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Which "Just One Thing "?

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Eterry

70 Cal.
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I had a T/C flintlock 30 odd years ago as a teen, no one I knew shot flint locks so I filled the pan to the brim w/ ffffg. The hang fire was awful, i couldn't hit anything. So i sold it and stuck with percussion systems.

Now i have this LH flint 40 cal, and have read plenty of info about getting it to go bang. But again, no one I know shoots a rock lock.

If you could give ONE piece of advice for success with a flintlock... what would it be??

Let the Games begin...
 
Agree, follow through.

BUT....you must get the lock tuned to provide as near instantaneous ignition as possible. Drill touch hole to 1/16" and adjust the flint to strike at 55-60 degree angle. In half cock it should be near touching the frizzen (like 1/8th " or a bit closer. I am not an expert, have only one. Other will chime in but with the best lock available follow through is still the most important as far as getting a group
 
If you could give ONE piece of advice for success with a flintlock... what would it be??
As you experiment and try different things, change only one thing at a time and keep track of the results. Shooting a flintlock is really quite a simple thing to do. Learning how to shoot a flintlock, not always so simple.
 
Agree, follow through.

BUT....you must get the lock tuned to provide as near instantaneous ignition as possible. Drill touch hole to 1/16" and adjust the flint to strike at 55-60 degree angle. In half cock it should be near touching the frizzen (like 1/8th " or a bit closer. I am not an expert, have only one. Other will chime in but with the best lock available follow through is still the most important as far as getting a group
Wouldn't it matter where the notches are cut in the tumbler? I would say adjust the flint to strike about 1/3 down on the frizzen?
 
Chuck-ia says: Wouldn't it matter where the notches are cut in the tumbler? I would say adjust the flint to strike about 1/3 down on the frizzen?

Sure thats fine but at a 55-60 degree angle. May still throw sparks w/o but you'll be trashing flints way quicker than necessary
 
I had a T/C flintlock 30 odd years ago as a teen, no one I knew shot flint locks so I filled the pan to the brim w/ ffffg. The hang fire was awful, i couldn't hit anything. So i sold it and stuck with percussion systems.

Now i have this LH flint 40 cal, and have read plenty of info about getting it to go bang. But again, no one I know shoots a rock lock.

If you could give ONE piece of advice for success with a flintlock... what would it be??

Let the Games begin...
Widen the pan valley and or length, just under the cover size, so it will catch more sparks. More sparks makes faster ignition. A good flintlock will do you well if you know it's quirks.
Flintlocklar:)
I
 
Well, you brought up filling the pan "to the brim." Don't.
Whether I'm priming with that same 3f as the main charge, or on the rare occasion I use 4f to prime, I'd say the total amount of priming powder would be the size of a bb if balled up, if spread out in the pan it just coats the bottom end to end. The only difference I've noticed between 3f and 4f for priming is in regards to this amount, I don't notice much if I use a little extra 4f, if I use too much 3f it slows things down noticeably.
 
Prime to below the touch hole, maybe a 1/16 of an inch or so. Try a rest and concentrate on the target till you get used to the flash. As said make sure your touch hole is about 1/16,
Get a wooden flint to dry fire with. Pretty soon you won’t notice the flash at all.
If you can get a good coned liner like the white lighting or similar and you don’t over prime and your touch hole is around that 1/16 size, after a dozen or so shots you will be hard pressed to tell it from your precision guns.
 
Well I tried to leave it at just one thing, but, I don't think many of us will be able to adhere to that.
Leave your touch hole plugged with a feather quill or purpose made wire, throughout the entire loading process.
I use this,
20190205_131655.jpg
20190205_131555.jpg
It goes in before I pour powder, and comes out when I prime the pan. Simple piece of shirt hanger wire filed to a taper so the tip stops just a hair shy of the opposite barrel wall.
I know others claim good reliability without this but I've not had a hang fire, flash of the pan, or any other such malady since I started doing this.
 
When priming, less is more. I like my flint to strike the frizzen high, thus shedding more sparks. Get some alchohol pads to wipe the pan, flint, and frizzen every few shots. I like to polish the pan to a mirror shine (only the pan).
 
Lots of good advice given. Pay special attention to the priming suggestions. However, I do not agree with plugging the touch hole. Jillions of flint shots over the past 50 years, I never plugged the hole while loading. Nothing to be gained.
I'll only add: keep shooting and enjoy. Come back to the forum if you want assistance.
 
Apparently something is to be gained. Never a flash in the pan, ignition fast enough that even skeptics of the flintlock comment on it and are impressed.
I believe I even said some don't do this and have had success, or so they say, I Never said you Have to do it, But it Does help.
I believe there is even at least one period reference to doing it, not that it matters to many here, but we won't know as we've run off those with accessible documentation.
 
1 thing: Concentrate on the sight picture. Hold that view and think of that sight picture. As you let out your breath, squeeze the trigger. Watch the sights and target as the gun fires. Think of nothing else. Call where you saw the sights when the rifle fired. Look at the target, reload and do it again.
 
To me, the most important "one thing" is to start out with a QUALITY made rifle or smooth bore.

There are more folks that tried flintlocks and were turned off by shooting cheap undependable guns. All of the problems encountered made a lasting impression which caused them to give up on flintlock's.
 
To me, the most important "one thing" is to start out with a QUALITY made rifle or smooth bore.

There are more folks that tried flintlocks and were turned off by shooting cheap undependable guns. All of the problems encountered made a lasting impression which caused them to give up on flintlock's.

I agree 100%, with time and effort most cheap locks can be made to kinda work but no matter how much you polish
a turd at the end all you have is a shiny piece of manure.
 
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