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I agree with Mr. 16 gauge
There are a lot of excellent used flintlocks and percussion rifles sitting on used gun racks. I own both percussion and flintlock rifles and prefer flintlocks. If you shop the used gun racks, my recommendation would be to look for Thompson Center brand Renegades or Hawkens or Lyman Trade Rifles or Great Plains Rifles in .50 or .54 caliber. Pay particular attention to the bore and any signs of rust or pitting may indicate improper cleaning by the previous owner(s) and would be a solid reason for rejection.
These rifles use round balls slightly smaller than the bore diameter and a .50 caliber rifle uses a .490" ball and as Mr. 16 gauge says a .54 caliber would require a .530" roundball. Patches come lubed and unlubed and both work well, but I lube dry patches with a bit of Crisco or whatever vegetable shortening is on sale at the local IGA grocery store. Patch thickness can vary from .010" to .015" and again both work well. A bit of experimentation at the range will indicate which works best in your rifle.
Flintlocks work best with real balckpowder and it is getting harder to find places that sell it. Black powder varies in size of granulation. The more "Fs" the smaller the grains of powder. FFFFG is the smallest grains and is used to prime the pan to ensure a rapid ignition. I use FFG as the main charge in both .50 and .54 caliber guns. Others prefer FFFG and both work well.
Ignition in a percussion is controlled by the percussion cap and keeping the touch hole in the nipple clear of debris. Same on a flintlock, the touch hole bushing can be cleared with a safety pin prior to shooting. Reliable ignition in a flintlock is impacted by using a good quality flint and a decent frizzen. Both Lyman and now Thompson Center have pretty decent frizzens. A well-tuned flintlock is very reliable.
Finally, the best way to clean a percussion or flintlock is still to use hot soapy water and patches, hot water and patches, dry patches and oil patches. There are no really good shortcuts to proper cleaning a smokepole. Some of the used muzzleloaders with rust and pitting are testimony that some folks thought otherwise. If you have any more questions, just post them here and these good people will assist you. All the best...
Gil
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