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Figuring flintlocks

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Joined
Feb 19, 2019
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This past year, I picked up 2 flintlocks — both production models. I’ve had numerous issues with ignition, getting good sparks, hangfires, misfires and pan flashes. It was so frustrating that I bought a percussion lock to swap out just so I could take the Kentucky rifle hunting at some point. I even considered selling that lock and all but giving up on flintlocks.

Fast forward to now, I still don’t really trust my flintlock rifle accuracy enough to hunt deer with it. Off-hand accuracy is better with a longbow right now. But it’s coming along. I took my trade gun out to the dove fields & duck marshes and have been able to get consistent, fast ignition even in thick, pea-soup thick fog. I still flinch sometimes. On the wing, I managed to get a dove. Ducks were a big challenge though. Those teal fly in so fast. I think they can see my movement, then the smoke & can change direction before my shot arrives. Thankfully, there are usually some coots will sit still enough for me to take something home.

So what has changed? How did I manage to get my equipment working reliably in poor conditions when I previously couldn’t get it to work in ideal conditions? I think it’s just time and effort. I had a similar experience when learning percussion guns. At first, it was all hangfires. In fact, the previous season, I had taken my percussion smoothbore out to the same marshes, under the same foggy weather & had worse ignition. Time and effort can fix a lot of problems that I too readily attribute to poor equipment.

So for you folks who have been shooting flintlocks for many years, you have my respect for the time and effort you’ve put in. And for those of you who are just picking it up and getting frustrated, I encourage you to keep at it. Time and effort can work wonders.

That being said, here are a couple of tips for the newbies that I learned.

1. when loading, I pick the vent first. I want to clear that pathway before dumping powder in.
2. After pouring the powder in, I look into the vent to visually see that the grains of powder are right up next to the vent. I want the powder from the main charge to be as close to the pan’s priming charge as I can get it without actually touching each other. If the lighting isn’t good, I’ll use a pocket flashlight to shine into the vent. But with just turning the vent into the sunlight (even if it’s overcast), I can usually see it. If I can’t, I’ll rap the side of the stock until I see those grains. Ideally, I want to see a couple grains dribble out. But a visual is fine.
3. Prime with homemade, 4F or something fast. I fill the pan level. This is where homemade powder really shines. Because I’m not corning it, it crushes easy. So no matter how full it is when I pour it in, it will crush down level & fully close the frizzen.
4. This really should be before #1. I have gotten really particular about keeping my flints sharp. I’m checking them every few shots, looking for chips & dull sections. Lead .50 balls flattened on an anvil make for great wraps and have worked better for me than leather. After each shot, I’m wiping the flint, the pan and the frizzen clean.
5. Before loading the first shot, I’ll dry fire (spark but no powder yet) one time. I have no idea why this has worked but I used to have a misfire (no pan flash) on my first shot. Every time. It cost me a turkey last spring and some clays at the range. When I drop the cock on the frizzen before loading, the next one always seems to go off without a hitch. I can speculate as to why this is. But it has been a consistent game changer.

I hope that helps a few other folks who are, like me, new to flintlocks. There’s some fun to be had if you stick with it. B3190216-F485-4812-B598-9D1094D59B3D.jpeg577F9B1F-231A-4526-AA79-BAE89C2642F1.jpegAD42C3C9-853C-43F5-B6CE-BE5ADB8A2FCD.jpeg
 
You may like lead to mount your flints in, but manufacturers won't warranty your lock if you do so. It adds too much weight and shock to the internals of the lock.

You are putting too much prime in the pan. That causes misfires and hang fires.
 
You may like lead to mount your flints in, but manufacturers won't warranty your lock if you do so. It adds too much weight and shock to the internals of the lock.

You are putting too much prime in the pan. That causes misfires and hang fires.
That's what I was told (here). But experience has proven otherwise for my guns. I don't claim to know why. But ignition has been great ever since I threw that advice out the window. Maybe my locks just stink and that is the only way they can catch a spark. Who knows? My priming powder is also less dense than commercial. So, by volume, I might have the same amount of powder by weight as commercial 4F. I've only tried priming with 3F and it was pretty bad. A full pan would reliably catch a spark but wouldn't reliably set off the main charge. Less than full wouldn't reliably catch a spark.
 
That's what I was told (here). But experience has proven otherwise for my guns. I don't claim to know why. But ignition has been great ever since I threw that advice out the window. Maybe my locks just stink and that is the only way they can catch a spark. Who knows? My priming powder is also less dense than commercial. So, by volume, I might have the same amount of powder by weight as commercial 4F. I've only tried priming with 3F and it was pretty bad. A full pan would reliably catch a spark but wouldn't reliably set off the main charge. Less than full wouldn't reliably catch a spark.
Both my locks will light 2f. Ones a kibler but the little tiny pedersoli Kentucky lock on my .32 will light 2f also. Also takes almost no prime in either one to set off the main charge. I would say I usually over prime a little. If I don't wipe the bore I've never really needed the vent pick depending on the powder I'm shooting. Funny how guns can have such different personalities. I would say my kibler is definitely more reliable than my percussion gun ..... Dang cci caps are way to tight on that nipple and I just haven't sorted it out.
 
Both my locks will light 2f. Ones a kibler but the little tiny pedersoli Kentucky lock on my .32 will light 2f also. Also takes almost no prime in either one to set off the main charge. I would say I usually over prime a little. If I don't wipe the bore I've never really needed the vent pick depending on the powder I'm shooting. Funny how guns can have such different personalities. I would say my kibler is definitely more reliable than my percussion gun ..... Dang cci caps are way to tight on that nipple and I just haven't sorted it out.
Get spare nipples, turn them down to fit various cap brands.
 
You should not be able to see the flash hole blocked with powder granules , believe it or not this has been proven to slow ignition time because the powder has a short fuse effect when ignited by the flash .
You should either leave your pricker in the flash hole while loading or prick after loading .
The hole left by the pricker is in effect a "tube" of powder where many granules are presented to the flash , this " tube" causes a venturi effect with the flash . That is the "tube" of powder causes the flame to flow into the charge rather than burn its way in .
A properly tuned lock should be able to work / fire in any position , upright, lock side up, lock side down , or upside down .
 
This past year, I picked up 2 flintlocks — both production models. I’ve had numerous issues with ignition, getting good sparks, hangfires, misfires and pan flashes. It was so frustrating that I bought a percussion lock to swap out just so I could take the Kentucky rifle hunting at some point. I even considered selling that lock and all but giving up on flintlocks.

Fast forward to now, I still don’t really trust my flintlock rifle accuracy enough to hunt deer with it. Off-hand accuracy is better with a longbow right now. But it’s coming along. I took my trade gun out to the dove fields & duck marshes and have been able to get consistent, fast ignition even in thick, pea-soup thick fog. I still flinch sometimes. On the wing, I managed to get a dove. Ducks were a big challenge though. Those teal fly in so fast. I think they can see my movement, then the smoke & can change direction before my shot arrives. Thankfully, there are usually some coots will sit still enough for me to take something home.

So what has changed? How did I manage to get my equipment working reliably in poor conditions when I previously couldn’t get it to work in ideal conditions? I think it’s just time and effort. I had a similar experience when learning percussion guns. At first, it was all hangfires. In fact, the previous season, I had taken my percussion smoothbore out to the same marshes, under the same foggy weather & had worse ignition. Time and effort can fix a lot of problems that I too readily attribute to poor equipment.

So for you folks who have been shooting flintlocks for many years, you have my respect for the time and effort you’ve put in. And for those of you who are just picking it up and getting frustrated, I encourage you to keep at it. Time and effort can work wonders.

That being said, here are a couple of tips for the newbies that I learned.

1. when loading, I pick the vent first. I want to clear that pathway before dumping powder in.
2. After pouring the powder in, I look into the vent to visually see that the grains of powder are right up next to the vent. I want the powder from the main charge to be as close to the pan’s priming charge as I can get it without actually touching each other. If the lighting isn’t good, I’ll use a pocket flashlight to shine into the vent. But with just turning the vent into the sunlight (even if it’s overcast), I can usually see it. If I can’t, I’ll rap the side of the stock until I see those grains. Ideally, I want to see a couple grains dribble out. But a visual is fine.
3. Prime with homemade, 4F or something fast. I fill the pan level. This is where homemade powder really shines. Because I’m not corning it, it crushes easy. So no matter how full it is when I pour it in, it will crush down level & fully close the frizzen.
4. This really should be before #1. I have gotten really particular about keeping my flints sharp. I’m checking them every few shots, looking for chips & dull sections. Lead .50 balls flattened on an anvil make for great wraps and have worked better for me than leather. After each shot, I’m wiping the flint, the pan and the frizzen clean.
5. Before loading the first shot, I’ll dry fire (spark but no powder yet) one time. I have no idea why this has worked but I used to have a misfire (no pan flash) on my first shot. Every time. It cost me a turkey last spring and some clays at the range. When I drop the cock on the frizzen before loading, the next one always seems to go off without a hitch. I can speculate as to why this is. But it has been a consistent game changer.

I hope that helps a few other folks who are, like me, new to flintlocks. There’s some fun to be had if you stick with it. View attachment 183942View attachment 183943View attachment 183944
 
Problems galore…..and then you tell us ‘homemade powder’! That might be just a ‘wee sample’ of your problems! Also from info I’ve gleaned over the years by having powder all the way to the point that its coming out of the vent…..you’re creating a ‘fuse effect’ instead of having the spark jumping through the vent! Commonly accepted procedure is to pick the vent after charge is seated or to have the vent pick in position while dropping the charge! But…..what do I know????….I’m just a dummy!
 
In calm situations, such as a day at the range, I put a measured 3 grains of prime in the pan. Leather does rule but some folks simply have better ignition with lead wraps. Be systematic but change only ONE variable at a time. Good luck. :thumb:
 
Problems galore…..and then you tell us ‘homemade powder’! That might be just a ‘wee sample’ of your problems! Also from info I’ve gleaned over the years by having powder all the way to the point that its coming out of the vent…..you’re creating a ‘fuse effect’ instead of having the spark jumping through the vent! Commonly accepted procedure is to pick the vent after charge is seated or to have the vent pick in position while dropping the charge! But…..what do I know????….I’m just a dummy!
Homemade powder was the only thing I could find for a while. But it has been my savior when it comes to priming. It's fast! My hat is off to commercial makers for consistency. I still prefer commercial for a main charge -- especially on rifles. But the homebrew is definitely faster than 3F.

Yea, I know you're right in the general sense. And when I start with a new gun (there will be more, I'm sure), I'll start with that general advice. But after a bunch of trial and error, with these ones, I get reliable and fast ignition when I see that powder in the vent. I'd love to shoot with somebody who really knows flintlocks & see if they have different results. All I know is my experience & that is what I report.

Mind you, I'm not putting powder from the pan into the vent. Yes -- fuse effect at least half the time. I hate that. I'm dropping it down the bore and then smacking the stock until I have visual confirmation through the vent. Haven't once had a fuse effect by doing that.

For what it's worth, I took some slo-mo video footage & then got estimates on the time between the cock falling and the main charge exiting the barrel with that little 10 gr charge. I think it was right around 0.13 seconds +/-. That was certainly slower than times I gathered by piecing together articles in black powder mag showing cock fall - pan ignition and pan ignition to main charge ignition. But not by much. I think those fancier locks were doing somewhere closer to 0.10 seconds combined. I'll see if I can upload a video so you can see for yourself what it looks like.
 
I will stck picking the vent just before priming the pan, and I always slap the barrel after loading Away from the lock so as not to block the vent. No one ever told me to, just after watching many a reenactor turn their rifle and 'knock the powder into the vent' then have hang fires and/or no fire malfunctions, it just occured to me after reading many descriptions that one does Not want the vent blocked....since I stopped doing that I got faster ignition and all my hang fires and/or fail to fire have been the result of how I prime or the flint worn or fouling build up on flint/frizzen.
 
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