Flints Breaking

[rancher]

My flints keep breaking after only a couple shots? It's a Lyman GPR made from a kit. Any ideas that might remedy this problem? Thanks.

 

[luieb45]

What type of flints are they? I use Tom fuller black english flints from track of the wolf and they are good.

 

[rancher]

It happens with both black English flints and with agate flints. I like the black English flints better because they seem to through more spark. Both types get equally destroyed after only 2 or 3 shots though. The flint is striking about halfway up the frizzen and I am almost positive that the flint is not hitting the barrel.

 

[Ft. Jefferson]

Kinda depends on where they're breakin, horizontal or vertical. Ya might be overtightening the cock screw. Try puttin an extra layer of leather around the flint. Could just be a couple of bad flints. Hope there not hittin the side of the barrel. Bevel up or bevel down? Frizzen bouncing back and hitting on top of the flint? Not likely but possible.

 

[Dphar]

My flints keep breaking after only a couple shots? It's a Lyman GPR made from a kit. Any ideas that might remedy this problem? Thanks.

Frizzen rebound comes to mind. Try making a leather jaw pad that extends out over most of the top of the flint.
The mark on this jaw pad is from the frizzen coming back and whacking the flint.

Note the line on the leather. The lock is very fast and the frizzen gets enough energy from spring rebound to come back that hard and mark the leather this much in one snap of the lock.
Dan

 

[rancher]

I've tried flints from about 3 different sources, both black English and agate, and have tried both bevel up and bevel down. I'll try a different piece of leather and back off the pressure on the jaws a little bit and see what happens. The edge pretty much disintegrates when it hits the frizzen. Big chips get taken out of the leading edge of the flint making it all uneven. I would say they are breaking horizontal.

 

[rancher]

I'll try the leather pad too. It's worth a shot at this point. Maybe the frizzen is rebounding fast enough that I can't see it happen, but it ends up in the fully open position. For some reason I don't think that is the problem, but hey I've been wrong before so it certainly could be.

 

[pa woods roamer]

Try putting a thick piece of Leather Under the Flint. This changes the angle the Flint strikes the Frizzen....

 

[rancher]

I've tried the thick piece of layer to change the angle. Thanks though!

 

[Dphar]

I'll try the leather pad too. It's worth a shot at this point. Maybe the frizzen is rebounding fast enough that I can't see it happen, but it ends up in the fully open position. For some reason I don't think that is the problem, but hey I've been wrong before so it certainly could be.

If its rebounding hard enough to break a flint you will never see it. The eye in not fast enough.
This is apparent in some for Larry Pletcher's high speed photos of locks. http://www.blackpowdermag.com/featured-articles/more-high-speed-video-from-friendship.php
There are other videos of flintlocks in action on the site if you look through the menus.

Dan

 

[A.Merrill]

Dose your frizzen open easy? It could be your frizzen spring is to strong or the srew your frizzen rides on was tighten down so tight it bent the bridle in and it has the frizzen pinched. Try taking off the frizzen spring. The frizzen should move freely. Now close the frizzen and fire the lock. How dose the flint look now. If it is the frizzen spring it will have to be ground down. Be sure you know what you are doing if you do this. If you leave a scratch or a nick on the spring it will break at that point.Good Luck AL

 

[paulvallandigham]

There is an Article on this forum on Flintlocks: How to shoot them, where there is information on how to analyze the problems, and fix them. I suspect the Frizzen Spring Tension is way too much, but there are at least three different reasons for that to happen. If the mainspring is a coil spring, it can also be too hard. You say the flint strikes half way down- that is not good.

Use the article's information to help you better understand what's going on. Then, more specific questions will help us tell you how to fix what's wrong.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/222420/

 

[longbow1]

I have a GPR and had the same problem what I did was ease the tension on the frizzen spring by using a dremel tool with a grinding stone A little at a time grind a little and check it.Just be careful. There is no reason to remove it just take it off the side of the spring.

 

[AJFedak]

I also had the same problem with mine. I found that the flint had to be inserted with the bevel down and and extra piece of leather placed under the flint. It just seems as if the geometry of the cock is wrong. I also found that I needed to use a 3/4 x 5/8 size flint.

No more problems now.

 

[firefoot]

My flints keep breaking after only a couple shots? It's a Lyman GPR made from a kit. Any ideas that might remedy this problem? Thanks.

I'm surprised only one other person caught this! You said the flint is striking half way down the frisson. As Paul V said that is not good, and that is your problem, the flint is supposed too hit one third of the way down from the top to scrape down the frisson, NOT slam into it and thus break. Use a differant size flint so it strike one third of the way down from the top.

 

[longbow1]

That could be the problem mine hits half way down and I tried moving the flint couldn't stop it from breaking flints until I eased up on the frizzen spring now that might not work on his but it was just a suggestion he might not feel comforable working on his gun .I Don't blame him in the least.

 

[Rusty Spur 82]

I think that just might be the nature of the beast with the lock on the LGP rifle.My flint stikes right at half way on the frizzen also.I don't get to many strikes out of mine either before the flint has big chips in it.I'll be keeping my eyes glued to this topic to see what the easy fix is, plus doing a little experimenting myself.

 

[bchannell]

I agree, read the article on flintlocks mentioned above and try some fixes. I would advise you to get an extra frizzen spring before you go to work on yours, just in case. I've found on my Silers, you can get away with a fairly heavy hammer spring, but if the frizzen spring is too heavy, in combination with a very heavy hammer spring, that it will eat a flint for lunch. Lightening the frizzen spring will allow it to have less resistance to the heavy handed hammer, and open instead of breaking the flint.

I'm amazed at how the info in the article works. I had a large Siler that literally would bash flints to death. With just a little lightening of the frizzen spring, I can now use a flint for lots of shots without worry. I'm not into, "I can get a 100 shots on a flint" , but I do get a bunch now. I've never counted, but I've shot several outings with a gun that wouldn't go ten shots before, and not a single misfire related to the strike. They actually seem to spark better and the sparks end up in the pan better.

 

[Dphar]

That could be the problem mine hits half way down and I tried moving the flint couldn't stop it from breaking flints until I eased up on the frizzen spring now that might not work on his but it was just a suggestion he might not feel comforable working on his gun .I Don't blame him in the least.

This is irrelevant if the lock is right. I have a Lock made from original Manton castings with very stiff springs and high cock speed and it does not break flints.
It IS possible the frizzen face is too soft and the flint cuts in too deep.

Dan

 

[longbow1]

Well Dan weakening the frizzen spring solved the problem so maybe it had to be the flintlock gremlins :haha: