Anyone have a flintlock muzzleloader?

[OneBadV8]

school me on them. Where do you get flints, what kind of powder, etc.

I'm intrigued by them and been thinking about one but know absolutely nothing about them. It wouldn't be something I'd shoot a lot, but it will be shot now and then.

 

[Mgderf]

school me on them. Where do you get flints, what kind of powder, etc.

I'm intrigued by them and been thinking about one but know absolutely nothing about them. It wouldn't be something I'd shoot a lot, but it will be shot now and then.

First off, I'm no expert.
That out of the way, I would think that most any black-powder substitute would suffice, as long as you are talking about a modern firearm.

If you are talking about an antique, or something old and of unknown origin, I would have a qualified gunsmith inspect it BEFORE you attempt to fire it.

As for flints? I would have no idea, but I bet you could find them on the ground in Indiana, if you look in the right place(s).

 

[OneBadV8]

it would probably be a reproduction of an antique. So, new parts modern materials, etc.

 

[ru44mag]

school me on them. Where do you get flints, what kind of powder, etc.

I'm intrigued by them and been thinking about one but know absolutely nothing about them. It wouldn't be something I'd shoot a lot, but it will be shot now and then.

If you get a caplock the substitutes are ok. If I was shooting a flintlock, I would shoot FF blackpowder. You need FFFF for the pan. Lyman and TC still sell flintlocks so if your LGS doesn't have what you need they would. Read all your instructions and study up. They are fun, but clean up sucks. Bath tub is best. Hot soapy water, a good jag and dry it really well then oil it up. It's been a while so check it out before taking my word for it.

 

[Flinttim]

The various substitutes will not work in a flintlock. Has to be the real stuff. Granulation depends to some degree the caliber of the gun. The general rule is above .50 -2f, below .50 3f. Having said that I shoot 3f in all my rifles no matter the caliber and save the 2f for my fowling guns.You need to get down to the Mecca of M/loading, Friendship where the NMLRA holds it's two big shoots per year. Next Spring Shoot is in June. Stay away from sawed flints and get knapped flints. They'll last much longer. Any more questions , just ask. I know a couple things about them.

 

[Doug]

Look over Dixie Gun Works


Here are flints: Dixie Gun Works muzzleloading, blackpowder and rare antique gun supplies.

 

[Dirty Steve]

Have had and still have several, what do you want to know?

Powder,.. real black powder only. Gradation depends on caliber, to an extant. I shoot 3F down the barrel and in the pan in everything from .32 to .62 caliber. Flints,...your not going to walk into a store and buy some. Parts,....don't need parts if its a good quality piece. I've never had anything break, but I have had frizzens re-soled after shooting a lot for many years. Aftermarket stuff,....forget about it. It's not like an AR. Someone to fix it if you break it,....few and far between, but they are around. You just have to know where to look.

All that being said, flintlocks absolutely rock. You WILL most likely be hooked if you can get past the flinching habit when a flash goes off right by your face and will shoot it way more than you think. Especially if you are into history and primitive weapons. I started out with production flintlocks 26 years ago, moved to semi-customs and then to full-blown handmade customs. Like everything else, price varies from a few hundred bucks for an import production gun to several thousands (like 2k to 10k plus) for a full-blown handmade custom piece.

Dirty Steve

 

[ru44mag]

The various substitutes will not work in a flintlock. Has to be the real stuff. Granulation depends to some degree the caliber of the gun. The general rule is above .50 -2f, below .50 3f. Having said that I shoot 3f in all my rifles no matter the caliber and save the 2f for my fowling guns.You need to get down to the Mecca of M/loading, Friendship where the NMLRA holds it's two big shoots per year. Next Spring Shoot is in June. Stay away from sawed flints and get knapped flints. They'll last much longer. Any more questions , just ask. I know a couple things about them.

Was I right about what to put in the pan?

 

[Cerberus]

Was I right about what to put in the pan?

NO! You can use any powder straight from the horn or flask. No actual need for 4f in the pan.

 

[Flinttim]

4F in the pan. There is/was some 7f floating around but getting hard to find. GOEX made it up for the International team. I don't think they make it anymore and I'm down to my last 5lbs. 4f will do fine. As Dirty Steve said , factory flintlocks are not very good. There might be a couple out there that are "OK", but none will come close to equaling a custom flintlock.

 

[OneBadV8]

Ok so what is 2f, 3f, 4f, etc. Does that equate to grains somehow

Where do you find black powder these days? All I've ever seen around was Pyrodex

 

[Doug]

Ok so what is 2f, 3f, 4f, etc. Does that equate to grains somehow

Where do you find black powder these days? All I've ever seen around was Pyrodex

2f, 3f, and 4f, often designated FF, FFF, and FFFF, relate to powder grain size. FF is large grain and often considered cannon powder. FFF is appropriate for most guns; FFFF is very fine and often used in priming pans for flintlocks because it ignites easily.

I hope someone can tell us where we can buy black powder around Indy.

 

[Flinttim]

The powder is graded by the size of screen it will pass thru. Fg, FFg,FFFg and FFFFg. You'll occasionally see FFFFFg and as I mentioned earlier, FFFFFFFg, which is actually photographers flash powder. So many people have gone to inlines and the synthetic powders that real BP is hard to find. Around Indy ? Can't say for sure but Deer Creek over at Waldron sells it. Most of us buy it by the case from different places shipped via UPS. Or, if you are an NMLRA member, you can buy it down at Friendship.

 

[pilgrim]

The Outdoorsman in Greenwood used to handle black powder, might try them.

 

[Pete]

I almost get a flintlock every time I go to 1812. I picked up FFg at Bass Pro last winter for a TC Renegade. While it is no flintlock, it is enjoyable to shoot.

I went to Friendship a couple of years ago (the year the highway washed out) for the spring shoot. It was pretty interesting. Flinttim, how did you get started in muzzleloading?

 

[Smokepole]

Been shooting black powder for about 20 years. currently have a Lyman production .50 cal. capper and a custom flinter in .50 ca. as well. I originally wasn't sure that I would shoot the flinter much, but turned out that I loved it and shoot almost as much as my capper. Exclusively use my capper for hunting though. Especially if the weather isn't perfect.

As far as what powder to use. If you get flintlock don't ever use Black Powder substitutes. Real BP only. The two most used brands are Goex and Elephant. Some one mentioned using 3F up to .50 and 2F with larger calibers and that is the general rule of thumb. I have used 3F up to .58 and never had any issues. I use 4F in the frizzen but plenty use 3F and it is more convenient when using the same grade for both. Never used 2f in the pan and don't know any that do. Doesn't mean it won't work though.

As far as flints go, opinions on what type are best to use vary as widely as those that shoot them, but it's hard to go wrong with English flint. Some of the best supply shops are:

Track of the Wolf: Track of the Wolf - Muzzle Loading & Black Powder Guns Kits, Parts, Accoutrements, Rendezvous Gear & Primitive Americana
Log Cabin Shop: Log Cabin Shop, Serving the Black Powder Community for Over 57 Years
Dixie Gun Works: Dixie Gun Works muzzleloading, blackpowder and rare antique gun supplies.

You can get virtually everything you need to shoot your gun from flint to powder to patches to cleaning supplies. And above all. Never fail to clean your black powder firearm after EVERY use. Black powder isn't smokeless. It is corrosive and will ruin your gun over time if you don't keep it clean. And you will want to run 2 or 3 cleaning swabs down the barrel out after several shots to keep accuracy up and maintain easy loading. Powder fouling can really make things difficult.

Someone also mentioned the National Muzzleloading Rifle Assn. I have been a member for about 20 years and the shoots down at Friendship can be a lot of fun. NMLRA link: http://nmlra.org/

If you have any other questions there are several here that can help you out.

Good luck and enjoy your smokepole.

 

[Flinttim]

Back in 1980 work was slow and for sh*** and giggles I decided to take a correspondence gunsmithing course. Colorado School of Gunsmithing I believe. Anyway, one study course was on muzzleloading. They referenced the NMLRA in Friendship Indiana. My whole life I never heard of it and was only 60 miles away ! I got the bug, built my first rifle not knowing anyone who knew anything about it and built the ugliest POS you ever saw.Got to Friendship the next year and now you know the rest of the story, as Paul would say.

 

[pjt]

How did the pioneers handle cleaning issues? I'm pretty sure I have never seen a reference to Danial Boone packing a bathtub to clean his rifle.

 

[Slawburger]

A flintlock is in my future. I have wanted one for awhile and might just have to check out the Friendship shoot this year.

 

[Wanderer]

I get my black powder from Grafs and everything else, including flints, from Track of the Wolf. You can also find some good stuff at the NMLRA shoots in Friendship.