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extending life of flints
- Thread starter fisher2
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wahkahchimaol.com
45 Cal.
- Joined
- May 17, 2009
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Gee whiz Eric, I'm happy to get 20! Share your secrets!
"Track of the Wolf" has some instruction and photos of flint placement in an L&R Lock - seems reasonable. I am beginning to believe there is an optimal place for a particular flint to be in your lock, shooting your load, with your wrap, and some other unknown factor. I tried the bevel up, 1/16" spacing from the frizzen at half cock, and my flints were quickly reduced to a 1/4" gap. So I started setting up for the 1/4" gap and the flint is surviving from one session to the next. (L&R RPL Lock in a 50 cal GPR). I also started padding the top of the flint to protect the flint from frizzen bounce back. I am going to try bevel down and closer spacing as "Track of the Wolf" is suggesting. In search of optimal flint placement.
I would explain how I have come up with pretty successful scheme to make flints last and last but if you are getting 50 strikes from a cut agate, I need to sit down a listen. I am all ears!
My opinion is cut agate flints are the worst kind if bad.
I, also suspect, you are the only one or at least in a very distinct minority on this forum that likes cut agate.
My opinion is cut agate flints are the worst kind if bad.
I, also suspect, you are the only one or at least in a very distinct minority on this forum that likes cut agate.
ericmerg said:
Different locks have different peculiarities. Some will eat flints like crazy, some will allow a flint to keep on going for a long time. I have a rifle that can use one German sawn flint for what seems like forever. Others report less than satisfactory experience with them.
Most flint shooter simply knap a new edge on a flint when it starts wearing.
Your milage will vary.
I use Rich Pierce flints exclusively and get AT LEAST 50 shots per flint (and often 75 or so) using lead rather than leather to hold my flints "solidly" and by keeping the flints "sharp" by using a file to sharpen them without removing them from the jaws of the cock.
By using lead to hold my flints, I can easily and very securely move the flint out further in the jaws as the "nose" of the flint wears down.
I start out placing the flint as far back in the cock's jaws as I can and then, by slowly moving the flint "out" toward the front of the cock's "jaws" as it wears down and keeping the flint's "nose" sharp (with the file), I am convinced I'm increasing the "life" of the flints.
I keep a diamond-impregnated file in my shooting box to very quickly sharpen the nose of the flint whenever it seems to be getting too dull.
I've even turned some of my flints side-ways, quickly sharpen the leading edge with the diamond file and have gotten another 10 or 15 shots with a well-worn flint because I can very securely hold the flint in ANY position in the cock's jaws with the lead which tends to take a solid "set" on the uneven surfaces of the flints and will "hold" the flints very securely... even with only a very small part of the flint in the cock's jaws... something I doubt that leather could do.
Occasionally, I've had a few flints crack or split... but I think that is caused more by a flaw in a particular flint than anything I'm doing to it.
I think most of us have had the same thing happen to an "occasional" flint, but... regardless, I'd be unhappy if I didn't get AT LEAST 60-70 shots (or more) out of a flint.
Anyway... this has been my experience with flints and it "works-for-me".
You can get a whole set (8 or 10) diamond-imbedded files at Harbor Freight for about $10... or slightly less and they seem to work just fine.
I hope this information helps you to increase the number of shots you get from your flints... and if you're not using Rich Pierce's flints, you might give them a "try"... Rich's prices are VERY reasonable and I can find NOTHING wrong with his flints.
One more thing you might consider... I had my black powder gunsmith LIGHTEN the cock's spring on my flintlock rifle... it seems to me that a great many "factory-made" rifles have too strong a cock-spring... much stronger than necessary to get-the-job-done.
You might consider looking into lightening your cock's spring a bit... that tends to lessen the chipping off of the nose of the flints thus increasing flint-life.
Make GOOD smoke... :thumbsup:
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
By using lead to hold my flints, I can easily and very securely move the flint out further in the jaws as the "nose" of the flint wears down.
I start out placing the flint as far back in the cock's jaws as I can and then, by slowly moving the flint "out" toward the front of the cock's "jaws" as it wears down and keeping the flint's "nose" sharp (with the file), I am convinced I'm increasing the "life" of the flints.
I keep a diamond-impregnated file in my shooting box to very quickly sharpen the nose of the flint whenever it seems to be getting too dull.
I've even turned some of my flints side-ways, quickly sharpen the leading edge with the diamond file and have gotten another 10 or 15 shots with a well-worn flint because I can very securely hold the flint in ANY position in the cock's jaws with the lead which tends to take a solid "set" on the uneven surfaces of the flints and will "hold" the flints very securely... even with only a very small part of the flint in the cock's jaws... something I doubt that leather could do.
Occasionally, I've had a few flints crack or split... but I think that is caused more by a flaw in a particular flint than anything I'm doing to it.
I think most of us have had the same thing happen to an "occasional" flint, but... regardless, I'd be unhappy if I didn't get AT LEAST 60-70 shots (or more) out of a flint.
Anyway... this has been my experience with flints and it "works-for-me".
You can get a whole set (8 or 10) diamond-imbedded files at Harbor Freight for about $10... or slightly less and they seem to work just fine.
I hope this information helps you to increase the number of shots you get from your flints... and if you're not using Rich Pierce's flints, you might give them a "try"... Rich's prices are VERY reasonable and I can find NOTHING wrong with his flints.
One more thing you might consider... I had my black powder gunsmith LIGHTEN the cock's spring on my flintlock rifle... it seems to me that a great many "factory-made" rifles have too strong a cock-spring... much stronger than necessary to get-the-job-done.
You might consider looking into lightening your cock's spring a bit... that tends to lessen the chipping off of the nose of the flints thus increasing flint-life.
Make GOOD smoke... :thumbsup:
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
P.S.
I forgot to mention...
The easiest way to get some lead to use in the cock's jaws is to simply flatten a lead rifle ball... then once flatten to a reasonable thickness, simply cut pieces out of it to make the lead for use in the cock's jaws.
Good luck on your quest... and let us know how you make out.
Ron T.
I forgot to mention...
The easiest way to get some lead to use in the cock's jaws is to simply flatten a lead rifle ball... then once flatten to a reasonable thickness, simply cut pieces out of it to make the lead for use in the cock's jaws.
Good luck on your quest... and let us know how you make out.
Ron T.
hanshi
Cannon
Sounds like you're doing fine as is. I can tell you what I do, however. I install the flint and lower it slowly tho the frizzen. When the flint touches at around 60 degrees so it scrapes the flint going down, that's where I put it. I don't worry too much about bevel up or down, distance from the frizzen (all within reason, of course) I just make sure I get a good scrape and not a dig into the frizzen face.
