Muzzle loading percussion or flint

[tenngun]

Well I smoke a pipe, not cigars not cigarettes and I don’t chew. Pipes have to be fiddled with. I built my house as a post and beam, not as easy as 2x6 and nails for sure. And I build plank on frame ship models, not as easy as plastic or carved block. I Have a kindle and read it a lot but I still enjoy dark beer and a good book in my hands.
Flinters just require care to get them to work. Caps some but not as much and in some cases more.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Henry Leman was building contract flint/percussion, smooth/rifled, full and halfstock into the 1860s. Rimfire had already been invented, and centerfire 50-70s would come along in the later 1860s.

Part of that I think too is due to the age of the buying population, and the tendency of that same population to embrace new ideas...,coupled with the cost of acquiring that new idea... the same holds true today. One sees droves of teens and 20-somethings lined up to buy the latest upgrade of this or that, even though what they own is probably less than two years old. YET I see ads for older folks using much much older, simpler, and cheaper versions of the same tech.

I forget where I read the account of the young man showing off his new Winchester '73 in .44-40 to his father and his uncle who used caplock muzzleloaders. They went out bear hunting and after several (expensive) shots fired from the '73 into the tree'd bear, the Uncle brought the bear down with a single shot from his muzzle loading caplock. The two elder hunters were not impressed..., much to the chagrin of the modern rifle owning youngster.

I will say this about flinters, I've said it in the past...., bragging rights tend to be much higher when you bag a deer than when you use a caplock, and muzzleloaders in general are much higher than modern firearms when it comes to bragging rights. :idunno:

LD

 

[burlesontom]

Hey Dave I think the story you are referring to is one told by Ned Roberts in the book of his on the Caplock Rifle. I just read that (again) a few nights ago. And yes his new Winchester was a disappointment and an eye opener for him.

I have only shot one FL and had to make my own flint for it and needless to say it only worked about half the time. But when it worked I thought it was pretty neat. All my BP guns are cap locks.