New Flintlock Hunter Here

[Crewdawg445]

I agree with you on the touch hole position, he won't get that with the current lock unfortunately. He definitely will have to inlet the mortise for the new lock, which will give him the opportunity to make that alignment better. I had a bear of a time with my GPR getting the pan and hole lined up, couldn't get it exactly were I wanted it and would call it less than ideal. Yet after installing the new lock and RMC vent liner, it's faster at ignition than almost every inline or percussion rifle I've shot with at the local range. Unfortunately with flinters, you get what you pay for. To me, the love of the hobby is what counts, bought that traditions rifle for cheap, I mean under a $100.00! Turned around and put a $150.00 lock into it. Some people like my dad, call that crazy! However, I've got a unique rifle that's extremely accurate and 100% reliable that I put time and effort into. I want to see you a happy and successful smokepole lover!

 

[Briarhunter]

Thank you for the information again. Rather then bend the cock back what about a longer sharper flint to start with?

 

[Crewdawg445]

You can definitely go that route, try fiddling with it's position in the jaws wrapped in a leather pad. Some people will say lead because it's obviously more dense than leather and the little extra weight can help with things. I've used both and have settled with leather exclusively, cheap and easy to reproduce.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I can’t help noticing all the empty cartridges lying on the ground in that picture. You should pick them up, if you’re not a reloader and sell them for scrap. Brass is worth a couple of dollars a pound and will pay for your shooting supplies. So you can shoot for free. :thumbsup:

 

[Larry Pletcher]

If you feel that the flint is hitting the frizzen too directly, you might try changing the striking angle by an extra piece of leather on the back of the bottom jar. It might alter the striking angle enough to produce more sparks. That might tell you if bending the cock will help without actually doing serious changes. I would advise against any serious alterations unless you are experienced.

It would be a help to see the lock dry-fired in the dark. You will get a much better idea of spark production in the dark. If you can count sparks, you aren't getting enough.

At the link below you can see a very well tuned lock igniting the pan and farther down the page two shots of the lock dry-fired.

Link

This may give you an idea of what to expect.

Below is a link to locks videoed in slow motion. Sparks are hard to see, but the striking angle may help you.

Link 2

Regards,
Pletch

 

[Crewdawg445]

Gotta learn somewhere! :thumbsup: try replacing that flint and leather and see were that gets you. I agree with the above advice that some things warrant experience. Yet, these type of firearms are certainly not built like a match grade .308 shooting under 1 MOA at over 100+ yards. Don't be afraid to "fix things" per say. We all are here to help and learn together by sharing information and experience. If you still experience issues after installing a new flint and leather certainly try bending the cock as it most certainly will help with things until you decide on a future lock upgrade. Nice rifle by the way, wood looks beautiful!

 

[smo]

Bevel up or Bevel down? :stir: No seriously it appears to be down in the photo :idunno: Flip it over and try it ... :thumbsup:

 

[Briarhunter]

Not sure what a bevel relates to? Can you expand?

Touch hole has a slot for screwdriver and it is pointed at 11 and 5 o'clock because that is where it pointed when tightened.

Thanks.

 

[mooman76]

Is you flint cut square? No, it is cut at an angle or beveled. You can flip it over so the bevel hits in a different spot.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Not sure what a bevel relates to? Can you expand?

Touch hole has a slot for screwdriver and it is pointed at 11 and 5 o'clock because that is where it pointed when tightened.

Thanks.

This should help. http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2011/09/fitting-gun-flint-in-lock.html

 

[kingsax26]

I ahvent seen it mentioned so I will say> DUTCH SCHULTZ SHOOTING SYSTEM. it is by far the best reading youll ever get. Its only 20.00 $$ to buy but your getting a lifetimes worth of knowledge and instruction. Ive turned everysingle one of my rifles into great shooters. my best rifle can shoot a 2 inch group at 100 yards....ive only been into BP shooting for a year myse;lf and I am still learning. As for the reliability, i think ebverything has already been covered by other posters.

 

[Dr5x]

Thank you Bryon,

My sales have stopped so I can assume that everybody who felt a need for improvement has been well taken care of.
I sold two since October 2nd.
So I will stay on the internet in case there might be some late arrivals.
I guess offering the free 54 page book was an error.

I miss working with folks with accuracy problems. It let me continue in the sport that my crappy vision has kept me from.

My advice to folks is to keep getting your eyes checked because the bad vision creeps up on you and suddenly you can't locate the target.

Dutch

 

[Billnpatti]

A properly knapped flint will have a bevel on the front and back of the flint. If you will refer to Colorado Clyde's posting and look at the third photo down, you will clearly see the bevel on the flint. The particular flint in that photo has the bevel in the down position which will cause it to strike the frizzen a bit higher. If you were to turn it over so that the bevel is in the up position, it will strike the frizzen just a bit lower. Different locks will seem to have a preference for which position the bevel is in to produce the best spark and have the flint to last the longest. The debate over whether a flint should be placed in the cock bevel up or bevel down has gone on for as long as there have been flintlocks. There is no one correct universal answer for all locks. You just have to do a bit of experimantation on each lock to see which position it prefers.

 

[Jaeger]

Hey Briar....
I noticed you said you use 2F for the main charge and 4F for primer. You might want to try 3F for BOTH charge and prime. I got a lot of misfires with my first (and only thus far) flinter when using 2F for a main charge. I switched to 3F and have had very few hangfires since.

 

[smo]

Not sure what a bevel relates to? Can you expand?

Touch hole has a slot for screwdriver and it is pointed at 11 and 5 o'clock because that is where it pointed when tightened.

Thanks.

Billnpatti pretty much covered sorry I didn't get back to you sooner But Bill explained it well :thumbsup:

 

[Alden]

I'm also looking at how deep the lock plate is inlet in the stock. The plate should be flush with the wood of the stock...

Actually, the lock's pan has to be flush up against the barrel-flat at the touchole first and foremost as it seems to be.

 

[Alden]

Hey Briar....
I noticed you said you use 2F for the main charge and 4F for primer. You might want to try 3F for BOTH charge and prime...

Or not...

...as what you've done already is definitely best.

:wink:

 

[michael paul]

I go with Jaeger on the powder deal. I'v not had many issues with fffg - real black powder - in the barrel and the pan.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I'm also looking at how deep the lock plate is inlet in the stock. The plate should be flush with the wood of the stock...

Actually, the lock's pan has to be flush up against the barrel-flat at the touchole first and foremost as it seems to be.

There's a lot going on between the lock plate, the stock and the barrel. It seems that the lock plate is properly set to the barrel. Seeing the top of the plate set in from the stock may mean that clearance for the moving parts may slow the main spring or the tumbler rotation. Slow movement can result in few sparks and poor ignition. This is likely a kit gun and the internal lock inlet need to be checked to see if there is any rubbing.

Does the lock spark the same way when removed from the stock? Is the flint adjusted so there's about 1/16" clearance between the flint and the frizen at half clock?

Still lots of questions for all of us.

 

[Alden]

Agreed but different issue -- look for "rubbed" wood inside once the lock is removed and clear it (presuming the lockplate mortise is correct).