flintlock shooting tips?

[Darkhorse]

BobJ,
The reason I keep the toothpick in the flashhole is to keep fouling out of the barrel. The toothpick is round and tight and is twisted in and broken off. After firing off a few pans I can quick clean the pan, frizzen and hammer. Every few days I'll take the lock out and give it a good cleaning.
This rifle is a retired hunting rifle and rather than sell it or leave it in the gun case I decided to put it to good use. A dedicated flinch lock fixer.
As for taking out a lock, well, I remove my silers everytime I shoot and clean the gun. Just turn out the screws a few threads then push the lock out with the bolt heads. It makes it easy to remove.

 

[Rat]

Something Roundball didn't mention is that sight alignment is way more important than keeping the front sight exactly on the bulls-eye, is what it boils down to.

Rat

 

[Major2hook]

I try to make sure my priming is set to the out side of the pan so that when ignited it sets off the charge as fast as possible ( it kinda shoots into the vent). Next have a GOOD gunsmith work on the trigger pull.
This is not a good Idea for a novice to attempt. A lighter pull with a crisp release is a good way to reduce flinching.
I force myself to concentrate on the sight picture while all the time squeezing the trigger...if I am able to "see" the flash of the charge as it exits the barrel, then the ball is long gone! I have used a trick I saw in Muzzleloader to help with the flinching. Get an artists eraser. Cut it in half and secure it in the jaws of your cock . Then dry fire your firelock over and over until muscle memory has your squeeze even and fairly fast. You can concentrate on sight picture as this squeeze becomes reflexive. Good luck!

 

[JeffS]

Thanks again guys, lots of good stuff here.

Update. A friend and I took it out to a range Saturday and shot it off a bench. Probably a good 25-30 rounds, seated and leaning on elbows on the bench. It shoots very nice so far. At 25 yards I was tearing up the center of my target, unless it got away from me. Then I tried a few offhand, and did much better than before. I could at least pick a quadrant of the 8"*11" paper. Still need plenty of work/practice, but it was nice to see progress.


Jeff

 

[jimbo15563]

Thirty-some years ago one of my basic training Drill Instructors talked about imagining a figure 8 with the 8 lying on it's side, and the intersection of the lines on the desired point of impact. The shooter traced this figure eight with the sight, slowly decreasing the size of the pattern. The theory was to start squeezing the trigger on the downside of the pattern as the sight approached the intersection with the target. This was followed up with a 1 second follow through after the shot.
The breathing control was to take three deep ones and letting out half of the third at the beginning if the shot.

He said 2 things happened:

1. The muzzle wobble was changed from passive to active with the shooter having some measure of control over it.

2. The concentration required to do this minimized the anticipation of the recoil and helped with flinching.

I've had some measure of success with this on my flintlock after I drilled out the touch hole a bit to decrease the lock time. I can get most of them in an 8 1/2 x 11 at 50 yards, some of them at 100 shooting offhand. I don't get to practice much, but this will probably get better if I do.

Has anyone else ever tried this?

Jimbo

 

[bezoar]

I have heard of a similar method. When i tried to improve my accuracy with my imp cyl 870 i found a website by Ayab Massoob (bad spelling). Hes considered the foremost police shooter and authority on shooting.

His long arm method is almost the same as your figure 8. He learned that trying to tense up, stop breathing, and that mumbo jumbo actually SCREWS just about everyone up. His method is to keep breathing slowly and keep the gun shouldered and only shoot once the sights are on what you want to shoot, I had good results with this method.

Before i had trouble keeping my slugs on a D size sheet of paper at 50 yards, after reading i put 2 slugs directly into a large mouth canning lid at 50 yards, and one right next to it. It works.

 

[JeffS]

One friend told me his dad taught him to hummm under his breath, and follow thru the shot, to help mentally. I havent tried it too much, but I could imagine that helping. I plan to try it more.

LOL, from the post above, that should be "Massad Ayoob" btw, but it was recognizable.

Jeff

 

[norm]

I know this is an old post, but I had to jump in with something.
All very good advise here, but I'd like to add another tip.
You can do this indoors. Stand one to three feet from a mirror and sight on your own muzzle. If you stand close you can sight on the front sight.
While you are lining up the sights, squeeze the trigger.

 

[redwing]

French Flints? I was reading the story about old time
hunters on the Simon Kenton site Maysville, Ky. the D.
Boone Rifle. They state that French Flint was much prefered
over any thing else. It was thin clear and very sharp
they would get as many as 150 shots per rock. I am sure
that was with a knap or two or three. I use Fuller BEF.
I never had :thumbsupne last that long on my Siler. Is it that
good?

Redwing :thumbsup:

 

[susie s]

When I first started shooting flint my mentor told me to put the percussion rifle away and shoot only the flint for a year. I started out with poker chips at 25 yards and a lighter load. I never see the lock or the primer smoke. I look down the sights at the target and project the ball into the 10 ring and be sure I have a follow through-that is, hold the rifle a second or two after I shoot. I know when I nail it, and I'm not happy when I have a bad shot. Do I ever flinch? Yes, but not too often. It takes a lot of concentration not to. Tend to do so more when I'm tired. Anyway, when I picked up the percussion a year later, I couldn't hit a thing with it-it kicked like a mule, and I haven't shot it since. My son inherited it, but now he's been bitten by the flint bug and is working with a nice Jackie Brown 40 cal.

 

[IronCrickett]

Unfortunately, I am a lefty who started with a right handed Renegade. This was in the early 80's. Kind of turned me off shooting flint for years (lots of distraction in your face). I then built a lefty in the late 80's, and it took me a long time to get over the flash, even though it was not right in my face. This is a tip for Dads and Moms with youngsters who are left handed and interested in shooting flint: Start them off on the path with the correct handed rifle, or they may loose interest. I just happen to be stubborn enough to have stuck with it until I got it figured out.

Later
I.C.

 

[more powder]

It seems like everybody got differnt ways of shooting and i think we got a book going on here.I find if i just aim at target i get wobble but if i start high and come down on target then i dont get the wobble also get somebody to watch to see if you are shutting your eyes.you know your not closeing your eyes when you see the patch going down range. :m2c:

 

[Forestwalker]

Been sitting on the edge of my chair here reading these posts and I've got a question for ya's.

I am extremely left eye dominant, my father recgnoized it early on so I was taught to shoot left handed, with right handed rifles, never owned a lefty.

HOW SCARRY IS IT SHOOTING A RIGHT-HANDED FLINTER LEFT HANDED?

If I am going to reenact then flinters it will have to be. I don't have any problem shooting percussion, practice, practice practice.......aim at an individual hair on the beast! :results:

 

[OTHERN]

Its not a problem. I'm right handed and have shot a lefty flinter a number of times. Seemed the same to me.

 

[sherpadoug]

HOW SCARRY IS IT SHOOTING A RIGHT-HANDED FLINTER LEFT HANDED?

I suggest you at least START wearing shooting glasses. Whether you want to keep them or be real PC and do without later is up to you. :imo:

 

[Davecoughlin]

HOW SCARRY IS IT SHOOTING A RIGHT-HANDED FLINTER LEFT HANDED?

Not scary at all if you concentrate on sight picture and squeezing off the shot. We are a "mixed" handed family and we often shoot other handed guns and see no difference.

I agree about glasses! I think they are needed with all flintlocks regardless of handedness!

Jester

 

[ol vern]

HOW SCARRY IS IT SHOOTING A RIGHT-HANDED FLINTER LEFT HANDED?

Not scary at all if you concentrate on sight picture and squeezing off the shot. We are a "mixed" handed family and we often shoot other handed guns and see no difference.

I agree about glasses! I think they are needed with all flintlocks regardless of handedness!

Jester

:agree:
But must say I have had more manure blow back in my face using cap locks . left handed. I would not shoot any traditional muzzle loader flint or cap with out eye protection. no matter which side the lock is on

 

[Davecoughlin]

HOW SCARRY IS IT SHOOTING A RIGHT-HANDED FLINTER LEFT HANDED?

Not scary at all if you concentrate on sight picture and squeezing off the shot. We are a "mixed" handed family and we often shoot other handed guns and see no difference.

I agree about glasses! I think they are needed with all flintlocks regardless of handedness!




Right on!!!!

Jester

 

[rhwestfall]

And I thought I was the only one.... 6'8" - 38" sleeve. So, where do you find hunting clothese that actually fit?

 

[roundball]

And I thought I was the only one.... 6'8" - 38" sleeve. So, where do you find hunting clothese that actually fit?

It's difficult for sure...

One thing I discovered long ago is that miltary 6 pocket cargo pants are made in long, extra long, etc...and I found a place in Alabama that makes mil-spec clothes in a variety of patterns and sells to the public...so I get pants from them...light weight, heavyweight, etc...used that place for years and years now...I'll post the name, address, Ph# tonight when I get home;

Shirts and coats are not as easy...but occasionally Cabela's will have good quality warm hunting shirts, and polypropylene turtle necks in Tall/Extra Tall sizes and when they do I buy a few and put some away;

In past years I've found Wall's and 10-X brand Thinsulate insulated camo coveralls in Tall/Extra Tall sizes by calling the Walls outlet store in Texas...will post that info tonight also;

The one problem I've never been able to solve is finding good quality polypropylene or wool blend long john tops in Tall/Extra Tall sizes that really have the arm length and don't shrink...so I use those Cabela's polypropylene turtlenecks as a top...very long sleeves and they never shrink...