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T/C Flint Old Style

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Joined
Apr 9, 2014
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I have an old style T/C flintlock from which I get 5-maybe 10 shots per flint (good black English flints). I read somewhere, possibly on this forum but I couldn't find it, that substituting a Lyman Great Plains flintlock hammer for the T/C will give better geometry and provide longer lasting flints and better spark. Is this so?I happen to have a Lyman Great Plains flintlock that is not being used. Will this substitution help with flint life and spark? I kn ow there are "new" designed hammers for the T/C, but the ones I have seen on Flea Bay are around $36 dollars, and this does not include the jaw and cock screw, which I am told have to be purchased also as the old style hammer parts don't fit.
 
i have a t.c. hawkin kit gun from early 75. i replaced original cock with the new style about a year ago. only fired 25 shots , but on new english flint it sparked well on shot #25 and does not need knapping yet . before this was lucky to get 10 or 15 shots before having to replace flint . of course thats on my gun . i replaced bbl. as original one was junk 8" pattern at 50 yds. now only have to find a way to speed up ignition some.
 
Ramrod...
Have you replaced the vent liner in your T/C BBL with one of the new T/C liners..??? Item # 7327. I found them at (of all places)...Dick's Sporting Goods. Install with a 1/8" Allen wrench, coned rear and about as BIG of a vent opening as you could want. I've done some T&E side-to-side with a couple of other vent liners and found them to EASILY be the best choice for my rifle.
I'm using one in my Green Mtn. BBL with a "New Style" T/C lock and folks at the range consistently comment on how fast the ignition is.
Also...FWIW: Mine seems to like a bit more 4f in the pan than some.
 
To be quite honest, I've had better luck with cut flints. Perhaps it's just the length, but I also find it much easier to use a diamond file to sharpen the flint. That is the flints that TC sold to go with their rifle. The cut flints are very expensive, but reliable, and very consistent. I like the tradition of an English flint, and that's all I use in my Siler locks. I have a custom pistol, that will on fire consistently on cut flints. I was ready to give up on it, when I thought to try the cut flint, and "bingo" it worked.
 
in actuality the frizen is also called the hammer, and the hammer is called the cock.
 
in reply to don steele , yes replaced it when rmc was still in their own shop many years ago . have since moved on to a custom build by a retired school teacher close to home . may look at redrilling and tapping for a white lightning 7try that . wife bought it for me on our second xmas. together .she passed on last janurary and gun is quite special to me . even though i own much better made rifles this is my go to rifle for pa. deer .
 
Isn't that the truth..!!!
My only issue with the "New Style" lock on my T/C is that the frizzen seems a bit softer than most, and as a result I don't get the life out of my flints that many report from other locks.
At the moment, that rifle is put away while I pursue other projects. When I get it out again...I am considering replacing the frizzen with one from Lyman. There was a mention here a while back of doing just that and it seemed to be a fairly easy thing to do and gave good results.
 
You know that if your frizzen is too soft, you can harden it with some Kasenit or Cherry Red and either a propane or a MAPP torch to harden the face of the frizzen. The MAP torch burns a lot hotter and is the same size as a normal propane torch so it's easier to use. Sometimes you have to use 2 propane torches to get the frizzen hot enough (cherry red in color).

Another way to do it is the old-fashioned way, which is wrap it in leather (supplies the carbon) seal it in a container to keep the air out, and cook it in a fire. Here's a link to a you-tube video of someone doing just that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKKhIOx707M

Twisted_1in66:thumbsup:
Dan
 
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There is no way that the little pile of kindling shown in that video will ever heat up the frizzen in the can to the 1500+°F sustained temperature needed to actually carburize and harden the frizzen.

If it hardened at all it was due to the fact that almost every frizzen on a modern flintlock is a thru hardening steel that does not need to be carburized for it to harden.
 
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