How many strikes per flint?

[worker11811]

Just went out shooting my Renegade for the first time today. Everything went well. Shot about 40 rounds before my feet got too cold and I had to go home.

I only had a flash in the pan about 2 or 3 times. Probably because I forgot to pick the flash hole or maybe because I got too much powder in the pan. These things come with practice, I suppose.

However, after about 10-12 shots, my flints stopped striking reliably. I find that wiping them with a patch moistened with T/C No. 13 Bore Cleaner (then wiping them dry) helps keep the crud from building up on them and makes them spark more reliably but, still, I wonder if they should last longer.

I'm using genuine T/C flints.
I'm sure there are better flints that would last longer but, for the first time out, I wanted to do everything according to manufacturer's instructions. That way, if something goes wrong I have a good baseline from which to troubleshoot. Once I get more practice, THEN I can start making variations. But, for right now, I go by the book.

How many strikes should I be getting out of a flint before I have to change it?

 

[Rebel]

Get rid of them T/C cut agate flints and get you some real flints either from member Rich Pearce or some Black English flints from Track Of the Wolf or someplace. Then you should have not only better sparks, but longer flint life. Not sure about the T/C lock but i average over 100 shots a flint with my Large Siler locks.

 

[bingo1952]

I usually get 20-25 before I have to knap the edge to re-sharpen it. I prefer English flints. Some of the cut flints can be problematic to knap. You may get one to resharpen and the next throws off flakes at odd angles. Your best bet on those is a diamond wheel and re-grind the edge.

 

[FPDoc]

Track of The Wolf/Tom Fuller (Black English Flints) or Rich Pierce (Chert) hand knapped flints will give results you will be very happy with.

 

[fw707]

I've been getting 40-50 dependable shots from the English flints in a small Siler lock.
Is Rich still making flints?

 

[FPDoc]

He was as of a couple of months ago. I hope he still is, I've got a couple of decades of shooting yet to go.

 

[roundball]

How many strikes should I be getting out of a flint before I have to change it?

I'm about as big of a TC fan as there is but none of the TCs cut/sawed agate flints are very good, requiring more attention than a real flint, and they really can't be knapped properly...need to be resharpened with a belt sander, diamond file, etc.

Never bought anymore and switched to Tom Fuller 3/4"W x 78"L black english flints years ago in my TC locks...I normally shoot a 50 shot range session on the weekends and rarely have to touch them during the 50 shot session other than when I clean the lock with an alcohol rag...I used to flip them over at that time as well but don't even bother doing that any more.

I usually finish a 50 shot session with one flint and start into another session before I have to start knapping every so often, and when that happens I just replace the flint...but have nursed a few close to 100 shot just to see how liong they'd go...60-70 is a good planning average for BEFs in new style TC locks.

 

[mark/wi]

I just got some flints from Rich this week. Mark

 

[worker11811]

Yes, I will be dumping those agate flints!
That's pretty much what I thought but I wanted to get some confirmation before buying more stuff.

I will have to make a trip to the store to buy some powder because I'm getting to the end of my supply. When I go there I'll be sure to get some genuine flints.

You can read every book in the world and study everything to death but, until you actually get OUT THERE and shoot a flintlock for REAL, you just can't understand the "finesse" details of it. Can you?

 

[tusti]

Mizzy wheels work pretty well for sharpening flints. They go on a mandral for use with a Dremel tool. For ordering, go to Jewelry[url] Supply.com[/url]

 

[paulvallandigham]

Procedure is much more important in loading a MLer rifle or smoothbore, than most cartridge guns. That does require hands on effort to learn to do well, and consistently. However, if you reload ammo, for either black powder or smokeless powder guns, much of the " finesse" is found in the loading procedures used to prepare casings, and components to produce that common looking " cartridge". Just read the introduction to Black Powder Cartridge Reloading Manual by Mike Venturini, and Steve Garge, on how to load these cartridges to get extreme accuracy shooting tang peep sights at 200 yards and further. They are getting SDVs of 4fps, and getting 10 shot groups at 200 yards of 2.5 inches and less, using .40-65, and .45-70 cartridges. Or read back issues of the Single Shot Exchange, where Paul Matthews continues to educate us all with his research into the .45-70 cartridge. Paul disclosed that he had sleeved the primer pockets of 100 casings so he could shoot small pistol primers in those big casings, as he found he got better, ignition, and lower SDVs using them. He had previously found that modern casings have holes in the base for the priming compound to ignite the powder of .093", which is too large for accurate shooting. You now can buy a crimping die for your reloading press that will close those holes down to .062" ! If that is not " Finesse", I don't know the meaning of the word.

Just as the guys who buy those unmentionable zip guns, with their plastic stocks, pellets, shotgun primers, plastic cups and jacketed pistol bullets can't appreciate the " finesse " of shooting traditional side lock and underhammer BP guns( we do have Mule Ear, and Underhammer actions in addition to the standard percussion and flint top actions) modern rifle shooter who just by ammo at a store, and don't even bother to stick with the same brand of ammo can't possibly appreciate the " finesse " of a Paul Matthews, or Steve Garbe. They do get a bit flustered if they find out you are shooting smaller groups next to them at a range, using what they think is an inferior rifle!

Some of the most fun you will experience in this life is watching these guys mutter to themselves as they pack their guns up and leave the range. :rotf:

 

[roundball]

Mizzy wheels work pretty well for sharpening flints. They go on a mandral for use with a Dremel tool. For ordering, go to Jewelry[url] Supply.com[/url]

I've personally used Mizzy Wheels and these Dremel Diamond cutting wheels...the diamond cutting wheels are far, far superior to Mizzy Wheels.
Find them at[url] WidgetSupply.com[/url]...they are in the category of burrs & cutters, not 'grinders'.
[url] http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/dremel-diamond-wheel-1/BDL34[/url]

 

[worker11811]

Some of the most fun you will experience in this life is watching these guys mutter to themselves as they pack their guns up and leave the range. :rotf:

It just makes my day when that happens!

When I practice for .22 cal rimfire silhouettes, I have to use golf balls for practice targets because the range where I shoot keeps the official targets locked up. They only put them out at designated times. I figure if I can hit a golf ball from 44 yds. an official target will be easy. :wink:

Anyway, I'll go to the range on a Sunday afternoon to practice and there will invariably be some guy already there shooting some big high powered rifle. Magnum loads, of course! When I walk up with my little old .22 he'll sort of look up and sneer. That's when I know it will take ten minutes for him to hold up and let me go set up targets.

So, while he's over there trying to hit a target the size of a sheet of newspaper, I reach into my range bag and pull out 2 or 3 golf balls. I whip them out as far as I can throw them and start shooting from offhand position. Within a minute, I've sent all three balls flying off into the weeds.

It's about this time when the guy comes over and asks, "What kind of gun ya' shootin' there, boy?"

I alway answer, "Oh, it's nothing but a little ol' 22... It's not very powerful but it'll shoot the flies off a cow's a$$."

He looks at it for about a minute then offers to hold up while I go set up my targets again.

Works every time! :grin:

BTW: Is there such a sport as flintlock silhouette shooting?

 

[Larry Pletcher]

BTW: Is there such a sport as flintlock silhouette shooting?

There are silhouette matches at the Nationals every spring and fall. I don't know if they are divided into flint and percussion.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[worker11811]

I'm practicing up for Ridgway, PA this summer. If they have BP silhouette I might take the flintlock along just for fun.

I'd have to check the rules though. There must be adjustments for muzzle loaders.

2 minutes to make 5 shots with a muzzle loader?! You'd have to be darned good! :wink: :wink:

 

[MikeChapin]

BTW: Is there such a sport as flintlock silhouette shooting?

Not flintlock exclusivly but there is a silhouette match. Our club shoots them occasionally. We shoot crows as 50 yards, prairie dogs at 100, buffalo at 150 yards, turkeys at 175 yards and bear at 200 yards. The target has to be knocked over. It usually takes at least a .54 to knock over a four foot bear made out of plate steel. I usually use a .58 flinter when we shoot silhouettes.

 

[rich pierce]

email me at [email protected] if you want to talk about flints