New Member here,
My apologies if this forum is not for "modern" flintlocks. I am a new shooter who will be hunting deer in Pa. with a TC Firestorm 50 cal. flintlock rifle. I have a bunch of questions and if you have any suggestions for any other website please do. I have been shooting the rifle for two weeks now and am very happy with accuracy from a bench and offhand. I can hit a 4" black bull offhand at 50 yards (almost) every time. My problem is the rifle will not off every time. 4F in the pan does not ignite....no sparks from flint and frizzen. I am using TC agate flints with the supplied leather in the hammer jaws. I have polished the frizzen with 400 sandpaper. I am wiping the frizzen and flint with a clean cloth or rubbing alcohol between shots. And tried knapping the flint with a piece of solid copper to make the flint sharp....But still after about ten shots I will have problems. Here are my questions:
1) Should the frizzen be polished to a fine shiny smooth surface or should it be hit with rough heavy sandpaper to give it a rough surface.Or should I buy a replacement frizzen?
2) Should the flint bevel be up or down? The TC manuel shows the bevel down and that's what I have been doing.
3)Should I go to the traditional type english flint instead of the TC agate type?
4) The leather holding the flint is pretty thick. I've read that the leather will soften the blow onto the frizzen and that is not good. Would using flat lead be better to hold the flint?
If anyone can suggest any threads or websites or any other advice on Flints or frizzens I would greatly appreciate the help!
John M. from Pa.
My apologies if this forum is not for "modern" flintlocks. I am a new shooter who will be hunting deer in Pa. with a TC Firestorm 50 cal. flintlock rifle. I have a bunch of questions and if you have any suggestions for any other website please do. I have been shooting the rifle for two weeks now and am very happy with accuracy from a bench and offhand. I can hit a 4" black bull offhand at 50 yards (almost) every time. My problem is the rifle will not off every time. 4F in the pan does not ignite....no sparks from flint and frizzen. I am using TC agate flints with the supplied leather in the hammer jaws. I have polished the frizzen with 400 sandpaper. I am wiping the frizzen and flint with a clean cloth or rubbing alcohol between shots. And tried knapping the flint with a piece of solid copper to make the flint sharp....But still after about ten shots I will have problems. Here are my questions:
1) Should the frizzen be polished to a fine shiny smooth surface or should it be hit with rough heavy sandpaper to give it a rough surface.Or should I buy a replacement frizzen?
2) Should the flint bevel be up or down? The TC manuel shows the bevel down and that's what I have been doing.
3)Should I go to the traditional type english flint instead of the TC agate type?
4) The leather holding the flint is pretty thick. I've read that the leather will soften the blow onto the frizzen and that is not good. Would using flat lead be better to hold the flint?
If anyone can suggest any threads or websites or any other advice on Flints or frizzens I would greatly appreciate the help!
John M. from Pa.