To Flintlock or not to Flintlock . . .

[The Baron]

I got my first flintlock (and only flintlock) in May 2005. I had used a couple of percussion guns and was ready to make the plunge to a really fun gun. :winking: I wasn't sure how tough it would be to be reliable with a flinter, but after only a few shots at the range I was hooked. I've now taken 2 nice Tom turkeys with 2 shots, and 4 geese with 6 shots. I have every confidence with that gun when I shoulder it, and I would still class myself as an amateur, because I don't shoot nearly as much as I would like to. So, what I am trying to say is they are not that hard to shoot. But it's fun to let your friends think they are - makes you seem like a hero to hunt sucessfully with one. :rotf:

Don't be intimidated. Get the flintlock. :thumbsup:

 

[MikeFromON]

Kenauk is about a four hour drive east of where I live. I am about 30 miles south of the Ottawa River, and about 100 miles west of the city of Ottawa. I am sure you will find plenty of deer where you are going. The entire region on both sides of the river, all the way west to Algonquin Park and beyond, has been running thick with them for the last couple of years. There are so many deer it is actually becoming a real problem on the roads and with farmers crops. Please shoot as many as they will let you. I am still getting comfortable with firearms in general so I probably won't be hunting till next season. For now, I will content myself with taking the occasional bird :grin: .

 

[Parzifal]

Hi I also live in Ontario, I have 3 flinters...
If you want to try one out ......Or just handle one..

Cheers....

 

[Stumpkiller]

Everyone keeps talking about the "Flash" ??

What flash ? :hmm:

Forget about the lock, concentrate on the Sights & target & that is all you will see........ :thumbsup:

Ya know. I don't recall the last time I noticed the flash. :hmm:

I remember once I shot my Bess with a low hanging long brim and happened to catch the "Poof" of the smoke in the eyeballs. That was startling. But then, I used to prime that baby pretty stiff. :haha:

A friend from PA takes his GPR in flint to Canada about every other year for Caribou. He has enough trust in it to sink that much into licenses and transport.

We'll do everything we can here to get you tracking straight and true. First order of business: get a bag of Tom Fuller black English flints.

 

[fw707]

I'm breaking in a new flinter now, and I can tell you my experience so far.
I've fired 48 shots and the pan has fired FAST every time. I had a flash in the pan after the first 18 shots because I hadn't picked the vent even once through those 18 shots and I got some fouling build up. I'm still on the first flint, and it's still sharp enough to cut you.
That's the good news. The bad news is the first flinter I owned was a very nice built-from-scratch rifle that for some reason the guy put a cheap lock on. It drove me up a wall so bad I converted it to cap and eventually sold it cause I got in a tight spot and needed the money.
I built a caplock GPR from a kit a few months ago, and if I had it to do over I woulda built a flinter.
My next ML is gonna be a smoothbore .62 flinter with a jug choke for shotgunning only.
I don't think I'll ever have another caplock. :grin:

 

[bigbadben]

Okiedokie,

So me and the credit card just got busy and ordered the GPR flintlock. Now time to figure out the other stuff I need. Namely, what flints should I buy? I can't tell if this gun comes with one, but it sounds like I should get a few to have in my bag anyway. Anyone care to weigh in on what's the best one? I don't know jack about flintknapping, so it would be nice to at least start with some that come ready to go.

Also, what do you do for carrying powder in the field? As near as I can figure I should use 2f for the main charge and 4f for priming. Do guys usually just carry two powderhorns? Does anyone make a good small one that can be used just to carry the priming charge?

Then finally I need to get a good possibles bag for field use. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Rebel]

3/4" Tom Fuller black English flints, some .530 and .535 rd balls, patches, ball puller, patch puller, powder measurer, small brass priming flask, powder flask or powder horn, possibles bag, some Goex powder, (no subs or Elephant)and some time to go have fun shooting.

 

[MikeFromON]

Most people here (myself included) will recommend Tom Fuller's black English flints. I would not buy anything else. I bought 30 and I am still on the first one after probably 40 shots with it, and I have not knapped it yet, or even flipped it over. For priming, I got a little gizmo that is like a tiny flask with a spring-loaded tip on it (called a pan-primer?). When I push the tip against the priming pan, it dispenses 4 or 5 grains of powder.

BTW, I never notice the sparks, flash or puff when I shoot either. It is the people WATCHING you shoot that see all this stuff, and it makes you look gentlemanly, dangerous and esoteric, all at once. When you are loading your rifle for your ladyfriend, take your time and make sure she notices all the attention you are paying to the details. Every shot is different, and you are loading hers for her alone. Make sure your own powder charges are at least twice as heavy as the ones you load for her. She will notice the much louder bang and it will make her feel fragile and you will look like a real he-man. Forty grains for her and 80 or 90 for yourself seemed to work well. Teaching a woman to shoot a flinter ranks in the same touchy-feely zone as teaching her to shoot pool, where you either have your arms around her or are holding her hands nearly the entire time. A true gentleman will offer to cover a lady's ears with his hands while she takes her shot. DO NOT discuss accuracy AT ALL. The target you are aiming for is not the one nailed to a tree, and you will not hit the bullseye if you continually point out her shortcomings, or inadvertently highlight your own.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Ben,
Ya better let us know how it shoots when you get the rock lock GPR. If I may confess, when I bought my Lyman kit, I got the cap lock because I actually thought it was more reliable than a flint lock. :redface: If I had been on this forum before I purchased the GPR, I would have gone flint.

Scott

 

[bigbadben]

I'll have to show that last one to my wife. She'll definitely say something about how hot my shooting hobby makes her. Yeah, that's what she'll say alright!

Then she'll tell me to take out the garbage.

BTW -where do you guys order the Tom Fuller flints? I looked on line, but couldn't find anything. Does anyone mail order them?

Thanks,

Ben

 

[Le Grand]

Ben, Get your Tom Fuller flints from Track of the Wolf. Their website is[url] www.trackofthewolf.com[/url]. That's a very good place to do some shopping. Le Grand

 

[MikeFromON]

Another bonus to flinters - unlike percussion weapons, flintlock long-guns are not considered firearms under Canadian law, so you can bring your gun with you to Quebec without having to get any special permits or paperwork or anything:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4227/rc4227-e.html#P148_5028

http://www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca/info_for-renseignement/factsheets/powder_e.asp

Although we are not supposed to endorse any particular merchants on this site, I will tell you that you can get everything you need from either Track of the Wolf or Dixie Gun Works.

 

[bigbadben]

Hi Mike,

Yeah, I was talking about the difference between flintlocks and cap locks under Canadian law with my friend from Quebec. He said what you said, but also muttered something about good luck explaining that to the guards at the border. I guess he's had problems with folks not quite knowing the law.

Ben

 

[Old Ironsights]

Okiedokie,

So me and the credit card just got busy and ordered the GPR flintlock. Now time to figure out the other stuff I need. Namely, what flints should I buy? I can't tell if this gun comes with one, but it sounds like I should get a few to have in my bag anyway. Anyone care to weigh in on what's the best one? I don't know jack about flintknapping, so it would be nice to at least start with some that come ready to go.

Also, what do you do for carrying powder in the field? As near as I can figure I should use 2f for the main charge and 4f for priming. Do guys usually just carry two powderhorns? Does anyone make a good small one that can be used just to carry the priming charge?

Then finally I need to get a good possibles bag for field use. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ben

Assuming your GPR is a .50...

Why not just use 3Fg for both? Seems to work fine for most of us. Less prone to humidity problems too.

Your gun will like one flint over another. Get a few of each to find what works best. Mine HATES knapped Black English flints. Works OK with French and is 100% with cut agate. YMMV.

You wouldn't like my possibles bag. It's designed to irritate people who are more interested in being PC than in shooting. :haha:

 

[bigbadben]

Whew! What a night. I've been to Midsouth, Cabelas, Dixie gun works, the Possibles Shop and Track of the Wolf. If all goes well in about a week I should have the gun, all sorts of pieces and doodads, about fifty flints, and things I didn't even know existed until yesterday (strange things with names like "nipple picks").

As my hunting buddies like to say "A Ben and his money are easily parted."

I better go to bed. My credit card is overheating.

Ben

 

[Birddog6]

In addition to what was recommended, I suggest a Brass Range Rod with a T handle & bore guide, a extra cleaning Jag long type), a breech scraper & also a T/C patent breech breech scraper (or you can make one with a .36 cal breech scraper) 2 spare Lyman vent liners, a caliber size bronze bore brush, a short starter..

You can use 2F or 3F in the .54 cal, I used 3F in mine with good accuracy. Used 3F for deer hunting but I was not comfortable with the chamber pressure to shoot it all the time at the range. You can use 3F or 4F for the pan charge. If you decide to use 4F for the pan you can get a brass charger for the pan, normally there are 2 sizes & I suggeswt getting the largest of the two. The small ones clog easily & don't work nearly as well as the larger one. Also if you get 4F just get one can as one pound of 4F lasts forever......

For a vent pick you will find the small hand forged ones from TOW work well. Also you can make them with a piece of gem clip & a dowel or piece of horn as a handle. Or a small piece of SS wire works well & doesn't rust or corrode.

Were it me I would modify the vent right from the get-go, as I have never seen a GPR ignition be good without the vent modified. Have had several tell me theirs was good til they tried a modified vent liner in their rifle & then they found out what good really was. (That is why I suggested 2 spare liners) Wrap the vent liner in a piece of leather & clamp it in a vice, drill & cone the rear with a #2 centerdrill, then slightly cone the front of the liner about half of the screwdriver shot being removed. When ya put the vent liner in just barely snug it & I mean barely. Use a screwdriver that you grind to FIT the slot fully & perfectly & go have some fun at the range.

Best acccuracy I had with a GPR is with one I had with the Lyman Peep sights on it & it would shoot 1" to 1.5" groups at 100 yards. I was shooting 75 grains of 2F Goex, .015 Oxjoke patch, .535 Hornady RB, Lehigh Lube out of a 2 oz punp spray bottle holding it about 3" from the patch. Swabbing between shots, down & back one time with a T shirt patch on a modified jag & 3 squirts of Lehigh on the swabbing patch. (If it is humid out go with 2 squirts of the liquid lube)

Oh, you may as well start looking for a tackle boxes & get one for a range box. I use a large Plano one that has the lid that folds down from the side & has about 5 drawers in the front. The top opens like normal box & that is where I keep the balls, powder, starters & misc stuff. They have a shgooting/cleaning box at WalMart now & then * it is nice. Has a cradle rest that snaps into place on it & has allot of compartments.

Good Luck ! :thumbsup:

 

[MikeFromON]

\He said what you said, but also muttered something about good luck explaining that to the guards at the border.
Ben

I don't think the guards will give you a problem as long as you show them the gun and explain. They know the law. It's part of their job training. Take the flint out for transport purposes.

 

[Russianblood]

I thought I would get in on this too. I originally bought a GPR in caplock but after I got shooting my flint guns all the time, it started collecting dust. I went ahead and ordered a flint barrel and a flint lock from Lyman and converted it. It's not a perfect conversion like a T/C is but it worked. After I got the lock and barrel fitted, the next thing I did was to drill out the touch hole. I didn't go as detailed as Birddog6 explains but simply drilled out the touch hole to 5/64". It has instant ignition and it's no longer collecting dust.

 

[hawkeye1755]

So whadaya think? Am I just going to drive myself crazy with a flintlock?

YIP
Your are NOT CURABLE after your first shot with a flintlock.
:hatsoff:

 

[MikeC]

Wrap the vent liner in a piece of leather & clamp it in a vice, drill & cone the rear with a #2 center drill, then slightly cone the front of the liner about half of the screwdriver shot being removed. When ya put the vent liner in just barely snug it & I mean barely. Use a screwdriver that you grind to FIT the slot fully & perfectly & go have some fun at the range.

Question...Use a #2 machinest bit to drill out the liner hole..correct?

Then what do you use to cone the hole or am I missing something?

Mike