Different approach to questions about flint life...

[roundball]

Today I finished the 3rd - 40 shot range session in a row with a .50cal Dickert & Chamber's deluxe siler lock...using the same 3/4"W x 7/8"L Tom Fuller black English flint.
120 shots so far, cleaned up the edge again and saved it in the range box for continued use.

An excellent hunting rifle...

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I love my Chamber's Kateland lock. Its real easy on flints.
I only buy my flints from a guy on this board, and Im amazed when one does not last the entire rondy season.

 

[roundball]

Heard that the Missouri flints are good...already have a huge supply of black english flints on hand.
When a BEF starts wearing too short getting back into the thicker part of the slope, I touch up the angle with a diamond grinder wheel in my Dremel...save them to experiment with something like adding a little extra strip of leather filler behind the back edge, etc.

Diamond Wheel I use:

 

[Walks with fire]

Was there ever a failure to fire within those 120 hammer falls?

 

[roundball]

Was there ever a failure to fire within those 120 hammer falls?

Yes, but it's through my intentional planned negligence.
I shoot a lot, sometimes twice a week now that I'm retired, and I just don't bother wasting time knapping in a "preventive" manner like I do for every shot out hunting.
At the range I just shoot and shoot until I either detect a slow-down in the pan flash (borderline delay fire) or have an actual 'kerlatch', then I'll knapp and continue shooting...

 

[Walks with fire]

I do it the same way and eventually I need to clean,knap or flip when it fails but I have not had a flash,hangfire or non-flash in many years now hunting.

 

[StewartLeach]

Roundball, I have been getting good results using coarse and extra coarse diamond files ordered from Midsouth to touch up edges of worn flints. Also use them to take the tops off humps on flints, and to level up side to side. It's surprising how much better a flint works if the surfaces gripped by the jaws are levelled a bit and made more parallel.

Where do you get the diamond wheels? Will the shanks fit a Dremel?

White Fox

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Any of you folks ever heard of heatless Mizzy wheels? I use them in my Dremel to shape flints. They are dirt cheap and last forever. I bought a dozen a year ago and am still using the first one. I paid $12 for 6.

 

[Dausener]

Hey Flash, I never heard of them. Where did you get them at?

 

[roundball]

Jewelry Supply

 

[Rifleman1776]

Hey Flash, I never heard of them. Where did you get them at?

Here from an old thread on same subject. http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...post/1059231/hl/diamond/fromsearch/1/#1059231

Interesting note. The diamond wheel had no effect on some of the agate flints.
Harder than diamond? I dunno. :idunno:

 

[ebiggs1]

Every once in a while I get a flint that seems to go forever. Here is the latest one. I really don't know the true strikes but after I realized it was still sparking after a few sessions, I started to keep track. It has at least 100 strikes.
It is so short the leather is hitting the frizzen and the flint is not sharp at all.
Since we started babysitting my newest grand-baby, I don't get to shoot as much as I was. Gotta wait for the weekends which can be very busy.

The flint is about, through, because I noticed the top jaw is hitting the frizzen now.
(This rifle is in the 3000 shot range )

 

[roundball]

From the looks of it, you could probably flip it upside down to raise the edge and hit higher on the frizzen...might get some more life out of it yet.

 

[Rifleman1776]

From the looks of it, you could probably flip it upside down to raise the edge and hit higher on the frizzen...might get some more life out of it yet.

Yep. Agree. Flip it.

 

[ebiggs1]

Maybe. but it really needs to be knapped. It isn't sharp at all. Although, it was still sparking until the leather started hitting the frizzen. There is also a chip missing from the edge.