Trigger lock on flintlock?

[BCRider]

I looked on the BC hunting regulations and all I could find was this

4A muzzle loader containing powder and shot in the barrel but
unprimed (ie, no powder in the pan of a flint lock or no cap in the
nipple of a percussion lock) is not considered a loaded firearm under
the Criminal Code (Canada).
..

That may be the legal way to do it but it sure isn't a safe way. As someone else noted the sparks from the flint on the frizzen can touch off the main charge even when there's no powder in the pan. And the risk of that occurring is not all that unlikely. I'd suggest that the safe way is to remove the flint as well as the pan charge.

Thanks for the clarification on short term hunting area use and transport there Mooncoon. Not being a hunter I'd forgotten the finer points of when and where.

 

[vagrantviking]

I have first-hand experience with dumping the powder from the pan on a flinter snd having the sparks either enter the flash hole or ignite the leftover powder dust.

Happened twice over the years. Always control Muzzle direction for safety when knapping etc.

 

[stevejones]

So I guess the only legal way is to remove the charge, which could be a problem in itself as one would have to use a ball puller if you were using a roundball. This is a huge hassle in my experience as the ball pulls out of the worm more times than not. In the case of shot, heres hoping that the card wad comes out, then the shot, then the overpowder wad, and then the powder EVERY time you go hunting. Ack!

SJ

 

[CMichaud]

Back to the OP question,


Antique Firearms

14 (1) An individual may store, display or transport an antique firearm only if it is unloaded.


(2) An individual may transport an antique firearm in an unattended vehicle only if

(a) when the vehicle is equipped with a trunk or similar compartment that can be securely locked, the antique firearm is in that trunk or compartment and the trunk or compartment is securely locked; and


(b) when the vehicle is not equipped with a trunk or similar compartment that can be securely locked, the antique firearm is not visible from outside the vehicle and the vehicle, or the part that contains the antique firearm, is securely locked.


(3) An individual may transport an antique firearm that is a handgun only if it is in a locked container that is made of an opaque material and is of such strength, construction and nature that it cannot readily be broken open or into or accidentally opened during transportation.

If the Bess in question is original (pre-1898) and does not have a powder/ball charge in it, then it is unloaded - same as having no cartridge in the breech of an antique Snider-Enfield ie no requirement to take out the firing pin. Leave the flint on if you want and throw it up above the fireplace - no trigger lock

 

[mooncoon]

So this is interesting...looks like our (BC) hunting regulations need updating? Or does this

4A muzzle loader containing powder and shot in the barrel but
unprimed (ie, no powder in the pan of a flint lock or no cap in the
nipple of a percussion lock) is not considered a loaded firearm under
the Criminal Code (Canada).

I believe the gun would be considered loaded under the criminal code. You are allowed to have your gun loaded in a criminal code sense, while hunting and the criminal code appears to turn a blind eye if you are off pavement and moving from one spot to another via logging roads, while hunting. Once you get out to the pavement, the criminal code kicks in in the sense that you are no longer hunting

cheers mooncoon

 

[skokie]

If I have a flintlock with me in the woods and take it from one spot to another for the purpose of hunting in the same area, I transport it this way. Leaving the flint installed, hammer down with the frizzen forward, removing the powder with a small brush I keep in my possibles bag and plugging the touch hole with a pipe cleaner makes ignition very improbable, and as far as I remember from my PAL/ hunting course, is legal for transport between hunting sites. This method allows you to quickly and quietly ready the gun in the event that you find your game on arriving at your next hunting spot. But if I'm going out to the highway or heading home I definitely wouldn't leave my flinter charged, legal or not. Storing it with powder and projectile is agreeably an accident waiting to happen.

 

[vagrantviking]

I would personally do the same as skokie says above in a hunting situation. Safe and legal.

This has gone off in the weeds in relation to what the OP was asking. At home storage should follow the laws laid out for antique long guns. A trigger lock certainly isn't going to hurt if it gives peace of mind.

 

[promac]

Note that some black powder reproductions are prescribed to be antiques:

Black Powder Reproductions:

of flintlock, wheel-lock or matchlock firearms, other than handguns, manufactured after 1897;
(Note that all other reproductions of long guns are considered non-restricted firearms. They don’t need to be registered but a licence to possess them is required. As an example, reproductions of percussion cap muzzle-loading firearms like American Civil War Enfield and Springfield rifles are considered non-restricted firearms and not antiques.)

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/antique-historique-eng.htm

 

[stevejones]

If I have a flintlock with me in the woods and take it from one spot to another for the purpose of hunting in the same area, I transport it this way. Leaving the flint installed, hammer down with the frizzen forward, removing the powder with a small brush I keep in my possibles bag and plugging the touch hole with a pipe cleaner makes ignition very improbable, and as far as I remember from my PAL/ hunting course, is legal for transport between hunting sites. This method allows you to quickly and quietly ready the gun in the event that you find your game on arriving at your next hunting spot. But if I'm going out to the highway or heading home I definitely wouldn't leave my flinter charged, legal or not. Storing it with powder and projectile is agreeably an accident waiting to happen.

I have a leather cover that fits tightly over the flint that I have used in the past. My understanding is that a feather was inserted by the quill into the touch hole to seal it. SJ

 

[MC One Shot]

I have a leather cover that fits tightly over the flint that I have used in the past. My understanding is that a feather was inserted by the quill into the touch hole to seal it. SJ

Correct, frizzen stalls were the first safety device that I am aware of back in the day. Quills inserted in the touch hole were also used as well but I am led to believe that it may been used to keep the weather out more so to prevent a spark from entering. But both were practiced.

I would not leave a charge in any muzzleloader to day outside of an hunting camp as they did back in the day as it is not needed any more.