Anyone willing to teach someone interested in flintlock?

[theunrulychef]

I'm looking at the Deerstalker. I think the shorter rifle will best suite the walking around I do. I love the look of the stainless on the percussion, but obviously I'm looking for a flintlock.

None of those hobbies, but I appreciate the tinkering of homebrewing beer, handloading, etc.

For walking around in the woods, the shorter rifle is the way to go yeah. The newer ones come with fiber optic sights I believe. Mine has older "standard" sights which I prefer.

Cleaning the black powder is definitely a process. I pull the barrel & pour a bunch of hot water down the bore while the breech is in a bucket. Then I swab down in the bore with patches & more hot water until it's clean. Then a final patch or two down to dry it as best as I can. If you use really hot water, the heat evaporates it pretty quick. Then I swab some Ballistol (or WD40 if I'm leaving for longer) down the bore & give the lock a good wipe down.

I read a bunch of info from ChuckHawks.com as well - good stuff. I've also done some polishing on the frizzen pan, but I'm not sure if that's done anything to speed up the lock time. Shooting a flintlock is fun. It's kinda a pop, then a booom! It feels like it's in slow motion or something when you're used to shooting modern firearms.

I should pull mine out & start shooting it again as I haven't shot it since January.

[jtkratzer]

For walking around in the woods, the shorter rifle is the way to go yeah. The newer ones come with fiber optic sights I believe. Mine has older "standard" sights which I prefer.

Cleaning the black powder is definitely a process. I pull the barrel & pour a bunch of hot water down the bore while the breech is in a bucket. Then I swab down in the bore with patches & more hot water until it's clean. Then a final patch or two down to dry it as best as I can. If you use really hot water, the heat evaporates it pretty quick. Then I swab some Ballistol (or WD40 if I'm leaving for longer) down the bore & give the lock a good wipe down.

I read a bunch of info from ChuckHawks.com as well - good stuff. I've also done some polishing on the frizzen pan, but I'm not sure if that's done anything to speed up the lock time. Shooting a flintlock is fun. It's kinda a pop, then a booom! It feels like it's in slow motion or something when you're used to shooting modern firearms.

I should pull mine out & start shooting it again as I haven't shot it since January.

I was curious how far people tear them apart to clean. I've heard some people don't take them apart, just run patches and a brush down them and then store them muzzle down to make sure any solvent/lube drains out rather than pools at the bottom of the barrel.

I enjoy cleaning firearms. It's just part of the process. The repetitive nature of loading, punching a hole through paper, and then cleaning is much like the therapy that archery is for me. It's just relaxing to go out and worry about nothing other than breathing, form, putting a pin on a target, and executing the release.

[theunrulychef]

My wife doesn't believe me when I tell her how relaxing shooting is, haha. She figures anything that makes such a loud boom has got to be stressful.

They come apart really easy actually. There's a single pin you push out of the foregrip & the barrel just comes out easy peazy.

[jtkratzer]

Got a great deal on an inline and decided to snag that for the Maryland hunt and get into the flintlock for next year. Figured I should spend more time with it than a few range sessions to expect more than a fleeting change at success.