Two Questions for Longhunters?

[Adam Helmer]

#1: Do you prefer flint or percussion in your sidelock rifles or smoothbores?

#2: If you prefer a flintlock, do you prefer the flint bevel UP or bevel Down?


Personally, I like both flint and caplocks and tend to lean toward the flinters as I read more history about the Pennsylvania frontier, the French & Indian War and about Lewis & Clark.

My flinters prefer bevel UP apparently because the longer "dwell time" of the flint on the frizzen gives more reliable ignition.

Let me hear what you think.

Adam

[Gil Martin]

I prefer flintlocks and bevel up. All the best...
Gil

[quigleysharps4570]

Percussion is all I've ever owned. Been contemplating a flinter for years...believe I may own one someday.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Caplock.....but only because I'm relatively new to flinters.

......still working on the bevel up/bevel down thingy!

[roundball]

Flintlocks are all I hunt with anymore...bevel up or down depends on the size of the flint and the size/geometry of a lock.

In my locks, I use 3/4" x 7/8" Tom Fuller hand knapped black English flints...I start them out bevel up, but as they wear about halfway, I flip them over bevel down to continue getting the optimal frizzen imact angle and longer flint life.

Here is a new flint installed, ready to go:

[Adam Helmer]

roundball,

Very nice picture. Is that Bevel Down in the photo? I just checked two of my flinters with a bulge atop the flint like in your picture and I think a 180 degree rotation of the flint and leather shim will move the sharp edge of the flint more Bevel Up. I could be wrong, but see if the edge moves up higher on the frizzen in conformity with your starting point.

Adam

[liv2hunt]

I prefer my bevel up also... Mine throws so much spark, I capped of a round last year without any primer in the pan at my uddies camp... Boy was that a surprise. I said it jokeingly to him about I wonder if there is enough spark to ignight... It scared the crap out of me...

[Deerman]

Side lock,it's the only one I have.

[roundball]

Originally posted by Adam Helmer
roundball,

Very nice picture. Is that Bevel Down in the photo? I just checked two of my flinters with a bulge atop the flint like in your picture and I think a 180 degree rotation of the flint and leather shim will move the sharp edge of the flint more Bevel Up. I could be wrong, but see if the edge moves up higher on the frizzen in conformity with your starting point.

Adam

That's bevel up in the photo...the bevel really refers to the "slope" on one side of a flint...in the photo, the flat side is down, with the slope or bevel side up.

A new 3/4"wide (x 7/8"L) BEF in a TC lock performs best when it's bevel up...and when at half cock with the edge of the flint almost touching the frizzen, the angle of the flint will have a very slight downward angle to it so when it hits the frizzen it'll have a downward shaving/slicing angle...you don't want a flint hitting the frizzen face square...breaks flints, shortens flint life, etc.

Then when the flint has worn shorter (30-40 shots or so) and starts hitting lower and lower on the frizzen, flip it over in the jaws so the bevel is down...this moves the edge of the flint a little higher up to compensate for it having worn shorter...and it will again hit the frizzen back up a little higher in a more optimum location.

[Adam Helmer]

roundball,

I guess we need to clarify terms a bit. Around here "Bevel UP" means mounting the flint in the jaws of the hammer to get the upmost strike of the flint on the frizzen from the get go. Some folks hereabouts would say your photo is "Bevel Down" and I was told that is because the point of the flint is DOWN.

Whatever it is called, many floks hereabout mount flints to strike as high as possible on the frizzen.

Nice photos and nice rifle.

Adam

[roundball]

Well, I don't know what you mean by "around here"...maybe on this website, dunno...but I refer to bevel up and bevel down the same way everybody else has been referring to them since Black English gun flints have been made...and the black English gun flint in my photo is mounted bevel up.

If you’ll scroll down half way down through this technical article, there’s a black English flint illustrated with each of the surfaces named…the long slope is called the bevel.

http://www.gunsmithsociety.com/technical-flints.htm

[Adam Helmer]

roundball,

Thank you for the interesting article; I printed it out for reference. Yes, the bevel is detailed in the drawing. In the text, it says that for some locks, it is best to have the flint strike about three-fourths the way up the frizzen from the pan. That is my best flint position.

Good shooting.

Adam

[roundball]

All this talk about Flintlock or caplock got me thinking...I normally shoot a Flintlock every weekend year round...today I dragged a .50cal caplock to the range for only the 2nd time in 5 years...nice change of pace...enjoyed it so much I'm going to shoot a .54cal caplock tomorrow!

[Adam Helmer]

roundball,

Well go shoot that thar caplock. I have 4 flinters and 4 caplocks and like them all. So, keep shooting and keep posting here. Be well.

Adam

[roundball]

Yes, since I've gone this far shooting the .50, then the .54 caplock, guess I'll finish off the run in the morning with the .45cal...have a nice cool front in on us for a couple days and it'll be beautiful at first light