# Flintlock Firearms...Advice?



## FreeNihilist

Does any here have experience with flintlock rifles (or pistols) and have any advice on the pros and cons of flintlocks and would you consider them to be a viable long term gun more so than other guns, provided I would be casting bullets, making wadding and black powder on my own.

I am looking to possibly purchase a flintlock rifle in the next 2 weeks or so. I currently try to live as basic as possible and make as many goods as possible ( which is most of my needs actually). My goal for buying a flintlock would be to become more self sufficient in yet another aspect. Making BP, wadding and casting lead is all familiar to me but I would be a total newbie to flintlocks.


----------



## UncleJoe

You may get a better response to this question from the folks at our sister forum.

http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/


----------



## FreeNihilist

UncleJoe said:


> You may get a better response to this question from the folks at our sister forum.
> 
> http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/


Thank you for the link.


----------



## HozayBuck

FreeNihilist said:


> Does any here have experience with flintlock rifles (or pistols) and have any advice on the pros and cons of flintlocks and would you consider them to be a viable long term gun more so than other guns, provided I would be casting bullets, making wadding and black powder on my own.
> 
> I am looking to possibly purchase a flintlock rifle in the next 2 weeks or so. I currently try to live as basic as possible and make as many goods as possible ( which is most of my needs actually). My goal for buying a flintlock would be to become more self sufficient in yet another aspect. Making BP, wadding and casting lead is all familiar to me but I would be a total newbie to flintlocks.


Yep,they are harder to shoot then a percussion because of the big flash by your face and eye.. plus there is the delay between the actual flash and the KA Boom.. which allows time to flinch at the flash in the pan...

As a project it's a fun thing, as a shtf weapon for survival it is leaving you a bit under gunned.. I would prefer a 22 LR as my meat and whatever gun...less noise, less hassle, and quicker to reload is you need to.. a Ruger 10-22 is my choice... plus !! 22ammo is lots lighter then lead balls..

I know that's more then you asked for but sometimes that's how it is...


----------



## cranky1

a properly tuned flintlock has no lag time. but , boy ,,it is a big learning curve to keep one tuned. every time you fire it, the flint changes shape. if you had to really had to relie on it you would have to knap the flint every time you fired it. if your flint is really tuned good to the frizzen, i think you will only be good for about 3 shots max for reliability. if it is tuned good, the flash in the pan will not be even noticed. you have to give these old boys that used them a big A for effort. do they work , yes, but with a lot of practice. personally i like them. would i take on a grizz with one, only if i had to. have fun .


----------



## TheAnt

Funny you should mention this. I have been working on some artwork for a tee shirt that will have a Kentucky Longrifle on it.

I have done a bit of reading on these things and they are really awesome implements of war... at least in their day. There are reports of folks being taken out at half a mile with these things (though they are supposedly accurate to about 300 yards by an expert). I would love to have one but I would hate to rely on one especially for self defense these days. They are beautiful works of art and I am trying to capture that in a way that can be easily printed on a tee:


----------



## Concretin

I have an 1803 Harpers Ferry reproduction by Euroarms that I got used. I spent a couple of hundred bucks getting it tuned so that it will go off as fast as a percussion gun. It's fun and will work as a hunting gun, but there are more accoutrements that go with a flinter than any other smoke pole.


----------



## PopPop

If you have a modern firearm, it is probably more cost effective to aquire ammo. Modern smokeless powder allows properly stored ammo to be viable for decades.


----------



## md1911

I would love to hunt with a flintlock. Even if its not a highdollar firearm. The good thing about a flintlock in a shtf scenario for me is I know how to make black powder. And have made it before. I wouldn't be dependent on modern firearms for meat.


----------



## VUnder

It would be a good idea for everybody to have a flintlock gun put away somewhere. Eventually the bullets will run out, and it may be a while before they are manufactured again. The flintlocks may ease us on through the rough road to recovery. I have been paying attention to how they made colonial guns.


----------



## Magus

I've been debating buying a couple for some time.


----------



## md1911

Magus said:


> I've been debating buying a couple for some time.


I think you would like the ability to make everything you needed to keep shooting.


----------



## VUnder

There was a nice article about them in the Backwoodsman magazine. Just buying a lock, and he had a source for a cheap barrel, make your own stock. You could make you a shot gun and just shoot pea gravel if you had to, but it would be better than nothing.


----------



## VUnder

What about the old Match Lock type guns? Wouldn't one of those be easier to fabricate? If you could make powder, then you could easily make your own "punk" to ignite it with. But, then again, keeping that lit all the time might be a hassle, or having a way to light it quickly.


----------



## md1911

VUnder said:


> What about the old Match Lock type guns? Wouldn't one of those be easier to fabricate? If you could make powder, then you could easily make your own "punk" to ignite it with. But, then again, keeping that lit all the time might be a hassle, or having a way to light it quickly.


True but you with a little practice can find and knapp your own flint. Wich is better because you don't have to worry about the match going out.

speak softley and carry a big stick


----------



## BillM

Just a note on black powder.
It never goes bad.
If you get it wet, it is still just as powerful once it dries out.
If you are handleing a vintage black powder weapon or ordinance, be aware that it is likely still loaded and you can still get killed by it . Treat it the same as you would a modern firearm or artillary shell.


----------



## bananagoatgruff

*Flintlocks for Survival*

I think a flintlock would be a good thing to have stored away in a secret place as well as your know how to make powder and ball. My guess is you want be free handing it like those cats in 1776 either. I'd be looking for a rest or atleast some shootin sticks.


----------



## mojo4

I don't think a flintlock is very good at all. If you have a supply of black powder you can reload your own ammo. With a large supply of primers and scavenged brass you and others shoot you can have ammo for a long time. Its not difficult to make a bullet. I don't relaod but I have seen others do it and its not that hard.


----------



## mojo4

Preloaded rounds definitely beat flintlock shooting, just ask the civil war vets!


----------



## bananagoatgruff

a southerner was quoted in Georgia that "shermans men loaded on sunday and shot all week long..."


----------



## Well_Driller

I have two flintlock rifles. One is a Thompson center which I re-barreled and replaced the original lock with a much faster acting L&R lock. The other rifle is a custom built rifle with a good barrel and fast acting flintlock. I can get about 100 shots out of a single flint without having to nap the flint but maybe only a couple times. Both are very accurate. If you keep them clean and keep good flints in them missfires will be far and few between. I used to practice every Sunday. When I go hunting, I take my flintlock. I think it's probably good to have one, but unless it has a good lock and barrel, it's not going to be much count. Most cheapies you see aren't worth a crap for reliability. Since you can make everything you need to shoot it, it could be better than nothing when everyone else has no ammo for their modern guns. Would certainly give you an advantage over a knife. People used to tell me I only got one shot. I tell them I only need one shot. For hunting I make what's called a quick load. I take PVC cut to a certain length that holds the measured powder charge, ball and patch with two caps on the end. When you reload, you take one cap off dump the powder in, take the other off and shove the ball and patch in, ram it down and prime the pan, and you're ready. It can be done fairly quickly that way. I also have two pistols.


----------



## bananagoatgruff

all this talk about rifles, I know the sheeples are all about those sub-machine guns and fancy weapons, and I'd like to have one of those two. A couple of problems with that. Like you said when the ammo runs out those guns want even make a good club. The other thing is that with those guns you are likely to draw some attention from those dudes who have bigger fancier guns with more ammo, detention camps, and the like. Don't wanna be there. Wanna keep my head down low, shoot some squirrels, rabbits, maybe an intruder if I have to...with my old trusty .22 - and when that ammo runs out a flintlock just kinda makes sense. I have argued with quite a few of my cohorts about this....if the 82nd airborne(ie swat team) knocks on your front door and asks for your guns what do you do? you either give them your guns or die...some will die and others want. what will you do? me I'm spending most my $ on grubb not expensive firearms that are likely to cause me more trouble than good...


----------



## Jack Aubrey

Being a history nut, I have quite a collection of BP arms. I also have a few modern center fire guns. I got into reloading and bullet casting, and have put away a substantial amount of center fire ammo, magazines, and spare parts. Now I don't touch them, except for home/personal/ family defense. I hunt with BP arms exclusively. I have a Pedersoli Brown Bess musket I hunt with. She's a replica of the musket carried by the British redcoats in Colonial America. She's a .75 calibre( 11guage) flintlock. Fires a .735 ball. I carry a few paper cartridges in my shooting bag when out hunting. The beauty of this musket is the smooth bore. I love it for the same reason our fore fathers did...one gun does it all. Round ball for large game, shot and wadding for small game. The lock is tuned so well there is not a discernible lag after trigger pull. I have made my own powder, but I only make about a pound at a time. That lasts me about a year. I've been learning how to knap flints. Still not there yet! JA


----------

