flint lock reliability

Klunk

Klunk

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Niagara region
My friend has a flint lock

it goes off about once for every 20 pulls off the trigger

how do ya increase reliability?

How do ya 'renew' a flint?

whats the best powder for the pan?

should the frizzen be 'roughed up' to promote spark?

any other suggestions?

this thing drives me nutz....it only goes off when ya least expect it
 
There's a great article on this point on line (I'll send you the link after work)

See my comments in bold:

Klunk said:
My friend has a flint lock

it goes off about once for every 20 pulls off the trigger

how do ya increase reliability? open up the touch hole to a diameter of 0.070" for starters. most commercial touchholes are 0.050" and the difference is like night and day; don't overfill the pan (about 1/3 full is plenty; the touchhole should be "open" (stick a quill or pipe cleaner into it while loading so it doesn't get full of powder or plugged with residue) The touchhole is an open channel for the flame from the pan, it isn't supposed to be a fuse.

How do ya 'renew' a flint? you can learn to knap them, or just buy some English flints

whats the best powder for the pan? 4F

should the frizzen be 'roughed up' to promote spark? No - just keep it clean and dry

any other suggestions? use a sharp English flint (it should be good for at least 20 shots - a buddy of mine regularly gets 50+ per flint

this thing drives me nutz....it only goes off when ya least expect it
Click to expand...

Flintlocks were the world standard for about 200 years. Not because they were unreliable. ;)
 
I think the best suggestion is to join a club where there are other flintlock shooters. What is difficult to diagnose from your post is where the problem lies. If the gun is an import, the frizzen was probably case hardened and that may be worn through. You seem inexperienced with flinters so I might assume that the flint is not sharp and needs knapping. If the pan is flashing but the gun not firing, try cleaning out the flash hole with a vent pick and/or open it up to .070"
Bottom line is that flinters are dependable as long as the frizzen is hard with lots of carbon and the flint is sharp. When my gun does not spark it is because I am lazy and trying to stretch another shot or two out of the flint before knapping.
Almost forgot; the flint is usually clamped in the jaws by the screw on the top of the ####/hammer. It usually has a piece of leather around it to keep it from slipping or cracking

cheers mooncoon
 
Q: it goes off about once for every 20 pulls off the trigger

A: Check your flint alignment, Make sure that you are getting flint / frizzen contact

Q: how do ya increase reliability?

A: Big question, lots of things to go over, see previous links
How do ya 'renew' a flint?

Q: whats the best powder for the pan?

A: Depends on what you are looking for, Swiss black powder, Elephant powder, goex??

Q: should the frizzen be 'roughed up' to promote spark?

A: Not really, it needs to be hardened to spark. Does it spark? Relates to your first question.

Q: any other suggestions?

A: What are you shooting? What rifle? Musket? Need more info, Pict if possible.

Regards

Peter
 
If you shoot me your address ( and size)I'll send you a Tom Fuller flint, ao we can eliminate if it's a flint problem and go from there.
Cheers Bob.
 
thanks for the help guys...

I have printed a bunch of this stuff and will throw it at my hill-billy wannabe friend

as for the gun....its a 'bought new' $200 Lyman 'trade rifle', I think

I keep tellin him if he wants better reliability and accuracy to get a cap gun but noooooooooo.....hes gotta screw around with this flintlock (its good for a laff anyway)
 
I shoot flinters, every weekend. Usually 25 rounds. Sometimes, more at Rendezvous'. I might change my flint once a year, maybe. But, I also like to shoot 3 or 4 different guns, depending on the weather.
Regards
Trapline
 
Klunk said:
thanks for the help guys...

I have printed a bunch of this stuff and will throw it at my hill-billy wannabe friend

as for the gun....its a 'bought new' $200 Lyman 'trade rifle', I think

I keep tellin him if he wants better reliability and accuracy to get a cap gun but noooooooooo.....hes gotta screw around with this flintlock (its good for a laff anyway)
Click to expand...


A friend of mine bought a Lyman Trade Rifle (flintlock) last year in .54, the same as mine. We were shooting them out at the farm right after he bought it. That session turned out to be an excellent demonstration of the principles set out in Ross Seyfried's article.

I had read the article and opened up the touch hole on my rifle to 0.070" a few days earlier. My friend's rifle was new and unmodified. After about half an hour of shooting (my rifle going "boom" and his rifle giving him no shortage of grief) he said: "What are you doing differently?".

We were at the house opening up his rifle's touch hole about ten minutes later. Back to the range, next thing you know his rifle is going "boom" with virtually every pull of the trigger. That little demonstration convinced both of us of the importance of a properly-sized touch hole. I would say the "tuned" flintlock is every bit as reliable as a caplock, plus, you don't have to #### around with caps.

Accuracy? The Trade Rifle was capable of what I would consider very accptable (3-4 inch) groups with patched round balls out to 100 yards off the bench.

(FWIW, the "opening up" was done with a little 0.050" diamond grit dremel tool bit that Princess Auto sells for a few bucks. Just a little zip in and out and the work was done.)
 
VERRRY INTERESTING

do you know if its possible to buy the 'jets' (touchholes) They look just like carb jets to me

That way....one could try several openings....we have even thought about firing the rifle with the 'jet' removed...probably a bad idea
 
I've can fire any of my rifles well over 60 consecutive times with no misfires. On accuracy between a flinter and a cap gun...its more the shooter. The guys who win at my club all shoot flinters.
 
1. Make sure your flint is sharp. A dull flint will not spark properly.

2. If your flint is dull, knapp it. This is a fancy term for tapping it lightly on the edge with a brass implement to flake off pieces. This should make it sharp enough - again.

3. Make sure your flint is tight in the jaws. Check it with your screwdriver and tighten if necessary.

4. Make sure you are getting good contact with the frizzen. Bring it back to "half ####". The leading edge of the flint should be very close - 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch - to the frizzen. 1/16 is better. If it has to be moved closer to the frizzen, get out your screwdriver, loosen the sucker, move it closer and tighten up again.

5. Make sure your pan and frizzen are clean. Wipe with a cotton patch if necessary.

6. Don't put too much 4f powder in the pan. A couple small dabs will do it. Also place the powder at the outside of the pan; ie. away from the touch hole.

7. Assuming the flinter is loaded, stick a pin (I forget the actual technical term) into the load through the flash hole. This will accelerate the link between pan and main load.

8. Prey.

9. Ready, aim, BOOM (if the Gods are smiling on you that day).

All of this usually works for me. 3F in the main load may ignite better than 2F but, really, it shouldn't make any difference. Use real black powder. Any of the major brands should be ok. I use Goex because that seems to be what everybody in Ontario stocks.
 
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Klunk said:
VERRRY INTERESTING

do you know if its possible to buy the 'jets' (touchholes) They look just like carb jets to me

That way....one could try several openings....we have even thought about firing the rifle with the 'jet' removed...probably a bad idea
Click to expand...

FWIW, I would suggest that "less is more" in this case. The amount of metal removed in the enlargement process amounted to barely nothing - just a few particles of steel dust. If you remove too much you run the risk of the charge blowing a lot of sh*t out near your face (bad idea).

You can buy new touchhole liners, as they do apparently wear out over time (can't say personally, never having worn one out yet), but if you're going to go this route find someone with the machinery to do it precisely or (if you go the "field expedient" route) take off a wee bit at a time and see how it changes the rifle's performance. The bigger touchholes were found in muskets and fowling pieces. I'd suggest avoiding the creation of one that is too large in a hunting rifle or you might not be happy with the result.

One more thing to keep in mind: the touchhole has a particular geometry that resembles two opposing cones (as opposed to a straight-walled cylinder). This helps in getting the flame from the pan to the charge (Seyfried explains this in his article)
 
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Klunk said:
VERRRY INTERESTING

do you know if its possible to buy the 'jets' (touchholes) They look just like carb jets to me

That way....one could try several openings....we have even thought about firing the rifle with the 'jet' removed...probably a bad idea
Click to expand...

If you want reliable and Fast ignition, put in a "coned" vent liner :D
I was coning them myself until I found Track of the Wolf selling theirs already coned Part # THL-A4S for a 1/4-28 thd. White Lightning vents are reputed to be the fastest, but you need to tap and drill to their threads e.g. 5/16-32 thread.
Picture quality isn't the best but it gives you an idea what internal coning looks like.
The one on the left is the THL-A4S, the one in the middle is a standard 1/16" drilled hole, the one on the right is a White lightning, whereas you can see the coning and how it brings the powder charge closer to outside of the barrel. The priming charge doesn't have to travel down a 1/16" tunnel, it's right there close to the pan.
RobCrystalJune92007004.jpg

Cheers Bob.
 
the advantage of a 5/16 thread is that it allows a larger diameter internal cone and is easier for the powder charge to get close to the surface or to the pan.

cheers mooncoon
 
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