Couple more flintlock questions

[Mountainman56]

Well I've been shooting my new flintlock every day for six days now. Got quite a few things worked out and a few left to figure on. I've got it firing quite fast and I'm very pleased with that even though the flash hole sits way low in the pan. If they'd have managed to get it in the middle of the flat it would have been just right. :shake: Someone has filed a notch in the pan below the vent I suppose in some effort to improve ignition. Looks nasty and collects crud rapidly so I'm going to have to do something about that.

I need to measure the vent liner because I think it's been drilled out....maybe too large. I don't know for certain but you can actually load and fire without priming if you so desire as enough powder makes it through to the pan. How big should the hole be?

Flint life, how much mileage should I be getting from my flints? I've read about the large number of shots some of y'all get out of your flints and I'm just not experiencing that. I know next to nothing about flintlocks but the geometry on the lock appears fine, in fact upon inspection I'm quite pleased with the lock. It seems well made and has a nice short throw which surprised me. I may re-arch the spring to get a little more snap but I'm very impressed. First flint lasted 20 shots before becoming iffy, second one about the same. Today I discovered my lock prefers the flints bevel down and I'm so far 15 for 15 so we'll see how that goes. I plan on learning how to touch up my flints this Winter when I'm settin in front of the fire with a glass of single malt.

Right now my biggest concern is accuracy. Thursday morning and this afternoon I fired quite a few shots at 50 yards over the side of my truck. It seemed to shoot quite well at 25 yards but I'm having some grief at 50. While it's certainly "minute of deer" it's far from what I've come to expect from my smokepoles. Of course I really don't like the sights but I don't feel I can blame it on that. Maybe tomorrow I'll get it on a bench rest and find out who's really at fault.

And lastly it seems all the flintlock gurus on this forum neglected to inform me of one important aspect of shooting flintlocks. Every morning when I get to work I've been loading it up and putting it in my truck. You never know when you're going to come across something that needs shooting. So naturally when I came across a porcupine (they are real unpopular in an orchard) I thought it would be good practice.

Never....never shoot your flintlock out the truck window. :rotf: :rotf: . You think that pan just throws a small amount of smoke....try it in a truck cab. :rotf: You should have seen the look on the guy's face who was riding with me....well I wish someone had cause I couldn't see it for the smoke. :redface: ..... and the porcupine walked away unscathed.

 

[Robert58]

I don't know anything about Flintlocks, but I have read about drilling out to .070. Roundball just posted the difference between the old and new TC Flintlocks and said that the new improved TC vintliner has a hole in it that is .072. He also said that some of the Powder grains came through to the pane on his Flintlock. Hope this helped.

Robert

 

[roundball]

Flint life...understand when an average # of shots is given, that usually means that many shots were achieved as a result of periodically knapping the flint to extend it's life...not just stopping at 15-20 when it's developed a dull spot on the edge.

My personal experience...and for the moment set aside the occasional abnormal occurance where you install a new flint and it shatters on the first shot and just talk about the 'norm'...I'll start a 50 shot range session and as often as not get through the whole session without ever knapping the flint...and sometimes I'll have to knapp it once in 50 shots...occasionally twice...the harder the particular flint the longer it'll go beteween knapping.

Then I'll start the second 50 shot range session with it the following Saturday and usually find I'll get several shots, then have to knapp it...a few more shots and knapp it, repeat, repeat until it gets worn so short that the edge is back into the thick part of the bevel and its too thick to cut steel any more.

Than I clean and save even those flints in a jar...and when shut in on a rainy day I'll take a dremel tool with a diamond cutting wheel and reshape the bevel slope (on those that I can) to a thin sharp edge again and coax another couple dozen shots out of them before they're dead.

 

[misher]

How far to the side is it safe to stand on the flash side of a flintlock. I saw on the"Mountain Men" Charlton Heston fired with his friend's face right there. He looked uncomfortable!
I've been looking into getting one when I come across one.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I don't want anyone within 6 feet of the side of my lock when I am firing the gun. I have seen flints shards fly that far and strike things, so I don't take ANY RISKS of injuring anyone. The flame and smoke don't go that far, of course.

 

[roundball]

How far to the side is it safe to stand on the flash side of a flintlock.

I shoot alone and years ago when I was starting out I had my range box sitting open 8-10 feet to my right...halfway through the range session I had to get something from the box and was shocked to see how much exhaust debris had landed on it/in it.

Shooting with other people on the line, the ideal situation would be to get the end position on a line of shooters so your vent blast is directed away from everyone.

Another simple choice is to make a portable upright plywood section that will stand several inches higher than your vent position...set it up on your vent side and have no worries.

 

[Rogue River]

If you are looking to improve your accuracy get the Dutch Schoultz "Black Powder Rifle Accuracy System". It is way worth the 15.00 cost. I am not a paper puncher I just hunt and I don't need a quarter size group. If I can put the ball in a paper plate at fifty yards I'm good to go. I purchased it just for grins and was surprised at how much info there is. I've only read thru it once and learned a lot without even going out to shoot. Try it, you won't be sorry! :grin:

 

[redwing]

For long flint life get a Diamond File. If you can use a file its that easy. Just file a sharp edge on the flint as you would on an ax or knife. You will not be shorting the flint as you would with the knapping process. You will double your flint life and the little files are not expensive. You can find them at a Mill Supply store, Rock Shops or on the web for around $10.00 or less. :thumbsup:

 

[jimmy82]

The notch in your pan... Is your vent liner the slotted sort? If so is the slot straight up and down?

My wife's gun has cut a notch out of the pan because the slot in the vent is allowing gasses to shoot downwards. That notch is right on line with the vent liner slot. I know I haven't taken a file to it and we bought it new. I will probably re-thread it for a white lighting after I get back from Iraq. She also gets a lot of powder residue in the lock mortise.

The gun came like that from the factory. When I made my Bivins I made sure the slot went from side to side. On my wife's Jaeger I stopped once the bottom of the slot was flush with the side of the barrel and filed the rest off.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Well until today, Ive averaged 50-80 shot per flint. Im on my third one this year. It was the last rondy, and the last 4 shots. Dang nab it, Now I can only use one all next year to keep my average.

Thanks Rich for great rocks!

 

[musketman]

How far to the side is it safe to stand on the flash side of a flintlock. I saw on the"Mountain Men" Charlton Heston fired with his friend's face right there. He looked uncomfortable!
I've been looking into getting one when I come across one.

I once set a bale of hay on fire with the side blast, guess I shouldn't have used it for a support during the shot.

 

[musketman]

Never....never shoot your flintlock out the truck window. :rotf: :rotf: . You think that pan just throws a small amount of smoke....try it in a truck cab. :rotf: You should have seen the look on the guy's face who was riding with me....well I wish someone had cause I couldn't see it for the smoke. :redface: ..... and the porcupine walked away unscathed.

Looked like a Cheech and Chong movie with all that smoke rolling out the windows. :rotf:

As for flint life, it depends on what type of flints you are using. English and French flints give long wear, the white pre-cut agate flints that come two in a pack don't last as long.

Once you learn how to knapp your flint you can milk out 80 shots or more per flint, providing the flint doesn't shatter from some unforseen flaw.

 

[Robert Scheffler]

I drill my touch-holes out to 1/16". Any bigger and you chamber powder seems to come out when you load. Also, if your touch-hole is too low in the pan you could always deepen the pan a mite with a dremel.

 

[MikeChapin]

...Someone has filed a notch in the pan below the vent I suppose in some effort to improve ignition. Looks nasty and collects crud rapidly so I'm going to have to do something about that.

It probably is gas cutting. I have seen it on several locks where the touch hole is set too low. You should be able to deepen the pan and remove it as long as the edge of the pan is still on the flat.

I need to measure the vent liner because I think it's been drilled out....maybe too large. I don't know for certain but you can actually load and fire without priming if you so desire as enough powder makes it through to the pan. How big should the hole be?

That sounds a little big and may be contributing to your problems at 50 yards. Most of my rifles have 1/16" touch holes. A few have 5/64". If it gets bigger than that, I replace them.

Flint life, how much mileage should I be getting from my flints?...

Depends on the lock. I have a couple of rifles that tend to eat flints no matter what I do. They require touch up after 10 or 15 shots. Touch up contributes to wear. I also have a couple that will shoot until the flint turns into a pebble. I have not been able to try Redwing's method yet but I have seen him and a couple of other people use it to great effect.

 

[Dphar]

Well I've been shooting my new flintlock every day for six days now. Got quite a few things worked out and a few left to figure on. I've got it firing quite fast and I'm very pleased with that even though the flash hole sits way low in the pan. If they'd have managed to get it in the middle of the flat it would have been just right. :shake: Someone has filed a notch in the pan below the vent I suppose in some effort to improve ignition. Looks nasty and collects crud rapidly so I'm going to have to do something about that.

I need to measure the vent liner because I think it's been drilled out....maybe too large. I don't know for certain but you can actually load and fire without priming if you so desire as enough powder makes it through to the pan. How big should the hole be?

Flint life, how much mileage should I be getting from my flints? I've read about the large number of shots some of y'all get out of your flints and I'm just not experiencing that. I know next to nothing about flintlocks but the geometry on the lock appears fine, in fact upon inspection I'm quite pleased with the lock. It seems well made and has a nice short throw which surprised me. I may re-arch the spring to get a little more snap but I'm very impressed. First flint lasted 20 shots before becoming iffy, second one about the same. Today I discovered my lock prefers the flints bevel down and I'm so far 15 for 15 so we'll see how that goes. I plan on learning how to touch up my flints this Winter when I'm settin in front of the fire with a glass of single malt.

Right now my biggest concern is accuracy. Thursday morning and this afternoon I fired quite a few shots at 50 yards over the side of my truck. It seemed to shoot quite well at 25 yards but I'm having some grief at 50. While it's certainly "minute of deer" it's far from what I've come to expect from my smokepoles. Of course I really don't like the sights but I don't feel I can blame it on that. Maybe tomorrow I'll get it on a bench rest and find out who's really at fault.

And lastly it seems all the flintlock gurus on this forum neglected to inform me of one important aspect of shooting flintlocks. Every morning when I get to work I've been loading it up and putting it in my truck. You never know when you're going to come across something that needs shooting. So naturally when I came across a porcupine (they are real unpopular in an orchard) I thought it would be good practice.

Never....never shoot your flintlock out the truck window. :rotf: :rotf: . You think that pan just throws a small amount of smoke....try it in a truck cab. :rotf: You should have seen the look on the guy's face who was riding with me....well I wish someone had cause I couldn't see it for the smoke. :redface: ..... and the porcupine walked away unscathed.

Actual testing shows that a low vent, unless very very low, is not a factor. Enlarging the vent over about .060 will not help if the vent liner is properly made.

Dan

 

[rafterob]

Having, grooved out the bottom edge of my pan to line up with the vent hole I would say it was done puposefully. It should be polished out well and not left rough. Between this modification and picking the vent hole each time my firing rate is almost 100%. My lock does not have real good geometry and uses small flints so I generally don't get much more than 30 shots out of a flint. I've received a few face blasts from neighbors shooting at least 6' away and try to remember to stand back out of the way and let them shoot before I stand up to the firing line. I have also had a good face full of flint shrapnel and powder embers from my own pan so I try to keep my priming charge low.

 

[Deadeye]

When shooting with others on a firing line shooters ,using flinters, are usually required to yell"flintlock" when preparing to fire so other shooters can get out of the way. They'll definately sting you from 6' or so.
Deadeye

 

[CoyoteJoe]

A jerk once burned my wife by firing his flintlock without warning. His response was "well women don't belong on the primitive line anyhow."
My response to Mountainman56 would be "well you shouldn't be shooting from your truck anyhow." :grin: As if I've never done it!

 

[kherring]

Sorry, I am laughing my @$$ off at that story! That is the funniest flintlock mishap story I've ever heard. I would have loved to have seen your faces. Anyway, I get 60-80 shots from a flint before I toss it. I will dress the edge after 15-20. A friend of mine took a nail and turned a small shoulder on it that I place on the edge of the flint. A light whack on it with the back of my knife puts a sharp edge back on. As far as geometry, when the cock is forward the flint should point to the center of the pan. Good luck.

 

[Tom Compton]

Reminds me of a story. Acquaintence asked me if I knew how much dust was inside the cab of a 15 year old pickup. Said it was a bunch. Real cold and windows rolled up. .270 w/ muzzle in the floor and stock on the seat when it got touched off.