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Less interest in my caplocks

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Stumpkiller said:
Feltwad said:
Col. Batguano said:
Because as we get older we're more interested in napping. :rotf:
Every man to his own but give me a percussion gun any day not the hassle has with a flintlock .A flintlock is ok for the odd shot but when you are shooting between 50 to 100 shots a session I need a gun that shoots every time a flintlock cannot guarantee me that
Feltwad

Get a good flintlock. ;-)

This is after 30 shots without cleaning - just loading and firing (skeet) No wiping or cleaning (which just pushes crud & moisture into the breech and flash channel). No delays or missfires.

6pR6Nfim.jpg


I have two caplock rifles. One hasn't been shot in over five years and the other more than 15 years. Flintlocks get it done.

I've had plenty of bad caps, plugged nipples,
and missfires with percussion caps over the years.
Does that include rainy days and also foggy days not forgetting those gale force winds. In these condition a percussion gun never fails me
Feltwad
 
Smokey Plainsman said:
When you find flint, there is no such thing as a "nice" caplock anymore.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you don't shoot a flintlock, you're not muzzleloading. They are so far and beyond in enjoyment to any caplock, and take a certain skill set to use.


Now there is a feller over that what says ”˜any gun what don’t use pyrites ain’t real’ and that’s this other feller who says ”˜ if’ ya don’t use a match cord you just ain’t got a hair on (some part of your anatomy seldom seen).
Well it’s rock in the locks for me, I think those cap locks are just a flash in the pan... hold it should I change that last anology???
 
Very good point Jim. I found the same thing out with my own humidity test done in the bluing cabinet with nearly 100 percent and the clean powder would still fire.It was quite an eye opener for me.
 
I like em both and flint guns can be made very reliable but it is easier(less learning curve) to make a percussion reliable hence the reason for the invention and almost universal take over of percussion cap ignition. Reliability,convenience,consistency of brisence and speed of ignition were and are motivating factors in favor of percussion.
 
I have and like both. But, the capguns don't get shot much and haven't been in the bush with me in a long time. Yes, more can go wrong with flintlock than with a percussion; yet knowledgeable handling can make flint as reliable as cap. I have full confidence in my flintlocks and have never wished I carried a percussion into the bush.
 
I began shooting ML's with a percussion TC Hawken, BUT the period/s of history I was most interested in doing living history, reenacting and shooting was with flintlocks.

Then I "strayed from the fold" for 8 years doing WBTS reenacting.

Finally I got back into 18th century in the mid 90's and have not fired a percussion rifle or gun since.

Gus
 
Feltwad said:
Does that include rainy days and also foggy days not forgetting those gale force winds. In these condition a percussion gun never fails me
Feltwad
Have found ways to shoot flinters in almost any condition...and I stress ALMOST! :wink: As long as you can keep direct water out of the pan and keep it and the frizzen face dry it'll function. I've done all sorts of tricks including keeping a roll of trade wool in the closed pan, cow's knee over lock area, huddled with lock under coat or slicker, and have even put a tiny amount of lube around pan edges and pan cover to lock face joint. Wind can be trying but is no less difficult to deal with if the lock's well tuned and dry. One of the most entertaining things is to hold a flint lock inverted and see it go off, firing the charge. The return stared are priceless! :haha: All boils down to a good fast and tuned lock, dry frizzen and pan and sharp flint! Easy? Not always but certainly worth the work! :thumbsup:
 
Feltwad said:
Does that include rainy days and also foggy days not forgetting those gale force winds. In these condition a percussion gun never fails me
Feltwad

Yes. It does. In soggy, rainy, sleety, snowy Upstate New York.

I hunt with a recurve bow during bow season but then switch to a flintlock in regular gun AND muzzleloading season. And I ruffed grouse hunt with a flintlock and won't take a ground shot.

A wide brimmed hat, frock with a cape and a waxed cow's knee and a hemlock to sit under and I'm gold. Haven't starved yet. ;-)
 
I have to say any weather that's to hard on my flinters is too hard on me. I have done a lot of hunting in light rains and snows. Long before I expect trouble from my lock I head for cover. When the weather is too nasty for my guns it seems game heads for shelter too.
Now I would want cap gun if I had to face Red coats, Blackfoots or Yankees no mater the weather. But those are rare in neck of the woods these days.
 
I keep some flints in the freezer to cool my Bowmore, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Kilchoman, Bunnahabhain, Caol Isla, Bruichladdig or Ardmore ... seriously - just to stay in the mood!... Now I wonder ... do I have one addiction or two??? :idunno:
 
I got into flintlock longrifles in the 1960s. I've hunted in fog and rain with no problems. Nowadays the kid knows better and stays in bed if it is raining. Not that I worry too much about my gun suffering; I worry about ME suffering.
 
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rotf: With the exception of the 'flat lander' from kansas
With his incredible stupid comments, what I set out to do was done in fine style.
This wonderful old forum was starting to become very boring! :td: So being the fine Irish gentleman that I am,I felt that the time was ripe to toss a cartridge(paper) into the fire. The results were great, we had many posts that were informative, with the exception of one. This child really enjoyed it :bow: . Now, I am just about to shoulder My M1816 musket,defarbed by Mr. Zimmerman of Harpers Ferry Virginia, and head up the canyon for a short trek. BTW, my 1816 is a flinter for the benefit of those of you who only shoot .36rs.

The Irish Mick
Arizona Territory
 
In Arizona, you may not have a humidity problem, but here in Virginia, we do have a problem.

I love the flinter's when conditions are good, but I still love the cap locks sometimes.

A real style Hawken, feels right as cap lock, but a long slender rifle, of the appropriate time period feels like it should be a flint lock.

I like them both and for different times and different reasons.
 
I'm on hanshi's side. There are ways to protect your flinter from mother nature but when the weather gets rough I whip out my lap top, get in the easy chair, go to the muzzleloading forum and read about it! :surrender:
 
I aquired a couple of percussion TCs, built one from a kit and found the other at a flea market to cheaply to pass up.

I have never fired the kit gun, an only fired the other gun a few times to see if it was a shooter before I pass it on.

I prefer my flintlocks.
 
Last I looked at the part of the forum this post thread was in, it was the flintlock section. Maybe you should stick to the caplock section and you'd be much happier. :v
 
IowaShooter said:
Last I looked at the part of the forum this post thread was in, it was the flintlock section. Maybe you should stick to the caplock section and you'd be much happier. :v
A bit one sided answer only supporting the percussion system.
Feltwad
 
I trust my flinters to any job I can ask it, in any weather I would be in take to the field. However that comes with learning the gun. That comes with babying the gun.
That caps are better then flints is proven by history. So to history proves cartridge guns are better then ml. Are simi autos better then bolt action? Depends, but any modern gun, including in lines beats traditional ml.
The fun is in the learning of the gun. No one on this forum will go hungry if they fail a hunt. That’s not the point.
It’s just the whole wonder of centuries old technology. The fun is there with a cap, and it’s a better system and lots of fun. Flint is just another door.
My Bic will give me flame, but not as much fun as my steel, coffee on my tin pot is no better then a cowboy enamel and not as good as my press at home...well it is better somehow inside. Sure enough my wedge tent is not as comfortable as a a motor lodge.... yet it is. I have shot my flinters in some nasty weather... it’s a pia, it’s also strangely satisfying.
 
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