What's The Best Flint ?

[ChrisLJ]

It seems like most here suggest the English flints as being the best. When I bought my Traditions flintlock I got a pack of T/C agate flints, which seem to work really well once I started using Swiss 4Fg in the pan.

I recently ordered English, French, and American flints from "Track Of The Wolf" to experiment with. So far I haven't fired with them, just installed and tried them in my dark garage. In order of most visible sparks was English followed by French and then American, but the they were all beaten by the T/C agate.

This surprised me, as I was expecting the English to look like Fourth of July fireworks. All of them had good edges and were seated square and hitting two thirds up the frizzen, and none created any gouging or chipped when struck. The American, which they call Arkansas stone (chert?) was really a weak sparker, and I sure won't be using it.

I like the agate due to the cut, uniform shape, and it seems to hold up well in my limited experience, although it does cost at least twice as much as the others. I know there was a recent thread talking about looking at sparks in the dark not being a reliable method, but that's all I've done so far.

I will say that using the agates with the Swiss in the pan seems to make for a fast lock time, which seems to be as good as my percussion. I was trying to search for this topic in past discussions but wasn't having any luck; maybe I wasn't doing it right.

Anyway, just wondered if anyone had an opinion they wouldn't mind commenting on. Thanks.

 

[trent/OH]

I suspect the uniform leading edge of a cut agate provides great contact with the frizzen and thus can produce lots of sparks. When I used them I found the slick surfaces of the agates were difficult to hold firmly in the cock's jaws. Gluing leather onto those surfaces may help if that's a problem with your rifle.

Of course, not all sparks are created equally. A bunch of dull orange sparks probably won't ignite the pan as well as fewer white hot sparks, and certainly not as well as a lot of hot sparks.

 

[ChrisLJ]

I never thought about how hot the spark would actually be. So far I haven't had any problem keeping the flints in place, but I take them out and wash them and the leather when I clean the rifle. I usually have a piece of wooden clothespin in it to be able to dry fire, and replace the flint when needed. It sparks even worse than the chert. :grin:

 

[hanshi]

I have one lock (small Siler) that does very well with cut agate. Otherwise the black English and white Missouri flints give super service. I've often fired those flints down until the jaws wouldn't hold them. We're talking well over 100 shots.

 

[ChrisLJ]

That's a lot o' shootin'. Where do you get white Missouri flints? And please don't say Missouri. :wink:

 

[Maven]

I used to purchase the white MO flints from Rich Pierce in, wait for it, Missouri! but he no longer knapping/selling them.

 

[pargent]

The best are English from Brandon :thumbsup:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Black English seem to be the standard. I have used many of them quite successfully.
The flints that TC sells have gotten a lot of very bad reviews.
My favorite rifle has a large Siler lock in it and I have used the German cut flints very successfully in it for decades. They are not all agate but also other stones. (don't ask me the difference, I'm not a stone-ologist, I just know what works)
However, the maker, Gunter Stifter, and his web site are difficult to navigate and prices seem very high these days.
Seems ones best (available) flint these days are the Brandon black English. But these are nowhere as well made as they were in years past. The horrible 'humpy' ones being sold these days were tossed on the ground as rejects at one time by customers.

 

[FishDFly]

The best, are the last ones you bought and are happy with, I have some English that would make good minnow weights, they fracture at 2 hits on the frizzen. Depends on where they come from.

 

[drwatson1873]

I recently got a few of the French Amber flints from TOW and like them so far. Good spark, very little dulling on the edge and quite uniform in thickness so they are easy to clamp firmly in the cock. I have no idea how long they will last but generally speaking the French flints seem to be more resistant to fracture than most of the English flints. Naturally, your mileage may vary... Historically speaking, French flints were more common in the U. S. than English flints until well into the 19th Century, if I recall correctly. In the Western Fur Trade era, English becomes more common; I seem to recall seeing a bale or two of English flints at the Museum of the Fur Trade or possibly written up in the MoFT Quarterly.

 

[pargent]

Now just as back in the 1700s you get what you ask and pay for eg. the Brandon flints I purchase cost me for a musket flint $3 + freight each these are the top shelf ones , my supplier could get Brandon flints for less then half that price but they are seconds etc. so it realy all depends on what the wholesaler you get your flints from asks for from the Knappers .NB. Iam getting from 30-80 shots per flint whit these ones