I just bought my first flintlock & im trying to figure it all out. I got a frizzen cover from track of the wolf but it is too thick for the frizzen to close when on half ####. Does anyone know how these were used? Maybe only on full ####? Not sure i would do that, just trying to figure out how they were used back in the day.
Flintlock frizzen cover
- Thread starter rosebute
- Start date
They are also called hammer stalls and you should be able to close your frizzen while on half ####. Your flintlock should only be on full #### when you are ready to fire, and you certainly don't want the hammer stall on then. They are easy to make. Just get some thinner leather, cut it out and stitch one up.
Back in the day the rifleman would have made his own cover using hide which was the correct thickness to form the cover so it would allow the frizzen to close securely to keep the charge in the pan in place. How thick is the face leather on that cover?
I know that on my two flintlocks that a correctly sized and mounted flint does not leave a lot of room for any leather to fit between edge of the flint and the face of the frizzen. Half #### is pretty much just barely higher than the point of first contact. In fact I set up my flints to just that point on purpose. Just enough room that a piece of fairly thin glove or jacket thickness leather is about all that would fit. So if it's got much thickness at all then it might be just "one of those things". Mind you it also depends on how high the half #### position puts the hammer.
If you're looking at shooting at a range or other practice area then it's not really something you ever need. Or if you're looking at hunting with it then once you have a charge in the pan and the frizzen is closed wrap some thin oiled leather or some other water resistant but tight wrapping material around the lock area in a manner that let's you strip it away easily. When in this condition you would treat it as a loaded gun all the times just like a modern bolt rifle with a round in the chamber even if it's not cocked. In fact once the main charge is in place treat it as loaded anyway. Even without a flash charge in the pan dropping the flint against the frizzen a spark COULD find some "dust" around the edge of the flash hole and set off the main charge. Or if you go to move to a new area in a vehicle either clean out the pan charge and lower the hammer fully and leave the frizzen open or while on half #### just remove the flint totally and put it back when you get to the new area. I'm not a hunter myself but I believe that legally a flint lock is disabled and made safe for transport even with a charge in the chamber by removing the flint.
I know that on my two flintlocks that a correctly sized and mounted flint does not leave a lot of room for any leather to fit between edge of the flint and the face of the frizzen. Half #### is pretty much just barely higher than the point of first contact. In fact I set up my flints to just that point on purpose. Just enough room that a piece of fairly thin glove or jacket thickness leather is about all that would fit. So if it's got much thickness at all then it might be just "one of those things". Mind you it also depends on how high the half #### position puts the hammer.
If you're looking at shooting at a range or other practice area then it's not really something you ever need. Or if you're looking at hunting with it then once you have a charge in the pan and the frizzen is closed wrap some thin oiled leather or some other water resistant but tight wrapping material around the lock area in a manner that let's you strip it away easily. When in this condition you would treat it as a loaded gun all the times just like a modern bolt rifle with a round in the chamber even if it's not cocked. In fact once the main charge is in place treat it as loaded anyway. Even without a flash charge in the pan dropping the flint against the frizzen a spark COULD find some "dust" around the edge of the flash hole and set off the main charge. Or if you go to move to a new area in a vehicle either clean out the pan charge and lower the hammer fully and leave the frizzen open or while on half #### just remove the flint totally and put it back when you get to the new area. I'm not a hunter myself but I believe that legally a flint lock is disabled and made safe for transport even with a charge in the chamber by removing the flint.
Yes, the BC regs say that a ML rifle can be transported if charged but not primed. I had that included in the synopsis when I was Pres of the Canadian Black Powder Federation many years ago. Of course, the know-it-alls immediately pointed out that a good flinter can and will ignite occasionally with NO powder in the pan. All it takes is for one spark to bounce into the touch hole. My response was to tell them to make a frizzen cover or calf's knee and not tell the bureaucrats anything they did not need to know.
Now I want to get clarification on a related matter. A couple of my Shiloh rifles are '63 percussion models. When a paper rd is up the spout, the means of extraction is with a ram rod. That is if it is a chamber length cartridge. If it is longer and the base has been sheared off by the 'cigar cutter', you now have loose powder to contend with when you open the breech.
My contention is that it should be regarded as per a ML rifle with a rd chambered but no percussion cap on the nipple. Same-same to a reasonable mind, but ..... we are dealing with the bureaucratic mind here and common sense may be too much to expect.
I'm going to run it past the first Conservation Officer I encounter and discuss it with him. I don't want to do it over the phone or by email.
Bear in mind that the same government that made it illegal to shoot bison with a BP 45-70 load had no issues with shooting a Grizzly (when you still could) with the same load. I wish I had brought that up a long time ago.
