Cap Guy Converted to Flintlock

[Hawken1980]

Now I’m not sayin that I’m getting rid of my cap lock guns (I may sale a few though.)

I picked up a Traditions Kentucky Flintlock and after destroying one flint, and another flying into the wild blue yonder. I got it going and I am hooked!

so far my current flint is going strong after about 15 shots and ignition is getting much faster.

I know it is a lower price gun, but flintlocks seem to be the most fun I’vehad Shooting including class 3 unmentionable things.

I’m excited to take it on a hog hunt and shoot our local match.
However I have learned why they call them flinch locks.

 

[Don Steele]

Welcome to the asylum..!!
I had similar experience. I owned and casually enjoyed a caplock for 35 yrs ( give or take...) before getting my first flintlock. I'd take it out and shoot it occasionally, hunt with it, etc etc.
When I brought that first flintlock home...the challenge consumed me. At the top of this section of the forum is a thread labelled : "Flintlock shooting tips". There are 133 posts in it. Read that thread. There's a lot of good information in it for someone new to flintlocks. Couple of thoughts come to mind right away that you might find helpful.
As you've already learned...securing the flint is a critical part of successfully shooting these things..!! Choose the right leather and have the correct tool to tighten it in place.
Selecting the best fitting flints for your lock will be critical. You'll learn what works and what doesn't.
You'll be learning a whole new skill set called "rock maintenance". Learning how to recognize when your flint needs "tuning up", and how to do it most effectively. There's a lot of ways to do that so enjoy the journey.
When it comes to shooting...with a quality lock, sharp flint and proper prime and touch hole geometry you don't give up much in the way of actual locktime to a caplock. The single most important piece of shooting advice I've ever gotten is the admonition to HOLD THROUGH THE SHOT. I find when I do that the ball goes right where the rifle was pointed. When I don't...it goes someplace else...
Dry firing at home will help, and I recommend it. Replace the flint with a piece of hardwood.
Good Luck, Be Safe...and ENJOY.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Something about making your gun go off with a ROCK while everyone else is scrambling around for primers and caps is really satisfying!

 

[Bassdog1]

I also bought my first flint gun this past year a CVA Squirrel Rifle in flint. I am a fanatical TC Cherokee and Seneca shooter but I have been picking this little gun up a lot lately. I did a lot of searching in old posts on here and that helped my learning curve a lot. It makes me want a 32 Kibler kit gun but having zero woodworking and metal finishing skills I would have to find one already built (seriously zero skill). Congrats on your new gun hope you enjoy it as much as I am mine.

 

[Pete G]

It makes me want a 32 Kibler kit gun but having zero woodworking and metal finishing skills I would have to find one already built (seriously zero skill).

Everyone had zero skills at one point

 

[user 49399]

Good looking rig you have there! Enjoy!

 

[bldtrailer]

Weaken the frizzen spring(filing from out side near bend) and reshape the frizzen foot(to open wider to use larger flints) and it will stop smashing your flints(also use a good flint english/french)
that gun has a1-66 barrel with the right load should be a shooter biggest draw back is the cr@ppy trigger (someone please come up with a fix PLEASE)

 

[Hawken1980]

Good looking rifle, is there any triggers that will fit these guns?

 

[Hawken1980]

Could you show the exact spot you filed. I do not want to file the wrong sit on the spring.

 

[Spikebuck]

It makes me want a 32 Kibler kit gun but having zero woodworking and metal finishing skills I would have to find one already built (seriously zero skill).

No one....and I mean NO ONE...could have had fewer wood and metal skills than I did when I took up my first gun build, which was a ToTW Jaeger Kit, but it was square forward of the lock mortise. I had never inlet a thing, never even took shop classes involving metal or woodworking....mine were more graphic arts, etc. Books and this forum helped me immensely to complete the project including inletting a swamped barrel and all the other components (the barrel inlet was there, but nowhere near the profile of the actual barrel) and successfully finish it with a rust-browned barrel. I had ZERO skills and furthermore, I am not a naturally patient person. But I did have a desire. Building guns has given me a lot more patience (well....at least when I'm building guns!) and has given me the confidence to take on other projects I would not have before (not even gun related). For anyone that has the desire, but is just hesitant to do it, I'd say DIVE IN....and a Kibler is one of the best to start with since so much is done already and as other builders have said, it shows you what good architecture is.

BTW...here's the result of that first build of mine....not perfect by a long shot, but passable.

 

[bldtrailer]

You can see the area filed and the "foot is the part resting on the spring center (allows to open more)

 

[Hawken1980]

Got ya and thanks!!

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

No one....and I mean NO ONE...could have had fewer wood and metal skills than I did when I took up my first gun build, which was a ToTW Jaeger Kit, but it was square forward of the lock mortise. I had never inlet a thing, never even took shop classes involving metal or woodworking....mine were more graphic arts, etc. Books and this forum helped me immensely to complete the project including inletting a swamped barrel and all the other components (the barrel inlet was there, but nowhere near the profile of the actual barrel) and successfully finish it with a rust-browned barrel. I had ZERO skills and furthermore, I am not a naturally patient person. But I did have a desire. Building guns has given me a lot more patience (well....at least when I'm building guns!) and has given me the confidence to take on other projects I would not have before (not even gun related). For anyone that has the desire, but is just hesitant to do it, I'd say DIVE IN....and a Kibler is one of the best to start with since so much is done already and as other builders have said, it shows you what good architecture is.

BTW...here's the result of that first build of mine....not perfect by a long shot, but passable.

Looks like he’s having a good time!

I mean the man, not so much the deer!

 

[Rodd Boyer]

Enjoy the ride! Once you get bit by the flintlock bug, it'll be hard to pick your percussion rifles back up! Don't ask me how I know!!!

 

[bpd303]

but passable.

I would say a lot more than passable. I'd be proud to carry it.

 

[setch]

BTW...here's the result of that first build of mine....not perfect by a long shot, but passable.

Seriously nice rifle! And a great write-up...(almost) inspiring a guy who owns virtually no tools, and cannot fix or build anything.

 

[Spikebuck]

Hawken1980....congrats on your flintlock purchase. You have a nice looking kit there. You'll have a lot of fun with that and if you are like a lot of us, the cappers will be used less and less. I ended up selling off all of mine a couple of years ago, except one that goes to my grave with me. Enjoy and be sure to post pictures of your hog in the Hunting forum once you get it out in the woods!

 

[Omahkapi'si]

You guys are shameless enablers. I want a flintlock.

 

[Musketeer]

So it begins...Welcome to the Dark Side, Hawken.

 

[zzzippper]

Welcome to the asylum..!!
I had similar experience. I owned and casually enjoyed a caplock for 35 yrs ( give or take...) before getting my first flintlock. I'd take it out and shoot it occasionally, hunt with it, etc etc.
When I brought that first flintlock home...the challenge consumed me. At the top of this section of the forum is a thread labelled : "Flintlock shooting tips". There are 133 posts in it. Read that thread. There's a lot of good information in it for someone new to flintlocks. Couple of thoughts come to mind right away that you might find helpful.
As you've already learned...securing the flint is a critical part of successfully shooting these things..!! Choose the right leather and have the correct tool to tighten it in place.
Selecting the best fitting flints for your lock will be critical. You'll learn what works and what doesn't.
You'll be learning a whole new skill set called "rock maintenance". Learning how to recognize when your flint needs "tuning up", and how to do it most effectively. There's a lot of ways to do that so enjoy the journey.
When it comes to shooting...with a quality lock, sharp flint and proper prime and touch hole geometry you don't give up much in the way of actual locktime to a caplock. The single most important piece of shooting advice I've ever gotten is the admonition to HOLD THROUGH THE SHOT. I find when I do that the ball goes right where the rifle was pointed. When I don't...it goes someplace else...
Dry firing at home will help, and I recommend it. Replace the flint with a piece of hardwood.
Good Luck, Be Safe...and ENJOY.

Bless you, sir.