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flintlock shooting tips?

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Had a break from flinting for a month. First shot - flinched like old times. Second, told my muscles to relax and not grip the gun so hard - bring the gun up smoothly - do the aim with gentle precision and flick the trigger - follow through. In the 9 at 50yds - no flinch.
 
During this break-in period, your groups will be large, inaccurate, imprecise, and frustrating. Do not worry about how your targets look for the first 50-100 rounds
not bustin' horns but that may not be true for everybody. i can shoot holes in that, no pun intended. my gpr,right out of the box, was cloverleafing at 50 yds. i wish i would have bought a gpr when they first came out.
 
My GPR shot well out of the box also. I do think it has got better with time. This could be cause by human input though.
 
I also disagree with the long break in period. Just about all the rifles I have had, shot well right off the bat. Almost always with a nice snug patch/ball combo.

Java Man
 
FearNot said:
I have a question... does everyone wobble naturally? Shooting offhand, my front sight tracks all over the target. Is that normal?? Will this get better with practice?? Someone mentioned on this forum ( or maybe it was another forum) that they parctice by holding 1 minute on a spot on the wall and dry firing sometime during that minute then continue holding for the remainder of the minute. Will strength training help? What about stance? Weight on forward foot? rear foot? equally divided? I so enjoy making smoke that I've never really cared about hitting the target, but now I think it's about time I took this to the next level.

A great pistol shooter once told me, "You have to trust your wobble" Sight picture and trigger control, all else will work out. David
 
Yes, wobble is normal, and there is little you can do about it. Strength training will make your arms stronger, but it won't help get rid of the wobble.

To deal with that, first, stand at the firing line facing the target over your left shoulder, if you are right handed. Bring the gun to your shoulder, and mount the buttplate where you feel it is comfortable for shooting. Some guns have to be mounted on the upper arm, while others can be tucked into the pocket created when you lift your right elbow to 90 degrees. Put your sights on the target, and then close your eyes. Count to five, and open your eyes. See where your front site is now in relation to the target you were aiming at. Move your right foot left or right to bring the front sight of the gun back on to the target. Rest your arms, take deep breathes and exhales, rotate your neck to loosen those muscles, and dump the lactic acid that has built up in your muscles while you were holding the gun on target. When you are relaxed again, mount the gun to your shoulder again, close your eyes, count to 5, open, and see again where the front sight is in relation to the target. Your muscles will be seeking balance or equilibrium with each other while you have your eyes closed. A proper stance will have the muscles in balance, and that will limit muscle fatigue, when you are shooting. It also occurs when your stance has the weight of the gun being supported by your bones, and not major and minor muscles.

When you think you have the sights pointed on target, and you can pass the eyes closed, count to 5 test, then adjust the width of your stance, by moving your feet so they are just wider than your shoulders, and pitched slightly outward. For most shooters, that give the best, and most stable platform. Much of the wobble of your sights will now be reduced by taking a correct stance.

Now, no one can hold a rifle on target absolutely still, unless he is using a bench rest with bags for both front and back of the stock. If you are shooting off-hand, you are going to wobble. The secret is to make the wobble work FOT You, and not
against you. Here's how:

Since the sight is going to wobble back and forth, why not use your fine muscles in your left hand to make the sight move in a " Lazy Figure 8" , or an arc, like the swinging of a pendulum? Then, when the sight is coming to the 6 o'clock position, you can be prepared to fire the gun. With flintlocks, this requires some allowance for the lock time for your gun. Depending on how fast your " wobble " is, you begin your squeeze so that the sights are on the 6 o'clock position of your target when the sights reach that point in the " wobble". Sounds easier than it is. Practice. That is how the good shooters become great shooters. There were men in my local club who shot percussion guns who were ready to chew on the barrels of their guns because I was beating them shooting my flintlock. I used this same technique when I was shooting percussion, too., but they thought this had something to do with me shooting flint. NOT! If your feet are feeling strain, your stance is not comfortable, and it will be your enemy. Adjust your feet so that you are always comfortable, but also check to see that you are still on target, without straining your neck muscles, or anything else. With practice, you will be able to take a stance quickly, and be ready to fire, without having to check to see that you are pointing the gun correctly. You will be able to feel when you are on. That is why you won't see me, or other older shooters going through the exercise I describe above for you to use at first. We have done this so long, we know how to take a steady and comfortable stance. But, watch us, If we see our shooting scores start to tumble, we will be seen checking fundamentals again, and that will include doing this stance exercise.

BTW, when I am shooting a shotgun, I face the target at about a 45degree angle, keep my feet under my shoulders, like I was going to dribble a basketball, and move my weight onto my forward hip before calling for a target. The closed stance allows me to pivot with my whole body, and not just from the waist up. By shifting my weight to my forward hip, I can quickly move in either direction to " catch up" to the bird and break it with my pattern. Many rifle shooters are terrible shotgun shooters simply because they don't understand the reason for, or the need to take a different stance.
 
Hi all,
Question for you; How do you knap a flint? Is done while the rock is in the jaws or do you take the flint out and try not to hit your fingers with that itty bitty hammer? I just got a LH Lyman DeerStalker and am new to flintlocks.

Thanks,

HuntAway
 
HuntAway said:
Hi all,
Question for you; How do you knap a flint? Is done while the rock is in the jaws or do you take the flint out and try not to hit your fingers with that itty bitty hammer? I just got a LH Lyman DeerStalker and am new to flintlocks.

Thanks,

HuntAway

Leave the flint in the jaw.
There are two reliqable ways of doing this: one is to knap the flint with the knapping hammer, the other is to let the cock down with your thumb so that when you close the frizzen the pan cover will just catch the edge of the flint and chip off a fresh sharp edge.

Toomuch
..........
Shoot Flint
 
I heard of using the frizzen on this forum a while back. With little practice, it is quicker, easier, and does a better job than striking the flint with another object. Also much safer for the 1/2 cock notch in the tumbler. IMHO.

Java Man
 
You have to remember that the off hand position requires an odd group of muscles to work together that have never worked together before.

I have a 10 pound weight with sighting grooves filed across the top that I used to use to build up those muscles. Try sighting across the weight for a minute at a time. Since you are using a weight your trigger hand won't be able to help. You will have a new set of muscles in a short time.

Outside of the weight. The best practice is dry firing with a wooden flint. Sight in on a small target, above the TV is good if you watch much TV. Try to hold on the target for a full minute.

That and a lot of shooting should do it.

Many Klatch
 
my 2 cents from using muzz for over 36 years. first,practice in living room with close pin as flint,next shoot with no one around.next, safety glasses, next, little 4f in pan,dont use hot loads, next, squeeeze and hold.for hunting, take muzz out in woods and pull up on a deer and dry fire it without flint, use close pin. i did it today.of all the things that make me shoot better, no.1 one is SHOOTING GLASSES.
 
Jeff - concerning your flinch when shooting flintlock, here is something that has worked for me for many years. The key is mind control - you have to get it in your mind to not flinch. What I do as I am aiming the rifle is tell myself that the charge is not going to go off when I squeeze the trigger and that I must keep my front sight on the target when the hammer falls and the rifle does not fire. I know it sounds strange, but it really works for me. It forces me to aim and squeeze the trigger as if I were at home dry firing the rifle. Normally the rifle does fire and I normally shoot quite well. When my flint is getting dull and I do have a misfire, my sights barely move when the hammer falls. Try it - it might work for you as well!

Gary
 
I use a small tool to knap the flint while it is in the jaws at half cock. Place the lip of the tool on the edge of the flint and tap with a small hammer - a small chip will come off the bottom edge - do this along the entire front of the flint and keep on shooting! If you send me your email I will send you pictures of the tool.

Gary
 
vaquero said:
Any tips on getting over this flinching would be greatly appreciated, thank you very much! I hate to admit my flinching, but I would love to get help. :eek: Im left handed and it is a left handed gun.

I think I have been incurrably infected by the flintlock bug!

Jeff

The advice I give to cure this problem is to take the rifle out just after dusk, when the light is starting to fade, and pick a target (fence post, lamp pole etc.) and practice shooting at this with just a prime and no charge. By fireing this way in poor light the pan flash will be much more imposing than it will be in normal daylight.

Toomuch
.........
Shoot Flint
 
too much, your advice is best .i do same thing. i have 1 acre around my home. i walk around with 4 f in pan, and i squezze off on rabbits,birds, cats,posts etc. this has improved my hunting offhand[url] shooting.in[/url] house, i take close pin in the jaws, and i aim and shoot without 4f at deer on outdoor shows.great advice and one that works.
 
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My crash course on rifle accuracy. I'm by no means a "Dead-Eye Dick", but I can hold my own. Here's my suggestions.

1) Find your natural point of aim. Shoulder the rifle, see where the sights are. Adjust your feet, not the rifle. Do this every day, ten minutes, for two weeks. Get to "know" what angle to approach a target. You can't muscle a rifle into position and be accurate.

2) Keep you right elbow up and your left elbow under the rifle. Get some bone under the bang-stick. If your left elbow is not under the rifle, you're holding it up with just muscle, which will fatigue quickly.

3) Your world revolves around the front sight. Nothing else matters. Fuzzy rear sight and fuzzy target means a clear front sight. Clear front sights make the world go 'round.

4) Constant trigger pull. Get your sights on target and begin your squeeze. Find the "sweet spot" on your finger that moves the trigger to the rear, no lateral movement allowed. This movement involves one finger, don't let moving a finger distract you from your front sight.

5) Follow through. If you're not still looking at your front sight, you're not following through.


I did a demonstration for my "students" at a military handgun school. Pay attention to the fundamentals, but deliberately orbit the pistol around the bull (or B-27) and touch them off at regular intervals. None were ten rings, but all were in the black. There are no "secrets", just learning, applying, then mastering fundamentals of marksmanship.
 
These's so much great advice in this thread and I'm hardly in any position to give any but here is what worked for me.After owning my flintlock for 5 years I have finally gained enough confidence in my abilities and it's only a few things......Practice,practice, and more practice.All the while forgeting everything else that is going on when you squeeze the trigger.Concentrate only on your front sight and the target.

Again,I'm no expert but this worked for me.
 
There's two great variables that affect flintlocks that aren't so apparent with other firearms: Lock time and follow-through. Lock time can sometimes be improved by delicately reaming the flash hole to an inverted cone to allow the charge to ignite easier. Cleaning the flash hole thouroughly between shots is important. Making sure the flint marries up with the frizzen to produce maximum spark is important. After I've primed my pan and closed the frizzen, I always tilt the rifle about 45 degrees and rap the forearm just in front of the lock with the heel of my hand to put the priming charge right against the flash hole.
Follow-through is a tough one, and takes practice to eliminate flinching. Mind control and practice, practice, practice. When I was hunting for a living, and suspected I was getting a little sloppy on running shots with high-power rifles, I'd break out the flintlock. I'd go rabbit hunting for a while, and only take running shots. That really teaches follow-through. When I could hit a high percentage of the running targets, I'd know I had conquered the follow through and trigger control. Set triggers help too.
 
I agree with the folks that say it is the delay that makes them flinch. I have no problem with the flash. As a matter of fact I rarely even see it. All I see is a sudden cloud of smoke that doesn't really concern me. The "click" is what gets me. A centerfire has such a quick ignition that one does not hear the "click". A ML has a descernable "click" followed by a "bang" and "thump". Even on the quickest firing ML's, one can truthfully say that they can most definitely hear the "click". It is this queue that tells my brain that I am about to get thumped, and as a result, I will tense my shoulder in anticipation of the shot. Now, how much of a delay there is on each particular shot will determine my accuracy, proportionately. I find that developing a high discipline of follow through is probably the most important skill in ML. How one accomplishes this is the challenge. I liken it to standing still and totally relaxed while someone punches you in the arm, and you are watching him punch you, fully aware that it is going to hurt a bit, yet you never flinch. Tough to do.
 
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