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Finding Good Flints?

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TOW flints are normally quite good and I buy them. I'm told that you can specify only flints that have a nice, flat top instead of being "humpbacked". I've never tried this so can't swear to it.
 
I tried my hand at making some gun flints this afternoon from local flint from the Flint Hills of Kansas. I have one in my 32 rifle now, but haven't shot it since I put it in to replace a sawn flint that came with the gun. It sparks okay, but I will try it at the range this weekend and give a report on how bad flints work. My knapping skills are poor except on the couch, but I wanted to give it a try.
 
Just a thought here if you own a dremel. I have bought flints from TOW and have gotten some with less than desirable backs on them for using. So I decided to buy some diamond grinding stones from Amazon for my dremel. They work great and if you have issues with them working in the cock, with the dremel you can make them fit just how you want. Al
 
Try going to Amazon and picking up some 15 lb Flint Rock and Knapp your own 15 lb Rock will cost you about the same as you order 24 pieces of Flint from track of the Wolf and 15 lb of Rock will get you a lot more and 24 pieces so you save your money and you get a lot more Flint hope this help
 
As you are in PA I would give Dixon's Muzzleloader a ring on the telle, and ask if they have loose flints.
http://www.dixonmuzzleloading.com

In the good old days of the WNS Vernon Davis of Ohio use to come with man Boxes of flints the size of a Small Coleman Cooler filled with Flints.

Apprently he sold out, close down, but like I said that was like 15+ years ago.
 
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You folks who are using some sort of grinding wheel to remove humps and lumps, be sure to wear some sort of good air filter mask over your nose and mouth.

The dust made by the grinder can cause some serious lung problems if you breath it in.

These air filter masks are available at almost any good hardware store and they don't cost much so don't skimp on your health. Buy some and use them.
 
I make all my own flints now from flakes rather than knife blade spawls from flint cores.
The flakes are left over from point making projects and normally are flatter than TOTW flints struck from cores.
I like and use the heat treated Koykuk chert spawls I buy for point knapping projects.
They last longer than the English flints I have bought from TOTW and spark just as well.
These chert flints are the left over chips that usually are not suited for making decent size arrow points.
 
hanshi said:
TOW flints are normally quite good and I buy them. I'm told that you can specify only flints that have a nice, flat top instead of being "humpbacked". I've never tried this so can't swear to it.
I use exclusively the ToTW Tom Fuller English flints. Whenever I place an order for something else, I always throw in a few flints for rifle or musket. In the notes I always specify: "flat flints without humps". I've never been disappointed.
 
I used my homemade flints at the range yesterday and had decent sparks with my poorly made gunflints.

I did have a major problem and changed flints a couple of times getting poor and delayed flashes in the pan after shooting my percussion rifle and going back to the flintlock 36. I use one of the round tube type flasks with a remeasured spout. The problem encountered is I have two identical and one has BP and the other Pyrodex for my revolver. I grabbed the wrong one and loaded Pyrodex and then tried to prime with it too. Bone head move. I was finally able to get the charge to fire after forcing a few grains of BP into the touch hole and using BP in the pan.
 
It's time for the old Grenadier to get into Nanny mode.

If You are using a flask to measure your powder charge, I'll tell you to pour your charge into a separate charger to pour down the muzzle of your firelock. Yeah,I know they sell those tubes of different measured volumes, but I only want one charge of powder to be poured down bore rather than having my hand wrapped around a flask of powder in the event that a lurking ember sets everything off. No matter how unlikely it is, just listen to the crotchety old sargent and do what he says. No arguments!

I'll take up paper cartridge loading later.
 
Dear Nanny, :bow: :grin:

I never pour directly from the flask into the barrel. I usually use a measure, but yesterday at the range I just dumped the measured charge in an empty case laying at the range and poured it from there into the barrel.

Good point though for those who might be tempted to dump directly into the barrel.

Now, I think I'll paint the tube flask with Pyro a bright orange so I don't dump it into a flinter again.

Thanks Grenadier
 
Age: 70
Loc: Texas Hill Country
Registered on 10-21-08

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03-17-18 03:02 AM - Post#1674720 New Reply

In response to Kansas Jake

Cain’s Outdoors. Just received 2 rod. Good service too

Could you put "2 rod" in plain ENGLISH"?
 
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