Still getting a clack...bang!

[Grumpa]

For me, it was Gary Cooper, and the movie "Unconquered". And while I've never had a swivel breech flintlock, I had a friend who had a few originals pass through his hands, and made a fine copy for himself!

Richard/Grumpa

 

[Grumpa]

My first shot with a flintlock (borrowed) was at a deer! (I know...but it was that, or stay home.) 1975. I knelt down, steadied the sights on the deer, pressed the trigger..."Clack! Whooosh!!…." ? " After a CONSIDERABLE time holding the sight picture while the deer juked, and stared wild-eyed while her ears rotated around trying to locate me, I said to myself: "What the He!!?"

,and my muscles relaxed.
"BOOM!" The ball plowed the snow underneath and just behind her. No hair, no blood, clean miss.

I could literally have leaned the rifle against the tree, drew my pistol, and fired at the deer, before that rifle went off. (It was some unmemorable repro.)
I saw lots of deer that day, didn't get another shot, but was hooked forever on flintlocks. I bought a better rifle, a .58 Zoli Harpers Ferry, that went off most of the time, unless there was a deer in front of it. My expectations were low. I later acquired a custom made .54 Harpers Ferry built by a friend. It works.

Getting that rifle, and finding this Forum, were the best things ever for my flintlocking.

Richard/Grumpa​

 

[Grenadier1758]

Not all of the Daniel Boone photos have the blatantly obvious trapdoor flint lock.

 

[Col. Batguano]

How much did it sell for?

 

[45man]

I love flint locks and mine fire as fast as any gun. Tuning them is not easy and weather will mess you up. The angle of the dangle of the flint has to be correct. The charge should go off at first contact to the frizzen. Do not over fill the pan.
I remember long ago when hunting PA, 2 guys came from Michigan and their Italian flinters would not fire. I seen the frizzens were dead soft. They drove all that way for nothing.

 

[Mark Herman]

A very elemental thing that has not been said, or I overlooked it, is that the priming powder should not cover the touch hole it should be brought up to the bottom of the touch hole only. Covering the touch hole could give a slightly delayed discharge as the priming has to burn through to reach the touch hole and primary charge. To much in this case is not good.
Mark

 

[Kansas Kid]

You guys should watch the videos is all I’m gonna say.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Shot my GPR today. Had enough powder with me for 8 shots. All were clack bangs but that is normal for this gun. The lock on this gun is not as quick as my Silers but it's still a fairly quick lock. If you concentrate on the clack you will hear it if you don't you won't notice.

 

[beyu]

I hate to say it...but it looks like Ol' Dan's flintlock is missing its frizzen in the first picture. And...looks like his pants have a zippered fly?

I'm really disappointed, back in the day I thought the tv show was authentic.

 

[Sidney Smith]

The frizzen is there. Turn the photo sideways. The fly, you're on your own.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

That ain't Dan'l Boone! That there's Davy Crockett!

 

[XVIIc Wheelock]

And also 2 distinctly different rifles.....!

 

[SDSmlf]

And also 2 distinctly different rifles.....!

It’s Hollywood. You can bet there were multiple prop guns. One for closeups, one for running with, one for shooting, etc. Whatever they used, appears to have fooled most.

 

[Sidney Smith]

My favorite was Swiss Family Robinson. Flintlocks with missimg or non moving frizzen, hammers dropping on caps with a frizzen in place. I guess the producers figured no one would notice.

Even modern movies are subject to this. Take The Revenent. The scene where Leonardo's character is attacked by the bear. Frizzen is open he's holding the gun almost sideways. You know that the priming powder has fallen out, yet he shoots and kills the bear. Miraculously the gun has fired

 

[Zonie]

IMO, TV shows are meant for entertaining, not for portraying actual cloths and guns.
Folks who watch them are supposed to be following the story. Not looking at the chickens in the background saying to themselves, "That breed of chicken wasn't even around during those times."

If the gun fits the time period, that's good enough even if it isn't a real good recreation of a HC/PC gun.

If the story is bad enough that looking for poor props is the best it can offer, I recommend walking out of the theater or changing the channel.

Who knows? Maybe by changing the channel, you will find out that the aliens that created the pyramids also told the Mayan's how to build theirs or even more exciting, maybe your related to them ?

 

[Tom A Hawk]

My favorite was Swiss Family Robinson. Flintlocks with missimg or non moving frizzen, hammers dropping on caps with a frizzen in place. I guess the producers figured no one would notice.

Even modern movies are subject to this. Take The Revenent. The scene where Leonardo's character is attacked by the bear. Frizzen is open he's holding the gun almost sideways. You know that the priming powder has fallen out, yet he shoots and kills the bear. Miraculously the gun has fired

Ah...the magic of Hollywood. There is a scene in Last of The Mohicans where they are hiking through the glade prior to attack and Russell Means reaches down and closes his open frizzen for no apparent reason and without priming. As if he suddenly realized it was open.

 

[SDSmlf]

Ah...the magic of Hollywood. There is a scene in Last of The Mohicans where they are hiking through the glade prior to attack and Russell Means reaches down and closes his open frizzen for no apparent reason and without priming. As if he suddenly realized it was open.

Activated the auto prime...

 

[Grenadier1758]

I am sorry I started us down the rabbit hole and we really need to get back to realizing that there is a delay between the pan igniting and the charge firing that is longer in a flintlock than a cap lock. The OP needs to work with a flintlock mentor to try to get the best performance from his lock. I don't think I can do it from my keyboard. I might not be able to improve his performance is I am standing on the range with him. I do think he has tried his best.

Looking at SDSmif's avatar, he captured the clack-bang in one frame of his camera. Some flintlocks are fast and some have delays. Therefore we have to concentrate on follow through with sights on the target alignment.

 

[Col. Batguano]

If you say the word; "ta-daaa" really fast, the time delay between the "t" and the "d" is about as fast as a fast flintlock.

 

[Sparkitoff]

Some minor update - L&R wrote to me and said in their experience with their locks they get "somewhat more sparks" with leather and bevel up (than with lead or bevel down).