improving ignition

hi all ..so I've been shooting my gpr flint rifle and I'm more than happy with it. ive fired 50 rounds or so through the barrel and one thing i know is that i need to improve me ignition time. i have an rmc liner on the way...but what else can i do? I'm not Annie Oakley...but I'm not a terrible shot
either, but between the trigger...slow ignition icant hit the broad side of a barn... so what w else can i do to speed up the rifle

Work with your follow thru. I have found that it is like shooting archery or playing golf. Follow thru is everything.

Bryon said:

hi all ..so I've been shooting my gpr flint rifle and I'm more than happy with it. ive fired 50 rounds or so through the barrel and one thing i know is that i need to improve me ignition time. i have an rmc liner on the way...but what else can i do? I'm not Annie Oakley...but I'm not a terrible shot
either, but between the trigger...slow ignition icant hit the broad side of a barn... so what w else can i do to speed up the rifle

Click to expand...

The RMC vent liner will help.

Make some wood flints and use they to dry fire with, go to Lowes and get some wood and make them on your band saw.

Use 4F or Null B for pan powder..

Completely clean and oil your lock to speed up your lock.

Have an experienced FL shooter shoot the gun 2-3 times. FLs are ALL slow compared to a good percussion or a modern bolt action.
Dan

Polish the lock.

Use English flints and keep the edge sharp.

Wipe fouling off the frizzen between shots.

Make sure the touchhole doesn't get plugged with fouling.

Use real blackpowder, not the fake stuff.

so far these are all things i do...the only time i ever have a misfire I'd if i fail on my end....(not clamping out the vent) but how can i shorten the delay between flash and powder going ...boom. actually I'd say the rifle has been very reliable over all....i just can't seem to get past the time between trigger pull and bang

also how do i sharpen the flint.....i think it's getting
pottery dull

If you haven't done it yet drill the touch hole out to at least 1/16" this helps a lot, even your new liner will problably need to be enlarged.
.

Please tell us that you are using real black powder in the barrel and pan.
Regards,
Pletch

Are you shooting from a good bench rest? You need to shoot from a good solid bench rest to be able to tell anything about how accurately your rifle shoots. You need to find the load, patch and lube combination that will give you the best group and this can only be done from a bench rest.

A simple way to sharpen your flint is to do it on your rifle. To do this, place your lock on full cock. Now use your right thumb to hold the cock as you lower it. Use your left thumb to open your frizzen. Lower the flint until it touches the heel of the frizzen. Now carefully hold the frizzen in this position and return your cock to the full cock position. Be sure your thumb is not where the flint will hit it when you pull the trigger. Now pull the trigger and allow the flint to strike the heel of the frizzen. This will break off small flakes from the edge of your flint and this will sharpen it. Be sure you are wearing eye protection to keep any tiny flakes of flint from getting in your eyes

Consider clearing the vent with a pick after loading the main charge. The flint spark can travel very fast to the main charge through the open vent (touch hole). If the vent is filled with powder, it acts like a fuze, burning its way more slowly to the main charge.

Some place a vent pick, feather quill, etc, in the vent prior to loading the main charge to assure there is an open channel from the pan to the main charge, then remove it before priming.

Tinkering with the lock, polishing mating surfaces, smoothing contacts, etc, will all help, but to a lesser degree than assuring a clear channel to the main charge.

A great link: http://www.blackpowdermag.com/

Much info on priming charge placement, vent location, etc. Based on verifiable test data.

lol no im using real BP, liike I said i ahve no reliability issues....just want to make it go bang quicker

One thing that I did wrong was over filling the pan. Half way is best! Geo. T.

its hard to drill when u dont own tools..... lol I live in an appt complex so i think my neighbors would gripe if i stated drilling at 3 am

To sharpen the flint, I just tap the edge of it in two or three spots with the back edge of the blade of my patch knife. A few flakes come off and you have a sharp edge again. You'll probably need to pull the cock back to make room to get your knife in there.

Obviously, you want to do this before you reload, not after (for any new shooters reading this).

Have you read this?

How to Shoot Flintlocks.

Aren't Lyman breech plugs conical? If so, then try putting a wire 0.22 cal brush on a cleaning rod and clean out the conical plug several times during your shooting session. Also get a small wire to pick into the vent plug. Don't put a lot of moose milk down the barrel between shots.

I have had similar problems due to fouling or to oil residue that collected around the vent hole. These cause a hang fire on the first few shots and after 20 or so shots. I've given up on conical bottomed breech plug guns because of those problems. I've lost at least 2 rendezvous pistol matches because of conical breech architecture. I once cleaned a pistol course up to position #14 with a Pedersoli Charles Moore pistol (conical bottomed breech plug). On #15, I had a hang fire and missed due to fouling. Then, I had a no fire on #16 station. When the gun finally fired on the 6 th hammer fall, I missed the target. Lost the match, and very shortly thereafter, I gave that pistol away.

Lisle George

Everyone gave you excellent advice but Pappy237's is the best. Follow through is key to good shooting, especially flintlocks. Aim, fire, then aim again. It sounds simple, but it takes practice. Once mastered, you will shoot all firearms better.
Another poster was right on when he said don't overfill the pan. Less is more when it comes to priming.

The single thing that improved my flintlock shooting the most was to replace the flint with wood and dry fire a lot.

thanks for t he advice and ideas....i gots some ideas now at least