Flintlocks: How to Shoot Them

[Johnny Tremain]

Wrap your flints with lead

Voids Jim Chambers warranty

 

[SDSmlf]

I'm an old timer. I use an alias now.

Guess that makes sense if you have said things previously that you are not proud of.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I'll stand by everything I ever said. I'm always right. it ain't easy being me. And, BTW I see you're using an alias. What are you hiding?

 

[Shiloh]

I know this is an old thread but since I’m new to flints it’s new info to me. There are three pages of disagreement with the OP but no info to counter the original post.

 

[TDM]

I know this is an old thread but since I’m new to flints it’s new info to me. There are three pages of disagreement with the OP but no info to counter the original post.

The original post is good information for you to go by. The OP is deceased. Some were just adding their own twist to the list. Some good, some not.

 

[morehops52]

I'm a die hard cap locker who shoots flinters occasionally. Because I don't shoot my rock guns as much I thought I'd read Paul's input as kind of a refresher course and I found it helpful. I didn't agree with everything but I read details that i've known before but don't take that extra effort to do it when I know i should. I just started tuning my locks so it seems that it I want the fastest, reliable ignition then it makes sense to add some of Paul's advice to my routine that I had been omitting.
Thanks to Paul for all of the great advice he gave to this forum over many years.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

PV was a magnum blow hard. Never seen anything like him.

 

[Pete G]

PV was a magnum blow hard. Never seen anything like him.

Wasn’t he a lawyer?? I think I heard that somewhere.

 

[Eterry]

When I joined Paul ROASTED me for wanting to use minie balls in my musketoon, saying they weren't proper for a muzzleloader. Then he switched and told me I should wrap my minies in saran wrap, as ALL the serious competitors do this. A member who IS an international competitor and winner of musket matches at 600️ yards called him out for talking trash about something he knew nothing of. Paul then waffled about the subject.

After months of Riding me like a rented mule, I finally got him to admit he'd NEVER SHOT A MUSKET... but knew someone who had!!!!

His stories had so many contradictions in them it was unreal.
Like his story about a farmer who didn't want to use a chainsaw for fear of chasing off deer, but was fine with 10 or 15 guys lining up and shooting a stump to pieces.

I'm sorry to be so blunt, and i may get a warning for this, but he took great pleasure in ridiculing anything he didn't understand or anyone he thought he could. I left the forum for about a year because of him.

The term "Delusions of Grandeur" comes to mind.

 

[morehops52]

Well , I joined the forum many years and then lapsed for awhile but am now back again. I remember Paul being a regular poster and I recalled his posts being helpful at least at times. But as we all know human memories can be somewhat less than 100% accurate so maybe I've forgotten or missed some things that would have changed my opinion. But in the end his above post did make me think about procedures that I could improve on. That was point in reading it so, mission accomplished for me. And yes, I realize that there were some , uh, well , misleading items. That's what I like about this forum. If someone throws out some bad advice or misinformation there is always another member(s) to correct the error or add a better viewpoint. It is also normally done in a way as to not be offensive to anyone. Eterry, it's good that you back up your opinion with some specific issues. I think that's a much better approach to display your displeasure with someone than saying he was a bad man that stole candy from children.

 

[nick_1]

Flinch locks are plenty slow. No fire coming out the bore on any of these shots.. the only fair comparison though would be to slow mo video a decent sample of both flint and percussion.

I am insanly impressed with all you folks who are actually good with one. At last weeks Southern VT Primitive Biathlon Brian Rowel (absolute beast!)

not only won the smoothbore class but he was the ONLY shooter including in lines to get a perfect score of 9 hits. Souther VT is notoriously hard. stations 1 to 3 are 50yrds 6 inch squares but really tricky light. station 4 is 2" squares @25yrds

 

[morehops52]

Love the snow shoes!

 

[Eterry]

Love the Left Handed Flintlock!

 

[nick_1]

Love the snow shoes!

Brian is a beast and he is also savvy. His smoothbore is .54 cal which is the smallest bore that the rules allow for smoothbore and I think he only shoots 50g of powder. In the snowshoe dept. I believe he must be useing youth snowshoes because thats the only thing I can find on line that matches the small size that he has. somehow I managed to outshoot his 8 hits to my 9 hits at last years St.J but he ran a full 10 min faster so he still won the pistol class. I matched his pistol hits at Southern VT ( I thought I only had 3 but my scorecard said 4) but again he beat me in the race by about 10 min... And i am not blameing the snowshoes! obviously small snowshoes help but he is flat out in much better shape than I am. certainly in a footrace without snowshoes he still beats me by a mile....

 

[bronko220002]

I hear what you guys are saying about the flinter being faster. Also this from the original thread:
The flintlock was designed to start a fire that quickly ignites all
the powder to create the gases needed to expel the projectile. Load the
ball using a marked ramrod, so that you load to a mark you have made
on the ramrod that represents where the ball just begins to touch the
powder under it. (You can feel and sometime hear a grinding action when
the ball touches the powder). Leave extra air between powder granules,
to speed the burning process in a flintlock. Actually, there is enough
oxygen in the powder itself to provide all the O2 it needs for combustion.
But extra oxygen helps it burn faster. (That is the secret!)
I never heard of this. How about you guys. I always seated firmly over the powder.

 

[bronko220002]

Shooting a flinter is a learned skill, shooting any ml is. Should any of us flinter shooters pick up a match lock I think we would be instant experts, but would face a bit of a learning curve. A modern shooter has to learn a cap gun. A cap shooter has to learn a flinter.
Any one can learn it in an afternoon, but like any thing new it can be intimidating

I agree. Being a lefty and shooting a right hand flintlock can be unnerving without training and practice. Having that flash go up in front of your nose takes some getting used to. But with practice you can learn to ignore it and follow through on your sight picture.

 

[nick_1]

I am sort of on the look out for a left handed hawken flink kit.. don't have the money put aside yet so ust sort of looking

 

[morehops52]

I hear what you guys are saying about the flinter being faster. Also this from the original thread:
The flintlock was designed to start a fire that quickly ignites all
the powder to create the gases needed to expel the projectile. Load the
ball using a marked ramrod, so that you load to a mark you have made
on the ramrod that represents where the ball just begins to touch the
powder under it. (You can feel and sometime hear a grinding action when
the ball touches the powder). Leave extra air between powder granules,
to speed the burning process in a flintlock. Actually, there is enough
oxygen in the powder itself to provide all the O2 it needs for combustion.
But extra oxygen helps it burn faster. (That is the secret!)
I never heard of this. How about you guys. I always seated firmly over the powder.

To me it sounded kinda silly when I first read it. While there may be a grain of truth to it I always seat my bullet very firmly. It gets me consistency that way. If seating it lightly does make ignition faster you would have to have hi-speed photography to prove it and how much difference could it really make? I just got back from the range and most of my shots went off so quickly they were close to my caplocks but not quite there. There are other things that can be done to minimize a flintlocks ignition time. However it wouldn't be the first time I was mistaken.

 

[Eterry]

To me it sounded kinda silly when I first read it. While there may be a grain of truth to it I always seat my bullet very firmly. It gets me consistency that way. If seating it lightly does make ignition faster you would have to have hi-speed photography to prove it and how much difference could it really make? I just got back from the range and most of my shots went off so quickly they were close to my caplocks but not quite there. There are other things that can be done to minimize a flintlocks ignition time. However it wouldn't be the first time I was mistaken.


I Would never recommend leaving a gap of air between powder and shot. In fact...EVERY black powder manual or book about sh ooting Black powder Says specifically NOT to leave a space between them.

 

[Grumpa]

Paul was not saying to leave a space between ball and powder, he described feeling the ball touching the powder. But, he advocated not compressing the powder, so the air space would quicken ignition.
(Compressing black powder allows for a stronger load in a metallic cartridge, but Paul, and we, are not talking cartridges).

Paul wasn't always right, but he, and Spence, were the two people who brought me to this Forum. Anyone who disagrees with him is free to prove otherwise. We're still indebted to him.

Richard/Grumpa