I have five caplock rifles with one on the way from a builder but Yesterday I bought my first flintlock rifle. It is a .54 caliber with a 66" twist. It has a 36" barrel that is really good looking both inside and out. Plum browned. There are three wedges that hold the long beautiful stock to the barrel. It has a wood rod with a brass endpiece with nothing on the opposite end to screw a tool of any kind on. There are no identifying marks or stampings on the rifle. I am hesitant to take the barrel from the stock to look for any identifying marks, I guess I'm chicken in this way. I stole this rifle for the price I paid but that is what he wanted for it. I measured the flint that is in the cock and ordered a dozen from totw as well as a pick. It sparks seemingly well and I'm chomping at the bit to take it out and shoot it. I am left hand shooting long guns and this one is a right handed rifle and I don't have any idea how I'm going to react when the frizzen ignites. We'll see. I'm happy with the rifle so far and maybe it will send me down another muzzle loading gun track.
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First flintlock rifle
- Thread starter mushka
- Start date
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Be sure to use black powder only. Substitute powders require far more heat to ignite than you get from the flash in the pan. Concentrate on the sights and you may not even be aware of the flash. Use thae same powder for priming the pan as you use for the charge.
Keep your flings sharp and you will enjoy your rifle.
Keep your flings sharp and you will enjoy your rifle.
Yeah grenadier, I've never used anything but black powder in any of my rifles. Can't see any reason to. I already concentrate on sights so maybe it won't be a problem. This is a beautiful rifle and probably worth four of five times what I paid for it and I'm dying to try it out.
This thread needs pictures.
hanshi
Cannon
I never had a problem with the pan flash and simply never notice it. Concentrating on the sights will work for any flintlock shooter.
Okay, make a wooden flint of hard wood so you can dry fire the rifle without harm. Get used to putting the rifle to your shoulder, pulling the trigger and having the lock function. Concentrate on the sight picture and holding the sights on target as you dry fire. Once you get comfortable with the function of the lock, try a flash in the pan. If you flinch, then its back to dry firing for a session or two and try a flash in the pan again. Do your first live fire tests off a bench. Be sure to wear safety glasses so that you are confident that your eyes are safe. Actually do that all the time. I wear glasses and I wear a pair of safety lenses in my reenacting shooting glasses.
Don Steele
45 Cal.
Spend some time reading the 133 posts at the head of this section labelled "Flintlock Shooting Tips".
It will not be time wasted.
It will not be time wasted.
Better to look under the barrel and check for any trapped moisture and take care of that now, especially if you find some teeny tiny flaw in stock fit that gets moisture trapped....than to find a year or so from now a much bigger problem that could've been corrected. 
LD
LD
Howie1968
40 Cal.
I am a lefty and shoot right handed flintlock as well as percussions. ive yet to notice anything different. I do wear shooting glasses. ive had my flintlock over 6 months 1,000 balls down range and I don't notice anything other than sight alignment trigger squeeze and follow through
Pete G
76 Cal.
AZbpBurner
54 Cal.
In High School & College, I'd put in some range time on weekends. Met an old gent who was rotating thru his family legacy original flintlock collection. He taught me how to load, prime & fire. All rifles were righthanded & I'm lefthanded.
It's important not to overthink what you suppose will happen - just shoulder it & fire. You'll be concentrating on the target and in no time won't even notice the pan flash. Too bad about all those caplocks. You'll find yourself reaching for the flint rifle every time you ready to go out to the range. Maybe you can contact your builder & get your rifle order changed from cap to flint. I think you'll be disappointed in getting a custom cap rifle after you shoot your flint.
It's important not to overthink what you suppose will happen - just shoulder it & fire. You'll be concentrating on the target and in no time won't even notice the pan flash. Too bad about all those caplocks. You'll find yourself reaching for the flint rifle every time you ready to go out to the range. Maybe you can contact your builder & get your rifle order changed from cap to flint. I think you'll be disappointed in getting a custom cap rifle after you shoot your flint.
I am left handed and left eye dominant, and mostly shoot left offhand, but have fired right side flintlocks right handed. Lefties are much more ambidextrous in this right hand world, give it try. Using your strong side to hold a gun with a lot of "hang" is actually easier. If you are going to dry fire at a target it will soon feel OK, as long as your eye dominance or vision does not create problems. Umm, ahh, I have to confess right hand long gun bullseye is fine, right hand trap or skeet much more of a challenge for me.
I have a good friend who is right handed and left eye dominant.. He shoots all long guns left handed, pistols right handed with left eye. Like everything in life, it just takes practice to be proficient. I have always advocated shooting flintlocks on the side they were built for. SxS flint fowler??? Be sure to wear good safety glasses with side shields. Reenacting in ranks is a whole other concern with flintlocks.
I am left handed and have only one left handed flinter, all the rest are right handed, no problem, just remember to keep both eyes close and yank the trigger.
WRustyLane
32 Cal.
Yeah, this is my first flintlock, a Pedersolli .50 flinter. I am not a fan of the Pedersolli lock--too hard to work on. I want a different lock--one that is easier to work on. I am also right handed and right eye dominant.
I'll say again, "Look at L&R locks replacement line of locks. You may have to do a little bit of work to open the lock mortise to accept the RPL lock, but it will be an improvement."
Hard question here. Roughly how many shots can one expect with a flintlock before having to change flints or stop to work on it?
I don't have any idea how I'm going to react when the frizzen ignites.
If it were me and the frizen ignited I'd probably throw the gun and do a back flip
but seriously, we know what you meant. I don't think you'll have a problem. My wife is left eye dominant, right handed and shoots a rifle left handed. Our group had a meat shoot a few years back and we had to use flint. She had never shot a flintlock, a round ball gun, a long rifle or a gun with set triggers. I showed her how to load it and turned her loose, when the smoke cleared she was one of the first few to the prize table, outshot me with my gun. She said the flash didn't bother at all and BTW the gun doesn't have a flash guard.
If it were me and the frizen ignited I'd probably throw the gun and do a back flip
but seriously, we know what you meant. I don't think you'll have a problem. My wife is left eye dominant, right handed and shoots a rifle left handed. Our group had a meat shoot a few years back and we had to use flint. She had never shot a flintlock, a round ball gun, a long rifle or a gun with set triggers. I showed her how to load it and turned her loose, when the smoke cleared she was one of the first few to the prize table, outshot me with my gun. She said the flash didn't bother at all and BTW the gun doesn't have a flash guard.
I'm right handed and left eye dominant. FOLLOW through and no issues with flash. I have only 1 flinter and take 5-10 shots then I just knapp it cuz I hate no flash. Others report 75+ shots per flint. Cant wait till I'm older and can play with em more, I can see me being a 95% flint lock shooter.
