What Made You Choose Flintlock?

[azmntman]

:thumbsup:

 

[TerryK]

In Pennsylvania where I live and hunt, the post Christmas 3 week season for deer is Flintlock or bow only. So that is how we do it in PA.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Oh yes, certainly. To me the whole situation is best summed up by some of our own local history. The head of ordnance, he also being Sect. of War, for the Republic of Texas was George W. Hockley, one of those dyed and true 'flint & steel' and didn't mind telling anyone who'd listen. When Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar succeeded Sam Houston as president of the Republic, his head filled with visions of glory, it was announced the Republic would have regiments of infantry, dragoons with red-lined blue capes and a grand navy. All fine and good but there was no money for any of it! All Texas had was open land but you had to deal with the Comanches who lived there yourself!

What to do...what to do? Print more money thinks ole M.B. and order revolving revolvers and carbines from one Mr. Colt on credit and all the wonderful outfits that go with a grand army...then there's this navy thing too. When Hockley gets wind of it he immediately orders 1500 M.1816 muskets from Tryon, of which 860 were delivered and paid for; 640 are shipped to Tryon's agent in New Orleans and disappear from all records; 437 of the delivered batch are issued out by the Republic to Lamar's glorious army of several separated companies and 321 are issued to the Santa Fe Expedition...a less than glorious enterprise...now those crazy liberals can't waste the Republic's treasury on cap guns!!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Colt has delivered belt revolvers, standard revolving and ring lever revolving rifles which all go to the Republic's Navy mostly for issue to officers and the Texas marines...oh yes, there were! :wink: The navy beats the Mexican navy in the only case of all sail beating all steam; Sam Houston has a fit and disbands the navy and fires it's winning admiral; Colt's guns every place, including 50 to Jack Hays rangers (not capital R yet); Texas is basically broke and can't pay and Sam Colt gets the shaft and his Paterson Repeating Arms goes under! But ole 'flint & steel' George Washington Hockley kept those damned too fast shooting, cap losing percussion guns out of the army! :haha: Texas history is a hoot! Cast of crazy characters that would rival the Asutin white pages!! :rotf:

So what does it all mean to history? Colt etched his M.1851 Navy with a ship battle scene...Republic of Texas navy sticking it to the Mexican Navy....all other unfluted cylinders get what's called the "dragoon scene" but is actually Jack Hays and his rangers sticking it to a Comanche war party in the current Hill Country. The Walker was co-designed by Sam Walker, a former member of hays rangers and then an officer in the U.S. Mounted Rifles for which the revolver was designed and over 800 of them were issued out to a volunteer cavalry regiment, the First Mounted Volunteer Regiment of Texas...mostly ex-rangers commanded by Hays! Oh well...At least Sam Colt could forgive Texas and go on to make a pretty good marriage of interests! :wink:

 

[hanshi]

Disney's Davy Crockett was a big influence for me. But I was always a "minimalist" and not interested in "the bestest & latest". My first was a caplock back in the 60s followed a while later by a flintlock. I liked the old ways.

I own a couple of percussions but the rest are flint. I prefer flint. Caplocks are simple and easy to shoot; but a flinter requires you to get to know it. The satisfaction is greater (for me) using a flinter. Again, I like both but my passion is longrifles; and "longrifle" means flint.

 

[Old Timer 48]

The looks.
More shooter involvement.
The challenge.
To emulate history.

 

[simonbeans]

Easy choice. Those "P" guns will never catch on.

 

[Coot]

The looks.
More shooter involvement.
The challenge.
To emulate history.

I agree. :thumbsup:

 

[Micah Clark]

Once I shot one, and experienced the controlled explosion right in front of my face, it was like nothing I had ever shot before . . .I was hooked immediately.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I prefer caplocks and am more interested in the caplock period, especially the late caplock period, which I think is oft overlooked.

But flint sure are fun! Some flintsman can be a bit... snobby... towards us capsman, but it's just individual preference! Some think one is better/funner/cooler than t'other, and ain't no how anyone wrong.

 

[Gene L]

I agree that some FLers are a bit "over-enthusiastic" about their choice. And tend to be dismissive of cap lock shooters. Which I think is wrong; my first ML rifle was a cap lock gun back in 1970 or so, when FLs were a distant memory. How tastes change.

I've got more cap guns than FLs and enjoy shooting them both. My family's oral history is cap locks, post ACW and up till WW 1.

But I do love flinters, too. They're pretty and more challenging.

 

[coloradoclyde]

What made you choose a flintlock muzzle loader over a percussion cap rifle?

Shoot one....Question answered. :grin:


Actually I didn't choose one "instead"....I chose one because they are fun and challenging.....My personal best ever squirrel hunting was done with a flintlock...I shot 36 squirrels one season, with zero misses. with a flintlock. I has two "failure to fires" but was able to correct them and still get the squirrel. One shot was about 40 yards an a dead run......All with a flintlock.....If you have fun with a muzzleloader, you'll have even more fun with a flintlock.
They also look really cool. Nothing quite seems to embody the beauty and grace of a handsome rifle like a flintlock does.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Historic appeal, overall the flint era guns were architechturally more plesant to the eye, also the beauty of an original well carved and engraved flinter is hard to match, and in most scenarios a good flint shooter is equal to or a better shot than a good cap gun guy.

Most that truly give themselves over to flint never look back.

Good luck, it's a slippery slope indeed.

I only read your question, now i'm gonna read the rest of the thread.

 

[Cruzatte]

I blame the Foxfire books, Vol. V in particular. It had interviews with the likes of Hershel House, Bud Siler, and others.

 

[curator]

I bought my first flint lock at Friendship from Turner Kirkland because the wheel lock was out of my price range. OK, Fess Parker had something to do with it as well. At that time, I already had a .41 caliber half-stock percussion rifle.

 

[gferlitsch]

A flintlock is a little simpler to build and I never have to worry about running out of caps.

 

[Grumpa]

One of the first movies I ever saw, my Mother took me to "Unconquered" starring Gary Cooper, about Pontiac's War and Fort Pitt. The French and Indian War started here, and much of the brutal Indian warfare of the American War for Independence occurred here. All with flintlocks.

They are beautiful to behold, a challenge, and an education. My oldest daughter laughed the first time she saw me shoot one: "A Rube Goldberg device" she called it. But it gives a satisfaction. And when I step into the woods with flintlock in hand, I am stepping back 260 years or more. I have caplock revolvers that I enjoy, but I love my flintlock.

Richard/Grumpa

 

[Bent Sight]

You've all convinced me. My next purchase will be a flintlock rifle.

 

[Critter Getter]

I have been shooting BP for the last 35 years or so. The flintlock bug bit me three years ago. Way way more of a challenge accuracy wise for me. I love the challenge but wish I had one of my cap locks last Wednesday when I missed completely on the largest Iowa Whitetail I have ever pulled a B P trigger on! Missed an easy 40 yard shot on a 150" buck that was begging me to shoot him during the Iowa Shotgun Season. Next time...........I will STILL be carrying one of my flintlocks! They are just that much fun! Greg.

 

[StewartLeach]

Two clouds of sulfurous smoke!

In my case, it is the extra challenge of a more primitive system. I've shot competitively for 60 years now, as an NRA junior, adult smallbore, college rifle team, NRA and CMP Highpower Rifle (Distinguished, President's Hundred). Pletch's science shows us a flinter has a slower ignition time than percussion, requiring me to have a better NPA and follow through.

It's fun to go tp the range and shoot smaller 100 yard groups offhand with the 54 cal lefty flinter than the black plastic and stainless steel crowd do off the bench.........

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Hey Bent Sight,
Starting with reading books for book reports in elementary school I was fascinated with the early pioneer flintlocks and still am at 72 years old. Percussion is awesome, but there is definitely more challenge in shooting flint. There is so much satisfaction to me, shooting my hand made flinter, hitting a point of aim, than any of my other guns. Benefits over percussion: (now this is my opinion) Anyone who can shoot a flinter with proficiency will most likely be even better with a percussion.
Also beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I think they are more aesthetically pleasing.
Flintlock Lar