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French blond flints

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davy

69 Cal.
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French blond flints .. please tell me who sells them & how much? ... I ask cuz a friend was asking me about this the other day! :hmm:

Davy
 
And the price looks good.
The French flint knaper himself sells the 3/4" ones for 1 euro each, thats about 1,36 $.
I ordered some last week, we'll see how they spark.

Regards,

Gerard.
 
They spark OK. The big problem with these things is that they are crude. You may buy them for $1.36 but maybe 1/3rd of them won't fit your lock.

I was able to sort mine out [2 Doz.] and use some for pistol flints. They are not as good as the BEF by Fuller. They do not hold the edge as well as the BEFs.

I would not and will not buy anymore of these. :shake: I think Round Ball had the same problems with his order. :hmm:
 
I saw your topic title and read it as "French Blonde fliRts" :rotf:

Where is my mind? :redface:
 
I use them and they work just as well as English flints. Also, they are historically correct for French fusils or American Rev War muskets.
 
Maybe it's chauvinism (they invented the word :wink:), maybe they don't have anything better, but according to all french bp shooters I talked to, these are the best flints you can find.
I'll keep you informed when I get them.
 
gerardus said:
Maybe it's chauvinism (they invented the word :wink:), maybe they don't have anything better, but according to all french bp shooters I talked to, these are the best flints you can find.
I'll keep you informed when I get them.

Unless you want them for French reenacting, they are no better than the black English flints, and cost more. The ONLY difference between these black flints and yellow flints is that the black ones are black and the yellow ones are yellow.
 
For what it's worth, I bought 2 dozen 3/4" French amber flints from H&M...literally half were so short I sdet them aside and later sold them to someone who had a smaller lock, ie: a pistol or something.

Of the dozen I used, one was as good as my typical 3/4" BEFs, the rest all seemed soft and crumbly...not as hard as BEFs...notably shorter life than my 3/4" BEFs, and almost twice as expensive.

So unless flint circumstances in general change around the world, there's currently no reason that I would ever buy any more French amber flints.
 
Roundball that was me and the first flint was very inpressive in my lock. I went about 110 before I knapped it. The rest were no better or worst than my BEF's and as you said somewhat cheaper. Right now I am trying Rich's flints to see how they standup. The first one lasted a shooting session but it will be replaced before the next round. They are a little rough looking but I think a good deal for the price.
Fox :thumbsup:
 
The old amber flints sold by Dixie 30 + years ago were awsome. Much better than anything else I have used. The new ones are no better than English flints, and sometimes not as good. QC has apparently deteriorated. :grin:
J.D.
 
When John Horst sent me some pyrites to test in my wheellock, he also sent me a half dozen french blondies. I haven't worn out the first one yet. He sent them maybe three years ago, and it isn't because I haven't been shooting the flinter. In fact, the last deer I killed the french blondie was in the jaws of the cock on my yeager. Just my experience, yours may vary. :bow: :surrender: :blah: :haha:
volatpluvia
 
J.D. said:
The old amber flints sold by Dixie 30 + years ago were awsome. Much better than anything else I have used. The new ones are no better than English flints, and sometimes not as good. QC has apparently deteriorated. :grin:
J.D.

I remember those. They were great but you paid for them. As I remember they ran almost $2.00 each back then. The Black English ran about $.40. In those days when you bought an L&R lock they sent one of those amber flints along with the lock.
 
Many years ago (in my foolish youth) I was given a paper package of French amber flints. These were marked to the Harpers Ferry Arsenal, and I believe, the package was dated in the early 1800's. The flints were packed in excelsior and were beautiful. They had no internal fractures to be seen and each was carefully knapped "round" across the back (actually almost octagonal). I foolishly gave most away as gifts, shot one or two, and lost the rest.

The "new" French amber flints that are currently on the market are nothing like the famed originals.The ones I have seen are formed much like the BEF that we are all used to buying. The ones I have examined are shot through with minute fractures and are no where near the quality of the originals of old. The French flints that Dixie sold so many years ago, were in fact, 150 year old arsenal flints. I believe I heard they were bought originally from Bannermans.
Tom
 
My TC's get the Black English and my Lyman's get the French.Only the BEST for my Lyman's. :rotf:
 
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