Gtrubicon.......Sir , would love to send you a pic of my Cheat River W.Va. , rifle. My problem is , we have no cell svc. here , thus only have Gophone. No blessed pics. I have built many complex longrifles , and others. I'm old now , and just have no desire to do complex work. But , going back to my younger years , running the hills of Western Pa. along the Monongehela River , I knew there was significant history there ,but knew little of it. I began to read and learn about Appalachian rifles , the ones built West of the mtn. front where I grew up in the Pittsburgh gun manufactuaries. As the frontier moved west and south of Pittsburgh , flint rifles , and later percussion rifles like my .40 flinter went down the Ohio river and west . Before 1820 , the percussion era start , the rifles built in Pgh. were copies of eastern flintlocks , made by eastern longrifle gunsmiths , and their apprentices wanting to move closer to the rapidly advancing frontier. Wasn't my idea to build my .40 until I found the rusty iron parts , possibly from an original. Because of illness , my wife and I have had to deal with situation , and a walnut stocked smooth longrifle .555 cal. sits , half built , leaning against my work bench since last March because of preocupation with our illnesses............GTRUBICON , I wish you the best , sorry to disappoint you.....................oldwood
..........Percussion refers to the ignition system used on most m/l long arms. The earlier ignition system is called a "flint lock." Many flint ignition guns were converted to the more modern system called "percussion lock" post 1820. Percussion lock creates fire using a drum and nipple screwed into the side of the m/l barrel. Percussion cap is placed on the nipple , and the percussion lock hammer strikes the cap , on the nipple , causing the cap to fire, igniting the powder in the m/l barrel..........Boom! Happy to help,and hope this is at least more clear , than as mud. ...........oldwood
