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Sean Adams

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This is my first post of many, I am sure. I have been shooting firearms for over 40 years, but have only shot black powder a couple times in my life. I have however always been a lover of Colonial American history, and still live in New Hampshire where my family arrived almost 400 years ago, so I would say it is about time. I am buying my son a flintlock for Christmas, and plan on building myself one. What I really need now is a great book to get me up to speed on the basics of firing, working out loads, and maintenance, as well as an overview of different members of the flintlock family. Then perhaps it's companion that will help me work through my project build.
 
Most on here will suggest these two books to help with the build. Some information on use and care as well.
The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Long Rifle, Chuck Dixon. Gives a good overview of the where and the why of how the parts are fitted together.
The Gunsmith of Grenville County, Peter Alexander. Use this book side by side with the other. MUCH ore in depth information. Perhaps too much on your first build, but if Dixons chapter on a certain part leaves you with a question, Alexander's book will cover that part a little deeper.
Then of course you can come back on here and post a pic and a question. Everyone will help lead you back on track.
 
As for getting up to speed on shooting, there is Dutch Schoultz's primer on shooting, "Black Powder Accuracy". Dutch posts on the Forum as Dr5x. Search for Black Powder Accuracy using your search engine. (blackpowderaccuracy.com) Dutch focuses on getting the best accuracy off a bench. The consequence is that the shooter has the confidence in the gun to get the best performance in all shooting situations.

Some of the older Black Powder Manuals by Sam Fadala may also prove to be of benefit. Look for them on Amazon. Just don't go for his love of the magnum loads. Go for the most accurate load first.
 
A
Some of the older Black Powder Manuals by Sam Fadala may also prove to be of benefit.

I agree. Before I started shooting Black Powder 20 years ago, I bought several books on the subject and by far Sam's Black Powder Handbook was the most comprehensive and useful. While there are brand new editions, I agree that an older one would contain more relevant info on traditional arms as the new ones are full of info on plastic stocked guns that may not be relevant to a traditional shooter.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-c...ASABEgKw8vD_BwE#isbn=0873491017&idiq=24469842

As far as gunbuilding, in addition to what has already been suggested, an excellent resource is Longrifle Construction Manual by Suzanne Warren Bicio. Problem is, I'm not sure if it is in print anymore, so finding a used copy may be the only source on that one.

If you like DVD's there are excellent building videos, American Pioneer publishes videos by top individuals on building as well as all kinds of accouterments, etc.

http://www.americanpioneervideo.com/info.html

Track of the Wolf sells a number of building books and DVD's. James Turpin's DVD's are pretty good.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/303/1?PageSize=100
 
Jim Kibler colonial rifle can be bought as a kit or compete. View his videos on UTUBE on assembly and finish for free. This is a first rate rifle and you won’t have to up grade for a better or more reliable one next year.
 
All of the other suggestions are great but you might want to try visiting some "used book" stores to see what they have.

Over the years there have been a number of books written about shooting black powder guns and all of them have a section on flintlocks.
The Shooters Bible "BLACK POWDER GUIDE", is an old book that shouldn't cost over a couple of dollars and it's worth reading.
Another old book to look for is called, "BLACK POWDER GUN DIGEST".

The nice thing about shooting black powder flintlock muzzleloaders is things haven't changed over the years so even though the book was written years ago, the stuff in it still applies.
 
Also visit your local library. They may have some of the books listed above and give you a chance to peruse them before you plunk down cash for one that may not meet your needs. Most libraries will also get books on interlibrary loan if the book is available in their system. The library may also have books on muzzleloading that you will enjoy that we haven't listed here.
 
You are saying that you are already an experienced shooter (with more modern arms). That's 90% of what you need. In shooting a FL, the main difference is in the delay of the lock, as well as a fair amount of variability in ignition time. That delay and variability makes shooting technique even MORE important.

In terms of raw timing, a fast modern gun may have a total barrel dwell time (from sear trip to projectile exit) of around .013". A percussion gun around .035", and a (fast) flinter around .095". A slow one can be as slow as .200". If the only place you ever shoot from is off the bench, that difference won't be all that noticed. However, if you shoot from unsteady positions, like standing, and it's wider wobble, you can do your own math about how far your muzzle may move during your wobble in that intermittent barrel dwell time. Add in the event of pan flash and anticipation of it, and you can see why they sometimes call them "flinch-locks". Practice can help get rid of most of that though.

Before you get too committed in to the build thing, I suggest you get some experience in shooting them, and then think about what it is that you want to build. Give it a few months and a half-dozen or so shooting sessions before you dive in. There are a lot of criteria involved there, but chief among them is having the domestic support to allow you to do it without compromising your relationships and domestic tranquility.
 
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Look for "Flintlocks, A practical guide for their use and appreciation" by Eric Bye.
The title says it all.

Hands down the best book on flintlocks, should be required reading for all new flintlock shooters.
 
First of all I must say that never have I had such a comprehensive answer to a question on any forum that I have been on, truly thankful for all your input. I ordered "The Complete Black Powder Handbook" by Sam Fadala, and have written down the other titles, some are way more expensive then I expected, but they will probably find a place in my home before this journey is over.
 
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