Percussion Guys: Flint Guys

[David Ratusnik]

Curious- I've been having a ball shooting my Jonathan Browning Mountain PERCUSSION 50 cal rifle. It's a first muzzleloading experience and addictive.

I find myself looking more and more at FLINT LOCK rifles as a possible next purchase and to expand my experience in muzzleloaders.

As a muzzleloading community, are percussion guys dedicated percussion guys and are flint lock guys dedicated flint lock guys? Do some guys shoot both varieties- percussion as well as flint? What
motivates those who shoot percussion and those who shoot flints?

Just curious. Thanks David

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I shoot only cap locks. I have friends that shoot both types, as well as only cap locks, and only flinters, so it runs the gamut! It really doesn't matter to me as long as you have fun doing it :thumbsup: .

One thing though that most of us here on the forum tend to agree upon: Flinters don't work too well with subs, so since you're a new shooter I'll remind you to only use real black powder in a flinter so that it goes BANG when you snap the trigger :thumbsup: .

Have fun and enjoy the hobby. Welcome to the "Dark Side" :haha: :rotf: :grin:

Dave

 

[David Ratusnik]

Dave- Thanks -- David

 

[jethro224]

I shoot both and love 'em both. If you forced me to choose one or the other I'd go with flint.

 

[tiger955]

I enjoy shooting both. If I had to choose my favorite it would probably be flint... or percussion.... or, what day is it?

 

[bingo1952]

I shoot and enjoy both types.

 

[mykeal]

I shoot bo'fum.

Yep, like Smokin' said, there's all types. Fun bunch, really.

 

[marwat06]

What motivates those who shoot percussion and those who shoot flints?

Just curious. Thanks David

I started with Caps because that was what was available at the local big chain store. Would love to get a flinter someday when the funds allow.

 

[bwhoffman]

I have both, tend to shoot the cappers more by a long shot, but thats just me. My rock lock is a custom built .62 trade gun built in the true sence of an early TG. Being an accuracy guy, my .40 gm tc is the nuts for me.
I feel that sizing up those I shoot with, the dividing line is more of a "purest" form with the flint shooters. While I tend to score better than most, the rock lockers have more"sand" and more of the traditional skills and expectations while I tend to be a few decades ahead design wise.
Their mind set with the gun is definetly more determined out of nessecity! my hat is off to each and every one of them.

 

[Trench]

It probably depends on what you start with. I started with a flinter and I've never owned a percussion gun. I'll probably stick with a flinter because that's what interests me the most....until I become interested in percussion and then I'll shoot both. :grin:

 

[410-er]

Both here too. :v

 

[Mike Brooks]

I shot only flint for 25 years. in the past five years I shoot percussion revolvers and black powder cartridge rifles....still find smokeless stuff boring. :wink:

 

[Poor Private]

All my "guns" are either percushion or modern. I have a hankering lately to own a flinter. But it would be # 4 on my list of weapon purchases.
#1 Being a new safe(not enough room, since I have a remy.44 sitting on my comp table with mno place to store it and a few others).
#2 a Mississippi Rifle- I want a 2 bander for reenacting, and I love the style an look.
#3 a Lightening rifle in .45 colt.
#4 a Flinter of some kind.
#5 any weapon that speaks to me *buy me, buy me, you know I am the one you are looking for*.

 

[MSW]

well, i'm a confirmed rock banger, and i think flinters are way cool, bordering upon the 'wicked cool' range available only in the penultimate heights of coolness.

that's free advice, and no doubt worth every penny- just one guy's opinion.

seriously- there is something just plain magic about flint, and i still get a thrill out of the thing going bang after all these years and all these shots; again, just one guy's opinion.

now, if you really want to be bittenby the bug, build one for yourself.

(there, that'll turn the poor fellow to the dark side).

make good smoke!

 

[Coot]

I started with Civil War percussion guns & still have a couple that I infrequently shoot. Shooting today is mostly flint (fowler, rifle & pistol) and .22 target. I find that each type of gun has it's followers with plenty of overlap in user groups.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have, and do shoot both. However, you should be warned that people who try shooting flintlocks, and have success doing so, get " bitten" by the "ROCK LOCK BUG", and, as we are fond of saying, move to the " Dark Side " of MLer shooting. :blah: :shocked2: :rotf: :grin:

There is something intangible, but none-the-less there, about shooting a flintlock reliably and accurately that just makes shooting BLACK POWDER seem more FUN!

Right now, I have two flintlocks, and another under construction. I have one Percussion DB shotgun, and a Percussion rifle in pieces waiting to be built. While I enjoy shooting my shotgun, I have to admit I have been bitten by the bug, and I dearly enjoy shooting flintlocks.

With both guns standing side by side, I am more likely to grab the flintlock to take out shooting, than my percussion gun. Sometimes, I purposely take the percussion guns out to shoot, so I don't begin feeling guilty about having them, and not shooting them. :wink:

 

[GreyWhiskers]

My rifles, pistols and shotgun are all cappers. I have a flinter kit still in the box waiting for the right time to start on it. Looking foward to the added challenges of shoot a flintlock. :thumbsup: GW

 

[rabjr]

Started out with and used percussion guns for a long time. Started using flintlocks in 2004 and prefer them now. Sold off all my percussion guns except for one and that only gets used when it's borrowed lately.

 

[MikeChapin]

I shoot and enjoy both with edge going to the flinters. I do know people in both camps. Some will not even try a flinter and others that think percussion guns are the devils plot.

I just do what I find fun. I have two percussion rifles I shoot a lot and five flinters I shoot more. I shoot a lot of competition and some matches require either a flinter or they require a percussion. If I was dedicated to just one ignition system I would miss the fun of shooting in the other matches.

 

[SimonG]

The road you are on is a good one, the key to being happy with your muzzleloaders is buy more and never trade or sell any ...ever.

I follow my own advice and have caplocks, flinters, underhammers, and even (the bad word we can't say here) models.

from 32 cal to 72 and many in between, I prefer flinters to anything.
but its a Ford/Chevy, Blonde/ Redhead arguement, its all in personal taste.

what you NEED now is a flintlock smoothbore, now THAT is the Swiss Army Knife of all guns.

you can't do it with a flintlock 62 cal smoothie, then it probably ain't worth doing.