....go and enjoy!!!

 

[DrLaw]

Could it be the temperature where you are at that is getting you to rant?

That might be part of the problem. Bringing a flintlock to a machine gun fight.

Nah, just kidding. I'm a relative newbie and this forum has been nothing but helpful to me, which is why I try to continue with that trend, but have some fun along the way. I had percussion handguns for many years, but did not get any long gun until recently (in my old dog years) and it was a flintlock. Might as well jump in all the way.

It's a Pedersoli Jager and it is a fun and accurate gun. I'm hooked. I think EBiggs will be hooked too, if he gets the right help by reading the various posts here in this forum. :thumbsup:

The Doc is out now. :v

 

[Stophel]

Generally, I only get a failure to fire (flash in the pan) when I first start shooting, and I forgot to clean the oil out of the barrel, and it is clogging the touch hole....

It will never be 100% reliable (even modern guns aren't), if for no other reason than you are relying on a little piece of stone, that wears/chips a little bit of itself off every time you shoot. Sometimes I get failure to fire because I let my flint get too dull, and it simply doesn't make sparks anymore.

That's just the way it goes.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I agree with Bill. I cannot think of a misfire with any flintlock that wasn't my fault- not the gun's. I didn't always know it was my fault at the time- because I was climbing the learning curve myself-- but I can honestly say that I learned later that it was my fault, and what I did wrong! Most gun store clerks, and owners, don't shoot Black Powder guns of any kind. If you even find one that shoots percussion, he is the rare exception. Don't expect to find anyone in a retail store that shoots flintlocks. I have helped people out when I was at a store as a customer, and overheard the question asked, and the clerk say, " I can't help you". And had the clerk listen intently while I answered the question. :hmm: :shocked2: :thumbsup:

 

[tg]

" I can hear it calling now! Pick me, pick me."

It may be your best choice, one should not hunt with a gun that they have no faith in, no flame just fact.

 

[Dphar]

What it seems I am hearing, from the last two topics I have posted and you guys have been so gracious to reply, is my TC will never be 100% reliable. Possibly not even 90%, although it is a brand new gun and not a cheap gun either. Nobody has come right out and said so but there is and underlying theme. And it seems to be that the only way to achieve reliable ignition is with a custom flintlock gun. My patience meter is almost pegged to the red line. I am not willing to spend any more money on flintlocks! Remember the other TC that I have, although is used, has a brand new replacement L&R lock with real flints. It doesn’t perform any better than the stock TC does.
I have drilled the touchhole one-drill size larger today (hard to hold that little bugger) and I will give it a try this weekend. I used a 5/64th bit. This may be it, however, unless it works to where I think I can start the process of making a hunting rifle out of it. Time is not on my side as deer season, in Kansas, opens soon; Sept.21st and that TC cap gun in the gun safe have never misfired for me. I can hear it calling now! Pick me, pick me.

No flintlock is 100% reliable, good ones are very close, good as a percussion or very near it IF properly maintained, but not 100%. I had a lock misfire on me today but the flint broke the first shot and this was about #10 with a flint with an 1/8" wide surface to strike the frizzen. Had I changed the flint this would not have happened but it worked good enough for what I was doing. If I had a FL that missed fire 10% of the time with a good flint etc, I would fix it.
I have virtually no misses or flashes when hunting but I take care to assure I don't. I make SURE the flint is good etc. Shooting on the range misfires are not that important.
The TC will likely never be as good as a really good flintlock. Its not meant to be. Its meant to be good enough to sell.
The L&R is the same. Its made to work good enough to sell. I have never had one of these that did not require tuning. The one I just used the cock stopped far too soon and the main and frizzen springs both required re-arching to get the tension right. It s great fast lock, now. So buying a replacement lock made in a factory to replace a lock made in the factory is not going to solve the problem.
If you have the "model 03" flint I suggest you remove the cock from the lock and cut the front of the throat below the bottom jaw with a hacksaw. Heat and bend until the gap made by the saw closes. Reinstall the cock and see if it works better. Have the cut either Tig welded or hard silver soldered.
This makes for a *much* better lock when this cock is used on the L&R waterproof lock.

The TC and every other factory made flintlock is designed to be assembled by anyone that can control a screw driver and then be sold for a "competitive price". It is unlikely that many of the employees understand the flintlock.
The skill and understanding of the person that assembles a lock can have major effect on how well is works. I shot two rifles this morning both with large Siler locks. The one I reworked, the other was either a kit or is as assembled at any rate. The lock I forged a main spring for and reshaped the frizzen spring for and had it casehardened in colors is faster, more consistent and more reliable than the other. I shot maybe 12-15 shots and had no mis/hangfires. The other lock produced at least one hangfire in fewer shots because the flint was not perfectly sharp.

So one cannot expect a lock with poor springs assembled by someone who only knows part B goes into part C to build a consistent, reliable lock.

But as with many things "your mileage may vary".

Drilling vents bigger seldom cures a problem of this short if the vent is worth a hoot and is properly installed its almost invariably the lock.

Dan

 

[Stophel]

Two different things: Lock sparking and then the transfer of the flash into the barrel. You need to know which one of these is the problem before trying to fix it. :wink:

 

[frontloader]

I have two flintlock they go bang every time except when the deer is 50yd broadside then flash. Part of the fun.Good luck getting it to go bang every time.