Hammer stalls

[mikee51848]

Another post, where the shooter unfortunately lost a finger due to having primed and then loaded his gun, led me to ask this question. I don't care whether you think it's PC or not, do you have/use a hammer stall on your flintlocks? Some of you, I know, prime first. When you're using a paper cartridge (for a musket), do you have one, and do you use it? Since it's required for all reenactors (Rev War & F&I), what about you recreational shooters? I have one on all my flintlocks.

 

[roundball]

Every Flintlock I own has a good leather hammer stall...

 

[rabjr]

All my guns have hammer stalls.

 

[tg]

These are nothing new, it was mentioned on another thread where soldiers were fined a dollar if they lost theirs I believe, and when it comes to safety if a practice or item is really a needed safety factor it trumps PC/HC for most, I missed a shot at the lead Doe a few years ago and took the spike behind here because I forget to take the stall off when I cocked and shouldered the gun :redface:

 

[mikee51848]

I missed a shot at the lead Doe a few years ago and took the spike behind here because I forget to take the stall off when I cocked and shouldered the gun :redface:

Ha ha, done that too! :haha:

 

[tg]

Stuff happens, the same day while dressing the spike I happened to look up and see a nice fork horn watching me from about 25 yds, the gun was reloaded and it was a bit tempting to make a trade but I declined.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I don't use one but probably should. I own one and it's in a drawer.

 

[bangfxr]

I have one on every flinter I own and made one for my sons flinter. I know they work as at one event I was using a borrowed musket as the main spring broke on mine. I took my stall and put it on his musket. Well while ramminging the 1st round the hammer poped off half cock. I dont want to think of " What if I'd not used the stall ? " After that days action I was in camp and was cleaning the borrowed musket (force of habbit that it is in better useable condition then when I got it) and found that he'd never took off the lock to properly clean it. Well me being the good NCO I had a one way discussion about his improper maintenance procedures or lack there of any real maintenance. He saw the light and now at events he's there next to me cleaning his musket before eating. They dont look like much but it does make a world of differance in preventing a good day becoming a bad day.

 

[shortbow]

I'm actually going to sew one up tomorrow. But, I'm really shocked to hear that anybody would prime before loading. That's just plain crazy. I knew they did it back when but I just put that up to ignorance or the fact that the safety of individual soldiers was not a high priority. Really, why would anyone do such a thing now? :nono:

 

[tg]

With the proper use of a stall primimng fisrt would not be so dangerous and the "safety" of a soldier is an oxymoron of sorts, I hunt in some thick stuff and try to keep my right hand on the lock most of the time but still feel much better using the stall, more for anyone near me than for myself as loss of barrel control is my main fear if falling and one slight advantage of the long barrel is that it is less likley to be pointed back at the guns owner in a fall, at least to a small degree, the biggest danger is probably stuffing the muzzle in the dirt as one falls then having it go off, making a long pipe bomb out of the gun,IMHO at any rate one likley cannot argue the value of the stall if used properly.

 

[Matt PA]

I have hand sewn fitted ones on all my guns that I made...... pretty sure every guy in our camp uses them too. We hunt hard in the late season after Christmas when its cold and snowy and the terrain is rough. Combined with a healthy sized crew and organized drives they're pretty much a must have item for safety. A slip on the snow or ice or pushing through some thick Mountain Laurel could be disasterous.

I did find out that they work by accident one night years ago......
after a long day of pushing through snow covered foliage I decided to clear my gun for the night,clean and reload....in the dark. Snap!, snap!,snap! Why is the frizzen not kicking over!? Yeah.....it works much better without that chunk of leather on there. :redface:

 

[mikee51848]

I knew they did it back when but I just put that up to ignorance or the fact that the safety of individual soldiers was not a high priority. Really, why would anyone do such a thing now? :nono:

They did it back then because using a paper cartridge, that was the loading procedure for 18th century armies. Prime first, then load the barrel. Muskets use a different procedure than rifles. There are still quite a few "modern" shooters who use the paper cartridge method, ie. those who may hunt with their Brown Besses. It is especially imperative that those shooters employ a hammer stall.

 

[shortbow]

Yes, I understand what was done and why and why and how some do it now, and I'm usually a stickler for doing things the old way, but in this one case at any rate, I believe that it is a dangerous practice and needs to be left behind. Just my opinion. On the other hand, if it is my ignorance at work, and it is a completely safe practice with a stall in place, then I concede.

 

[roundball]

Guess it's a personal choice thing...speaking only for myself, I won't prime first then load, even with a hammer stall on.
I just don't want to start down that road then have Murphy's Law rear its ugly head the very day that I forget to put the stall on...(my) life is too short as it is...
:hmm:

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have never owned or used a hammer stall.
Never saw the need or point to having one.
But, I do not prime first. :shocked2:

 

[bangfxr]

I am a firm believer in safety and use the stall all the time. Prior to us going to the field we go through safety checks as well as insuring the half cock works and everyman has a stall afixed to thier musket / rifle. Now as a militiaman / soldier we have to use the drills of the period and use paper cartridges with 80-90 FFg. NO powder horns will be used on the field ( stated reason earlier or on another area). So after we have primed and we close the pan we automaticly install the stall.

 

[tg]

I think they are worth the effort and recommend them to any new flint shooters, the half cock was never really a true safety device and was not intended to be one some original guns did not have a half cock position, the English lock, often erroniously called the Dog Lock has a catch to hold the hammer from falling which is probably a good idea, so the stall is about as good of a safety measure that one can have, if a person does not have one installed and a branch catches the hammer and it falls on the frizzen or the man takes a fall and the gun is made to fire he may well reconsider not using a simple cheap method of preventing the gun from fireing...if still able, I would consider the stall way more important than any amount of hunter orange myself.

 

[Firelock937]

I have participated in many a reenactment and loaded from cartridges, priming first, then putting the main charge down the barrel. Hammer stalls are always mandatory. Never seen an incident caused by a musket going off half cocked. I have, however, twice seen reenactors burn a hand from a round "cooking off" while pouring it down the barrel. On a hot day with lots of shooting, that is much more of a danger. Also a good reason to clean your musket regularly. Believeit or not some reenactors will go an entire season without cleaning.

 

[roundball]

Yes, that's how I view it...hunting without a hammer stall is no different than hunting with a cocked center fire rifle / shotgun with the safety off...fortunately I only hunt alone so I never have to worry about safety practices of others, I just make myself safe and be done with it

 

[paulvallandigham]

My Eleventh Commandment of firearms safety has always been, " YOU are the ONLY Safety on a gun that Works!"
The hammer stall is the best safety you can put on a flintlock, because YOU MAKE IT, and you see that it remains in place except when you are loading, or taking a shot. I can lower my hammer down so that the flint bites into, but does not cut, the surface of my hammer stall. That holds the stall in place on the frizzen, whether I want it there or not. I have to move the hammer back to its half-cock or full cock position before I can remove the hammer stall. Those are Conscious actions on my part, and I can take full responsibility for my gun when I move that hammer back into either of the notches.

Safety is about maintaining control over your gun's operation, and a hammer stall is Aces in that regard. :hatsoff: