New to me Flintlock
 

Spent yeterday afternoon cleaning this new TC that I got on my last trip over to Kennewick. It is an older Kit model that someone really did a good job on. I think the original owner must have had the barrel 'hot' blued because it is a deep dark blue... For the last 10/12 years it has been stored in the back of a closet. Ed said that he did send it into TC several years ago and they put a new lock on it. He also said when it came back he did shoot a couple of pans of powder to make sure it was sparking correctly. That kinda concerned me as i was worried about the condition of the bore - if it had not been cleaned correctly.

The firt oily patch i ran down the bore, all the way to the bottom felt really smooth and I was breathing a little easier, but when it came out it was covered with rust. Broke out the JB's and ran 100 stokes on six different patches - cleaned the barrel till I got clean patches - dropped in the bore light... Beautiful - looks like a mirror in there.

At first I thought it might be a 1/60-6 twist but I am pretty confident that it a 1/48...

Now the next problem! A new learning curve for myself... I really did not have much of an interest in a 'rock sparker' then Big 6x6 went off on the traditional guns, posted a picture of really nice TC flinter - then indicated that they are really fun to shoot. So, if I figure out how to shoot it I will let you know if they are fun - remember I am an 'A' personality - an OLD football/baseball coach with very little paitence. My work might be cut out for me....







Gotta throw this in also - not ML related... although it is yesterday's history

Monday's hunt... we can not hunt pigs - so this has to work for me

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

You're right Sabotloader, whoever put that kit together did a fine job. The color and finish looks better than TC factory jobs by far. I'm glad the "butt clench" went away after your work on the bore. A little fine surface rust like that didn't likely hurt a thing.

Don't worry about the "A" type personality - that rock lock will teach you humility. :D

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

That is a great bird you scored on there... congratulations.

The flintlock is a lot easier then people believe it is. The main things.. keep your flint sharp, your touch hole open, and your powder dry. The rest is just natural after that.

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

Congrats on the turkey...I'm still chasing them down here in NC...

As Cay mentioned, flintlocks are much easier than most realize...This was the common form of ignition for at least 225 years, longer than any other...

I did notice a couple of things...It looks like you have a cut flint in the jaws...Find you some black English gun flints, they are the most reliable...It also looks like the touch hole is a little low on that gun so you will have to experiment on how much pan powder works best...When I make a flinter I put the touch hole high so the heel of the pan keeps powder from filling the hole...

I would also recommend real black powder...If possible FFF Goex...You can use FFF as both the main charge and the priming powder...

Finally...Use only cotton or linen for patching...I prefer to buy in bulk and lube as I need them...When working up a load, keep an eye on your used patches, once they start burning accuracy goes to pot...

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

Hey Sabot - that is a nice piece you picked up there. I'm sure you will have fun with it. The thing with flinters that a lot of inexperienced people do is overfill the pan. This creates a 'fuse' effect..... and causes that Pffffft...boom you hear so much about. Just enough FFFFg to cover the bottom of the pan is usually enough. Oh yeah, before you go out, wipe your frizzen off with alcohol or some other degreaser to get any oil off of it.

BTW - nice turkey. My season starts on Saturday. Can't wait.

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

SL,
Nice jake ya got there. Our NY season starts May 1st. Can't wait.

Love that gun. I'm saving up for a flinter (never owned one). Maybe I should look used?

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

What a nice rifle, sabotloader. Unless it has a custom barrel it is a 1:48 twist which is good for roundball or conicle. Three things to keep in mind are to keep a sharp flint that is correctly positioned. For the fastest ignition use 4-f powder for priming and use a chipped flint instead of the synthetic flints as are sold by TC. The flints that I am speaking of are sold by Track of the Wolf and other supply companies. Also, making sure that your touch hole is clear will almost garentee ignition provided you get a good spark.

Good luck and enjoy your rifle.

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

http://members.aye.net/~bspen/flintlockfaq.html


I have a Hawkin just like that and it is a great shooting rifle. I can't wait to hear your first experience with it. You will be hooked.

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

Nice gun and nice bird.

RE: New to me Flintlock
 

He really did a nice job on the rifle !!!! Nice bird too :D:D:D