Flintlock Safety & Other Tips.

Discussion in 'Primitive Tools and Weapons' started by Keith H., Jun 10, 2016.

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  1. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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  2. Endure

    Endure Expert Member
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    The first thing to look after for safety is to bring the lock to half cock, then one must secure it with the hammer. Then, the touchhole cleared, and the bore and lock must be free of oil or moisture. Also you use a quill as a warning
    to tell the gun is loaded and even longer feathers to quicken the ignition, didn't know that.
     
  3. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    Sorry, but I don't understand any of this. 1) Why is it safer to be on half-cock if the gun is not loaded? You can't prime the pan unless you bring the cock to half-cock or full cock . Do you mean it is dangerous to prime on full cock? The gun will not fire until the hammer is closed over the pan. As an extra safety the hammer cap/stall is placed on the hammer to stop ignition. 2) The cock can not be secured with the hammer (steel). How does a longer quill quicken the ignition? Sorry, just trying to understand.
    Keith.
     
  4. Endure

    Endure Expert Member
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    Sorry, It's me that I misunderstood the explanation of the video. Can you explain the part of the speed up of ignition?.
     
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  5. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    Oh okay, got you. It can get confusing for Pilgrims trying to understand the correct names & meanings for 18th century technology.

    Sometimes when you load a muzzle-loading gun the gunpowder (Black Powder) can get into the vent. The vent is a hole at the breach end in the side of the barrel connecting the pan to the breach. A small amount of gunpowder is placed in the pan for ignition. When the flint in the cock strikes the steel face of the hammer, it throws the hammer back exposing the pan & at the same time casts sparks into the pan. This ignites the priming powder. The flash from this firing of the priming powder enters the vent, driving fire into the inside of the barrel & igniting the main charge in the barrel.
    This happens very quickly, not as slow as some people seem to think. However, IF there is gunpowder in the vent, then the fire has to burn through this gunpowder first to reach the main charge. Effectively it is acting like a fuse. This slows ignition, not by much, maybe a second. Placing a vent quill in the vent when loading stops the gunpowder from entering the vent. OR you can use your "pricker" to clear the vent after loading.
    [​IMG]
    Here you can see the vent hole at the back of the pan, cock with flint on left, & hammer with a hammer cap in place on the right.
    [​IMG]
    Here you can see two prickers & two pan brushes. Mine on the right, & my youngest Son's on the left.
    [​IMG]
    Here you can see the Turkey vent quill carried in a chain link on the strap of my shot pouch. Any time I come across small feathers I stick them in the chain links or in my shot pouch & occasionally in my hat band.
    Keith.
    TERMINOLOGY: The modern name for the hammer is "Frizzen".
    The modern name for the pricker is "vent pick"
    The modern name for the vent is "Flash Hole"
     
  6. Endure

    Endure Expert Member
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    Got it. Thank you for the close up photos, helped a lot to understand the ignition mechanism. The priming powder can get inside the vent sometimes and it delays ignition by a second -yeah, like a fuse of a circuit-, and the vent or Flash Hole can be cleared with the pricker after loading or block the vent with a quill like those turkey quills while loading.
     
  7. Keith H.

    Keith H. Moderator Staff Member
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    Yes Endure, but the gunpowder blocking the vent comes from the main charge in the breach of the barrel, NOT from the priming powder. You could put too much gunpowder in the pan which would not help. You only need a very little gunpowder in the pan.
    Keith.
     
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