Overhead flintlock shooting??????

Soon, I will be taking my flinter squirrel hunting for the first time. Question.....is there anything to worry about regarding shooting the rifle nearly straight up. I ask this in response to a friend asking me if shooting nearly straight up might create a hazard considering the priming powder and its ignition. I told him I did not know if gravity might pull the sparks and such right into the shooter's face/eyes. What say you fellers? Anything to worry about?

If the lock is tuned well enough to give quick ignition, there is no danger. It would have to be a very slow lock, poorly tuned, to have the sparks made on the frizzen move so slowly to the pan( they should be thrown, in a proper lock, not dribble down the face of the frizzen) that the powder has moved out of the pan before the sparks arrive.

You can test your lock, by loading the pan with the barrel EMPTY, and firing it off with the gun held in different positions. I have tested guns by firing the lock off with the gun held upside down. A tuned lock works just fine. I handled several very badly designed locks, but never had one so slow that it did not get the sparks to the pan fast enough to ignite the priming powder.

Been hunt'n tree-rats(yum-yum) for more years than I can remember. Shot at every angle you can imagine. Never had a problem. Of course I(as well as everyone else should) wear Some sort of glasses. One wayward twig in your eye can screw up a lot more than just your day. :hmm:

A very interesting question that I hadn't even thought to ask. Thanks for posting it Skychief. :hmm:

I have heard they will fire upsidedown! I have never tried it. :hmm: :v

We used to tip the gun upside down with the comb resting on top of the head so you can line up the sights. Seems like there could be issues with the touch hole nailing the forarm as I recall. Other than that it went off as usual.

In this great era of legal horse manure I must say that you or anybody else shouldn't try this as it could result in great bodily injury or slow agonizing death.

In this great era of legal horse manure I must say that you or anybody else shouldn't try this as it could result in great bodily injury or slow agonizing death.
Sure, take all the fun out of it. :haha:
:v

I practice shooting my flinter upside down off the top of my head. I don't have to use it very often but it is a real psychological killer at a shoot if I can knock off a gong shooting off the top of my head. Half of the other shooters are ready to give up and go home.

I haven't noticed that the lock is any slower upside down or right side up.

Many Klatch

Shootin' stright up....Hmmm? I'd very kerful bout the ball cummin' straight back down.
Might hurt!
Old Ford

Skychief said:

Question.....is there anything to worry about regarding shooting the rifle nearly straight up. (with respect to "...might create a hazard considering the priming powder and its ignition..."

Click to expand...

No.

The gravity problem isn't from sparks, but if the priming doesn't ignite, then the priming powder may fall into your eyeball. Voice of experience speaking, and remember that sulfur is one of the ingredients of BP. Sulfur plus eyeballs equals OUCH, and no second try at the squirrel now laughing at you.

I've done a lot of squirrel hunting and usually the LR is at some angle from vertical, but once when the rifle was perfectly vertical I did get some powder in the face. Luckily, I wear glasses. The lock was a small Siler w/ very fast ignition but it still happened....Fred