Does anyone plug the touchhole on their flintlock while loading? I've been shooting flinters for a number of years and have read of this, and how the old hunters used feathers to plug their touchholes while loading, but I have never tried it. At a recent match I saw someone doing this with very good results. Each time the rifle went off there was a distinctive klatch-boom. What are y'all's thoughts on this?
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
Loading a flintlock
- Thread starter Flint1
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
When I owned a Blue Ridge 32cal. I did that. I usually reached down and took a leaf stem and inserted it in the vent. Of course pulled it out once loaded.It sure speeded up that gun! Now with my guns having White Lightening vents, I don't need to bother. JMHO
Big John
45 Cal.
I like to feel the powder crunch in the vent hole, therefore I use the vent pick. A buddy uses a round toothpick with one end broken off inserted before he puts in the main charge.
Closing the frizzen on it works for me. If the air pushes the feather out, it is just enough for the air to escape around the edges and not enough to pop it out. The pick doesn't have those problems as it doesn't fit that tightly... mine is just a bit of brass wire and not wide enough to completely block the vent.
I'm not sure I see the point. If you want a gap between prime and main charge, it's easier to do that by putting your primer on the pan away from the touchole, and not using much. This should put a flash rather than a wick into the main charge and give instantaneous ignition.
Without the pick, the powder can fill the hole.
this burns something like a fuse effect.
I pick the hole to allow the flame to get directly to the charge without letting it burn through to ignite the main charge.
the effect is;
Click,,,, Fzzzzz,,,, BOOM,
As compared to Click,BOOM. Or sometimes just plain "BOOOOM!
This may not apply to all flinters,,,, but so far for me, it's been applicable to all in variouse degrees. (especially to my Bess! :shocked2: )
this burns something like a fuse effect.
I pick the hole to allow the flame to get directly to the charge without letting it burn through to ignite the main charge.
the effect is;
Click,,,, Fzzzzz,,,, BOOM,
As compared to Click,BOOM. Or sometimes just plain "BOOOOM!
This may not apply to all flinters,,,, but so far for me, it's been applicable to all in variouse degrees. (especially to my Bess! :shocked2: )
TXCELLENT1
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 34
- Reaction score
- 0
Hank, That's funny cuz when my ball goes down the barrel, my frizzen is already open. I think you meant that you set the hammer at half cock and insert your pick. No?
Ok I'm not the brightest penny in the jar but I've seen several people advocate putting the prime to the outside of the pan to get the flash effect rather than a fuse effect. Maybe I'm thinking with the mind set of hunting but I wouldn't think that it would be practical to have to worry if your prime had shifted in the pan, and make sure you carried a rifle always tilted to prevent a shift in prime.
I would think with a properly placed touch hole of the right size that you wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the prime shifted.
I'm not asking to contentious or yank anybodys chain I would just like to know more about it.
Can someone enlighten me?
Regards, Dave
I would think with a properly placed touch hole of the right size that you wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the prime shifted.
I'm not asking to contentious or yank anybodys chain I would just like to know more about it.
Can someone enlighten me?
Regards, Dave
In the initial post on this thread, it was stated the writer saw a shooter at a match load by plugging the touch hole, which gave good results. The gun went off with a "distinct klatch-boom". That doesn't sound like good results to me. It sounds like a hang-fire. If your flintlock has a sharp flint, a hard frizzen, and both have good geometry, the main charge should go off even before the cock stops its downward travel. The very first sparks from the flint striking the frizzen will have ignited the pan charge, which will have ignited the main charge. This should happen so quickly as to make the sound of the flint striking the frizzen unnoticable. If you are hearing two distinct noises, you have some work to do. My routine consists of wiping the flint, frizzen, and pan, with a strip of cloth that hangs from my shooting bag, then poking a pick into the touchhole to clear it. I do this for each and every shot and have probably less than an average of one mis-fire for every 200 rounds. If the gun fails to go off, it is because the flint has dulled.
I totally agree. I have never picked the touch hole before firing and I would put my rifle up against any other for speed. But if you think that it makes your gun faster, them by all means do it. shooting a flinter is a mind game to start with, so whatever makes you better, keep it up. but if someone smokes your tail in a match without all the cumbersome wives tales following him around you just might want to pay attention.
Johnny Tremain
Silversmith in training
I have to concur with Hack. Ive never done this, and never had a problem.
I just close the frizzen when I load, prime so the primer is settled in the bottom of the pan the entire length, hit the lock with my hand to level the priming charge, pick the touch hole to clear it, and fire. It's my routine and I've been at this for a long while.
