Flintlock for a new BP shooter?

[Jarikeen]

I really had my heart set on a flintlock for my first muzzle loader. I just came back from a BP shoot and most where saying that a new comer to BP should start off with a percussion, due to the tempermental action of the flintlock. I don't know which way to go now - what do you think?
Regards Peter

 

[Swampman]

I see no reason at all not to get a flintlock if that's what you want. A good one is just as fast and reliable as a cap gun. A cheap one isn't worth fooling with though.

 

[Mad Mucus]

G'day Peter, :hatsoff:

I too, am precisely where you are at. When I get my shist together I intend to buy a Lyman GPR .54cal 1 in 60" flinter from Cleaver Firearms at Margate, $785 new($40-$50 cheaper than elsewhere). If I have to upgrade the lock later, I will.

With all the info & advice here concerning flint set-up, patch lubes & sizes, wiping pan & frizzen with rubbing alchol and drying every few shots, etc etc etc....... I will persist and learn to get it right.

Correct me guys if I'm on the wrong track :bow:

Mucus

 

[mikelange]

I started with a flinter. I understood going in that they are somewhat more complicated than percussion guns, with more possibilities for shooter error (dull flints, oily frizzens, too much or too little powder in the pan, etc.), and accepted that just getting the gun to go off reliably might be a learning experience. In all fairness, though, I've since built percussion guns for various members of my family who have issues with maintaining their equipment, and at the range it's not unusual for me to crack off round after round from my flinters while people around me are trying to figure out why their caplocks keep going PFFT. Few things work well if they're not kept in top shape; and, on the flip side, though there are more things to pay attention to, when a flintlock's well-maintained it's as reliable as any other gun -- in-lines most definitely included. I include the mention of in-lines because of the b.s. reputation they have for being "superguns". They misfire and just plain miss the same as anything else -- it's all about the shooter himself.

Go with the flinter and take the time to learn to use it. You'll never be sorry.

 

[LRB]

I don't think you will find a flintlock near the challenge that you have been led to believe they are. I put more trust in a good flinter, than a cap gun, and cap guns come with their own set of little problems.

 

The old Colonel that got me started on muzzleloading rifles started me out with a flintlock. Flintlocks can be finicky at times but so can percussion guns. If you get a good flintlock you'll learn it's personality. The old colonel started me out with a Numrich arms Minute Man rifle back in the "70's. If you want a kentucky maybe you can find one of these still out there. Or you can find a good kit gun from Chambers Flintlocks. His kits are topnotch and his locks are dependable.
Good luck,
Don

 

[MikeChapin]

The primary reason that people recommend a percussion for beginners is that too many new shooters who start with a flinter end up getting discouraged and drop out. With all the things to learn, adding a flintlock to the mix is sometimes overwhelming for a new person to the sport.

That being said, if you really have your heart set on a flinter, by all means get one. I find them to be more fun than percussions. When you master it, you will be a better shooter. Holding steady and follow though are essential for shooting a flinter and they become second nature.

 

[boar]

Jarikeen My first gun was acap TC 54 Kit 1982 150 dollars. Shot my first deer with it. It was a real shooter,my grandson has it now. But same year had to have a flinter, so bought a CVA 45 kit for 90 dollars.Kentucky style. I shot first groundhog bp, with it.Kept it afew years then sold it becuase lock was too slow,I would move to right before it when off.So got a 54 custom hawkin and I could shoot a Kitchen Match off with it at a shoot. Get the flinter, I didn't have this forum then and I made it. I have four now all good shooters. Killed 5 deer with TC 50 flinter,There are alot of sites here to learn on. Plus all they experts here.My best lock is a Davis it is as fast as any cap gun that I have. Don't be Afraid this is what Bpowder is all about Dilly

 

[AZ-Robert]

I'll add my voice to the chorus -- go ahead and start with the flint. If you don't do it now, you'll do it later, and then you'll end up with that percussion locked gun laying around unused (or have to sell it at some loss in depreciation). I started with flint -- not a lick of trouble learning as I went along the way... and lots of fun.

If you get a gun with a properly built & installed lock, and a properly sized and placed vent (with liner!), you won't have any trouble climbing the flinter's learning curve.

That said -- shop around for your gun. If buying second hand, get a chance to fire the weapon first. If you've also seen someone else using it for a day on the range that is even better. You want to make sure it sparks well and goes off pretty much every time without a lot of fussing around. A well cleaned gun will usually go off the first time or three with no problem... it is when you get to shot #5 or so that you'll start having problems, if you are going to have them.

My guns have all come to me second hand. Each has also come with a "try it out for 10 day" policy. All I risk is the cost of shipping to get it back to the seller if I'm not happy with the way the gun is built or how well it shoots.

If buying new, you are relying on the reputation of the builder or (in the case of production guns) their return policy and customer service.

Good luck! You are going to enjoy that flinter :thumbsup:

 

[mikelange]

I would add a personal preference to my advice about buying a flinter over a capgun. I would ask (beg) before I say this that no one take it that I'm disparaging their guns. I've already had one forum member blocked due to his tendency to bring up or reply to certain topics for the sole purpose of starting WWIII, and I'll quit, myself, before it comes to me going there.

That said, it is solely my personal preference to build rifles with medium-to-large-sized locks on them. I have very little experience with CVA flinters and none with T/C rocklocks, so if the common consensus is that I'm full of it -- so be it. But I did mess with a Dixie Early Lancaster flintlock, a small Siler and a couple of CVAs I put on pistols, and comparing them to the large Siler and larger locks I came up with the following formula: large flint + large frizzen = more sparks = better ignition, all other factors being equal.

Plus the earlier guns tended to have bigger locks, which may or may not be a consideration for you.

I will also note, before someone else does the favor for me, that neither T/C, CVA, nor other makers of flinters with smallish locks would be overly popular if there were serious ignition issues. All of the above, again, is merely my own opinion.

 

[SquirrelFlinter]

I started with a flinter and learned everything very quickly.

I have been at a shoot were everyone around me used perc. and it seemed at one point everyone of them had a cap go and no boom. While my buddy and I kept booming away with our flinters.

I say start with the flinter.

 

[Jarikeen]

I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to answer the question. I will go with the flinter, and cruise the other threads to pick up clues about getting the best out of the lock. I think I saw someone say they drilled out the nipple a little more - how big is too big. I'm looking at a .50 cal, shot one on the weekend using 40g of FFF - very comfortable. The .50 is the most popular around here.
Cheers

 

[NEW222]

After reading up about flinters for a few months, I wet my feet with one. Although I have a lot of inline time this was not the same. I found it very easy and enjoyable. As for gun choice as I wasn't sure if I would like it I bought a Traditions Deerhunter, as it was cheap. Not the best out there, but hasn't failed me yet. In the next year or so, I would like to buy something a little nicer, or a kit gun once I get used to mine. Anyways good luck and have fun.

NEW222

 

[mikelange]

Dixie Gun Works, among others, recommends venting your flint barrel with a 3/32" drill bit. I find that to be too much. If I load with 3F powder and my frizzen closed, assuming there's not a great deal of powder residue built up at the face of the breechplug, I have essentially a self-priming gun. Loading with the frizzen open, I have (just once, but it was once too many) had a significant portion of my main charge "vent" right on out into the wind. I now vent with a 1/16" bit, opening it to 5/16" if a particular rifle expresses its liking for a larger hole.

I recently acquired a drill bit set with numbered and lettered bits, which will offer such a large range of choices for vent hole sizes that my head may very well explode.

If you had your "heart set on a flinter", as you originally stated, you've made the right choice. Let those who would talk you out of it buy their own rifles and leave you be.

 

[AZ-Robert]

Hey Peter, in addition to reading up on what you can find on the forum, I recommend you browse this site as well:
[url] http://members.aye.net/~bspen/index.html[/url]

A very good primer on the ML in general and flintlocks in particular.

 

[jethro224]

opening it to 5/16" if a particular rifle expresses its liking for a larger hole.

Uh...,Mongrel? You did mean 5/64's... right?

 

[jethro224]

If you want a flinter, get a flinter. Read up on 'em and go for it.
I just started shooting BP this past August with a CVA cap gun. Bought a Lyman GPR flintlock in late October and used it to take my first blackpowder deer last Friday.
That oughta tell ya that the learnin' curve ain't that steep. Do what your heart tells ya, you'll have lotsa fun! :thumbsup:
Jethro

 

[mmahlock]

As one who wsa in the same spot not that long ago (I won't say how long) don't believe them. They're just afraid to try something that requires a little practice and a bit of skill. Trust me it ain't that difficult. Get good flints e.g. Tom Fuller, and remember the following above all else. Powder, Patch, Ball. And one last thing. This rule superceeds all others, HAVE FUN

Oh, one other thing don't forget to call "FLINT!" before you pull the triger when there are others around. :thumbsup:

 

[mmahlock]

With all the info & advice here concerning flint set-up, patch lubes & sizes, wiping pan & frizzen with rubbing alchol and drying every few shots, etc etc etc....... I will persist and learn to get it right.

Correct me guys if I'm on the wrong track :bow:

Mucus

I'm no expert (that implies I'm a hasbeen drip under pressure) but I do have some experience with flinters. The Track of the Wolf Web cataloge, Ammunitions and Supply page link to flints takes you to a page that provides the best infromation including pictures on how to size a flint to your lock. (The direct flint link does not. Why thay hid it I have no idea.) As far as patch lubes go I'd recommend you try both liquid based and grease based and pick the one that you like the best. I use both depending on conditions and my mood. I have no idea who or why someone told you to wipe your pan and frizzen with rubbing alchol since black powder residue is water based. Personnaly I've rarely had to wipe my pan or frizzen between shots. Here in the Pacific North West on a cold day with heavy fog condensation in the pan can be a problem which is easily solved with a dry rag. As for wiping the bore between shots, few if any of the people I shoot with including myself seldom have to wipe the bore even after 25 shots.

Flinters from my humble experience are no more trouble to shoot than percussion. Although knapping a flint in the lock can be a challenge with the wrong hammer. The little brass hammer from a place called The Gun Works in Oregon seems to work like magic for me. Go Figure.

At any rate. Get the Flinter and go for it. :winking:

 

[mikelange]

Could be :redface: