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You said you travel a few hours to your hunt location. Forgot your percussion caps? Your "screwed". Get a load stuck? Unless you have a nipple wrench with you its going to be a chore to get that ball out. With the flintlock, you visually see the flint in the cock - go hunt. If it is dull or chips you can either nap it or just turn it around. Stuck load? Drizzle powder in the touch-hole or create a powder fuse to the pan just to get it to go off so it is cleared. Percussion cap "snapped" but didn't light the charge? Dig one out of wherever, with your gloves on, and set it on the nipple. Re-cock and try again. Flintlock? Don't even take the gun off your shoulder. Just cock and try again. You might need to put powder in the pan again but you can do that with your gloves on and rifle shouldered (or port arms). Just seems like the flintlock is a safer bet for your situation.
 
Darn near every muzzle loader hunter starts out with a cap lock, and goes to a flinter. Save money, go right for the flinter.

A cap lock isnt any better than a flintlock, only faster to reload for the untrained. I will never own a cap lock, here in the high country of the pacific northwest weather is not your friend. I see more misfires form cappers that flinters every yet.

Save your self money and headache time, do not buy a cap gun, and do not buy a production rifle. Make it yourself from the best parts on the planet.
Thats what the rest of us did.
 
Don't think cap-locks are "better". They were a giant improvement for military use, but for the controlled, regulated "hobby" hunting we do, not "better".
 
Ive shot lots of caps, but never owned one. What gets me is the air pressure that builds between the cap and the charge can snuff the fire out.
Ive never seen any weather here in western washington that has effected the flinter.
 
Ive shot lots of caps, but never owned one. What gets me is the air pressure that builds between the cap and the charge can snuff the fire out.
Ive never seen any weather here in western washington that has effected the flinter.
Where do you find stuff like this? :confused:

IMO, it is totally wrong and I would hate to see someone read it and actually believe it. :eek:
 
Had a friend once who said t'was spirits that kept his rifle from firing. I believe he was right, and I expect they were about 80-proof spirits, too. Never heard that air pressure problem before. I've been making my own mistakes with these front loaders now for many seasons, and I've seen cap guns that failed to fire because of damp powder and bad caps and clogged nipples and once a gentleman I met in the deer woods who had a rifle that the whole dang breech was plugged with grease from the factory -- It was a new gun and his first time out, and nobody told him to clean it before anything else. He was burning through a can of caps trying to get it to go "bang." I shoot both caplock and rocklock and like both, by the way.
If you're having the problem you described, get yourself a Tresco vented nipple for your iron and that'll fix any pressure problem you're having. Luck to you.
 
Cap locks are better, no doubt about it. They pretty much replaced flintlocks in ten- fifteen years.
However flintlocks are reliable I’ve killed all manners of critters with mine in rain snow and sunny days. It’s been well over thirty years since I took a percussion in to the field.
The fact is you find a lot of nipplehugger shooters that get interested in rock in the locks. However you don’t find a lot that go the other way.
Maybe you should come to the Dalton Range the first weekend in June and watch the double 8 bore flintlock shooters kill their limit of skeet
 
Gosh, I hope not. Mine are collecting dust, unused for a dozen years or so. My .54 is a flintlock.

Grouse and bunnies, too. My flint fowler gets used but my caplocks are just waiting in a corner.
Having your rifle leaning on an unsecured rest like in your picture may fall down and go off. If it does you won't ne so devilishy handsome anymore.!!!!!!!
 
Having your rifle leaning on an unsecured rest like in your picture may fall down and go off. If it does you won't ne so devilishy handsome anymore.!!!!!!!

If you look carefully that tree forks. But thank you for your motherly concern.

4libi5H.jpg
 
And the cool factor is through the roof. But...seems like it would be pretty hard to get a flintlock to go off, by falling over. ??? Not sure if you could even get a cap-lock to do it. And of course, if you do knock your rifle over, you deserve to be shot. :)
 
I do realize however, that in the movies they ALWAYS go off if they fall over.
 
Ive shot lots of caps, but never owned one. What gets me is the air pressure that builds between the cap and the charge can snuff the fire out.
Ive never seen any weather here in western washington that has effected the flinter.

The Myth to which you are referring is likely caused by flame channel blockage due to carbon build up. Keep your gun clean and you won't have any problems.

As far as high wind is concerned with a flinter, any wind strong enough to cause a misfire will likely screw up my aim anyway. Wind has never interfered with my gun going off.
 
A cap lock won't get you manure in PA's three week Flintlock only season after Christmas. Flintlocks are every bit as reliable as percussion in the hands of someone willing to devote the time and education to the care and feeding. It is not an "easy button" muzzle loader which too many folks adhere to in the false rationalization that percussion is more reliable. Besides which, why would you want to hunt in the North East with a percussion, where all historical firearm hunting was originally done with flintlock? You want to hunt like a frontiersman, then use a frontiersman's gun. Not some Johnny come lately flat lander immigrant with an "easy button" gun.
 
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