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What got you interested in flintlocks?

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Magungo1066 said:
Where are some of these shoots if you don't mind me asking? I was excited to finally attend a muzzleloader shoot in Vermont back a few months ago, but Murphys law, something came up the literal night before that prevented me from going. I would love to shoot around different parts of New England and meet other shooters from our region.
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Hi:

The MZL Biathlons are all over, but I do an annual post in the New England forum of the upcoming schedule. Usually there are 8 or so each year.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...t-us-mzl-snowshoe-primitive-biathlons.156148/
For woodwalks ... I, and others, are STILL in the "trying to get local Clubs" to assist on a Group Email lisr or similar to share knowledge about upcoming shoots. I do post woodswalks in the NE Forums as I hear of them ... and as I said, so far communication is far from perfect ...
 
I made my own bows for years, I shot TC percussion rifles, changed to flintlock as it seemed to go with my osage bows. My TCs were difficult to get to not hangfire, a friend gave me his custom flintlock on his deathbed, one shot and I sold my TC stuff. Because of my friends' gift and making bows I thought that I could build a flintlock rifle, boy did I have a lot to learn but got good enough at it by my second gun to like what I built, I have built 5 to date.
 
Panama Red said:
Availability of primers is what originally got me thinking of alternate ignition source firearms.
Click to expand...

Similar story here. I was shooting my modern guns a lot and reloading ammo for them till the great primer shortage hit. I had a pretty good stock but still wanted to be sure I could keep shooting if the shortage didn't ease and I ran low.

So I decided to buy my first black powder gun and since I knew that caps were just as hard to get as primers it had to be a flintlock.

Now I have 5 flintlocks and never did run too low on ammo for the modern guns. Partially because the flintlocks are so much fun that I cut back on the modern gun shooting.
 
Jason holgate said:
What got you interested in flintlocks? How many people have you introduced to the hobby? Seems we all recruit friends family and they get hooked!!!!
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Dad was a historian and weapons collector. As a pre-teen I was shooting original caplocks and flintlocks. I have introduced my three children and many friends to it. Grandchildren are next, God-willing.
 
Flint62Smoothie said:
Hi:

The MZL Biathlons are all over, but I do an annual post in the New England forum of the upcoming schedule. Usually there are 8 or so each year.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...t-us-mzl-snowshoe-primitive-biathlons.156148/
For woodwalks ... I, and others, are STILL in the "trying to get local Clubs" to assist on a Group Email lisr or similar to share knowledge about upcoming shoots. I do post woodswalks in the NE Forums as I hear of them ... and as I said, so far communication is far from perfect ...
Click to expand...
Anything in Maine west of the Penobscot? I'd love to attend and would help promote them where I can.
 
deerstalkert said:
in the late 50's we had a neighbor lady that stood about 4' tall. She owned a family heirloom from somewhere in the Appalachians. said heirloom was the longest, slimmest, most elegant rifle i had ever seen. It hung above the mantle on their stone fireplace.
being of unending curiosity and boundless mischief making, and being the Huck Finn to her sons Tom Sawyer, we snuck that rifle out one day. we had a rudimentary idea of how it worked and we set about with match heads getting a poof of smoke from the pan.
being somewhat blood thirsty we aimed it down range at Ginniy's Plymouth Rock rooster. not a thought that it might be loaded until it went off with a cloud of smoke that instantly soaked into my soul.
after we buried the late rooster and replaced the rifle over the fireplace, swearing each other to silence until death, i would wake up thinking of that glorious cloud of smoke. about that time Ginny's daughter got my attention and it was years before i had the pleasure of a flintlock again. i still remember the feeling i got from that Mountain rifle. and Ginny's daughter.
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So...you put it back without cleaning?
 
I'm 55. I didn't shoot a gun until about 6 years ago. Got a couple of lever unmentionables, a few milsurps...black powder interested me, but I didn't want to get into yet another rabbit hole. Well, I watched a video by Black Powder Maniac Shooter on how easy cleaning a BP gun is, and saw the fun he was having shooting, so I took a chance on a used CVA Frontier carbine at a price that wouldn't hurt if I didn't like it.

I was instantly hooked!

I got into flintlocks for their simplicity. Shooting one just feels as if I'm harnessing Nature itself. Wood stock, iron forged from the earth, powder and ball from the elements and minerals, all brought to life with the spark from a rock in motion. It is, in a way, the ultimate of Man's adapting and using what God gave him in resources and ability. Such simple engineering, so elegant in form and function, demanding in attention to detail in its use, it speaks with a roaring breath that touches the soul.
 
JB67 said:
I'm 55. I didn't shoot a gun until about 6 years ago. Got a couple of lever unmentionables, a few milsurps...black powder interested me, but I didn't want to get into yet another rabbit hole. Well, I watched a video by Black Powder Maniac Shooter on how easy cleaning a BP gun is, and saw the fun he was having shooting, so I took a chance on a used CVA Frontier carbine at a price that wouldn't hurt if I didn't like it.

I was instantly hooked!

I got into flintlocks for their simplicity. Shooting one just feels as if I'm harnessing Nature itself. Wood stock, iron forged from the earth, powder and ball from the elements and minerals, all brought to life with the spark from a rock in motion. It is, in a way, the ultimate of Man's adapting and using what God gave him in resources and ability. Such simple engineering, so elegant in form and function, demanding in attention to detail in its use, it speaks with a roaring breath that touches the soul.
Click to expand...
Damn! That was a lot better than my “primer shortage” thing!
 
Having been enthralled as a kid with the 1700/1800’s Frontier era, when I reached hunting age I bought a TC Hawken percussion rifle(l1970’s). After a lot of shooting, and some good hunting success, a couple of years later I decided to try a flintlock. I did experience some difficulties in the beginning, but ultimately figured it our. Been shooting and hunting with them ever since…..
 
Several things happened in 1964 for me. I started the first grade, I still have the Bible my great grandmother gave me for Christmas that year, the original GI Joes came out and all the boys had to have one for Christmas, my aunt got married so my parents sold her their 1963 Impala and bought a 1964 Impala, which started my love affair with that model. I still have the 1964 Impala SS I got in 1973 and the 1964 Impala I got in 1979. The other big thing that happened for me in 1964 was Fess Parker starting to play Daniel Boone on TV. I have had a love affair with flintlocks since that time. I believe I read once that Mark Baker was influenced by Fess Parker in leading to his recreating the longhunter. I am sure others of my generation on this forum were influenced by Fess also. I did have a friend I worked with a little over 20 years ago who I took along with his son to a few of our monthly matches to shoot muzzle loaders, but he moved away many years ago and I don't think really took up the hobby.
 
I developed a passion for all things old-timey early in life. I was raised up in a log cabin that was built in the 1700s and it was decorated as such. And over the fireplace and there was a Flintlock wall hanger. One day when I was a teenager in the middle of the 1980s somewhere I took it down and took it to the antique rifle works to get it checked out to see if it was safe to shoot. And that is all she wrote
 
Deer hunting the PA late season flintlock/archery season is what started me on the path. Late 70's had a neighbor that had one he hunted with and I'd see him shooting it in the yard. Walked over one time and he let me put a couple rounds down range. Liked it and love that time of year so I got one and had only 1 for quite some time. Shot it enough to be proficient with it for hunting but that was about it. About 10 years ago got bit by the bug and have gotten really into it now, own a few, mixed calibers and shoot way more then I need to for hunting practice. Only have 2 non flinter ML's and save them for rainy/wet days in our general rifle season. Next part of the journey is a smoothbore flinter and then I'll flintlock hunt all of our seasons.
 
JB67 said:
I got into flintlocks for their simplicity. Shooting one just feels as if I'm harnessing Nature itself. Wood stock, iron forged from the earth, powder and ball from the elements and minerals, all brought to life with the spark from a rock in motion. It is, in a way, the ultimate of Man's adapting and using what God gave him in resources and ability. Such simple engineering, so elegant in form and function, demanding in attention to detail in its use, it speaks with a roaring breath that touches the soul.
Click to expand...
Well said!!! I totally understand where you are coming from.
 
I was never enamored by the flint lock guns. I bought the first one because it was someone's really nice custom gun and it was offered to me at a price that was sinfully low. I have three flint guns, one rifle, one so called smooth rifle, and one fowler. I have shot all of them but the flint locks aren't my favorite.
 

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