New to flintlocks

[WMR]

Went to the range today first time with my 20 ga Pedersoli flintlock musket. Numerous misfires. Changed position and angle of the flint and that improved
ignition some. Also tried varying the amount of 3f in pan. Suggestions ??

 

[kurts]

if it's a new gun did you get all the shipping grease out of the breach plug and are you using real blk for the main charge?

 

[satwel]

When you say misfire, do you mean the pan did not ignite due to insufficient sparks? If the pan ignites does the main charge in the barrel go off?

Is your flint long enough to almost touch the frizzen when the lock is at half ****?

Is the flint wrapped in a piece of leather or lead? Many shooters say they see no difference in performance between the two, but having tested both, I find a leather wrap provides more consistent sparks and longer flint life.

 

[larryp]

Take a 1/16" drill bit and a hand drill and open up the vent hole. That'll make it more reliable plus speed up ignition time to where it equals a caplock.

 

[nwtradegun]

are you using a vent pick before you fire it everytime

 

[Nessmuck56]

Try some FFFF.....and like noted above....after loading ,I always push my vent pick into the touchhole ...prime the pan,and then tip the gun to the left to get a few grains of that pan powder into that hole I made with the pick...then I push the pick in ,one more time ...wipe the edge of the rock with a dry clean patch ...run my thumb up the frizzen...close and shoot. It's like watching Nomar Garciaparra at bat !!!!!!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Which pedersoli?

 

[spudnut]

20 gauge so Im guessing the northwest trade gun style.
need a little more info ,is the flint wrapped in leather? right size? pointing into the pan? getting good spark?
that big lock should throw a good ammount of spark so that 2F should go off in the pan.

 

[Britsmoothy]

If so it is a troublesome lock! A copy of the Lott that has in my opinion poor geometry. I had to do several mods to get reliable ignition and decent flint life.
If this gent is getting good pan flashes then great. If the main charge is failing open the vent up as suggested earlier. Pedersoli make them tooo small!
Mine like 3f across the board!
Polish the pan too, wipes clean easier and attracts less damp.
B.

 

[WMR]

All good questions and suggestions. Using 3f real black in main charge and primer. Flint in leather.
Repositioned flint as suggested above. That helped put spark better in pan. Use pick every shot before and after loading. Think I'll try enlarging the vent. Thanks for the help. Will report after next range session.
W :thumbsup:

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Try flint bevel down and bevel up, watch the sparks, they should go into the pan. The flint should almost reach the frizzen at half-****. Usually it is a bit short.

The flint should be the width of the frizzen and the pan should flash every time with a new flint. A flint should last 25 to 35 shots or more.

If the pan flashes and the main charge does not ignite then use the ram rod to see how close the touch hole is to the breach plug face. A .062" hole is a good start.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Forgot to say that 3/4" flints seem the best size in my pedersoli trade gun.

 

[WMR]

The Sparks were not going into pan. Frizzen left up a little and it fires consistently. Has anyone bent **** so it points down more ? How would you do it ?
Also it's blowing patches. Would a wad over powder help this ?
20 ga. Smoothbore, .600 ball, ticking patch, 60 3f powder.
Any ideas appreciated.
Wes

 

[Brokennock]

I usually use a thin cardboard "wad" (sold as "overshot cards") between patched ball and powder, or wadded ball and powder.

I plug my flash hole while loading and it seems the only time I have failures to fire is when I forget to do so. When at the range I often prime with 4f and it doesn't seem to matter if I use a little too much, but, when I prime with the 3f I use for my main charge less is definitely better, too much 3f prime seems to lead to slower ignition of the main charge and sometimes failure to fire.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Take a 1/16" drill bit and a hand drill and open up the vent hole. That'll make it more reliable plus speed up ignition time to where it equals a caplock.

That advice might be premature. We do not know if he is getting good sparks or what other factors are causing his problem.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The Sparks were not going into pan. Frizzen left up a little and it fires consistently. Has anyone bent **** so it points down more ? How would you do it ?
Also it's blowing patches. Would a wad over powder help this ?
20 ga. Smoothbore, .600 ball, ticking patch, 60 3f powder.
Any ideas appreciated.
Wes

The first step is to get a short length of leather lacing and place it under the back edge of the flint as part of the leather wrap. This will lower the striking edge of the flint in more of a scraping position. I do this a lot.

If the patch is getting burned, an over powder wad will help. You could also use a smaller ball and thicker patch.

If the patch is cut, then the only choice is to get some wet or dry sandpaper and use your thumb to smooth the sharp edges of the lands at the crown.

The **** can be bent, but try using the piece of leather lacing first.

I hope you can get your gun shooting.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

+1 for the placing a piece of leather or about a standard matchstick stem piece of lead at the backside, underside, of the flint, where it meets the jaw screw to change the angle just a tiny bit. It works AND does not risk snapping the **** on the lock which can happen with bending if not done by heating the part or the part can become brittle if improperly cooled after heating and bending. :shocked2:

LD

 

[WMR]

Put the piece of thong under the rear of flint. Plugged the vent and charged the pan. Consistent flash in pan over several tries. Have also reamed the vent to 1/16. Now need a trip to the range to see if I get consistent main charge ignition.
Thanks for the help ! Think you all have got me to be a rock lock lover !