First outing with new (to me) dixie tennessee mountain rifle

[gbeauvin]

So under the tree this year I found a left-handed Dixie Tennessee Mountain Rifle (flintlock). I've been wanting a flintlock for ages, so I was a happy camper! I bought some flints locally (TC sawn flints, yeah I'm going to order some knapped english ones) and got it to spark, though it has "personality". If I bring it to full-cock without first pulling the set trigger, it won't fire. I can pull the trigger and things go "click" in the lock, but the hammer doesn't fall. Eventually by futzing with it I can get it to fire though (generally by setting the trigger then pulling back on the cock some more even though it's already at full-cock).

I was tickled pink to see sparks though, but that was as far as I had taken it until today. I went to a local outdoor range and got to spend about an hour and a half discovering that I'm a terrible shot (actually I already knew that). I was shooting 70gr and a patched .490 ball, patch was lubed with a beeswax/coconut oil/olive oil mixture. Almost all of the shots were within 6" of my aim point (which is to say a 12" circle), but this was only at 30 yards. I had no flash-in-the-pans, but i had several "klatsch" where the cock fell and the frizzen flew but the powder in the pan didn't ignite. I tried both 2f and 3f powder (using the same powder in the pan as the bore). At one point the flint was definately dull so I flipped it around and seemed to get good spark, but I still had a couple fail-to-fire with the new sharp side of the flint.

Swabbed between shots with a patch or two squirted with ballistol/water, and they all loaded relatively easily. The rifle came with a baggie of patches, and at one point the loading got alot easier, I realized that I had accidently switched from using shooting patches to what I assume must be cleaning patches, as they were made of flannel rather than the tighter weave patches I started with.

The fail-to-fires were a little frustrating, and there was definitely a delay that I don't see with my percussion gun, but the rock-lock was worth the wait! Might be time to put my cap-gun on the local classifieds and spend some quality time learning to make smoke consistently with rocks.


Are there any peculiarities of the Dixie lock that I should be aware of? I'm going to write off the failure-to-fires as poor flint placement (and perhaps poor flint) but the "must set trigger before cocking" has me a bit worried, as at best that defeats the purpose of the set trigger and at worst strikes me as a bit unsafe. Thankfully (?) the trigger pull isn't super-light even when set.

-GB

 

[awebbersr]

You should put 4F in the pan and either 2 or 3 f in the barrel. I have read were some claim to use 3F in both, but never 2F in both.

 

[jethro224]

I have read were some claim to use 3F in both, but never 2F in both.

Well, here you go, I use 2F for both all the time in my Bess. Works fine. Not as fast as 4F but good enough that I've won some matches with it.

 

[jethro224]

Your groups are bound to improve as soon as you make friends with that rifle. I'm not familiar with the Dixie locks or rifles but the first thing I would do is to clean and degrease the lock internals real good. Then make sure all the screws are snug inside and lightly oil. While the lock is out go ahead and make sure the trigger mechanism is clean and oiled too.
Get some new patches!
Get those knapped flints!
Read thru the flintlock shooting tips sticky at the top of this page.
Then spend some time shooting and working up the best load for your rifle. :thumbsup:
Have fun with that new rifle. :hatsoff:

 

[frogwalking]

You should be able to adjust the mainspring on the triggers so that you can cock the rifle without first cocking the triggers as this is dangerous. Some triggers have a mainspring adjusting screw, but most don't. For those that don't, remove the triggers and back off the screw holding the big spring until you can cock the rifle without cocking the triggers, but the rifle will still fire properly when the triggers are cocked and pulled. Sometime in the past, someone took the triggers apart, and upon reassembling them, screwed the trigger spring down all the way tight. One normally does not tighten this screw all the way. Good shooting.

 

[TNGhost]

I believe LR still makes a replacement lock for that rifle, if you end up needing one. I got one a while back, RH percussion, and added an LR flintlock made for it. Works fantastic.

Nice rifles, I am a little jealous. I was looking for a LH version before settling on the RH one.

 

[Tom Compton]

I had good luck w my RH Dixie Po Boy lock and triggers. Good knapped English flints will help. Try em bevel up, bevel down and further in or out of the jaws. Cut a hole in the middle of the leather if the rock needs to be moved back.

Open the touch hole to 1/16". Probably the best step. Find an experienced flint shooter to shoot with. I used a .495 and .015-.018 patch. With that 1:66 twist it'll probably take at least 80 gr FFg to shoot well.
Enjoy the journey
TC

 

[Eric Krewson]

If your rifle has a double set single phase trigger you will have to set it to cock your gun, this is normal.

 

[SgtErv]

Check out the post "frizzen gouging" for some tips on flint placement. Really good info there. The "flintlock shooting tips" post is really, really informative too.

Welcome to the world of flintlocks! They are a ton of fun!

 

[pargent]

I have a r/h in .50 , it is reliable but only likes good flints , correct length and bevel up or down depends on flint shape , heavy but shoots very straight off a rest :grin: :thumbsup:

 

[trent/OH]

Get a copy of "Flintlocks: A practical guide for their use and application" by Eric Bye. 230 pages of knowledge, wisdom, and experience, and some fine photography.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

You should put 4F in the pan and either 2 or 3 f in the barrel. I have read were some claim to use 3F in both, but never 2F in both.

Large locks on Bess-type muskets work just fine with 2f as the prime. A lot of the reenactor powders are a mix of granulations and you'll end up with mostly 2f in your pan quite a bit. I always use 3f as the prime and the charge in both of my .50 cal. rifles.

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan

 

[GANGGREEN]

I would also suggest 4F as a priming powder, though I know that others have luck with 3F or even 2F. If everyone acknowledges that 4F is faster, then why not use it, particularly as you're getting started and familiarizing yourself with the system. I'd also encourage you to back off to 40 or 50 grains of powder in your main charge until you're shooting well, getting reliable ignition and ready to find your hunting load. I've never found a .50 with 70 grains of powder to have much recoil, but again, why waste powder when you're still in the familiarization phase. Lastly, yeah, get better flints. Some locks like the cut agate flints just fine and some hate them.

Good luck and welcome to the world of flintlock guns. I have only one percussion gun (many flintlocks) and it almost never gets fired.

 

[don hepler]

Eric, is correct...there are triggers that must be set prior to cocking the hammer. I have one, myself. The gun shop, that sold me the rifle, told me that it was broke. I thought so myself, until I did a little digging on the net, only to find out, that there are triggers that work like that. They were primarily considered target triggers. Which is fine with me.

As far a cut flints, they can be sharpened, using diamond files. Diamond files are sold were knife sharpening equipment is sold. You can't jam a cut flint into the cock, without knowing where it is going to strike the frizzen. There is an optimum angle that any flint must strike the frizzen, in order to shave metal from the face of the frizzen. It is like shaving your face. You can see where the angle is critical. In order to achieve the optimum angle, the flint will either have to be the correct length, or, position the flint farther out of the jaw, to create the correct angle. It is the same with English flints, which need to be of the correct length or positioned to correct the angle of attack. 4f in the pan will help in getting it lit and faster burn. Roll the pan over and let a few grains enter the flash hole, then position the remainder just below the flash hole. You will need 1/2 to 2/3 of the pan filled. Wipe the edge of the flint and the frizzen, and the pan, before each shot. Use a clean rag.

Hope this helps.

 

[S.Kenton]

I used to use 4f in my priming pan and 3f for my charge,then my buddy suggested trying 3f for both...I did and never noticed a difference in ignition time...so now I pretty much stick to 3f for both, it makes things simpler.

 

[rr11]

In both of my .54s I have found that 3f will work well as a priming charge. I have never used 2f as a priming charge. Experiment and enjoy the new rifle. :wink:

 

[tenngun]

Got to say if I have a horn of 2f that's what goes in the pan, 3f in the horn 3 f in the pan. 4 f is faster then each, when filmed at hundreds of frames per second. Much faster then human senses can detect. The camera can tell, the shooter cant.

 

[MSW]

tenngun is right ... the advantage you get from shooting 4F in the pan is theoretically faster ignition, but there are a bunch of other variables, many of which are more important than the speed at which the priming charge ignites. we're talking milliseconds. the 'advantage' is, therefore, all in your head. not that this is a bad thing or an inconsequential thing: attitude and self confidence are important. take the 82d Abn as a case in point: what are they, really? light (very light) infantry... they have to walk wherever they go after they hit the ground, and their anti- tank capabilities are pretty limited; but having said that, do you really want these guys in your back yard if you're an enemy of America? nope! (paratroopers give the enemy the maximum opportunity to die for their country)

on flints: if you are enamored of aggie flints, and they work for you, that's great. I have never been able to get them to work reliably, and they are, in my opinion, worthless, except as perhaps something to throw at passing politicians. You will be (I predict) amazed at the sparks you get from real Black English flints. You may need to tinker with the placement of the flint in the cock: I like my flint to be about an eighth to a sixteenth of an inch from the frizzen at half cock, and the flint should strike about two thirds of the way up. ... you will probably use you pound of 4F and then take a try at using whatever you're shooting as your main charge (probably 3F) as the primer. by this point, you will be much more familiar with the rifle, and your marksmanship will have therefore improved, and you'll be perfectly happy with 3F.

the marksmanship thing is largely a matter of followthrough: muzzleloaders in general, and flintlocks in particular, are much more difficult to shoot well than the centerfire stuff. When I started shooting flint (this was right after the earth cooled) I could easily hit an e- type at three hundred and fifty yards, standing, offhand. then I tried shooting flint... well: time to humble up... couldn't hit the floor if I fell on it! (this was before Al Gore invented the internet, so I burned a lot of powder trying to figure it out) ... I would urge you to (a) don't give up, (b) practice dry firing (with the cock in the 'fired' position), and (c) keep careful notes whenever you go to the range.

as regards the patching material: there are as many 'secret recipes' for patch lube as there are shooters on the line. additionally, there are as many 'secret patching materials' as there are secret patch lube formulae. here's the REAL secret ... get a copy of Dutch Schoultz' method (here's a link)
http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/

if you follow his instructions, your groups will shrink. (it's guaranteed, by the way) and if you have questions, you can e- mail him and he'll get back to you right away. Best non explosive accessory you can buy! (Dutch explains the whole 'patch material' thing in terms so simple, even I can understand - and I'm a complete idiot; just ask my kids!)

that's the 'free advice' (no doubt well worth the cost) ... welcome to the highly addictive world of flint: t o paraphrase the little green star wars fellow: once rocks banged have you, forever will they dominate your range time.

 

[rustyh]

I have TC's old Flint lock Tennessee Mountain rifle I also have the same rifle in percussion they are a very good rifle and comfortable for me. I don't notice the heavy muzzle that others complain about. I have good luck with 80gr of 2f in both rifles at all distances. For the flinter I have good luck with these flints from Track of the Wolf FLINT-ENG-6-PACK-12 mounted bevel down.

 

[satx78247]

CONGRADS on getting a LH flinter. = As a southpaw, I've wanted one for over a decade & never found a single one at a reasonable price.

ENJOY.

yours, satx