Flintlock vs Percussion

[nhmoose]

Since 1994 I have taken 2 big game that was not taken with a flintlock. Deer in 94 and another in 2014 with a borrowed suppository gun another deer.

I got a buy on #11 RWS caps many years ago 2000 of them for 25 bucks at an auction my nephew said what you goanna do with them you don't have any caplocks any more.

I bought 2 revolvers to use them up. Still have a 1000 or so of those.

 

[don hepler]

The main thing is to pay attention to on a flintlock, is keeping it dry and clean. This can be a challenge during hot humid weather. I wipe the flint, the frizzen, and the pan, every single time, after firing it. If you shove fowling down the barrel and block the touch hole, you're going to have problems. The flint must be sharp, razor sharp. It must strike the frizzen at the optimal angle, just like a razor when you shave. I hand pick my flints. They are the same length, and the flat on top, is parallel with the flat on the bottom. If the barrel is clean inside, and the flint, frizzen and pan are clean, outside, and the flint is positioned correctly, it will fire every time. Oh sure, a flint can break, but even with a piece broken, it will still fire. Check that the flint remains tight. The cleaner it is, and the more consistent you are, the better the results will be. I have fired dozens of rounds, this year, with one FTF. The temps. was in the low nineties and I didn't get the touch hole clean. That was totally my fault, for not paying attention, to the details. Just one FTF bugs me, to no end.

 

[Brokennock]

I keep hearing/reading about the superior reliability of caplocks. My experience is different, both of my flintlock smoothies are FAR more reliable than any caplock rifle I've owned. Admittedly, a couple of those caplocks were bought used and had problems I didn't know about at the time. But my flint lock Centermark was bought well used, my flintlock TVM Early VA smooth rifle was bought as second owner but unfired, and my remaining caplock, a Pedersoli/Cabelas Blue Ridge I bought new. The two flinters always go bang when I do my job, which mostly amounts to plugging the flashhole while loading and not over priming. The caplock, well, it works most of the time. Honestly I think its reliability issues are due to the patent breach.
Caps are also too dang fiddley, even with one of those capper gadgets. I've had caps slip off in cold weather, haven't had my pan accidentally open and dump my prime though (at least not yet). I personally find it far easier to prime from my horn than to deal with caps. And it's nice not having to carry them or a "capper."

Flintlocks are also far more astheticly pleasing. More artistry. Look at two rifle of basically the same school/architecture/design/model one a cap gun the other flint, the cap lock looks boring. Of course this is subjective.

 

[robert bw]

Hey, at least there aint no #209 primers, them things are uuugly :grin:

 

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

yeah but them ugly 209's sure are reliable.

As for caps falling off, thats just improper fit to the nipple.

 

[Cowboy]

Got me to thinking about the pro's and con's of both types.

If you had a check list with the pro's and con's sitting in front of you concerning both types of ignition and honestly checked them off without favoring one over the other, how would you rate them and what would you be looking for?



What says you and why?? Advantages and Disadvantages of both!!

OK, I will tell you what I see as advantage's and disadvantage's of both as I see it. The reason why I started this topic was that I was curious to know what others thought about both types of ignition systems.

Flintlock Advantages

1. Availability of flints over finding percussion caps or nipples if supply ran out. A flinter would be easier to keep up and going.

2. I feel you get to know your firearm to a greater extent over a percussion gun.

3. Flinter's are a hell of a lot funner to shoot then cap guns! Greater satisfaction and more challenging.

Flintlock Disadvantages

1. Greater learning curb. You can't just pick one of these up and immediately know how to shoot it!

2. Maintaining the different components to keep it reliably firing. Especially during adverse weather conditions. If you are experienced in the use of a flinter this wouldn't be as critical as to those who have limited experience.

3. Greater chance of FTF unless you are experienced and know what to do and what not to do to keep your gun up and running reliably.

Percussion Advantage's

1. Easier to learn and maintain.

2. More reliable in adverse conditions. I watched a program on the Military History Channel. The program was about the transition from Flintlock to Percussion. In the program they thoroughly soaked a loaded percussion gun with the hammer cocked back. They sprayed the lock area to include the capped nipple. Fired without a hitch. Ran the same test on a Flintlock and it surely failed to fire.

3. It was definitely a step up in firearm technology.

Percussion Disadvantage's

1. Total dependence on Percussion Caps and Nipples to fire weapon. Without either the firearm is useless. Have to depend on other's to keep you supplied with both! If worst came to worst you could always find flint to shoot your Rocklock!

2. Not as challenging or satisfying to shoot as shooting a flinter. Flinters are a hella of alot more fun to shoot!! ( my opinion )

In Conclusion: I own both and shoot both. Both give me a satisfactory feeling! Most all my shooting has been with caplocks. Just entered the world of flinter's. Flintlock's are new and challenging for me. I love the whole loading process as well as maintaining them to keep them firing. Also love the historical aspect of them as well. On the other end of the coin, I also have a deep seated love for Hawken and Plains type percussion guns. I always will! It's in my blood.

No matter what kind of ignition system you have on your Traditional Muzzleloader's, BP shooting rules supreme!

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

 

[wattlebuster]

I have hunted with flintlocks so long its the only style gun that I even consider when going hunting. Its not that hard to keep them shooting in inclement weather if you will take the time to learn your weapon

 

[Josh Smith]

I would really like a rocklock .32 for hunting squirrel. It's difficult to find one I can afford in left-handed, though. Heck, .32 caplocks seem to be tougher to find.

Maybe someday.

I consider my caplock .50 T/C New Englander to be as reliable as any of my modern rifles.

Josh

 

[pa woods roamer]

I was really turned off by Flintlock`s until I bought a good one !! Started off by buying a T/C Hawken, the first ones that had the shallow case hardened Frizen and the wrong style Hammer. A fellow shooter told me to get a Lyman Frizzen and that helped. Finally, My son bought me a custom Flinter and what a difference !! I could actually go through a whole Shoot without using 2-3 Flints up !! I have a couple Caplocks that I use once in awhile , but am , for the most part, a Flint Shooter !!

 

[M. De Land]

I have always used percussion guns but since I started shooting flint pistols is competition I find my self wanting to build a flint rifle.
The more I use them the more I want to have around.
I also think as I get older slowing things down appeals to me more than it used to.
Using a flint lock to me is more like smelling the lilacs and Sitka roses rather than just looking at them.

 

[fleener]

made a heck of a mess out of my newly acquired flintlock last weekend.

I also have a flintlock being built for me sometime really soon, that would be representative what the Fleener's might of carried when they first came to North America before we were a country.

I am determined to get these things figured out.

fleener

 

[jethro224]

I am determined to get these things figured out.

Just don' over-complicate it and you'll figger 'em out.
It ain't rocket science.
Maybe rock-it science... :wink:

 

[Curt]

Cowboy You have some of the best responses you could ask for so far ,and all i would be doin would be just a repeat of whats been said.But i think i could write a book on the experinces i have had but it probaly wouldnt sell ,Heck i cant even spell right ,but i do know that if you put the time and effort into either one the fun is just over the hill.

Takin an old piece of history to the woods or range and here it speak again and even win a prize or bring home supper,well that dont need no explaining.

I shoot at home only but it would sure be fun shootin with like minded folks who enjoy the same stuff and have the same dedication as we do..

i feel so Blessed to have a place to hunt and shoot and I thank GOD continually for that and a free country to live in. I here work calling.
Take a kid with you to share the fun and make a difference in his life too. curt

 

[nhmoose]

Not in response to Flm


209's are not supposed to be talked about on this forum I believe.

 

[Golfswithwolves]

Somewhere a long time ago I heard or read from somebody that you might run out of caps, but you could shoot a flinter as long as the earth was still made of rocks.

 

[Zonie]

Somewhere a long time ago I heard or read from somebody that you might run out of caps, but you could shoot a flinter as long as the earth was still made of rocks.

Sounds like something a flintlock shooter would say.

It's not totally correct though.

Sandstone, limestone and pumice make for really crummy sparks in a flintlock. :grin:

 

[Maven]

I won't go into the pros & cons of each, but I attended a woods walk yesterday (8/14/16) where there were more FL's than cap locks by a large margin, and there were more ignition problems by far with the FL's than the CL's. The high humidity (>85%) + flint & pan management, and in one case poor rifle care to boot, surely helped explain the problem. One cap lock had 1 failure to fire and that too was due to poor rifle cleanliness (due to using the wrong lube on his conical + not dry swabbing the bore enough). My Lyman GPR cap lock had nary a problem and only rarely fails to go off, especially true when I forget to put powder in it.

Btw, my two FL's are very reliable shooters, but I haven't had an extensive shooting session with them when the humidity is extremely high. I do know that in such conditions, managing pan residue and keeping the flint clean (and sharp!) make a huge difference in whether the guns will fire.

 

[crockett]

Does anyone have any documentation, such as a journal of a long hunter or a mountain man, where there is any mention of stopping and picking up a rock and working it into a flint that could be used in a flintlock? The fur companies, etc. sold thousands of flints for rifles over the years.
It is just my hunch but there are a few accounts of starting a fire using the lock to make a spark. The preference for the flintlock might have been that it did double duty- hunting/defense and also fire starting.
After 1840 when the percussion mountain rifles like the Hawken became ever more common it seems there are still references to a flint pistol. I think as late as the Donner Party- the diary spoke of lighting a fire with a flint pistol- same with the Marcy journals.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I've been using rocks I picked up off the ground for the last 5 years....

 

[AZbpBurner]

Drop your flint into mud puddle while changing flints & you just pick it up, wipe it on your sleeve, install it & continue shooting.

Drop your tin of caps into same mud puddle & you walk back to town to buy more.