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Flint Life

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Bent Sight

36 Cal.
Joined
Nov 30, 2017
Messages
197
Reaction score
51
Location
Illinois
I have the strong urge to purchase a flintlock the next time I buy a muzzle loader.

How many shots do you normally get out of a piece of flint? Are there any tricks to getting more life out of piece of flint?

What are the big don'ts when it comes to flintlocks?
 
Flint is very hard, and very brittle. It breaks in planes, so.... I’ve gotten seventy shots from a flint, maybe more. I’ve had flints crack in half on the first shot. I would say forty is a good number.
Big flints like fusil and musket flints last longer then small delicate small rifle and pistol sized flints. I like to put a fresh flint in and snap it once or twice before hunting. I’ve never had a misfire on game.
 
As Tengun said, I've had flints break on the first shot (rarely) and, with re-knapping, I've gotten well more than 100 shots from a flint (common). The average is somewhere in between. The don'ts with a flintlock are the same as those with any ML firearm.
 
Have a good pad, I’ve never tried lead but have good soft leather. Check your fit to the cock often. Battering the frizzen can knock it lose after a few shots. Make sure the flint has a good flat on both sides. I have not had much success with double edgesd flints. When in and tight there should be a thin gap between the flint and the frizzen face
Wipe your frizzen off with finger or patch between shots.
In the tall timber check your fit often when walking.
 
Great advice !

Tension of the main spring will also have a effect on flint life as well as tension on the frizzen spring.

Some flints just last longer than others, as stated.

At a shoot a month or so back I had three flints shatter on me in the same day , one was on the first shot I fired.

Those were French Amber type flints, which I normally don’t use. :idunno:
 
Once you experience the fun of a flintlock... you'll care less about flint life!

As the others have mentioned, good advice. Flint life honestly is a minor thing in relation to the fun they provide!
 
Bent Sight said:
I have the strong urge to purchase a flintlock the next time I buy a muzzle loader.

How many shots do you normally get out of a piece of flint? Are there any tricks to getting more life out of piece of flint?

What are the big don'ts when it comes to flintlocks?

If I don't get 60 shots out of a flint I am disappointed.

TONS of tricks. From making a jig and using a jewelry "Muzzy" wheel in a Dremel to fix humpie or twisted flints to the various tools and methods of knapping the edge to get it straight. Anything that can apply pressure to the very edge. I never did like those little "hammers" but the edge of a screwdriver or spine of a knife work well. A flint "nibbler" made from drill stock is my favorite - a gift from Prior Mountain Bill at a shoot.

In desperation the heel of the frizzen lowered carefully along the edge and then pressed hard - called "heeling" the flint, I believe. But be warned this might be harmful to the fit of the frizzen if done excessively. But another trick for the toolbox.

I have been known to flip flints bevel down to get more shots, then clamp a bit of twig in the jaws and knap again to get a fresh edge & repeat.

In fact, I have a quart jar of retired flints I may squeeze more life out of if needed. You never know.
 
What are the big don'ts when it comes to flintlocks?
Don't skimp on flints when you are shooting game or for score. When just plinking, that is the time to mess with so so flints. Do not bury the touch hole with prime, that makes for slower ignition time. Don't have a plugged or partially plugged touch hole.
Flintlocklar :wink:
 
My favorite trick is to hold the hammer back a little, pull the trigger and lower the flint down against the frizzen. Hold the frizzen in place while pressing a little on the hammer to force the flint up against the frizzen. Lots of little tiny flakes pop off and resharpens the frizzen.

Probably indicates something about my skills with a flint knapping tool, but I get lots longer flint life this way. It's just lots easier for me to control. I still use the knapping tool to "rescue" flints that are too far gone, but get lots more shots doing the "frizzen knapping" periodically. How many shots? Depends on the flint source, but I expect to get well over 50 unless the flint is flawed or shaped poorly in the first place.
 
Flint life depends upon the flint and the lock. I've had a couple of flints shatter on the first, or first few shots, but generally get 50+ shots. Lock geometry plays a role as does frizzen spring strength, and what is holding the flint. I always clamp the flint with leather and keep it tight. Its a good idea to observe where the flint is about to strike the frizzen and then adjust if its too high or too low. If it strikes the frizzen too squarely its gonna be a flint basher! If it strikes too low it might not make scrape enough steel to be reliable.

As for flints, I've had really good results with French amber, and shoot black English as well. The Texas cherts I've tried work well when fresh, but didn't seem to spark as well after they dulled.
 
Several good suggestions so far. As a dedicated flint shooter, I'm feeling compelled to add my own thoughts.
Success with a flintlock requires learning a whole new set of skills that I refer to as "Rock maintenance".
Find a source of good quality flints of the correct size and you're halfway there. Of course..to do that you first have to learn what constitutes a "good quality flint" and what size your lock prefers, which means you'll likely have to try a number of different types and sizes to identify what your lock likes best.
You do this by shooting..A LOT.
I went through a number of suppliers, types of material, and sizes before settling on what I use now(exclusively). All good experience, all learning opportunities. :thumbsup:
When installing a new flint, pay attention to how the rock orients in the jaws of the cock and make sure that when it impacts the frizzen that you're getting FULL contact of the edge of the flint with the steel face of the frizzen. To do this, I'll use a "soft install" where I get the rock/leather in the jaws then tighten it down to the point where the flint can still move jusssttt a little, not to the point where it's locked in place. Now, holding the cock, trip the trigger and lower the rock into contact with the frizzen face..allowing the rock to orient itself into the best, full contact position, then pull the cock back to half-cock, and tighten it on down.
I don't use the foot of my frizzen to pressure the edge of my flint as some have suggested. That's just me. Over time, I have acquired/made several tools to use to knap my flint while still in the lock. The choice of which one I use depends upon the condition of the rock, what needs to be done, and where I am.
FWIW,IMHO, anytime I get something close to 50 GOOD shots from a flint, I'm pleased. Some give less, some more. (I keep track btw). 60-70 is pretty common. I have had one go to 100, but that's unusual.
That doesn't mean more shots couldn't be made, but the quality of the ignition degrades to a level I'm not willing to accept for offhand shooting. Your choice of what is acceptable will probably be different from mine.
Oh, and btw...the first shot, or two with a new flint have been PROVEN to not be the best in terms of ignition speed. (Thanks Pletch)That's why I always dry fire a shot or two with a brand new rock before loading up and going to the offhand line, or into the deer woods.
 
I don't know if I really have anything important to add to the very good discussion. I will restate somethings that has been said.
I bought a custom rifle with a Davis lock. It was a flint smasher of the first order. It was also very unreliable. I sent it back to Davis twice and still same issues. Then I had it tuned/rebuilt/geometry changed by an expert and all those issues went away. So there are a number of things that go into flint lifetime, and I think a tune could go a long way if your lock is marginal.
The best flints for this lock are actually from Davis. Black English I think, but they work better than the amber and TC synthetic rocks. As stated these black English have a nice flat and fit nice in the jaws. The synthetic naturally are flat and they work very well, but I don't think they are as hard. The amber flints have a poor flat and are poor geometry. Those amber don't work at all. So that illustrates the points made by others.
I had issues with that lock for 3 years until it was rebuilt and I found the right flints. It was a nightmare, but that is over now.
 
There is a lot of good information here and I appreciate it.

I keep logs on each of my rifles, including both sidelock muzzle loaders. I've fired 316 shots through the muzzle loaders since September 1st, so it looks like I had better pick up a good supply of flints when I purchase my first flintlock.

Thank you gentlemen.
 
What are the big don'ts when it comes to flintlocks?

There are about as many of those rules are there are for taming a wife. :shocked2: The process never ends but can become satisfying.
Lot of good advice here, not much more that I can add. Except, keep at it, enjoy.
 
Make no mistake about it, there is a learning curve on flints and how to get the most out of them. What works, what doesn't.

It would be who of you to purchase quality, properly sized flints, start off with black English or French Amber, and see how they do, the maximum shower of sparks, then worry about flint life.

Another thing, pound a 50 cal ball flat, shape it around your flint, install it into you cock, and trim the outside with scissors. I feel lead works better than leather, but that's just me.

Headhunter
 
My fastest flint lock, a self-assembled L&R Durs Egg lock from the 1970’s, is rough on flints. In my club, guys have noted it is a very fast flintlock. I think there may be a relationship between ignition speed and flint life, at least on this lock. It’s wicked on flints, averaging only 20 shots before retouching is needed.
 
I’m not questioning the point Headhunter makes regarding what works best for him.
However, I will tell anyone who wishes to know that using lead in the jaws of your cock instead of leather will negate the warranty on a Chambers lock.
 
Don Steele said:
I’m not questioning the point Headhunter makes regarding what works best for him.
However, I will tell anyone who wishes to know that using lead in the jaws of your cock instead of leather will negate the warranty on a Chambers lock.

Why would that be? Is using lead hard on the locks or something?
 
Headhunter said:
Another thing, pound a 50 cal ball flat, shape it around your flint, install it into you cock, and trim the outside with scissors. I feel lead works better than leather, but that's just me.

Headhunter

In times past we're had knock-em-down-drag-em-out fights on the merits and madness of leather vs lead wraps for the flint.

I like stiff leather about 1/8" thick. But, as you said:"that's just me". Try both and see what your particular lock jaws and cock-screw tension prefer.

For what it is worth I did ask Jim Chambers and he did recommend leather and not lead. :idunno:
 
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