Flintlock accuracy

[AZbpBurner]

An old gent who taught me how load & fire flintlocks would just gently tap the tip of the horn to the pan. It didn't ever look like enough powder, but would always ignite.

Years ago I got a pan primer that dispenses 3 grains of 4F. It works great and 3 grains is the perfect charge amount. Downside to the pan primer is that it only works with 4F powder.

Some people have a problem visualizing the right pan charge. A guy I used to shoot with had an old tobacco tin filled with premeasured pan powder. He used short lengths of a small plastic straw material. He heated up one end of the straw, then clamped it with pliers to seal & flatten one end. Poured in powder, then plugged with a small piece of dowel. He loaded up over 100 of them and was ready for a day at the range.

He said he made a 3 grain brass scoop & could load 100 in just a few minutes.

 

[SDSmlf]

Personally have best luck (maybe consistency is a better word) using a small priming flask. TOW catolog #FLASK-PP-3 throws about 3 grains of ffff, about right for most of my flintlocks. Many prefer priming from main horn. Fewer things to carry. Just avoid overfilling the pan or you get somewhat of a fuse effect delay, particularly with small vent hole filled with powder.

 

[hanshi]

I shoot my flintlocks just as accurately as my percussions. Main thing is "follow through". That means you hold the rifle and sight alignment until the ball kicks up dust from the berm. IMHO some use too much prime and the more prime, the more fouling left behind. At the range I use about 3 grains of 4F - about 1/3 pan full. In the bush when reloading, I just pour in priming powder and don't worry about how much is in the pan. If I ever get hang fires - "clack...boom - the touch hole needs picking and that doesn't happen often.

A good rifle/lock setup should sound virtually instantaneous with no delay. Unless there's a hang fire, It sounds instantaneous to my ears. The prime should be at the touch hole although moving/holding the rifle renders that pretty much impossible to assure.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Ole Dave hit it on the nose. One little version I've done with new flintlock shooters is not letting them see if I load and/or prime the pan. They don't know if their getting pan flash; flash and boom or just clack. You can see if they flinch on the "clack"! In the end it's a matter of seeing the sights through the pan flare and staying on target in spite of a mini explosion inches from your nose. Yes, we all have to work through it. Wear glasses till you're comfortable with it and even afterwards if you choose. :thumbsup:

 

[AZbpBurner]

Personally have best luck (maybe consistency is a better word) using a small priming flask. TOW catolog #FLASK-PP-3 throws about 3 grains of ffff, about right for most of my flintlocks. Many prefer priming from main horn. Fewer things to carry. Just avoid overfilling the pan or you get somewhat of a fuse effect delay, particularly with small vent hole filled with powder.

Yep. that's what I have. Most folks call it a pan primer, but ToTW wants to call it "flask". Despite the terminology, it works great for priming with 4F, but won't work with 3F. When I run it dry (it's small & doesn't hold enough for a full days' shooting) I prime from my horn - always manage to get too much. There's a technique for doing it right ... & I haven't mastered it yet.

 

[Col. Batguano]

On humid days those small pan primers are prone to clump up on you too.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I am used to caplocks and I had a hard time staying on target with the tenth or so second delay between the flash and the bang

That noticeable delay with yer cap gun is telling you sumptin' is wrong with yer rifle. To the shooter perceived lock time is instant when all is working right.
Flints are different but accuracy can be just as good offhand with practice, practice, and more practice.
Get your caplock checked over the go to flint. And do read the other flint related responses here. Lotsa good advice.

 

[Stumpkiller]

He was talking about a delay with a rock-lock (having been used to a cap gun).

A well tuned and tempered flintlock is as fast as a percussion. You can't tell the .00x second delay difference between them.

Don't overprime (fuse effect vs plasma heat). Clear the oil out of the vent and breech before loading. And don't wear a hat with a low/long brim over the vent.

 

[AZbpBurner]

On humid days those small pan primers are prone to clump up on you too.

What's this humidity you speak of :idunno:

Right now, where I live, the humidity is approaching 8% In the winter it sometimes climbs up to 4-5%

 

[azmntman]

:metoo:

 

[Boomerang]

Is that suppost to be a little bit of dry humor? :rotf:

 

[don hepler]

I've owned factory built flintlock's and I own a Tip Curtis flintlock. Tip uses top quality parts.

My Tip Curtis rifle, with Siler Lock, is noticeably faster, than the other rifles. My son-in-law, was shooting a couple benches, over from me. He thought that I was shooting a center fire rifle or cap lock.

It takes practice, to get over the flash. Now I never notice it at all. Can't go wrong with a Tip Curtis.

 

[Rifleman1776]

A well tuned and tempered flintlock is as fast as a percussion. You can't tell the .00x second delay difference between them.

OK, yep, agree. I love my longrifle for it's (perceived to me) modern rifle fast lock time.

 

[Artificer]

OK, since you probably are going to make quite a few shots offhand when shooting squirrels, may I suggest the following?

Shape a few pieces of scrap wood into Wood "Dummy" Flints and use one in the Cock/Hammer Jaws to practice at home. Put a SMALL bullseye home made target up on the wall in your home. Get a good offhand stance and after ensuring the rifle is UNLOADED, Dry Fire three to five shots per day/night. Concentrate solely on perfect sight alignment and correct trigger press and thus ignore the action of the Lock. I mention only three to five times dry firing because one can do this without it becoming a CHORE each night. Within a matter of a couple of weeks, you should start becoming a better offhand shot.

You can also mix it up by going outside to dry fire with just powder in the pan to learn to concentrate on perfect sight alignment and correct trigger press and to ignore the flash. The only problem here is if you don't live where you can do this in your back yard where the neighbors won't get excited. You could do this at the firing range and load just the pan and dry fire once or twice for each live round fired.

Gus

 

[Col. Batguano]

Threads like this always get down to anecdotal stories. Read Pletch's stuff. There is a real and measurable (if not humanly perceptible) difference between cap and flint timing, not only of the lock speed, but of charge ignition, pressure build, barrel dwell time and projectile exit.
:dead:

 

[Pete G]

Main thing is "follow through".

 

[Rifleman1776]

Threads like this always get down to anecdotal stories. Read Pletch's stuff. There is a real and measurable (if not humanly perceptible) difference between cap and flint timing, not only of the lock speed, but of charge ignition, pressure build, barrel dwell time and projectile exit.
:dead:

Agree. That is why I qualified with the perceive by me comment. :slap:

 

[Twisted_1in66]

On humid days those small pan primers are prone to clump up on you too.

What's this humidity you speak of :idunno:

Right now, where I live, the humidity is approaching 8% In the winter it sometimes climbs up to 4-5%

Sounds like you need to move? :idunno: :rotf:

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan

 

[Twisted_1in66]

A well tuned and tempered flintlock is as fast as a percussion. You can't tell the .00x second delay difference between them.

OK, yep, agree. I love my longrifle for it's (perceived to me) modern rifle fast lock time.

+1 :metoo:

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I'll tell you of a bad habit of mine that can and does effect accuracy; dumping too much powder into the priming pan. It's surprising how little one needs.

Very true. This is usually the cause of the fuse effect - phhhhhhhhht bang instead of Bang!

Try this and you'll see just how little it really takes:

Ӣ Load the main charge in your rifle

Ӣ with a clean and empty pan, lick your finger and wipe it on the pan.

Ӣ Fill the pan with powder.

Ӣ Now, with the frizzen open, turn the rifle over and dump the powder OUT of the pan. This will leave a little residual lining of grains that are sticking to the moisture from wiping your wet finger on the pan.

Ӣ Now fire your rifle.

This will make it go off at least 9 out of 10 times with that small Pedersoli lock. I have the same lock on a Traditions Longrifle that I used to use and it worked every time. I finally settled on filling the lock 1/2-full, closing the frizzen, and then giving it a quick snap-twist to the right to move the powder away from the touch hole. Was extremely reliable shooter once I figured that out.

I have a Queen Anne lock on my Early Lancaster, which is a much larger lock with a much larger pan. It doesn't care how much or how little powder I put in it. It just goes off every time. I still only fill it half full when I'm not in a hurry (hunting vs. reenactment battle) because it's cheaper to do so. So different locks like different things. Some locks like a full pan, but if you cover that touchhole with powder, you're going to get that fuse effect. Figuring out what yours likes best is part of the fun of shooting flintlocks.

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan