Did you know that wooden flints were given to the soldiers at Valley Forge by order of General Von Steuben?
These wooden flints were affixed into the jaws of the hammer instead of a real flint for learning the manual of arms.
This saves the real flint and prolongs the life of the frizzen.
For drill purposes, the regular flint is removed from the musket jaws, and the wooden flint is substituted.
This enables the musket to fully function( except for firing) during the drill without wearing down the steel of the battery, (a.k.a. the frizzen). It is important for the drill instructor to hear the click of the musket firing to determine if the squad is firing in unison.
Wooden flints are simply small squares of hardwood, approximately the same size as a musket flint. They are easily made from scrap wood, and were probably made up as needed in the field from boxes and barrels used for shipping.
This can still be done today with any flintlock, shooters new to flintlocks might want to try a few, just to get some needed lock time in...
These wooden flints were affixed into the jaws of the hammer instead of a real flint for learning the manual of arms.
This saves the real flint and prolongs the life of the frizzen.
For drill purposes, the regular flint is removed from the musket jaws, and the wooden flint is substituted.
This enables the musket to fully function( except for firing) during the drill without wearing down the steel of the battery, (a.k.a. the frizzen). It is important for the drill instructor to hear the click of the musket firing to determine if the squad is firing in unison.
Wooden flints are simply small squares of hardwood, approximately the same size as a musket flint. They are easily made from scrap wood, and were probably made up as needed in the field from boxes and barrels used for shipping.
This can still be done today with any flintlock, shooters new to flintlocks might want to try a few, just to get some needed lock time in...
