Who likes TC cut agate flints?

[Vaino]

I was fortunate a few years ago in that a local sport shop had quite a few TC sawn agate flints and the owner was just trying to get rid of them....at a price of 25 years ago. Took all he had and they've served me well throughout the years.

Also got a good deal on a TC Hawken kit at a "next to nothing" price....it was my first MLer and it still sits on my rack. Too bad this sport shop went out of business, but the reason is quite evident......Fred

 

[stombaug]

I was at a range with my TC, had to be about 10 or so years ago, and the fella on the next bench was having all kinds of trouble getting his Traditions Hawken to go off, with 7 "clicks" in a row. I gave him a brand-new, sharp sawn agate... he installed it and his rifle fired on the very first pull of the trigger. And every first-time after that (10-12 more).

He liked it so much, he wanted to buy it from me. I wouldn't take anything from him - seeing his excitement was cool enough.

I just found out very recently, though, that he gave my young son $5 for it when I wasn't looking! :rotf:

That and $1 will get you a beer on dollar-draft night - cheaper than a Coke.

 

[garry robinson]

I bought a tc hawken from a member here and cant remember his name but it had a whitish cut flint in it when it arrived and I've shot and shot till i stopped counting the times and its still sparking like crazy. Id like to have a sack full of em. I haven't turned it around to the other side yet either . As they say thats my two cents worth.

 

[Rifleman1776]

That's exactly why I asked this question, it seems some people love them and they work great and others have had no success with them. It makes me wonder if there's some kind of inconsistency with the flints or if some locks simply don't like them :hmm: :idunno: I guess I'll have to give black English flints a try when I get the chance.

I have never used the TC swan flints but have read many unfavorable reports about them. I have used, and love, the sawn flints from Germany. They are made from a variety of rocks (agate, Jasper and others). Still available but very expensive and difficult to order. (if you read and speak German it will be easier).
Like anything, try it, if you like it, use it. If not try something else.
BTW, even with diamond tools, I have never been able to successfully sharpen any of my German flints. Same tools do successfully sharpen English chipped blacks. Go figger. :idunno:

 

[MSW]

I sent in a T/C lock to have the frizzen replaced (after thirty years, I figure I had my moneys' worth out of it. instead of replacing the frizzen as I requested, they sent a whole new lock, which came with two of their little greyish white flint-oid thingies.

(this was right before Smith & Wesson took over T/C)

long story short: the pseudo flints were pretty weak, and I threw them in a box of spare junk ...

maybe we're looking at two different things, but these were a disappointment ... YMMV ...

in any case, make good smoke!

 

[don hepler]

I acquired some, when I purchased a used rifle, but never used them, in the rifle. One day I was fiddling with a flintlock pistol, and the lock for whatever reason, just wasn't sparking. At the point of giving up, so decided to install one of the cut flints..........bingo. They fire out of this old unknown custom pistol, with unknown lock.
Might be weak spring, soft frizzen, poor geometery, but the cut flint wooks, period.

 

[Billnpatti]

I'm with MJ. I have tried them but did not find them worth the added expense. I much prefer regular knapped flints. I think both the English and French are best. I buy the English because they are a bit cheaper than the French. While the French flints are excellent flints, I don't think they are worth the extra expense.

 

[garry robinson]

I know the flints your talking about. Look like some kind of whitish chalky rock. This one has the black frizzen on the lock and its pretty old but someone told me they were French since we started talking about this. Aint the French flints kinda yellow tho?

 

[garry robinson]

I meant to say too that when it finally wears out I'm gonna use my Tom Fuller flints in it. I like them in any lock i have

 

[George]

There are people who love cut flints and probably more who hate them, so much so that I wonder if there are at least two different types. I don't know what the TC cut flints are, never saw one, but I have used cut/sawn flints a fair bit over the years. Mine came from the German fellow who sells them, Gunter Stifter, at least 20 years ago.


I've used them in a lot of different locks, different size locks, and have generally found them to be acceptable. Most of them give me good spark and last a long time.

They come in various shades of brown, gray and cream, some are quite translucent, some mostly opaque. They are 5/8" wide by 3/4" long by 3/16" thick.

Are the TC flints anything like these?

Spence

 

[Rifleman1776]

Somebody who agrees with me about Gunter Stifter sawn flints. :shocked2: :grin: :applause: :bow:

 

[Billnpatti]

Hmmmm :hmm: I haven't tried them. Maybe I ought to give them a try before saying that cut flints are not to my liking. The only ones I have tried are (or were) those sold under the T/C name. Price wise, how do these Gunter Stifter cut flints compare to good Tom Fuller knapped flints?

 

[George]

Can't help you there. As I said, my Stifter flints were bought at least 20 years ago, it might be more like 25. The price then was very reasonable, certainly in line with the black flints I always bought on traders row at Friendship. I've never bought any Fuller flints.

Spence

 

[stombaug]

The TC cut agate flints that I have used look just like the one laying flat furthest on the left in Spence's pic.

:grin:

 

[George]

Those are the more translucent ones.





It has been a long time since I bought flints, the last ones were black English type for $1 apiece, $10 the dozen, and you chose the best out of boxes sorted by size.

Spence

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Mine look exactly like the one on the bottom row on the very left.

 

[MSW]

mine, too, but the color was a little different ... a tiny bit darker and I remember there was a hint more blue ... and it was not as translucent.

French flints are usually a gold amber color, which I think looks pretty cool, contrasted against a dark lock. I tried a few of them, and they didn't spark any better or worse than the black English flints, so I think all you get is pretty, but they're your hard- earned, God entrusted, overtaxed dollars, and they're yours to spend as you see fit, so if you want to pay extra for 'bling,' by all means - go for it!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

NOPE. Knapped English flints for me. Nothing sawn, nothing translucent, nothing French. Tried them... always got better results from the knapped English variety.

LD

 

[Rifleman1776]

Hmmmm :hmm: I haven't tried them. Maybe I ought to give them a try before saying that cut flints are not to my liking. The only ones I have tried are (or were) those sold under the T/C name. Price wise, how do these Gunter Stifter cut flints compare to good Tom Fuller knapped flints?

Expensive, per each. But, in a good lock they can last much longer. I meant hundreds and hundreds of shots. That brings the actual cost of use down.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I took another look at mine and of the two remaining flints I have and one is fairly opaque with a bluish white color and the other looks like that but has beige stripes running across it.