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What would the Rev Forsyth think?
- Thread starter Auldjin
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Melchi577
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I don't have an answer but i like the question
I personally think he would not be bothered has a inventor of the percussion principle ,200 years ago his main concern was other gun makers using his compound in different types of ignition such has tubes, patch, pill He sued several gun smiths and makers this action contributed to Joe Manton and others going bankrupt this also was partly due for Joshua Shaw who invented the percussion cap principle which was built by James Rowntree a gun maker of Barnard Castle Co Durham England to emigrate too America in 1817 aboard the ship Electra which he then patented in America
Feltwad
People still fight with swords, hunt with bows and ride horses. Even chop wood with an axe.
I even hear tell some still use candles and fire.
I think he would at first be a little shocked until he realized a lot of "leisure" activity we undertake is not because it is the most efficient but because it has a more fundamental role in providing a little something extra.
Be that a sense of place or belonging. A sense of achievement. An escape from the everyday. Or just a sense of satisfaction from partaking in and learning old fashioned methods.
Personally I like the instant satisfaction of loading the gun and then getting a great cloud of smoke and a bang! And the smell.
Don't mind a bit of sword and shield work either but can't fit in my armor anymore. It's very sad.
I even hear tell some still use candles and fire.
I think he would at first be a little shocked until he realized a lot of "leisure" activity we undertake is not because it is the most efficient but because it has a more fundamental role in providing a little something extra.
Be that a sense of place or belonging. A sense of achievement. An escape from the everyday. Or just a sense of satisfaction from partaking in and learning old fashioned methods.
Personally I like the instant satisfaction of loading the gun and then getting a great cloud of smoke and a bang! And the smell.
Don't mind a bit of sword and shield work either but can't fit in my armor anymore. It's very sad.
Well, If he were magically transported forward in time to present, I think flintlocks would be the last thing on his mind.
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I think he would be more amazed at seeing some of the things that have been invented to make life easier, like an electrically-heated toilet roll dispenser, or better yet, for the REALLY lazy, an electric fork, to save you having to actually poke something......
Treestalker
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Giving up sword fighting may allow you to spend more time with your remaining limbs! You'll just have to do like I did and contribute to the human race by raising fat babies, LOL!People still fight with swords, hunt with bows and ride horses. Even chop wood with an axe.
I even hear tell some still use candles and fire.
I think he would at first be a little shocked until he realized a lot of "leisure" activity we undertake is not because it is the most efficient but because it has a more fundamental role in providing a little something extra.
Be that a sense of place or belonging. A sense of achievement. An escape from the everyday. Or just a sense of satisfaction from partaking in and learning old fashioned methods.
Personally I like the instant satisfaction of loading the gun and then getting a great cloud of smoke and a bang! And the smell.
Don't mind a bit of sword and shield work either but can't fit in my armor anymore. It's very sad.
I think he would be shocked. Same thing if Remington or Browning were to find out people would still be using muzzleloaders.
When self loading pistols were invented those makers too would be surprised that some folk would still want single action revolvers. I think the founders of the NRA would be surprised to see folks that wanted to hunt with fusils and muskets.
People who create new technology can’t believe that doing it easier isn’t something every body wants.
Do you know there are people who climb steep cliffs when there is a trail just down the way that can be walked up. Cheeze
Sam squanch
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When he saw how the girls dress these days, guns would be the last thing on his mind.....
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The thing is that back in the day, muzzleloaders were all there were. Sure, improvements were made to the method of ignition but out of necessity, not to make it more fun to shoot.
Nowadays we don't HAVE to shoot muzzleloading firearms of any kind - we do it for the fun and interest that they engender - something that our ancestors would not have understood to any degree. After all, there are no records, TMK, of people in the 1820's dressing up like the Pilgrim Fathers and shooting matchlocks for fun - life was MUCH harder back then.
Nowadays we don't HAVE to shoot muzzleloading firearms of any kind - we do it for the fun and interest that they engender - something that our ancestors would not have understood to any degree. After all, there are no records, TMK, of people in the 1820's dressing up like the Pilgrim Fathers and shooting matchlocks for fun - life was MUCH harder back then.
Sam squanch
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He wasn’t hiding well enough! 
Russ T Frizzen
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If the pan flash startled game back then, why don't we have that problem today?
Going out on a limb here it may have been his shooting.
it’s easy to miss a bird on the wing. It’s well known it’s never the shooters fault so it must be them birds seeing the flash.
Maybe he over charged his pan, maybe his vent was low. And he may have ‘fused’ his load. Snap a frizzen shut and ram home a charge. You can fill the pan, but it will have a delayed shot.
We have lots of folk who prime with 4f, I can’t tell a difference, but I do notice a slight hesitation if I shoot 2f in the pan. Maybe this was his problem.
We never hear if his score improved after he invented the his system.
Or if he felt his score improved.
it’s easy to miss a bird on the wing. It’s well known it’s never the shooters fault so it must be them birds seeing the flash.
Maybe he over charged his pan, maybe his vent was low. And he may have ‘fused’ his load. Snap a frizzen shut and ram home a charge. You can fill the pan, but it will have a delayed shot.
We have lots of folk who prime with 4f, I can’t tell a difference, but I do notice a slight hesitation if I shoot 2f in the pan. Maybe this was his problem.
We never hear if his score improved after he invented the his system.
Or if he felt his score improved.
I read a lot of books composed of actual accounts of hunting in the 18th century and early 1800's . Both Indians and white frontier hunters noted ,for instance , small groups of deer would just stand , while more than one would be shot . My question is , would the detonation of a flint lock be that much more graphic than a percussion gun? It wouldn't. One thing sure , game wasn't as wild as it is now. Meshack Browning in "Fourty Four Years A Hunter." , hunted through the end of the flint lock time into the percussion era , not once did he mention any difference between his use of flint rifles versus percussion guns. .........................oldwood
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After reading through several responses to your question my feeble mind is in overload my friend. 
Think I need a campfire and a couple of friends to pass the bottle around in the wee early morning night glow.
We’ll have an answer for ya tomorrow. I think??
Respectfully, Cowboy. ( I think ? )
Think I need a campfire and a couple of friends to pass the bottle around in the wee early morning night glow.
We’ll have an answer for ya tomorrow. I think??
Respectfully, Cowboy. ( I think ? )
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As the story goes he was a water fowler. Anyone who has hunted them much knows they get educated throughout the season. It's easier to get a limit on opening day than the last day. The birds fly much higher and faster. And their pretty good at dodging in mid air.
I think he'd be surprised all the work he put in to develop a better system and some people not adopting it.
But he'd get over it.
I think he'd be surprised all the work he put in to develop a better system and some people not adopting it.
But he'd get over it.
Way to many years ago I read about the good Reverend. Eterry was correct in that he was an avid water fowler. If I remember correctly, his hunting was in the damp and sometimes raining wetlands. His problem was his pan powder would become damp and not fire. I don’t fully understand how this came about, so if there are any flintlock hunters out there maybe you could tells us of your experiences hunting in a damp or wet environment. Thanks
In the north central Pa. mountains, hunted w/ a .54 cal percussion rifle in the December buck season. Had snow on the ground , but sunny weather which typically raises the humidity some. Didn't use a lock cover as it seemed not needed.No bucks came , so the only shot fired was at the end of the day to clear the rifle. Both days the percussion rifle was used , end of day ignition was a hang fire. All efforts to fix the hang fires were done to make sure the breach area was "desert dry" when loaded , were to no avail. At the range the rifle performed flawlessly. Somehow it picked up moisture during the day in the deer woods. Fixed the problem by selling the rifle to a paper puncher. By contrast , extensively used sbs double shotguns for small game for years , mostly in good weather , and never remember having had a hang fire.
Most of the deer meat I've made over the years has been w/ a flintlock m/l rifle one sort or another. One fact is , the worst weather can be the best , time to "still hunt" deer. Pa. has a late season two week flint only deer hunt. This day I went into the woods unprepared for the situation . We knew a blizzard was going to come at noon , but figured to hunt 'till then and head to the local tavern to warm up the for lunch. We walked the 1 1/4 miles back into where we start hunting and separated to meet back there at noon to walk back out. Noon came and I was waiting to walk out , as the storm intensified. I had my lock covered w/a deer's knee but didn't anticipate to have to shoot. Quickly , visibility dropped to less than 30 yds. and in this kind of storm deer began pouring off the high ground to yard up near the creek bed where I waited for my buddy. Had a deer stand @ 25 yds , took a shot , but the problem was couldn't keep my sights on the long rifle clear of snow long enough for a measured shot. The flint lock fired flawlessly even under these conditions. Clean miss. Next problem was , my lock was so wet by blizzard snow it became a hopeless task to reload. Gun covered by snow. All I could do was watch the many deer file into the creek bottom . Finally my partner came to walk out. On the way to the truck in the storm , a nice buck stood broadside to us in the road @ 50 yds , my friend's flint rifle fired perfectly , but the volume of snow on his sights caused him to miss also. Lessons were learned this day , and another hunting story was collected. Both flintlocks fired flawlessly , but the weather made our guns useless..........oldwood
Most of the deer meat I've made over the years has been w/ a flintlock m/l rifle one sort or another. One fact is , the worst weather can be the best , time to "still hunt" deer. Pa. has a late season two week flint only deer hunt. This day I went into the woods unprepared for the situation . We knew a blizzard was going to come at noon , but figured to hunt 'till then and head to the local tavern to warm up the for lunch. We walked the 1 1/4 miles back into where we start hunting and separated to meet back there at noon to walk back out. Noon came and I was waiting to walk out , as the storm intensified. I had my lock covered w/a deer's knee but didn't anticipate to have to shoot. Quickly , visibility dropped to less than 30 yds. and in this kind of storm deer began pouring off the high ground to yard up near the creek bed where I waited for my buddy. Had a deer stand @ 25 yds , took a shot , but the problem was couldn't keep my sights on the long rifle clear of snow long enough for a measured shot. The flint lock fired flawlessly even under these conditions. Clean miss. Next problem was , my lock was so wet by blizzard snow it became a hopeless task to reload. Gun covered by snow. All I could do was watch the many deer file into the creek bottom . Finally my partner came to walk out. On the way to the truck in the storm , a nice buck stood broadside to us in the road @ 50 yds , my friend's flint rifle fired perfectly , but the volume of snow on his sights caused him to miss also. Lessons were learned this day , and another hunting story was collected. Both flintlocks fired flawlessly , but the weather made our guns useless..........oldwood
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