My first "REAL" flintlock

[54JNoll]

Thought you all might enjoy looking at this flintlock.

She has been reliably dated to have been built between 1790 and 1810 and she is still sound. At one time she was converted to percussion but she has been restored to her original glory. She sports a hooked break and a single wedge for easy cleaning, a tappered rod to maintain a slim forend, oct-rnd barrels 33.5 inches long, and weighs only 6.5 pounds. She is a 24 guage (.577).

 

[No Powder]

Nice!!

 

[Stumpkiller]

VERY nice!

 

[54JNoll]

Thanks. It has been fun to play with and my 4 year old likes to help me clean it. :thumbsup:

I hope no one thingks I am insinuating any flinter other than an original is not a true flinter. For we all know that would be a load of BS :bull:

Have a great day

 

Lovely- thankyou.

 

[peter]

Now thats bee-u-tiful!!! I wonder what her maker would say if he found out it was still being used 200 years later.

 

[sse]

Really nice to look at that thing. I have thought that it would be very nice to own a shootable original, so that's one of my goals.

I would also like to own a B/P shotgun made by Daryl's brother!!!

Regards, and good shooting!! sse

 

[54JNoll]

Yeah now that you mention it I wonder just how long he thought she would be in service.

Would be nice to someday find out who the actual maker was. Only markings on the gun are an "X" on each barrel and an "HL" on one of the barrels.

One other neat feature is that on the tip of the small end is fitted with a threaded metal tip and a screw on worm which is present. Invert the worm and screw it onto the tip and it sotres on the rod. Turn it arround and screw it on and add some Tow and comence to cleaning.

 

I have the same type of worm - an original I came across somewhere. It's a nice addition to the 'bag' or to leave on the rod instead of a jag or thread plug.

 

[Dave K]

54JNoll, my golly if I wasn't looking at my shotgun on the wall in front of me, I would have thought you stole my gun! From the pictures, your is JUST like mine except, mine has a steel butt plate, but it is the same shaped butt plate as yours.All of my furniture is iron. My gun is a 20ga. It was made as a flinter, converted to perc. and I had it changed back to flint. Using the original locks. I shoot my pretty often and break clay birds with it. I will be using it on doves in about a month. I see on your right barrel the intials HC. Mine has those also, but they are on the bottom side left barrel, along with some other marks. Another change I just noticed was the standing breech. Mine has a sort of sighting addition. Looks something like a "U" shaped sight that is almost 1/4" across the top of the "U". There are no screws holding the front of the lock. There is instead little "hooks?" that hook into slots in the wood under that front portion of the lock.

 

[capnwilliam]

Very pretty; and proves that double-barrelled flint pieces ARE PC!

Capt. William

 

[Wes/Tex]

Those double flinters are really something. The more you look at the construction techniques the more you go, "Wow!". Now all we have to do is find a double 10 flinter for geese!!!!!!

 

Now THAT would be wide thorugh the locks panels.(even though they pretty much all had recessed breeches) - had to to keep them inside 6" - HA!(slight expaggeration so don't be too concerned)

 

[Stumpkiller]

Very pretty; and proves that double-barrelled flint pieces ARE PC!

Capt. William

Yeah, but where and in whose hands? The kris knives were popular in the Phillipines then, too. Don't see many in Revolutionary War era digs.

 

During the early 1800's, there were some doubles on the frontier, West of New Orleans, but rifles dominated. After about 1818, they became much more popular to the point, by the time the cap lock became popular,(1840's or so) the double gun became the preferred Western 'gun' for all-round use. Even the Militay started issuing them to forts & some military commanders carried them as personal favourites.
How popular they were in the East, I don't know, but presume there as well.

 

[Wes/Tex]

A double 10 flinter would be a bit wide but that was why they were built so that the locks tapered in toward the rear. If it weren't for that, double flinters would be huge across at the triggers. Some even had the hooks on the front of the trigger plates to lock them in place as well. Some of the modern makers are really well versed in making double flinters. Wish TOW still had their sold guns on display. They had a couple doubles that were really nice to look at, even if I couldn't afford them!

 

The lock plates of the flinter my bro made, taper a great deal towards the rear and the gun is barely wider than a normal gun of large calibre at that place. The sides of the breeches, being recessed, makes this tapering possible. There also had to be a slash cut in the sides of the barrels for the frizzen's corner to allow full swing as it would it the barrel if not grooved. This slash or goove didn't impinge on the strength of the barrels in the slightest as they are fairly heavy at that locaton.

 

[54JNoll]

Dave,

Wow, Real cool.

Those initials appear on both barrels on my gun.

Your lock "hooks" sound interesting.

 

[robinghewitt]

Hi 54JNoll

I like your gun. Octagon to round double with wedding bands :shocking: any chance we could have a picture showing the finial in front of the trigger bow? I always look there for clues ::

The front stub trigger looks English but the engraving is all American. Any identifying marks?

What does the front lock pin actually screw into? There isn't usually much room behind which is why they tend to use a hook.

I'm a real sucker for flint doubles, I just put a $900 holding deposit on another one. Now I have to try and pay the rest without wifelet noticing and asking awkward questions. Over the years she has got to know all the dealers names so the credit card is out, I shall have to raise some cash.

best regards

Robin G Hewitt

 

I also find it interested the breeches don't appear to be recessed and thus the locks are parallel. If the bores weren't so small, they would be cumbersome at the rear of the plates for width. Wit the small bores, this doesn't seem to be a problem.