2nd Time shooting my flintlock, Better Results!

[Fly103]

This afternoon temperatures rose to near 40deg here in kansas and after my previous stuck ball misadventure I was chomping at the bit to give it another go! I got off 8 shots before the flint got to dull to spark using a .490 round ball, .005" patch and 50gr 3f goex.

Loading with an .005" patch was easier than the the .010" I had used previosly but it still took a good bit of effort to start the ball despite it being a coned muzzle. I have a box of .480" balls on order to experiment with as well. I swabbed the bore after the 3rd shot and found it to be much less fouled than it was in my previous outing using 1.5f goex.

All in all it was great fun this time around with a half dozen soda cans biting the dust. I was shooting offhand this time from 30yds back so I was quite pleased with myself for landing 6 out of 8 shots on target. Maybe someday I will try to cut a playing card in half. Definitely going to get in on the monthly online shooting matches! I did some improvised flint knapping with my knife after numerous "klatches" occured before shot 6 finally fired but managed to get to more off afterwards. All in all much improved experience over my first time out!

How many shots do most normally get out of a flint before knapping and before replacing it? I got 13 out of my first flint before I had to knap it. It's up to 15 now and visually appears to be about 2/3rds of the way through its useful life.

Chris

 

[leadhoarder]

Sound like a nice day. Were you the one that stuck a ball and a jag in last time?

 

[Fly103]

Leadhoarder, guilty as charged. It was a ball and ball puller, and broken ramrod.

Chris

 

[BullRunBear]

I'm glad your second session went so well. Isn't flintlock shooting addictive? BTW, 6 out of 8 cans at thirty yards off hand is darn good shooting. Congratulations!

I use black English flints from Track of the Wolf and still have some from Rich Pierce. I will generally get between 30 to 50 shots per flint. Might have to knap them once while still held in the cock. As you are learning, being able to knap the flint really extends their useful life.

Jeff

 

[Grenadier1758]

This afternoon temperatures rose to near 40deg here in kansas and after my previous stuck ball misadventure I was chomping at the bit to give it another go! I got off 8 shots before the flint got to dull to spark using a .490 round ball, .005" patch and 50gr 3f goex.

Loading with an .005" patch was easier than the the .010" I had used previosly but it still took a good bit of effort to start the ball despite it being a coned muzzle. I have a box of .480" balls on order to experiment with as well. I swabbed the bore after the 3rd shot and found it to be much less fouled than it was in my previous outing using 1.5f goex.

All in all it was great fun this time around with a half dozen soda cans biting the dust. I was shooting offhand this time from 30yds back so I was quite pleased with myself for landing 6 out of 8 shots on target. Maybe someday I will try to cut a playing card in half. Definitely going to get in on the monthly online shooting matches! I did some improvised flint knapping with my knife after numerous "klatches" occured before shot 6 finally fired but managed to get to more off afterwards. All in all much improved experience over my first time out!

How many shots do most normally get out of a flint before knapping and before replacing it? I got 13 out of my first flint before I had to knap it. It's up to 15 now and visually appears to be about 2/3rds of the way through its useful life.

Chris

Use of a 0.005" thick patch seems thin to me unless you are stating the compressed thickness. I use the classic JoAnn's Fabrics #40 Cotton Drill Cloth which measures 0.018" uncompressed and 0.011" compressed in rifles with a ball 0.010" under the land to land diameter.

I check my flint after every shot to see if I need to knap and usually knap after 5 shots or after a failure to fire. I have some flints that seem to have no sharp edge, but still strike sparks and fire the gun. Those seem to get 30 to 50 shots before needing to be changed. I do use a knapping awl which is a 16 penny nail with the tip flattened and notched or a screwdriver with a notched tip. The notch rests on the edge of the flint and a tap from the short starter will drop a small flake to sharpen the edge.

 

[Art Caputo]

This afternoon temperatures rose to near 40deg here in kansas and after my previous stuck ball misadventure I was chomping at the bit to give it another go! I got off 8 shots before the flint got to dull to spark using a .490 round ball, .005" patch and 50gr 3f goex.................////
How many shots do most normally get out of a flint before knapping and before replacing it? I got 13 out of my first flint before I had to knap it. It's up to 15 now and visually appears to be about 2/3rds of the way through its useful life.

Chris

Sounds like you might be taking too much off the edge of the flint during your knapping process. Using a fine edge(notch)for knapping(approx.1/32” edge), I can get as many as 50 firings depending on the particular flint. I’ll generally knapp 2-4 times and wipe the carbon off the flints edge every few shots.

 

[Fly103]

Grenadier1758, she's a .50cal but when I ball gauged the bore I came up with .4905".

Art, I have no doubt that I knocked off a bit much. When I taped it wth the back of my knife blade what was left of the original edge flaked away instantly leaving a very uneven but sharp edge. It did work well enough to get 2 more shots off so I am considering my first attempt at flint Knapping a success.

Chris

 

[Grenadier1758]

The ball gauge is about an accurate a measurement as you will get. The 0.480" balls should be relatively easy to load and you may be able to use 0.015" patches.

The use of the back of the knife blade is one way to knap a flint. I find it harder to control the size of the flake with the back of the knife. I find the small notch to be more controllable.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

Grenadier1758, she's a .50cal but when I ball gauged the bore I came up with .4905".

Art, I have no doubt that I knocked off a bit much. When I taped it wth the back of my knife blade what was left of the original edge flaked away instantly leaving a very uneven but sharp edge. It did work well enough to get 2 more shots off so I am considering my first attempt at flint Knapping a success.

Chris

They make a flint knapping hammer. TOW sells it. Works great with knapping tool. Also, wipe off powder residue after every 2 shots or so.

 

[Art Caputo]

Grenadier1758, she's a .50cal but when I ball gauged the bore I came up with .4905".

Art, I have no doubt that I knocked off a bit much. When I taped it wth the back of my knife blade what was left of the original edge flaked away instantly leaving a very uneven but sharp edge. It did work well enough to get 2 more shots off so I am considering my first attempt at flint Knapping a success.

Chris

Chris,
I have found it difficult to control the depth and even-ness of the fine edge of a flint with a knife. A shallow notched copper nail1/8” dia.) tapped with the handle of my ball starter seems to enable fine chips, an even edge and a flint edge that is comparable to the original edge when new. It’s important to angle the rod towards the frizzen so that majority of the flake is taken off the bottom edge of the flint.

 

[Tom Compton]

My knapping hammer for over 30 years. Would like to find a source so I could put one in each pouch and leave this one in the box. I’ve tried others and made a couple but can’t quite get the feel right.

 

[Fly103]

Since my second time on the range I have learned quite alot, from trial and error and the wealth of helpful folks here on the forum. In the last month I have sent over 600 round balls down range. Im managing 2" groups offhand at 25yds and am really enjoying tweaking my offhand shooting stance to achieve better, heck I dry fire (wood flint) probably 50 times a night just practicing keeping sight picture and follow through. Ive balanced my frizzen and mainsprings and perfected the art of shimming my flint for good geometry in my pedersoli lock. I am routinely getting 60 or more shots without ever having to toch the flint, when i've got the angle right it almost seems to self knapp every time its fired. I've made my own powder horn, priming horn, touchhole pick and pan brush, currently working on a possibles bag.

I am definitely fully addicted to this flintlock madness and cant wait to shoot another 40 or 50 round balls tonight!

Chris

 

[satwel]

Chris, I'm glad to hear you are having much more success at the range with your flintlock. Did you switch to the smaller .480" balls? I agree with Grenadier1758's comments. .005" patches are on the thin side. With a .480 ball you might be able to use a slightly thicker patch which will carry more lube. You may find a thicker patch with more lube on it is just as easy to load.

Sounds like you have mastered the basics and are well on your way. I was once in the same stage you are in now. I had mastered the basic flintlock skills and I could hit the target with some consistency, so I started looking around for shooting matches in my area. If you want to have some real fun with your flintlock, don't be afraid to participate in muzzle loading shooting events. They tend to be somewhat informal with an emphasis on safety, comradery and shooting improvement. New shooters are always welcome and you'll take your skills to the next level shooting along side experienced, friendly competitors. What I learned at my first match would have taken me years to figure out on my own. Check out the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association webpage (www.nmlra.org) for regional matches in your state.

Good luck and keep shooting

 

[Fly103]

Satwel,
for plinking I have been using .480" balls and .018" pillow ticking over 40gr fff goex . For accuracy im using .490 balls with .010" cotton patches over 65gr ff swiss or 55gr fff goex if its what I have in the horn. In my gun heavier fff charges (over 60gr) tend to result in random flyers hitting 4 or 6 inches from point of aim. Ive picked up my patches and havent seen any evidence of them blowing out so she seems happy.

The single simplest trick i have picked up is a carry over from my piston airguns, i quit wrapping my thumb over the wrist of the stock, laying it alongside instead. Since then i havent pulled any shots to the right..... the improvement was most noticible in dry fire practice when i was constantly watching the sights drift as the cock fell.

Chris