question for yall flinters

[robert bw]

im a cap n ball shooter,that bein said,how in the name of the great horned spoon do yall hold still while the priming powder goes off pretty much in your face?then ,while this is goin on you gotta hold the sights still.i got a lota respect for anyone that can use one of these accurately :hatsoff: guess ill just have to get one and see for myself huhh? :hmm:

 

[Twisted_1in66]

It's really not hard at all swamp chicken. You just focus on the target in your sites and squeeze the trigger until it surprises you by firing. I never even notice it.

It's actually much worse to be standing next to someone (within about 3-ft) who is firing a flintlock if they don't have a flash guard. The burning powder coming out the side of the lock will light you up. Burning granules of powder will typically hit you in the left cheek and that's no fun because they keep on burning!

Twisted_1in66 :thumbsup:
Dan

PS I use a flashguard.

 

[Treestalker]

The Zen master contemplates a spider on a web; then he contemplates being the spider on the web; Then he meditates until he is a speck on the web looking up at the spider. Then he pulls the trigger. Aim small, miss small.

 

[Don Steele]

AHHhhhh...grasshopper... :bow:
Let me see if I have this right.. :hmm:
Spider...Web...Speck...Contemplate...
Oh manure...I'm off the target. :shake:
D'OH...
OK...start over.
Sounds good though..I'll work on it. :grin:

 

[No Deer]

I dunno bout the t'others, but I just close my eyes so I don't see the flash :shocked2: :rotf:

Actually, after a while you don't even see it.

 

[Darkgael]

im a cap n ball shooter,that bein said,how in the name of the great horned spoon do yall hold still while the priming powder goes off pretty much in your face?then ,while this is goin on you gotta hold the sights still.i got a lota respect for anyone that can use one of these accurately guess ill just have to get one and see for myself huhh?

Ha!
The way that you describe it makes the ignition take a looong time. It is not that way at all. Properly loaded and primed, flintlock ignition is virtually instantaneous. There is no waiting around for the thing to go off and the ball to leave the barrel.
It is not "snap...fizzz....bang" but more "snfzbang".

 

[Keb]

im a cap n ball shooter,that bein said,how in the name of the great horned spoon do yall hold still while the priming powder goes off pretty much in your face?then ,while this is goin on you gotta hold the sights still.i got a lota respect for anyone that can use one of these accurately guess ill just have to get one and see for myself huhh?

Ha!
The way that you describe it makes the ignition take a looong time. It is not that way at all. Properly loaded and primed, flintlock ignition is virtually instantaneous. There is no waiting around for the thing to go off and the ball to leave the barrel.
It is not "snap...fizzz....bang" but more "snfzbang".

But keep on target just in case it does hang a little. Don't drop the gun after it goes bang to see if you hit the target either.

 

[Curt]

swamp chicken
Like Dan said watch the sites and target and you wont have time to see the flash unless your eyes are like the late and great Jack Elam( cowboy actor).Switchin to flint was easy for me (blind in left eye)I was just determined to learn it and I havent ever thought of swithin back to cap since.It just takes practice and patiences. Curt

 

[SgtErv]

The cure is to burn a lot of powder through the weapon lol.

It's the hardest part of flintlock shooting, and it takes some getting used to. It has taken me constant, conscious effort, and I still slip sometimes. I have at least gotten to the point where I can tell the difference between a good shot and a poor one. Knowing is half the battle

 

[timothy prouty]

Well swamp chicken I'm the same way from 1977 to 2014 I've been cap and ball person too but one of my friends how to Flintlock can you let me try it and I was hooked Line & Sinker now I made 36caliber rifle in flinter and a 54cal Flint we both have Siler locks and they are as fast as a cap but you just fill the pan half way and all my friends can't see any difference between cap in Flint

 

[uno676]

I just started flinting this year and honestly I didn't notice a difference between cap and flint. My niece was like holy c---! I must of had the pan to full but I didn't notice.

 

[coloradoclyde]

im a cap n ball shooter,that bein said,how in the name of the great horned spoon do yall hold still while the priming powder goes off pretty much in your face?then ,while this is goin on you gotta hold the sights still.

It is really quite easy and simple......
All you have to do is focus on the target.
If you are focused on the target you will never see the flash in the pan...you won't even know it's there.
If you are paying attention to the flash you are not focusing on the target and will miss.

 

[Ken Rummer]

An old trick mentioned on this forum a lot is to install a piece of wood to replace the flint and dryfire. This helped me get used to all the movement going on when you pull the trigger. It solves part of the problem of all the noisy distractions of flintlocking.

 

[MountainRanger]

Well, my flintlock is faster than greased lightening, and it goes off faster than a tick slipping off a doorknob coated with crisco!

Is there a flash? Dang... I never noticed.

:idunno:

Seriously, if you see one shot, you will want to shoot one... shoot one, and you end up owning a room full!

:grin:

 

[Pete G]

Seriously, if you see one shot, you will want to shoot one... shoot one, and you end up owning a room full!

:grin:

You been readin' my mail... :wink:

 

[MountainRanger]

:rotf:
You have entered the land of "I want one, I need one". Fasten yer seatbelt, it's gonna be one heck of a ride!

 

[ZUG]

Every one has their way of dealing with the flash of the pan :wink: . For ME I focus on my SIGHTS not the target - that is a blur for me. When the gun fires and I feel the recoil I stand like a statue for what seems like a minute but is probably 10 seconds or so :hmm: . Bottom line is if you are focusing hard on your sights you don't see the flash :thumbsup: .

 

[Flintlock]

When I first started, I had a old replica Charleville that was slow as molasses, After tuning it up, I started firing it with just a little powder in the pan, no charge in barrel. It seemed to help.

 

[hanshi]

Actually the flash isn't in your face; it's safely a bit farther than that. As has been mentioned previously if you are focusing on the sight - you want to hit the target, right - you won't even notice the flash. From day one some 50 years ago I never had a problem with it; I was always concentrating on the front sight. That's the cure.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Practice, practice, practice. Concentration on the target with follow-through. And glasses!