I just picked up a Pedersoli Frontier flintlock. I took it to the range for the first time and it worked flawlessly. Now I need to get more trigger time and find out what it likes. Then adjust the sights as it is shooting really low. I assume they come like this so you can file it once you find the load you want and range. I was very surprised how fast the lock time is. I did a lot of reading and took my time loading correctly and it played off in a good first experience. Not new to muzzleloaders but new to flintlocks.
New to Flintlock
- Thread starter maliboy67
- Start date
You are correct. The front sight is high so that you can regulate it (Shoot...file....shoot) to the load it prefers. Lock time can be surprisingly fast. Pretty much on par with a good percussion firearm. For quality flints, Dixie Gun Works is a good source. I prefer English flints, myself. One word of caution: Shooting flintlocks becomes addictive.
You need real Black Powder, not substitute. Depending on the cal 3 or 2F in the bore and 3 or 4f in the pan.
I shoot 3F up to 54 cal and 2F in 58 and 12 ga. I always use 4F in the pan unless I forget it home then 3 or 2 has to do.
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
black. three F below 50 cal, two F 50 and up, though it seems many load 3 F in their 50 with good results, so your milage may vary. You can prime with 4 F or 3 F. The little bit of flint lock shooting i've done had a quicker ignition using the 4 f
Has to be real black powder as the substitute (pyrodex, 777) does not work. I use fff In my pan and main charge. you can use 4f for the pan but then you have to keep 2 different powders on hand as 4f can only be used in the pan.
Trevor
Trevor
I'm with Cocked&Locked: Goex Ffg in .50 cal and up. Fffg in .45 and below. Ffffg priming powder in the pan. In my Caywood 12-gauge flinter: Ffg./Ffffg As a matter of interest: Experience has taught me that, provided the vent is kept clean, it doesn't take a whole lot of priming powder to set off the main charge. Generally speaking, about 2-4 grains. A bit more in the Brown Bess and similar muskets. Between shots....even while hunting, if possible... I usually wipe the powder residue off the flint using a squirt of isopropyl alcohol on a clean patch. The vent hole gets a couple of passes with an alcohol soaked q-tip. After loading the main charge, if you glance into the vent, you should see a few kernels of powder just beyond the flash hole. If so, the ignition channel is clear and the charge should go off without a hitch.
I was given a pound of cartridge grade, I believe 1 1/2f and used 4f to prime I will try 3f as well for the main charge. When the powder comes free you use what you have. I poked a nipple pick throught the vent and into the powder before priming the pan. I also wiped off the frizzen, pan and flint with alcohol before reloading. It kept that area free of fouling and made for easy cleanup.
maple leaf
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
I have a .54 flintlock and use 3F Goex as my main charge and priming powder without any issues.
I use fff in everything from my cap and ball revolver up to my brown Bess musket (75 cal). Point to note modern shooting your charge in grains measures the weight but in black powder your charge in grains is actually the VOLUME not weight. Just start small with your charge and go up from there.
I shoot 3F in everything up to 20 guage trade guns and use the same for priming. I did get noticeably slower ignition with 2F priming although it will work in a pinch. I do keep some 4F in my truck or camp, in case I every dry ball. I of course would never dry ball but I have met people who have :>) :>) Perhaps worth mentioning that I now always fire a light blank charge from my flintlocks to confirm there is no puddle of oil in the breach area. I once loaded my rifle for the first shot and found that I had a puddle of oil in the breach and that was a major pain to clear
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
Oh oh - you're addicted to rock locks now.
Sounds like you're doing it right, as a well prepped flintlock works very well. Wiping the pan clean between shots with one of those small disposable alcohol swabs is my preferred method as well (buy a pack of 100 at a drug store for a few bucks). I also agree with the general advice of 3f up to .50 cal and 2f for larger, although that's not a hard and fast rule. Priming with 3f or 4f seem to work about the same for me, and there are articles claiming advantages to priming with coarser powder. I have primed with 2f and it seemed fine as well, but I feel better with 3 or 4.If you're having good luck with the flint you are using, measure its size and buy more of the same. You can choose from knapped English flint, French amber flint or saw cut flints. All will work fine if properly mated to the lock. Striking angle is critical to good spark and flint life - you want the flint to scrape down the face of the frizzen, not slam into it. I shop at Track of the Wolf, but Dixie is another good choice and there are others.
There's lots of little details to know and learn about flintlock shooting. But once you have the basics down (sounds like you do) then all you "need" to do is shoot a lot and have fun!
No. Do that, and you're cleaning again. Burning BP generates salts that attract and hold moisture = rust. A fired blackpowder gun needs to be well cleaned before storing, even if just overnight. Just swab the bore well with a few dry patches after cleaning, making sure to bottom out the patch at the breech and give it a spin to help wipe off the breach face. Take a look at the patch to make sure the breach face it is clean, remembering you'll never get a lily white patch out of a black powder gun. You can then wet wipe the bore with a non-petroleum based lubricant/protectant before storage (Ballistol is my choice, but there are others). Then dry patch it again before you load for your next hunt or range session.
Welcome to the world of flintlocks, there is no going back! I pretty much stick to flintlocks as they are way too much fun. I always dump a little powder down the barrel and prime the pan and shoot the blank in the air to clear any oil that remains in the touch hole. It probably isn't necessary but it always works for me. I find percussions are more sensitive to oil stuck in their nipple but it doesn't hurt to fire a blank from your flintlock to make sure it is all clear.
My main rifle is a Friesen in 54 cal and it likes FFg, hunting I use the same power for the pan otherwise a finer powder is nice. Don't fill the pan too full, that slows ignition down greatly. Just a little powder in the bottom is all you need. I carry a screw driver thing to chip a sharp edge on the flint every now and then. Flints will last me 50 or more shots and I prefer the english hand lapped flints, never been a fan of the cut flints.
My main rifle is a Friesen in 54 cal and it likes FFg, hunting I use the same power for the pan otherwise a finer powder is nice. Don't fill the pan too full, that slows ignition down greatly. Just a little powder in the bottom is all you need. I carry a screw driver thing to chip a sharp edge on the flint every now and then. Flints will last me 50 or more shots and I prefer the english hand lapped flints, never been a fan of the cut flints.
As I said in my post, a blank charge even with a 1/2 load to reduce fouling, guarantees that your first loaded shot is going to go off. A dry patch down the barrel might or might not remove oil from the vent liner and same for the breach if is a recessed breach.
cheers mooncoon
I've never bothered to fire them. But I do wipe with a dry patch after oiling the bore. If you store directly from an oil patch then a dry patch that morning before you leave is a good idea. Especially where if the excess is a fair amount that it would have run down and pooled in the breech end of the bore. It may even need two or three patches in such a case to soak up the oil so the last patch comes out dry or only lightly oily. For the oil on the pan the rag I carry when shooting flint guns is used to wipe dry before loading the first time. The face of the frizzen, which was also oiled lightly, gets a really good rubbing to remove the oil with this same rag.
The old timers I shoot with tuned me to the idea of a flash hole wire carried on a leather thong hanging off the trigger guard. That way the wire is there for a quick push through the flash hole before putting powder into the pan. I've also tried loading the powder and ball with the wire in place but I feel like I got more failures with that. Perhaps the wire affects how the powder stacks and packs. So now I just push the pin through the hole once then pull and drop it and charge the pan.
I think the idea of flashing the firing system is more valid on percussion guns that often have a far more convoluted flame path from cap to charge. So blowing them clean by popping a cap or two is a fine idea. On a flint lock it may actually be making things worse since the flash of the pan and low pressure from being out in the open could result in fouling plugging the hole. This doesn't occur during firing a charge because the pressure leaks out rather strongly when the main charge burns. So I'm thinking that flashing the pan is going to hinder more than it helps. Far better to patch and wipe away any excess oil instead.
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