The Romance of Flintlocks

[Tumbledown]

What is it about flintlocks that draws us, captivates us? For me, it's a bit mystical.

Flintlocks are simple and pure. Iron barrels and mechanisms made from ores forged by fire and muscle, mounted on stocks made from trees nurtured by the ground that gave up the ores. Fueled by organic minerals and compounds, ignited by- of all things- a lowly rock, they send forth balls cast from an otherwise low value metal that is now worth more than its weight in gold as it defends one's life or provides it sustenance.

A flintlock is more than the sum of its parts. It is a living, breathing creation wrought by our hands from the same Earth that we sprang forth from.

 

[tenngun]

There is the historic part, early seventeenth to first third nineteenth century, over two centuries and half of Americas history
Than just the mechanism itself. Simple but perfect In design. Goes from effeminate and dainty to robust linebacker.
Learning curve but easy to master, yet always just a new wonder to be learned. Near fifty years and I’m still a newbie and an old master

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

I would love to hammer a skelp into a barrel..nor the inclination or time involved

 

[akroguy]

It is pure alchemy: Wood, iron, brass, lead and minerals from the earth, crafted by human hands into something amazingly beautiful to behold in both form and function.

Nothing else comes close.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The flint lock is the art of traditional muzzleloading. There is just something special about shooting a flintlock rifle. Shooting a caplock rifle is more of a celebration of the triumph of technology to bring reliability to traditional muzzleloading. When I shoot my flintlocks, I feel that I have more of myself into each and every shot.

 

[Rob M.]

What is it about flintlocks that draws us, captivates us? For me, it's a bit mystical.

Flintlocks are simple and pure. Iron barrels and mechanisms made from ores forged by fire and muscle, mounted on stocks made from trees nurtured by the ground that gave up the ores. Fueled by organic minerals and compounds, ignited by- of all things- a lowly rock, they send forth balls cast from an otherwise low value metal that is now worth more than its weight in gold as it defends one's life or provides it sustenance.

A flintlock is more than the sum of its parts. It is a living, breathing creation wrought by our hands from the same Earth that we sprang forth from.

Wow !! Well put bud ! Man....yer good ! and ....I certainly wholeheartedly agree .

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

If I could and have the inclination....I would forge something from the ground up. Lost are the knowledge from past times are lost. Speaking for me and me only...back then where would you find material,s to accomplish such a feat? Iron ore,s were the chief player back then. so they had those things acquired and implemented such things that we cannot grasp today? We have today modern Metals which was not even considered back then. We have such things now verses their metals lacking purity? And yet some of the arms of yesteryear are shoot able today? It,s not what they were missing it,s what we are missing in the lesson of such things...

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Each and every Citizen was a specialist in what they did. From shoemakers to metal workers..from timber specialists..to garment workers. One and apart but one of the whole. You did not need go far...


Hey I need a Rifle....well go call Joe schmoe...nope! from the very tacks down into their Shoes....they were all connected....

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

It,s another reason why I hold so much of the great from scratch builders on here in such high esteem.

 

[IanH]

I have the means but not the skill to attempt barrel making from a skelp. Even then I have neither to make on from scratch ore, and little ore here anyway.

However, last weekend I was working up groups from a flintlock musket that is stocked with a tree I grew up with and shot many a winter Robin out of for the table when I was a kid. The tree had died so I felled it and sawed out the stock. The powder was made from some long dead honeysuckle vine that grew behind my house, and the flint I chipped from native rock found up on the hill the other direction where a few native points of the same material have turned up. I thought that was pretty neat.

There is romance in flintlocks for many reasons, not the least of which is the well made ones are simply beautiful in both form and finish. One might even say they are beautiful in function. In our modern world much art and craftsmanship has been lost and we yearn for connections to the last when just about everything was made by artistic trademen. Just tonight I pulled the foil seal off of a fresh tube of toothpaste and thought how they've got a machine to put that on there now and another to screw on the cap at the factory. There's way to keep up with the demand of seven billion people without a lot of automation. A day in the woods with a hand made flintlock provides some respite from all of that.

 

[TRGRHAPY]

What is it about flintlocks that draws us, captivates us? For me, it's a bit mystical.

Flintlocks are simple and pure. Iron barrels and mechanisms made from ores forged by fire and muscle, mounted on stocks made from trees nurtured by the ground that gave up the ores. Fueled by organic minerals and compounds, ignited by- of all things- a lowly rock, they send forth balls cast from an otherwise low value metal that is now worth more than its weight in gold as it defends one's life or provides it sustenance.

A flintlock is more than the sum of its parts. It is a living, breathing creation wrought by our hands from the same Earth that we sprang forth from.

I'm finding myself more and more attracted to flintlocks especially since joining this forum! There's just some basic primal "down to earth" mystique about them! They're a beautiful marriage of all components combined to accomplish a task or feat! And let's not forget the "skill" of the shooter wielding such a "graceful piece" of design! I'm gettin' "drawn" into the fold I do believe! Lol!

 

[akroguy]

I'm finding myself more and more attracted to flintlocks especially since joining this forum! There's just some basic primal "down to earth" mystique about them! They're a beautiful marriage of all components combined to accomplish a task or feat! And let's not forget the "skill" of the shooter wielding such a "graceful piece" of design! I'm gettin' "drawn" into the fold I do believe! Lol!

Resistance....is futile! Just do it!

 

[hatman]

Some great words of wisdom and beauty above.
I'll add that I get a big kick out of the looks of astonishment I get at my range (pretty much only me and my buddy shoot flintlocks) and even more when they come over to admire it and then I get to ask, "Do you want to shoot it"? Those big eyes and smiles followed by "Hell yeah!" makes my day every time.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

When I was a young lad I heard JFK say something this I still quote today.

"We do not do it because it is easy, we do it because it is hard"

After shooting everything the world had to offer in the 70-90s in the Army.
I was out of challenges.
Flinters have a steep learning curve, once over the hill you wonder what took you so long to get there. My first flinter was a vertical learning curve.
Then I listened to folks on this forum and made my own.
Im on top of the world now.

 

[Hiverano]

Once you get over the "flinch" and start paying attention to the sights, the so called "flinch" is no longer an issue.

I was lucky not ever having that problem, some do and never stop jerking while others are fine.

Good luck with your experiences ...

 

[MtHoot]

What is it about flintlocks that draws us, captivates us? For me, it's a bit mystical.

Flintlocks are simple and pure. Iron barrels and mechanisms made from ores forged by fire and muscle, mounted on stocks made from trees nurtured by the ground that gave up the ores. Fueled by organic minerals and compounds, ignited by- of all things- a lowly rock, they send forth balls cast from an otherwise low value metal that is now worth more than its weight in gold as it defends one's life or provides it sustenance.

A flintlock is more than the sum of its parts. It is a living, breathing creation wrought by our hands from the same Earth that we sprang forth from.

 

[Sir Boniface Harrison]

As I seem to be developing into a collector, I think its time I got myself a flintlock. Looking with interest at the Springfield and Charleville repros

 

[sportster73hp]

You know you are hooked when you start selling cartridge guns for flint and got it bad when you sell TC and Lyman for customs .

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I like the sparks.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

I have got my T/C and Lyman up to the point where they are 99% fire rate. yes they are not Kiblers but they get the job done. And in the end thats what counts.