Flint power!

B

BigG

New member
Hey guys! I just get a bug about shooting flintlock once again. I've had a couple Hawkens and wondered if there were any other bugs out there on TFL?

Anyway, the new Cabelas shooter's catalog has several choice muzzle loaders, including several flints. The one that really got me salivating was a replica of the US Rifle Model of 1803 Harpers Ferry. It is in 54 caliber and has a half stock, similar in appearance to a Hawken but a little cooler to me!

My experience in shooting the flint-powered pieces is that it takes a lot of perseverance to get good with them to the extent that they have about a dead certainty of going off. They are much more persnickety than a cap and ball model, as any of you who have shot one much would know. But the satisfaction I got made up for the pains! First, I got the joy of loading it myself with varying charges of powder and patched ball, second the skill of making that one shot count, and third, the luck of having it go off at all!

Also, the recoil with a hooked rifle buttplate will make you sit up and take notice!

Are there any more fans out there? ;)
 
ck out the tvm line or flintlocks.they are much cheaper and better made than the pedersoli line and have a touch of the patriot.
 
I want to second the comment on the TVM line. They are semi-custom made and use Siler locks and Green Mountain barrels. The 1803 replica is a nice looking rifle but the ones I've seen had very shallow rifling more appropriate to shooting a Minie ball.
 
I am afraid that I am a fan as well. I have one under construction. .45 cal 42” barrel, Chambers lock, brass trim, Curly maple full stock, 1760-80 Virginia style. I plan to hunt with it next season. The most fun in firearms as far as I’m concerned.

By the way, it has been my experience that the flint lock is a more reliable source of ignition then the #11 caps.
 
Hi Scott!

Is the #11 the standard size or the musket size? Ain't got any with me but the standard size Remington or CCI work almost as well as a centerfire rifle for me. The CVA caps are hard brass and often will not seat fully on the nipple so there are more fails to fire. Get either Rem or CCI soft copper caps.

I'm surprised you can get yours to work that reliably. Congratulations and have fun!
 
I've been shooting flintlock on and off for years.

I built a T/C Renegade back in the 1980s to use for deer hunting in Pennsylvania, where it's flint only, round ball only, open sights only for primitive season.

I REALLY enjoy shooting flintlock, but I never did really enjoy that nasty sour smell that you get after going through a pound of powder. :)

One of the best things I ever did was flatten out two round balls, trim the edges, and use the lead foil to wrap the flint instead of a piece of leather. It held the flint a LOT more firmly and stablely than the leather ever did.

The other best thing I did was to luck into some hand knapped English chert flints at a gunshow. I had been using T/C sawn flints before that, and I'd be lucky to get 10 or 15 shots before one was done.

With the cherts, the least number of shots I got from one was about 45-50, and the most I got from one took me through an ENTIRE 1-lb. can of black powder plus a little from another can. At 60-grains of FFFg powder, that would have been around 120 to 125 shots! :eek:

I never though that kind of life would be possible from a flint.
 
# 11 is smaller then the musket primers I believe. The ones I have are made by CCI. I have never been able to get reliable ignition with them in the field. I am wondering if Pyrodex is part of the problem. With the flint however, I rarely ever fail to fire; the caps on the other hand ... one in 5 fails to ignite the main charge.
 
I often used a "booster charge"

In flint I could get reliable ignition with Pyrodex if I put a 9mm parabellum case worth of FFFg Black powder down the bore first, following it with 80g (or whatever) of Pyrodex and the patched ball. It's a little easier to clean than straight BP. I would assume the booster charge would help your caplock go off easier, too.

You are cleaning out your bolster, of course.

HTH
 
Priming Problems

I've had less than fifty misfires on my .58 "Missippi" rifled musket, and I've had the thing for 27 years. I use German musket caps, and whenever it doesn't detonate I merely cock the hammer and try again, it always shoots. This being the case, and after reading about pyrodex in the flash pan problems with you flintlock guys, I'm convinced that it's the powder. It very well may be a mainspring problem, but it's not big enough a problem to install a new spring.

Here's smoke in your eyes folks, be sure to shoot the eyelash off of a gnat at 20 rods for me.
 
Munroe,

You say you "cock the hammer and try again, it always shoots..."

Do you mean that you put on another cap, or do you drop the hammer on the same cap?

If the latter, it's most likely a mechanical problem.

If the former, then it's probably a pyrodex problem.


To all who have been having problems igniting pyrodex, try one of the "Hot Shot" nipples. They can make a WORLD of difference.
 
gunmart,

Thanks for the link! I'm thinking about getting a pair of 54 caliber Hawkens... that is if I can come up with the dough. ;)


Joe
 
dont think you will find any hawken rifles at tvm:):):)

just hard core blackpowder folks there.

[Edited by gunmart on 02-08-2001 at 11:25 PM]
 
I've four flintlock rifles to my name. My first is a Lymans Great Plains in left hand and the second, a 50 caliber rifle I built for myself from parts bought from the Log Cabin Shoppe. There is a unique thing about flint as compared to percussion cap guns. The "click-swoosh-boom!" effect has a charm all its own. It also requires a steadier rifleman than does the percussion gun with its faster ignition time.

On the other extreme though, I also have several Civil War rifled muskets. Compared to the old round ball guns, they are quite accurate at long ranges and those Minie Balls do command respect.
 
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