Flash but no bang.

Yup, I'll go 6-10 shots before swabbing the bore also. I use only a slightly moistened patch.

All this swabbing and wiping the bore.
Cracks me up.

Thin card, tallow, leather or felt wad, thin, patched ball.
Or.
Thin card, spit, patched ball.
Or.
Thin card, olive oil soaked thin wad.

It's called fouling management. Keeps fouling soft so you can shoot all day without fuss!

I w"hole"ly agree with WKD about size.The vents on my 3 Go to Shotguns (2x12b 1x10b) are No.48 drill.I rarely have misses with these.Can't afford to an International meets. I do have an E Baker double 22b with platina vents that are only.066".Somewhere I read years ago in an 19th century article that the bottom of the vent should be level with the top surface of the pan. The vent should be bored before screwing in from the back towards the lock side at near 3/16th part of one inch leaving 3/32" of the size require to be near the pan at slightly more than 1/16th part.
I have always followed this theory and it works for my guns and on the others I have re-vented for others.
Take the Bison by the others and start drilling and good flinting.
I agree with BRITSm-- All this wiping out is only wearing out barrels.

OLD DOG..

Zonie,Could you please have the "Y" put into GREENSWYLDE.I have tried to contact direct but No Joy.. OLD DOG

I use a very tight ball and patch. I need a karate smack to start. It will get hard to push a ball down after so many shots but I never wipe, using Young Country lube I add more lube to the next patch and it clears up loading for a long time. Shooting silhouette and fun shooting after, I have gone better then 200 shots without a single wiping patch.
Now the old timers would scrub between shots and had all kinds of failures. It was funny to watch them start a ball with a mallet and use a steel little hammer on flint. I think they dulled the rock so I flake with deer antler. Real flaked flint is best and the cut stone just quits fast and you can't fix them.
Flint is funny stuff and must come out of the ground, any from the surface is useless. The best gun flints still come from England. Some make stuff like knives from obsidian but it is poor for a rifle, too much like glass. If you want a skinning knife, either stone is better then steel. Ruby is used for eye surgery.
Timing a flint so the very first shards of white hot steel ignites the charge is important. That takes testing so you have no need to wait for the hammer to be all the way down and the frizzen open. FFFFG lights faster and if you pick some into the touch hole it will help. Never fill the pan over the hole, keep it just below the hole. Surface flash is best.

GREENSWLDE said:

I w"hole"ly agree with WKD about size.The vents on my 3 Go to Shotguns (2x12b 1x10b) are No.48 drill

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That's fine for a shotgun, but you are going to lose velocity in a rifle with such a large touch hole. And if you have a small caliber, narrow stocked rifle (Squirrel rifle- ish) or compete where a flash guard is required you are going to get a faceful with a #48 vent.

I had a similar experience as you describe with my flinter. Clean with 90% alcohol or contact cleaner before loading. Use a drop tube for powder delivery with 3F BP. Rap on the stock 6 times or so while leaning the rifle pan down to settle powder into the right place. Load a ball with a damp patch. Pick the hole. Pour in 2 primer charges of 4F BP and tap some of the charge into the hole. Close the frizzen and fire.
Next, skip the cleaning and load the same but don't wipe the bore, instead use a slightly WET patch to clear the barrel fouling. Wipe the flint with alcohol or CC every couple of shots. Continue loading and firing until fouling causes difficulty loading. Then do a thorough cleaning.