Flint or percussion? I don’t know where to post this.

[zzzippper]

As stated in my welcoming thread, I am a noob. I have no experience with muzzleloaders or black powder.

Should I go with flint or percussion as an introduction? I'm sure everyone has their preferences but I need you to advise the cherry-boy.

I have ordered a built percussion handgun from Dixie GW. I plan to use that to learn the basics. I will then buy a handgun kit (flint or percussion???) to learn basic building skills. Then I will move on to building a rifle (flint or percussion???).

Also, I like the looks of PA and KY long rifles but I assume a Hawken would be a better place to start on rifles?

Lots of questions here, sorry.

 

[Yewbender]

No need to be sorry. Post your question in the Gereral muzzleloading section and you will get plenty of help.

I’m not the best with words but here we go...I have shot both before i bought my first muzzleloader. To me the percussion was easy to learn. Load, cap, and shoot. The flintlock was more of a learning curve. You need the right size flint, leather for the flint, bevel up/down, proper flint placement, pick vent hole, how much powder in the pan...should the powder be banked close or far from touch hole or just evenly spread out on in pan and etc. After shooting both i was hooked on the flintlock handsdown! You can’t go wrong with either one and you will get lots of help here so with that said go with what you feel comfortable with because your first will not be your last. Good luck

 

[tenngun]

As stated in my welcoming thread, I am a noob. I have no experience with muzzleloaders or black powder.

Should I go with flint or percussion as an introduction? I'm sure everyone has their preferences but I need you to advise the cherry-boy.

I have ordered a built percussion handgun from Dixie GW. I plan to use that to learn the basics. I will then buy a handgun kit (flint or percussion???) to learn basic building skills. Then I will move on to building a rifle (flint or percussion???).

Also, I like the looks of PA and KY long rifles but I assume a Hawken would be a better place to start on rifles?

Lots of questions here, sorry.

A good flint is very reliable. It will fire 97 or 98% of the time. However a poor flint is frustrating.
There is a lot to learn about them, so the first thing is getting a good flint.
I’m not going to bad mouth any gun company here, but the Great Plains Rifle make a good lower price flint gun in a Hawken style. Perdisoli also makes a good flint.
The custom gun parts houses like Track of the Wolf, Pecotonic, Kibler, Tennessee Valley Rifles, Sitting Fox turns out Kits with good locks that will take you about 100-150 hours to assemble and finish. Thes kits run about a hundred dollars more then a finished Great Plains Rifle.
There is nothing that makes a Hawken style any easier to handle or shoot. They were the result of stylistic changes more then any thing else.

 

[thomas]

Good luck with your choice & Welcome to the forum.
Thomas

 

[FishDFly]

Most folks start with percussion and some gravitate to flint if they desire.

"I will then buy a handgun kit (flint or percussion???) to learn basic building skills."

Seek guidance before buying a pistol kit, not all of them come with instructions.

 

[Dale Lilly]

All good advice .. I will add: there are many tutorials on building and using muzzle loaders on you tube .. a good place to start. Then ask this forum someone here knows every detail Polecat

 

[FishDFly]

To help with your learning curve, get the following:

The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle by Ned H. Roberts.

 

[Musketeer]

Since you'll already have a percussion pistol, I'd suggest your future pistol kit be a flintlock, so you'll have one of each and can then compare them and see which is ultimately more to your liking. Based upon that, you'll know what kind of rifle you want to build when you get to that point.

 

[deermanok]

Welcome from Oklahoma. Percussion locks are easier to learn as some have stated. Best to get one of each.

 

[Squatch84]

Welcome from WV! My first muzzleloader was a percussion, I still have it and shoot it on occasion but after doing a Flintlock kit I'll never look back to percussion again. They are addicting.

 

[bpd303]

Welcome from the Ozark mountains.
I started in blackpowder shooting at a very young age around ten. Of course I had my grandfather to help teach me with his 36 cal Ohio flintlock. There are more decisions to make when using a flintlock. Like what type of flint, what to wrap the flint when mounting it in the Cock, leather, lead, even heavy cloth. Then the decision on what priming powder FFFFG or FFFG or just prime with what you use for the main charge. Having said all that, flintlock's are very satisfying once all the componants are dialed in and I wouldn't trade them for anything. The first hand gun I purchased on my own was an EIG Kentucky cap lock, in 1960 which I still have. Since then I have added many more both cap and flint but I always gravitate to the flintlocks when going out to shoot.

 

[Old Timer 48]

Welcome!

 

[Travler]

Hey howdy! Welcome! On which you get, just remember your next gun is likely not your last one! I started with a low quality flinter and it was a bad experience. Went to percussion until I could afford a quality flinter. In any case the love of both gives me an excuse to round out the armory!

 

[Irishmusket]

I own many muskets and smattering of rifles Matchlocks englishlocks dog locks flintlocks a wheellockang quite a few percussion .I pefer smooth bores for hunting but I really like all of the above .