For those of you asking "why not fix the lock to work?" Here is a link to a good article on how to do just that. americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=60628.msg607217#msg607217 Look at it. Realize the lock being "fixed" is considered a "custom" lock. Better than the average production lock. Then ask if you have the tools, skill, and knowledge to do that work.

I agree with some of whats being said but......I am afraid this information could discourage a lot of new and up and coming shooters and that i am afraid will kill the sport. I would love to have a custom flint lock but unfortunately for a lot of us life gets in the way and cannot afford the price of these rifles. These affordable imports get people interested and that's a good thing. From there they can decide if they want to go farther by buying a better quality rifle or are happy with what they have. If not for my Traditions rifle i would never got interested in muzzle loaders because that was all i could afford at the time.

Two words- Jim Kibler. I’m a brand new shooter and can’t afford a custom gun, at least right now in my life but I could save up for a USA made kit from Kibler which would be at the upper end of a finished import. It’s been 100% reliable. Thanks for the great videos sir

Friends, this is good advice. That's why it's good to start out with a percussion rifle. You learn to manage you rifle and figure out how to solve problems. The Italian guns are pretty good and should last a long time. Even original guns needed a new a frizzen or some lock work from time to time. The steel in the Spanish guns tends to be a bit too soft. I wore the lock out of a Spanish Hawkin in about four years of heavy use. I clean and oil my locks regularly and put a dab of gun-slick grease on the friction bearing surfaces. Even a good lock will wear and have a short life if it's run dry too long.. Occasionally you will find a flintlock with the pan not centered on the touch-hole. Maybe the touch-hole is too low or a little off to the right or left. What you can do is remove the lock and use a dremel tool and grinding burr to remove a little metal on one side of the pan or the other or deepen the pan a little to get the pan centered on the touch-hole better. Most locks have enough metal around the pan to allow for that. Centering things up will improve ignition. Another thing is keep the touch-hole clean. I like to take a two inch piece of the largest bronze wound guitar string and glue it into a bit of deer horn and attach it to my strap on my shooting bag. Bronze is softer than steel so it won't enlarge your touch-hole and the ribbed surface does a good job of rasping away the fouling for consistent ignition. A custom gun is a very nice thing. It's a shame that by the time we have the disposable income to buy a custom rifle we are so old we can't see as well as when we were younger. Kind of like a 70 year old man driving a Corvette. Thanks for the video.

I have a Jim Chamber's Silers lock on my rifle and it works perfect every time.

I have a CVA mountain rifle. A Pedersoli Pennsylvania Blue Ridge and a Traditions mountain rifle all of which are flintlock. They all work great.

Excellent video, my Dad was about to turn his Traditions Flintlock Kentucky Rifle into a wall hanger, because he could never get a reliable shot out of it, well that was until we started using real black powder. Now Dad's rifles fires on the first strike every single time without fail and he loves it again. I cannot argue with you on the quality of parts, you truly get what you pay for.

I use a popular 54 cal flint. I bought it used and was ready to give it away. An old timer spent a few hours with me and taught me how to load both the barrel and pan. In 30 years, I have never had any of the issues you showed. I have killed more than my share of (legal) deer.

I have a Lyman great plains, 50cal flinter. I've had that gun for 30 some years and it has never failed on me, fast lock time and extremely accurate. I believe they were made in Italy. Perhaps I got lucky with that production non custom model.

I graduated from trials and tribulations to straight black powder, a good flint, and loading habits that allow fast ignition. My rifle is a Pennsylvania Hunter, not the best lock but pretty reliable indeed, so I can't complain. Thanks for the informative videos! If I ever buy that .54 it'll have a good lock I promise!!

I have a Thompson Center Pennsylvania Hunter. Seems like a quality gun. I love the balance and feel of it. Had to replace the frizen with a hardened one, because it seems the originals are too soft. Most problems I have experienced with it are largely due to my errors- cleaning, cheap flints,etc. Would love to afford a custom gun, but don’t have that kinda scratch. Good video. Always something more to learn! Thank you👍🇺🇸❤️

Nice video, informative. I wholeheartedly agree. I build what I shoot with so they work as they should.

Thank you , got a few black powder percussion , but learning something about flint lock is appreciated.

Excellent video. I had this very same experience and it almost killed my enthusiasm for shooting traditional muzzleloaders. I did extensive research and taught myself how to shoot, but after some initial success, which was extremely satisfying, I started encountering these very same issues with my Traditions Hawken and Pedersolli flintlock. Thank you for bringing light to this systemic problem in the traditional black powder firearm industry. The mass produced guns are good to learn on and to determine whether the sport is for you, but a custom rifle is the way to go for any serious shooting and hunting.

Liked the video, but I have to add my 2 cents... I recently fired about 50 shots from my Pedersoli Brown Bess without a single malfunction - didn't hit my steel target every time, but that's another story! Similarly, I put about 40 rounds through my Pedersoli Blue Ridge with nary a problem - hit the steel almost every time with this one! Both locks function great, but I do wipe the flint with alcohol about every 10 - 15 shots and ensure a clear touch hole with every shot.

Thanks for an informative video. I, too, must be a flintlock lottery winner. I have both Thompson Center and Pedersoli factory made flinters that are quite reliable, and have been for years. Your point about maintenance is paramount to good performance. So is consistency and proper flint alignment. Lastly, I never fill the pan over 1/2 full. This gives me a good flash, less fouling, and a bit faster lock time. The pan being full only to near the top of the vent means that the first bit of ignition is going in the vent immediately.

I purchased my first flintlock, a semi-custom Lancaster style longrifle from Golden Age Arms Co. in 1971 when I was 17 years old, and it was equipped with a hand-assembled large Siler flintlock. I was completely self-taught, learning everything about shooting black powder and flintlocks from the pages of Muzzle Blasts magazine and a couple of articles published in the Gun Digest Annual. I had one complete misfire and two slow hangfires in the first couple of weeks that I shot that .45 caliber longrifle. Prior to priming the pan of the lock, I quickly figured out that I needed to settle on deeply picking the touch hole and then giving the left side of the rifle opposite the lock a couple of good raps with the heel of my right hand *EVERY SINGLE TIME* that I shot the rifle. Once I had settled on the above procedure, I never again had a misfire or hangfire with any of the three flintlock longrifles that I owned. All three rifles were equipped with large Siler right-hand flintlocks, which unfortunately, have pretty much fallen out of favor with all of the current flintlock offerings that are currently available from L&R Lock Company, Jim Chambers, Jim Kibler, Chris Laubach, and others. The small and large Siler flintlocks are some of the best designed flintlocks in history. Bud Siler got that particular copy of a 1770's early Germanic flintlock nearly 100% right when he copied it way back in the 1960's. With the parts not being CNC machined, like the Kibler and Laubach locks are, the Siler locks require a skilled builder to machine, file, sand, heat treat, temper, polish, and fit all of the raw castings that comprise all of the component parts of a lock before they can be assembled into a functional piece of art. Brad Emig, considered by many to be one of the finest flintlock lock assamblers and tuners in the United States has told me in multiple phone conversations that a properly assembled and tuned large Siler flintlock is as good as any of the CNC machined flintlocks from Jim Kibler or Chris Laubach. My personal experience, with three large Siler flintlocks, assembled and tuned by three separate builders, bears that statement by Brad Emig out. Shooting a flintlock pistol, rifle, or smoothbore that is equipped with a properly designed and well-functioning flintlock is a joy that must be experienced in order to understand. In my opinion, the European manufacturers of muzzleloading firearms have totally dropped the ball on 95% of the non-historical weapons that they sell. The flintlock military weapons which are reasonably close copies of the originals, are usually the ones in the Pededsoli catalog that function the best, as the fewest corners were cut in manufacturing the locks in order to keep production costs as low as possible. All of the so-called modern flintlocks, which bear little to no resemblance to any historical weapons whatsoever, and their locks are the ones that are entirely hit-or-miss as far as functionality is concerned. This is true with 100% of all imported flintlock muzzleloading rifles from both Italy and Spain since the 1960's. The overall lock quality ranges from good, to OK, to mediocre, to poor, to atrocious, to non-functional.

Bout time! The music is actually a valuable contribution to the overall video. I happened across a Traditions flinter last summer. This was a cheap plastic stocked junk rifle. The surprise is that this rifle shoots VERY WELL. The only misfires that I've had have been directly attributeable to my own errors. Either a dirty lock, or over used Flint and in need of knapping. True it's a millisecond slower than your rifle but it's consistent and definitely not slow. I completely trust this cheap rifle. Even more than my old "reliable" Navy Arms Harpers Ferry. Which I paid a LOT of money for 30 years ago. And I have run it past 100 shots in the last couple months. Still shooting the original Flint although it it has been trimmed. A couple times.

BRILLIANT..if you haven't seen it..Gunsmithing of Williamsburg, it was filmed in 69 and is in my humble opinion superb..a rifle made from scratch from start to finish.🇬🇧

Great information for new folks. I wanted a flintlock really badly & after reading everything I could, I went with a builder, although not well known, rather than an import. My Lehigh Valley-inspired rifle has a Larry Zorn/Albrecht lock that is very fast & has worked flawlessly, albeit for a price. It quickly went to my favorite rifle, so much so that I've moved away from modern weapons & have bought solely BP guns the past 2 years. I want to find a quality flint pistol to go with it but that has proven difficult (ie expensive) to find. My collection of BP revolvers has grown quickly. A side note, I think the wood is better on quality builds vs imports as well. Builder rifles are nothing short of impressive works of art, as yours is too.

Really impressed by the very obvious expertise in this video. I have no experience with firearms, but my boss in Paris …a Frenchman…did reprimand me for using foul language when I described a situation , as a cockup. It took me a long time to understand why he objected to this very common expression. Only when I googled it, did I discover it comes from the cock feathers on arrows, and has carried on into terminology for flintlocks…..I think 🤔

I got into BP 3 years ago. I now have 3 rifles & 3 pistols but no flintlocks. Been tempted to get an import , but now I'm going to keep saving an get a good one. Thanks for this video , lots of good info.

Went through a lot of cheap ones in the late 70s and you are so right .

Thanks for the informative video. Your comments mirror my early experience with a Pedersoli Kentucky Rifle in 50 cal. I was lucky to get ignition about 50% of the time shooting real black powder. Some of this was no doubt due to my lack of experience. However I came across some information provided by Hogdon Powder Co. for those using Pyrodex. They suggested using 5-10 grs of 4F down the barrel first before the main charge. This upped my ignition rate to about 85%, and remember I was always using real black powder, so my ignition problems couldn't be attributed soley to my loading procedure.

I have a traditions ky rifle. I had a lot of fun with it and thats how I learned. I now have an investarms hawken in flintlock that i built as a kit. I love it! I also put on modern custom sights that gives it more of a sportsman rifle feel. It seems that once you go higher on the quality the less likely you are to go any less. Next one I'll go for is a custom flintlock. I got a shop near me that sells good ones. Great video and well informative. I enjoyed listening to your input.

Brass Turtle (Crane Creek Cache) made me a custom (ground up) 1824 Barnett Tombstone Fox Trade Gun in 58 caliber smoothbore back in 1981. Never failed and fast. Glad you touched on flash hole placement (critical to fast transfer). Would love to see a video on flint knapping, another critical skill.

Thanks for the informative video. I've never owned an import flintlock but never heard good things about them. I've only begun with flintlocks about 5 year ago building a .50 southern rifle. I was initially doubtful of flintlock reliability but on first shooting it, the Siler lock was and has been flawless.

I got into flintlock this year in PA to fill my tags. I'm hooked now. Probably exactly what they had in mind with the flintlock season. I feel like jeremiah johnson with my hawkin, I love this thing.

I have a Lyman Great Plains flintlock.....my only flintlock. Haven't shot it in some time. When I first got it, there was definitely a learning curve and a lot of tinkering to get it to shoot. And shoot it did! Have never hunted with it or competed but I know, with practice, I could dial that rifle in again and have confidence in it. I know it's not a custom lock, but for a production rifle it was well made. I have had it for about 15+ years. Maybe they were made in the states then or at least in Italy to Lyman's specs. Informative video. Thanks for sharing..............

This is good information. I don't yet have a flintlock. I'll choose carefully.

I shoot left handed and 10 years ago, wanted to build one from a kit, so for a while my only known option was Dixie Gunworks, Investarms. I figure it was a practice run. Haven't been able to get it to fire yet and went to caplocks. Caplocks seem easier for cheap guns to shoot. Didn't know about Jim Chambers at the time. Looks like I'll be ordering one from there next and do it right this time.

Malarkey Flintlock is learning curve, custom or factory, foreign or domestic. Yes you can PAY to have someone with much experience set it up and maintain it for you or you can learn yourself. I own several of both custom and factory guns. Il take the Pepsi challenge with ya anytime and il use an very affordable factory rifle made oversees. Say when 👍 👍

Great information, thank you.

Boy - Was that ever a good lesson in flintlocks. Thanks for the useful and interesting information.

Very valuable knowledge. I won the lottery with my rifle but we will see if it lasts the rest of my life without any serious problems

Thanks for the amazing video and helpful information. A few years back I got a musket from India just for reenacting with blanks. I drilled the vent hole well and the frizzen threw good sparks from the factory. It looks some work with a knowledgable friend of mine to re harden the sear that had managed to bend itself just under the weight of pulling the trigger ;D. We naturally made sure it was safe to shoot at that point and determined it was, but would never use it for hunting or target work. Ive put a couple thousand shots through but only blanks, still puts a shower of sparks. I think its good for the purposes I use and the price I got it for. As long as I keep it clean I get 1 misfire every 20-25 shots. I think Italian imports aren't worth the price you pay and will be getting a good hand made in America flintlock for hunting in the near future, probably a Lancaster. One friend of mine told me he got 1/10 misfires on his pedersoli Kentucky and thinks that's reliable, I know that's ridiculous as my India Charleville for half the price is more reliable after 2000+ shots. All in all I think the gun gave me good knowledge of these weapons which will be helpful as I move on. I tell people don't buy these unless your prepared to do some work on them!

I have Thompson and Lyman flintlock muzzleloader's. There is nothing wrong with their locks. I found after 37 years of flintlock hunting that the touch hole is very important. I like the one that takes the allen wrench with the bigger hole. I use 4f in the pan. Here in PA flintlocks are huge because we have a flintlock only deer season. I also use a cow ear when hunting. Gotta keep the powder dry. I do know that CVA and Tradition has a terrible spring system on the lock. I have 3 Lyman rifles and they all work very good. I put venison on the table every year with my Deer Stalker 54 caliber. I have 9 flintlock's but that 54 is a deer hammering beast.

Good video. Thanks for bringing this information to light.

I normally don't watch anything that says, "they don't want you to know." But since I am a ML hunter, I decided to watch this.

I had an Investment Arms flintlock. It was one of those “May Pop” rifles. I tried lots of different things it was never reliable. I finally got fed up and dumped it. Regarding imported cap locks, I’ve had similar experiences with guns I shot weekly. Soft parts. My TCs however seem to hold up pretty good.

I have an old CVA Mountain Rifle built from a kit with an L&R Manton lock. The only time it misfired on a deer was due to having the flint misaligned. It went off the second try and killed an 8 pt. I always pick the frizzen hole and wipe the pan, frizzen and flint lightly with alcohol before using. A few simple habits will make it reliable.

As a newbie to muzzleloading both Flintlock and percussion, I learned a lot, thank you.

I wish I found you during the global shutdown. New to flintlock I acquired a priceless education after I procured a Traditions Pirate pistol to occupy my overabundance of spare time. Right out of the box the barrel was full of metal chips, the pan slightly obscured the flash hole, the frizzen spring was TOOOOO firm, and the trigger pull took Heman a double fist to touch off. A frustration driven tare down, no longer concerned with damaging a new pistol I de-burred & polished all the lock components using the dremmel and stones. A few more attempts to operate the pistol I grabbed the dremmel once again and lowered and widened the groove in the flash pan placing the flash hole in the center of the trough. Still failing to function consistently I lightened the frizzen spring with channel locks. I may get a fail to fire 1 in 10 shots. It is now more reliable than my cap lock TC Hawken. Twist rate, pistol primers, that's all another story.

I’m just beginning to dabble in the idea of muzzle loaders, and flintlocks in particular, so I really never thought about how the mechanism has to be balanced. Cheap parts, poorly machined is nothing new, but the idea of various springs needing to work together, with the weight of parts is interesting. Gives me some new respect for old time gun makers.

Great video. Thanks for this.

Very informative, thank you.

I remember a Flintlock reliability contest at an event 'Feast of the Hunters Moon' many years ago. There were around 20 shooters, most with import flintlocks. Some rifles, some smooth bores, some military muskets. At least two shooters had custom made flinters, made in the USA. Blanks only, no bullets or shot. When the order to fire was given, everyone had to fire. Any gun that didn't fire, was out. After less than ten shots, only those two fellows were left. After over twenty shots, they were asked to turn their rifles upside down, the pans towards the ground. After forty shots the contest was declared a draw. : )

In the 1st incident, he had a dull flint. One must keep the flint sharp. The flint should be sharpened every 3 or 4 shots. 2nd, you get a 'wick affect' from that powder is against the touch hole, not away from the touch hole. I always use '1' powder. I use the powder in the pan and the barrel. As the author of the video stated, if fired correctly, a flintlock is as reliable as any other gun, except in the rain, and will fire almost instantaneous.

Good information. Thank you. I can attest to what you're saying but not with a factory made gun. The first flintlock I bought was a used custom made gun I bought at a Gunsmoke and for which I payed a pretty substantial price. It had a good siler lock and a quz.ity barrel. It was only later and after some research that I found the gun had been put together by somebody who knew nothing about what he was doing. He had set the touch hole so low in the pan that he had had to grind out the bottom of the pan with a fuse like indentation leading to the touch hole. When it fired, if it fired, it hissed like a firecracker and you'd have time to count five before the gun went off. Another thing he did was to set the touch hole too far back so that it touched the breech plug just as you described and he had attempted to fix the problem just as you described and illustrated. What I had was good quality parts turned into junk. My advice would be to do your research, learn how a good flintlock is supposed to look and function before you buy a flintlock then either buy a good one from a maker with a good reputation or gain enough knowledge to put one together the right way.

Thanks for the great info , going hunting upstate Pa. Today. Thanks Again

The best flint lock is the one that Jim Kibler makes from a process that is perfect you can’t beat it . The locks are trouble free and just as quick as a percussion lock. His kits are not cheap if you want a easy kit to build yourself and have a top notch flintlock you will be very happy

I would hate to see someone be misinformed and never get a flintlock because they cannot afford a custom made one. It’s about gaining experience in flintlocks. The fella mis-firing is using a non-blackpowder substitute. I don’t own a custom flintlock and at my age, I prolly won’t. I own a Perdersoli trade gun but it breaks flint faster than I can shoot it so it hangs on the wall. I’ll fix it someday but I’m currently having too much fun with my India made muskets to bother. Learn everything you can! Use real blackpowder and the best flints you can. Buy a custom when you’re ready but don’t NOT go have a blast just because you cannot afford the ‘best’. ❤

Thanks for the video... I picked up a few hints from it. I have been messing with flinters for a decade or three now. My present one is a Pedersoli .50 calibre.. The lock parts are all very hard.... good start... although the sear spring would have done duty in a small vehicle, which gave the lock a heavy 8lb let off in spite of surprisingly correct angles on sear and bent. Slimming that sear spring somewhat backed it down to a very crisp 3.5lbs (not a set trigger). The only other fault I could find with the rifle was that the touch hole was very near the bottom of the pan, which was itself very shallow. It tend to hang up a bit with even the tiniest bit too much prime powder. It was the work of a few minutes to deepen the pan to correctly relate it to the touch hole, which solved the problem. Ignition has always been fast and reliable, although I did turn up a touch hole liner with a more 'venturi' shape on the inside (314 stainless). Happily the touch hole is well clear of the breech plug, so no issues there. Both of those small modifications to lock and touch hole seemed to speed things up a bit... noticeably so, but not dramatically. I got my clues about touch hole to pan relationship from an 18th century treatise that I found in my local library some 30 years ago, can't remember who wrote it now, but back then the flintlock was all they had, and they knew how to make them run. There's a lot of modern "lore" about flinters as well as percussion revolvers that is largely untrue.... one does wonder where these ideas originate. It was nice to have my own researches and findings confirmed by your video, thanks again.

Brilliant vid sir! Thank you.

My introductory into muzzleloaders is the ubiquitous Traditions Hawken Woodsman Flintlock in .50 ca. I got it to learn with and I've been learning with it. I've had to replace the mainspring and when I had her disassembled, I noticed that it could use some finishing work which I did to give the lock a tighter fit. I recently had a couple of flash in the pans with it and worked with some buds online to diagnose the problem and sorted it out. When she's right, she's RIGHT. The response on that ignition is spot on. I just learned that everything has to be perfect for that to happen and I've had to learn how to clean her differently than my modern firearms. But that's what it's for, for me to practice with, to learn the mechanicals of the action, to work on my form with and to learn how to tool. Little by little, I've been making her "mine" more and more. Don't get me wrong, she came from the factory shooting right, but a little use and the quirks began to pop up AND some of it came from my poor habits with it (storage, not cleaning enough, etc...). But I learned and it's made me a better caretaker of my other firearms. I didn't get a flintlock to hunt deer with (even though that's all I want it for), I got it to teach me to be a better firearms owner because there's practically zero room for failure or laziness with them. They are the most finicky things one can shoot. There are no shortcuts with a flintlock. For $500, what can one expect? It's a beginner traditional muzzleloader and I got her fully knowing that someday, I'd be "investing" in something grander later on once I've learned the basics with this one. Eventually, I'll own a Hawken flintlock that costs 3X what a mortgage is. Until then, I'll keep learning with this obe so that when do own an heirloom quality flintlock, the weak point in owning that piece will have already been sorted out (namely, "me"). Thanks a lot for this video. It's great stuff and I'm a smarter man for having watched it (again and again and again). --Yankee

i have a lyman that i ended up puting an L &R lock on to fix these exact issues. the lock made a world of difference. i wish i could buy a custom but i just cant (although with the cost of replacing the lock and having to do my own inlets i probably come close).

I have a traditions Springfield Hawken that simply would not work until I opened up the touch hole. I eventually replaced the liner with a white lighting and replaced the lock with an L&R. It now shoots reliably, and is quite accurate.

I’ve hunted with a custom flintlock for more then 50 years…. Custom Southern Tennessee Mountain Rifle, Siler Lock, .54 cal Green River Rifle works barrel and some beautiful curly maple stock. On a very rare occasion, I get a hang fire, due too my laziness, and not making sure my touch hole isn’t clean. But extremely rare. Also have a very good touch hole liner, which also helps on ignition!

I have tried Pyrodex in my .54 TC Hawken, and it works if you put about 5-10 grains of triple x black powder in the barrel prior to the Pyrodex. Just adjust the total load accordingly. I use triple x bp exclusively however for hunting.

In my experience failure to fire in a flintlock can be due to a number of issues. Flint is not sharp or positioned to strike the frizzen squarely. Pan improperly filled with powder-powder should not touch be in contact with the touch hole or you will get the fuse effect. Touch hole may be blocked-use a pick to clear the touch hole on every shot after loading. And of course poor construction and materials used in the lock itself. At first I only used 4F for the pan, but after running out of it found that the use of 3F that I also load with works just fine.

Super interesting! I learned a lot. Black powder neophyte.

Great informative video. I've been shooting percussion rifles for several years but want to get started with Flintlocks. Until I saw this video I wasn't aware of some of these things. In my research I am a bit unsure with all the options where I would purchase a custom rifle, any suggestions?

As shown by the guy trying to shoot his flintlock rifle, the majority of the time, the lock ignited the priming powder in the pan. So, even though the locks are of lesser quality, they are not really the main issue. The main issue is the internals of the barrel close to the tough hole of imported guns. The majority of these guns has a very narrow channel up to an inch long in the breech plug in the center. This long narrow channel is then drilled from the side and a touchhole liner is put in. The problem is, that the appropriate size powder (FFG for .50) will not easily enter into this narrow channel. It tends to arc in the channel and thus will not get closely to the touchhole. This is especially true if the gun has been fired once and the narrow channel is a place where gunk can collect. Good luck getting powder next to the touchhole next time. If an imported barrel like this is cut off at the breech and a regular flint breech plug is installed with a proper touch hole liner, the gun will fire almost 100%. The OP is correct, that the lock quality is also not the best. That manifests itself in either poor sparking or short flint life or both. Bad geometry and unbalanced main and frizzen springs are the biggest issue there. But, if the internal barrel would be corrected by the manufacturers, the majority of these guns would be much more serviceable. I rebuilt my old Pedersoli flintlock from 1993 into a "Lancaster Style rifle". The barrel was cut off and received a regular flint breech plug and a correctly installed touchhole liner. I reused the old lock internals and just made a new lock plate. The gun went from "barely" firing a second shot to "firing each time" the flint was not worn down. It now has an American made quality flintlock and now fires 99.99%. The 0.01% is when I screw up, lol. With Kibler longrifle kits in existence, there is hardly a reason to buy any of these imported guns anymore. At least from a price point. For the people on very low budgets under $1000. Look out for a used rifle with quality US parts. It may not be pretty, but it will shoot reliably. If you think you are able to buy a flintlock for $500, think again and save up for something made with US parts.

Great informative information

The lock is working properly, the priming is the problem. If the powder goes off in the frizzen, there is no reason why the rifle doesn't go off unless the flint is not positioned correctly, the priming is wrong or the flash hole is not properly cleaned. PERIOD I've been shooting since the 70's and still carry a Traditions Pennsylvania Flintlock that I purchased in a pawn shop 15 years ago and NEVER had a problem with firing. I'd say, it's more in the shooter than the lock if the priming powder goes off. I'll never spend the money for a custom flintlock for the reason I'd never take it out and scratch it all up while hunting. I think it's more in your head than fact to think a custom gun is the only way to go.

Nice video. I bought a Pedersoli 1861 Springfield a few years ago and have been having a hard time getting the first shot off. I'm talking about shooting 10 musket caps and no discharge of the rifle. I would then take out the nipple, pour some powder in and then would get a shot to go off. I always suspected that the breach plug was blocking the ignition.

Wow! Great video! So many truths exposed… Flintlocks ARE excellent rifles. They would not have been used for 200+ years if they WEREN’T excellent. But they have to be tuned to work correctly. For my ‘good brand’ Italian lock, I had to: - polish ever contact surface including the faceplate where springs rub - deepen the pan since the touch hole was half covered by it - Drill out the butt plug that partially blocked the vent hole (like shown in the video) - taper the touch hole vent so heat would be directed to the charge - case-harden some of the parts to prevent wear (a file test shows the soft parts) - Grind the frizzen to match the pan’s shape - rough up the face of the frizzen All of this took me years to figure out. But when done, I had a real shooter that I sold to a friend (without feeling guilty), and he is still using it! If you can’t afford a good lock and have to buy cheap, it isn’t the end of the world. But you best have a Dremel tool, polishing compound, and lots of patience.

Enjoyed watching. thanks for sharing. I learned a few good points.. I was curious if you clean you poke you vent after every shot or ever 2-3.

Really informative video, first time watcher, and I have learned about 90% of the content just by time and experience. I like your instruction and information that brings the content information down to the level of the interested viewer. I have been taught as an instructor to always try to instruct at the lowest comprehension and experience level of the listener. If I could pass on some simple advice for any of your future videos. Please use more visual aids when you are speaking about a specific subject, such as the alignment of the flash hole with the lock pan. Perhaps a large simple sharpie marker drawing of the sear nose wear good and damaged, or how the double trigger needs to be tuned in a visual aid would allow your viewers to understand and absorb your topic. Thank you for presenting your knowledge to make the sport more enjoyable.

Thank you for this video!

I recently got my hands on a T/C Hawken flintlock in 50 cal. Can't wait to play with it.

thank you for the clip, I agree with you and often thought to myself in the past that italian replicas must be junk..... greetimgs from Germany....

thank you for the information.

A “flash in the pan” without the rifle firing is a loading or powder issue and NOT a lock timing issue whatsoever. the best advice for shooting a flint lock is “NEVER USE ANYTHING BUT REAL BLACK POWDER”… never ever use Pyrodex in a flinter !… never.

I have fired original flintlock Pennsylvania rifles, percussion rifles, and shotguns. And many replicas, and have built a couple using new and original parts. I have taken an inexpensive lock and hardened the frizzen by wrapping in leather and aluminum foil and burying in my woodstove. Worked perfectly. But they will wear out and springs will break.

I have two flintlocks and love them but they do miss fire occasionally. I have been wanting to get this fixed.

that's interesting, and there's a lot to learn in it. My Pedersoli flinter, along with my Track of the Wolf buffalo flinter have never had any of these issues, except when I tried Pyrodex. then, I couldn't get it to fire at all. Turns out Pyrodex has a higher flash point than black. But like I said, my lock times are excellent, and I've never had any issues with either of my flint guns, and neither are anywhere near as expensive as a custom gun. Not, mind you, that I wouldn't like to have one, but simply can't justify the expense.

" Dew Not dew that ". ! Lol , thank you sir , awsome instruction . Appreciate you.

Interesting piece on merchandising. I've had a CVA and Jim Chambers flintlock. I've had some issues even with them. I remember thinking back in the 80s-90s that because most people who are shooting flintlocks are hobbyists, manufacturers' goals are to keep this in mind and allow quality to be low. Even the Chambers lock and parts had metallurgy quality issues. The trigger in particular was not hardened.

I have a L&R flintlock and several TC, Lyman, and CVA flintlocks, all fire reliably. I would love a custom hand polished flintlock but cost is a huge determent. Many of the comments are for custom builders/buyers and that's fine. My TC Pennsylvania hunter is still going strong after 20+ years as is my full stock Hawken L&R flintlock that I built. Lots of good advise on here, however, don't be pushed to purchase a custom built rifle at $3-5K.

I bought a collected custom parts kit for a Hawken Flintlock (90% inlet stock). They said they assembled the best and most accurate parts of a desired gun and make a do -it-yourself kit. The build was easier than expected but the lock was iffy. I sent it to a locksmith (muzzle-loading mag ad). He said lock's geometry was off. From what I observe, he lengthened the throw of the dog by adding a piece of metal to its internal bar. (I've no idea the correct terms here.) Since then it works very reliably. All exactly as described in the video.

Alot of guys drill out the flash hole alittle bit. I took my kibler out to the range and an old timer asked what i drilled it out to. I had no idea what he was talking about. He explained the whole thing. I dont have any of those problems...

A few of my very first firearms were a .50 cal. flintlock pistol, and a .48 cal. percussion rifle, of which I have fond memories. The only failure I ever encountered with the flintlock was a broken flint tip; so I reversed it, and continued on. The most failures in either muzzleloader was with the percussion - more so with the quality of #11 caps not up to task. Both were quite accurate, with the rifle able to put .45 cal. patched balls through 3/16" steel plate at 80 yards (a local farmer's gate, no less - but . . . I was young and stupid). The whole ramble was to actually note that in both muzzleloaders I used FFFg for both primer and load; and each firing resulted in an instantaneous ignition - I never encountered that dreaded mini-second delay.

Very interesting. As a layman I would have thought that speed of ignition from the pan charge igniting, to the main charge going off would be down to two factors, one the quality, grain size and dryness of the powder and secondly how that flash propagates through the touch hole. I believe in some of the quality flintlock guns they had a small antichamber before the main charge the purpose being to ignite the main charge with some force this perhaps aiding more complete combustion and a faster ignition time. I was very impressed with how fast your own flintlock was, almost instant, very good. I have not shot a muzzle loader in 30 years but did own a Mississippi Springfield percussion rifle in the past. Hangfires and misfires were always down to damp powder and or fouling. In the UK at certain times of the year it is not always so easy to "Keep one's powder dry" :)

I have had a CVA Kentucky Rifle since 1976 and have had no major problems with it. I have even used Pyrodex, but only on the barrel have always used Black Powder in the pan.

So I just bought an old flintlock, it’s 1700’s Persian, which that area and time period is not known for quality locks. I just ordered in a new set of flints for it and am hoping it works alright. Do you have any advice in general on tuning and prolonging the life of this flintlock?

Yup ! Put a L&R lock on an old cva Kentucky rifle I built when I was a teenager. Completely changed the rifle ! With mine, I also noticed the vent screw was longer than the thickness of the barrel so it protruded well into the chamber. I cut it so it was flush with the barrel thickness and also coned it out slightly. I tell people curious about buying flint locks that every one of them has a different personality. The shape of the flint, angle, amount of prime is different for every rifle. Once you understand what it requires, it'll be dead reliable. English blacks all the way ;-)

I have found import frizzens and locks to be inferior. My first flintlock was a cheap CVA kit built in 1973, and I could almost never get it to go off, partly because I don't think it was quality and partly because I was using sawed flints. There were times when I literally had to touch it off with a match just to empty it. But my Great Plains has been great. But before getting rid of your gun because it is unreliable put an L&R replacement lock on it. They make replacement locks for most production guns. I've used them and was very happy with them. They even replaced a frizzen with over 2000 shots on it for free. Currently most of my locks are silers on custom,guns.

I have a 54 caliber flintlock made by gl Jones it has a l@r classic unbridled frizzin I have been shooting it for years with no problems

I completely agree with I have an Italian rifle that I put a new custom lock And new barreled it's like shooting a completely different gun and all it did was break Flint

I have a T/C Renegade (kit) Flinter and I've missed hundreds of deer with it dur to hangfires, misfires, bad sight alignment, etc. Hasnt deterred me from shooting for sport and hunting, or building/collecting a plethora of pistols and rifles.

This is great information thanks, I've a question regarding a conversion, I have an original musket 75cal that was converted like most all of them were. My question is I'd like to convert it back to the original parts with a flint instead of a percussion type. I've never fired this gun and I don't intend too. But I would like to make it look like an original flintlock musket to hang up on my wall, where can I get the Flint cocking appetatus to switch it back it doesn't need to be precision because it will never be loaded or fired, just look original. Thank you for your help. Cheers from Florida 🌞

Fine vid Sir! Thanks

I appreciate what he is saying . ..and agree with much of it . . . BUT . . .I own a Lyman Great Plains and I have two custom rifles I have built with Chambers's Siler locks. I have had misfires in all three, flash in the pans and "clatches" . . .they were due to simple reasons like a poor flint, dirty flint or dirty lock . . but the Lyman lock works just fine. . . The Chamber's lock is stiffer and a little faster, and yes, a "better" lock, but I've also taken deer with the Lyman and have full confidence in it. . .even though I bought it used. Someone can screw up a chambers lock or misplace the touch hole and have an unreliable rifle. I am currently building a rifle with an L&R lock. If I don't place it or the touchhole correctly, it won't fire well either. I've seen broken springs on L&R and chambers locks too btw. If one does not clear the touchole with a vent pick every shot, and swabs between shots as many shooters do . . .any rifle regardless of the lock will misfire. ( I am leary of many imports though - not Pedersoli they seem to be well liked.).

I know a guy that still has one of those radioactive frizzens. it never failed him, for the few months he had it on, since then it has been in a lead case.

Was thinking of adding a Flint Lock to my arsenal, changed my mind.

Looks like "Red's nek of the woods" was getting in come excellent training!! misfires suck, but I love how he has no flinch what so ever!

Good, informative video. I like it when people tell the truth about junky guns or junky parts of guns. Reminds me of a magazine that was titled "Gun Facts" about A.D. 1969. Ken Warner was Editor & Publisher, Fred Davis, President. It lasted about 1 year only. Why such a sort publishing life? Because they told the truth about the guns which they had reviewed / tested. That really upset the firearms corporations. My first time watching your channel. Have wanted a "Daniel Boone gun" since I first saw the TV show with Fess Parker in the mid-60's. Thanks for the warning about the imported stuff. I hit the subscribe button.

Guns made in the last decade or so are generally better than they were back 30 years ago. Now it's more like if the stars are aligned up wrong you get a bad one. Moat are pretty good. I do think that the first muzzleloader should be a percussion model. Flinters are for the more advanced shooter. Not to say that problems can't be figured out, it's just that percussion generally have fewer problems.

Very good info