Black English Flints

[roundball]

The bad news is at noon today there was a major natural gas leak that occured in downtown Raleigh right across from my building...several buildings were evacuated immediately, told not to return downtown today, etc.....well...what's a boy to do at noon on a bright sunny spring day with temps around 75-80 degrees?...why, go to the range and shoot a flintlock of course !!

...AND...

I ran a 40 shot range session on a 3/4" black english flint in a .54cal TC Flintlock and never touched it (other than the periodic cleaning)...never knapped it, never flipped it over, etc...40 shots and it hardly looks used...I'll see how far I can push it on my next range trip...got 94 shots out of one that started out like this last year...maybe I can break the magic number of 100...this one was from the same bag of flints as last year's !

 

[flaming canvas]

Where did you get those?

 

[Rebel]

From John and Linda at October Country i bet.

 

[roundball]

Where did you get those?

www.OCTOBERCOUNTRY.COM

Ask for their best bulk buy price...were recommended on a ML message board, etc...

 

[bovey]

Bet you had it all to yourself... What range did you go to?

 

[roundball]

Yeah, a locally owned/operated range out in a rural area, mostly caters to action pistol shooters...known the owner for almost 20 years now, great guy.

Has a concrete bench under a pole shed off to the side with a berm at the end of a 300yd bulldozed strip across a field...no frills but everything I need.

Normally I go on Saturday mornings after first light, get in & out before anybody else shows up...cooler in the summer then too.

 

[bovey]

When I lived in Raleigh I belonged to the San Lee Gun Club. I would usually have the place to my self on week days. Makes for a great way to spend an afternoon.

 

[roundball]

When I lived in Raleigh I belonged to the San Lee Gun Club. I would usually have the place to my self on week days. Makes for a great way to spend an afternoon.

Never heard of it...where's it located?

 

[jtmattison]

I wish mine lasted that long.
In my Lyman Deerstalker I get about 8-10 shots if I'm lucky before the flint is dull or broken.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Huntin

 

[bovey]

When I lived in Raleigh I belonged to the San Lee Gun Club. I would usually have the place to my self on week days. Makes for a great way to spend an afternoon.

Never heard of it...where's it located?

It's in Sanford... south on highway 1... about a 45 minute drive. They own the property that the club is located on. They have a fairly large membership but most of the folks belong so they just can have a place to shoot when they want to. Have a skeet, pistol, and covered 25-200 meter silhouette range. At one time was a very active handgun silhouette club (state and regional level). E-mail me and I will give you the name and number of a friend of mine who is still a member.

 

[jim gray]

In my Lyman Deerstalker I get about 8-10 shots

Are you using black English flints? I get better results than that from saw cut flints.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I wish mine lasted that long.
In my Lyman Deerstalker I get about 8-10 shots if I'm lucky before the flint is dull or broken.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Huntin

Hey out a huntin'
There was a bit of a discussion on flint alignment on the forum a while back. Take a close look at your flint and frizzen with the lock at half cock. The flint should be just slightly away from contacting the frizzen at half cock and should be angled slightly down. If it is hitting the frizzen almost straight on, it tends to crush the edge of the flint pretty quickly. That might be what's happening with yours. Too much of an angle and it will break sections off of your flint.

So, it's the goldilocks effect...not too little angle...not too much....just right.

 

[jtmattison]

I have messed around with the alignment of the flint as much as I can.
I get longer life out of the saw cut flints but since most everyone on here like the english flints I decided to try them.
They spark better than the saw cut but don't last as long.
Maybe it's the way my Lyman lock is built.
I use the 5/8 square flints because they fit the best.
The saw cut flints from Lyman are about 5/8 x 3/4.
Maybe I just don't have the right size english flint.

No big deal. I will use up what I have and try the saw cut stones from now on.

Huntin

 

[cayugad]

I had one cut agate on my Trade Rifle last for over 40 shots. I have never had a black english flint make 30 yet. I am still learning to knapp them and working on my knapping style. I do read and try all the hints people have given on the board here. One of these days it will all click.

In fact when I order more flints I am going to order a few of the cute agates and see if this one Lyman was a fluke or if the rifle really likes them that much...

 

I'm happy to read about your range report on black english flints. I got 14 Tom Fuller's 7/8" flints for my Davis lock. I only fired 10 shots (ran out of powder :curse: went and bought Swiss on the way home : and the flint looks as good as ever. These 14 flints may last me quite a while at this rate. FWIW at half cock, frizzen down, the edge of the flint is 1/4" from the frizzen face. The flint strikes the frizzen slightly above the middle and srikes it at about a 65 degree angle(acute). It may be different with the next flint. I guess it depends on the shape of the flint.

 

[roundball]

I guess it depends on the shape of the flint.

Yes, seems like it's the biggest variable...I've learned to convert "hump-back" flints into "flat-top" flints so they all sit & fit about the same.

3/4" BEF's in my new style TC locks work best bevel up and "just barely not touching" the frizzen...they impact the frizzen 1/3 down from the top, with a downward slicing angle just under 90 degrees...(I'll guess 75-80 degrees).

PS: I've also discovered if the flint is fairly flat topped, I can periodically flip it over back & forth between bevel up & bevel down every so often without significantly changing it's impact point, and they seem to knapp themselves and just keep on sparking...

 

[Old Charlie]

I have some black English flits that ordered from two suppliers. TOW and October country. The ones from October are longer than the ones from TOW and I think they will work better than the TOW flints. Haven't been able to try them as it has been raining for the last few days.
Old Charlie