If the lock is tuned properly, the priming powder is ignited Before the cock stops its "Fall". A percussion hammer cannot fire anything until its "fall" stops.
Then, with a flintlock, its up to how you load the powder in the barrel, what kind of Vent shape the gun has, and whether you open a hole into the powder charge itself so that the heat of the burning prime will ignite the main powder charge, in the barrel, quickly.
The issue of " faster" is all wound up in what part of the lock is doing what, and how fast. Comparing Flintlocks to percussion locks is a bit of "Apples vs. Oranges", because of the engineering of the two separate systems. Many of the tests done are restrained by the equipment used, which is often the result of earlier creations used to measure Cartridge guns.
About the only way I have figured out how to give a fair test to flintlock ignition is to use time-lapse photography, with a filter, so that the flash does not overexpose the light from burning the priming powder. Even then, you need to have two cameras working, one at 90 degrees to the side of the pan/barrel, and one overhead, so that you can see the first "Fire" exiting the TH when the main powder charge ignites. I don't know anyone with that kind of equipment, and its outside my possible budget to do myself.
The men who have watched my flintlock fire repeatedly have all said that my gun is firing before the cock stops it movement( fall). Since I am holding and shooting the rifle, I can't see what they see. The first guy who said this to me- well, I just chalked it up to his kindness, and lack of experience with flintlocks. When the next several men observed the same thing, I began to wonder if it might be true. Over the years, I have heard enough similar comments- the experienced flintlock shooters claim it must be due to how my frizzen pops open "sooner"( in their opinion, than their own gun locks do) to let the sparks be thrown down into the pan, long before the cock stops its " fall".
Since I can't shoot my gun, and watch everything the lock does at the same time, I can't comment further.
However, when I tuned my brother's flintlock and he began shooting it down at the Tallahassee Rifle and Pistol Club, he began getting similar comments from other experienced shooters. Phil Quaglino looked at the lock, smiled, and asked him who tuned the lock for him. Pete was kind enough to call me and tell me about that.
Oh, I didn't invent the wheel. I spent a lot of time- A LOT OF TIME--- observing the bench rest rifle flintlock shooters at Friendship one day. I noticed--- could not help but notice!--- That several of the guns had NO FRIZZEN SPRINGS in place on the guns. Being a lawyer :shocked2: , and completely at ease :grin: :v ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS, I asked some of the shooters WHY their guns had no frizzen springs on them.
Then I watched what happened when their guns fired, observing how the sparks were created, from which part of the frizzen's face, and how quickly the frizzen opened up to allow the sparks to Be THROWN- not dribbled down ---- into the pan. I could not help but notice that these guns ignited the priming powder much faster than most standard flintlock rifles do with a heavy frizzen spring in place.
The rest was simply a process of doing " reverse engineering", which I have talked about here on the forums before.
You start with how to get the priming powder lit( ignited) the fastest, and work back from there- removing anything that impedes achieving that goal. Once you get the priming powder lit, you try different ways to get that heat inside the barrel faster, and Wah Lahhh! The gun fires faster. :v
