Flintlocks are unreliable in bad weather, but it should fire almost every time if your powder is dry. Maybe your flint is getting too dull? Try firing without any powder in a dark room, and see how much spark you're getting. Should be getting a nice little spray of white sparks; too few or more red than white could be a dull flint. Could also be the spring getting tired and not flinging the flint forward fast enough. Really the piece ought to work better than it does in this video.
hi i made a 6boar that i use for deer hunting i got 2 with and 3turkeys i use a 2 1/2 oz ball i make paper wads an 1in thik and glue the ball to it and them you can drill a 1/4 hole and about 1/4 deep to make it a howlpoint they all ways hit nose firts becouse the wad is glued to it
@Zardoz215 it works a lot better if you make the wad and glue it to the ball use a wad at lest 1/2 long and the ball will all was hit nose onand you can make them hollow points to they flaten out biger than a 2 1/2 in round
range but you are correct in that bores are not measurements of bore diameter as much as the weight of the shot load it could fire. In that case this thing is definitely a 2 bore. Check out the current issue of muzzle blast magazine. There is a sweet two bore featured in it.
This is why I hate the movies. These rifles were terrible with accuracy and reliability (god bless them) you were better off with a sword until the 1830s :) I think.
Hence the term Lock, Stock and Barrel. It's basically what happened in close combat. Soldiers would fire first (Lock) then strike with the butt or the musket (Stock) and then another strike with the barrel.
The Movie "The last Samurai" IMHO was a reasonable accurate battle with these kind of weapons and how they fared (even though they upgraded to newer bolt action weapons later in the movie).
@LS1Cobra Lock, Stock, and Barrel is a merism used predominantly in the United Kingdom and North America meaning 'all', 'total', 'everything'. The effective portions of a gun are the lock (used to hold ready the sparking mechanism); the stock is the portion held and the barrel being the aiming guide and conveyor for the explosive-driven ball. Collectively they are the weapon, therefore, everything.
@GlockMeAmadeus7 They were not as bad as many think. And as for Reliability, in dry weather it comes down to 99% users fault, for example not using a good flint etc.
Yes there usually is a wad but for safety reasons we weren't using one. This thing is usually used to fire shot and a wad would be used. But with a ball there is more chance of a barrel blockage so no wad.
Sounds like your refering to a Cap lock. These came out after Flint locks and were much more reliable. Instead of using a flint to throw sparks into a pan of gun powder they use a cap much like a toy cap gun. The cap is usually made of copper and it had some fulminate of Mercury in the bottom of it. The cap is placed over a nipple that has a hole dilled into the back of the chamber where thepowder is. The hammer hits the cap and the flame shoots down the hole to ignite the powder.
Good answer but I think they are referring to a brass flash guard which was attached by the frizzen screw and directed the pan flash straight up protecting the shooter's face.
In most black powder muskets the ball would be pushed in ontop of a greased cloth patch. This was designed to retain the ball and the grease in the patch kept the powder dry. This flint lock is actually a 2 guage thats designed to fire shot. He uses a lead ball from time to time as it's more fun to try and hit a target with it. The ball is a lose fit for safety reasons as the barrel isn't as thick in the wall as a regular musket.
Actually in most muskets, you use a paper cartridge, and after you put the musket ball down, you just ram the paper down to prevent the ball from rolling out.
You're saying the cloth patch is sticky and that's what holds the ball in the barrel?
Paper cartridges were pre measured doses of powder issued to musket men. Yes the paper was usually used as wadding. The ide was to increase the speed at which troops could reload and fire.
Regular hunters would probably use a powder flask and measure out each shot. since speed wasn't an issue.
Powder would normally be measured out from a flask into a powder measure for each shot. After tipping the charge into the barrel a small round or square cloth patch would be placed on the end of the barell and then the ball placed on top. The ball would then be pushed down the barrel with the ram rod and the patch would make for a snug fit. The idea of the grease or oil on the patch was just to keep the water away from the powder.
Well I really don't see what keeps the ball from rolling back out then. Unless you just make sure that you don't turn the barrel upside down so the ball won't roll out.
The kick wasn't that bad. Not something you want to shoot all day though. The gun was so heavy that the recoil was damped down a fair bit. It didn't kick so much as give your shoulder a good shove.
That was me holding it when it did the flash in the pan. I figured I better just hang on to it incase it was still smoldering and was about to go off. Not good for your nerves.
wow!! 31mm that's awsome!! when I visit US for tour I was shoot musket and lot's of modern assault rifle and 50.cal barrett(I don't know spell M80A1). but it that musket is like a monster!! man I wanna shoot that thing!! nice video!!
(Comment part two since there's a 500 character limit)
You can knap a flint "on the fly" without removing it from the lock jaws by holding the tip of a short flathead screwdriver in your hand and scraping the underside of the flint until it's sharper. Not as good as taking it out and knapping it properly, but if you are in the middle of a reenactment battle it keeps you in the game.
Misfires aside, that musket is freakin' sweet! I want one :)
Whole lot of reasons for flintlock misfires. The "flash in the pan" was probably caused by a clogged touch hole.
Either they seriously needed to knap that flint, the frizzen was oily, or it wasn't hardened properly. Oftentimes the frizzen is case hardened and after awhile the hard outer layer gets worn off and you need to heat it up and re-harden it with a surface hardening agent like casenit.
The flint wasn't sparking enough to set the powder off. It needed napping which is where the leading edge of the flint is chipped away exposing fresh flint and hopefully making a better spark.
This is where the term "Caught napping" comes from. A dangerous place to be in on the battle field when you are chipping away at your flint trying to make your musket fire properly when the enemy is upon you. It doesn't mean geting caught having a sleep on the job.
I have built a 4 bore based on Samuels Baker "Son of a Cannon" and dedicate it to "Frederick Courtenay Selous" Who hunted elephants with a similar one. Shot many times with it 273 grains of fffg and a 1670 grain lead round ball. Never killed a thing other than pidgeons with shot. Havent shot it for some time now...Made it in 1989, musket percussion cap, modified enfield lock. Nice fun! I should shoot it and record it with modern micro chip memory..Have a lot of old 8mm video shootings...
lol if this would have happened during lets say napoleonic era, you would be dead. are you shure that you have given a little bit od gunpowder on the pan? I didnt see that during "the loading" part and i would explain so many failures. and what about the caliber, 31mm-its an elephant hunting musket or what? i know that most of army muskets had caliber between 16-20mm and it was strong enough to shoot-off mans arm. these guns have some kind of beauty.
It's actually a 2 Guage and can be used to fire shot as well. It's really heavy to hold but good fun to fire. The kick wasn't that bad, probably because of the weight of the thing.
THUMBS UP IF MAMI TOMOE BROUGHT YOU HERE :D
twillycool3 9 months ago
this gun reminds me of a Ottoman Abus gun
Norguy77 1 year ago
and they wonder why america won the war
megadeth22885 1 year ago
a 2 bore? probably something the old ivory hunters used.
mark3smle 1 year ago
31mm...it's a small canon!!!
fletcher0102 1 year ago
Flintlocks are unreliable in bad weather, but it should fire almost every time if your powder is dry. Maybe your flint is getting too dull? Try firing without any powder in a dark room, and see how much spark you're getting. Should be getting a nice little spray of white sparks; too few or more red than white could be a dull flint. Could also be the spring getting tired and not flinging the flint forward fast enough. Really the piece ought to work better than it does in this video.
themomaw 1 year ago
A couple steps away from the punt gun.
purpleravenstar 2 years ago
why i feel sorrry for the kid maybe because he didnt get to shoot the rifle
teoman2730 2 years ago 2
bigest ram rod ive ever seen.
Romansoldier31 2 years ago
That thing is almost like a blunderbuss.
I want one!
GunOwnerDan 2 years ago 3
Look at that ramrod! You could beat someone to death with it!
stanslie 2 years ago 2
1:22 "AHAHAHAHAHAHA" man he laughed like a witch
Aydee2020 2 years ago
Forget to prime it the first time?
AceVendetta 2 years ago
hi i made a 6boar that i use for deer hunting i got 2 with and 3turkeys i use a 2 1/2 oz ball i make paper wads an 1in thik and glue the ball to it and them you can drill a 1/4 hole and about 1/4 deep to make it a howlpoint they all ways hit nose firts becouse the wad is glued to it
1hunterdale 2 years ago
How does it do with a patched ball?
Zardoz215 2 years ago
@Zardoz215 it works a lot better if you make the wad and glue it to the ball use a wad at lest 1/2 long and the ball will all was hit nose onand you can make them hollow points to they flaten out biger than a 2 1/2 in round
1hunterdale 1 year ago
man that looks like fun. can i have a go?
skaindu 3 years ago
WOAH! That ball is HUGE! What caliber ball was that if it fit into a barrel that big?
BrianGriffin66 3 years ago
If you think of it in terms of imperial caliber ie .44 cal or .50 cal then this thing is 1.22 cal.
It's actually a 2 guage. You've probably heard of 12 guage and 20 guage or shotgun shotgun cartridges. The smaller the number the larger the bore.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
A two bore is actually larger in the 1.33"
range but you are correct in that bores are not measurements of bore diameter as much as the weight of the shot load it could fire. In that case this thing is definitely a 2 bore. Check out the current issue of muzzle blast magazine. There is a sweet two bore featured in it.
Zardoz215 2 years ago
I want to party with you guys.
desertgeologist 3 years ago
the flint was bad?
loranoa 3 years ago
Thanks for the video
GlockMeAmadeus7 3 years ago
This is why I hate the movies. These rifles were terrible with accuracy and reliability (god bless them) you were better off with a sword until the 1830s :) I think.
GlockMeAmadeus7 3 years ago
Hence the term Lock, Stock and Barrel. It's basically what happened in close combat. Soldiers would fire first (Lock) then strike with the butt or the musket (Stock) and then another strike with the barrel.
The Movie "The last Samurai" IMHO was a reasonable accurate battle with these kind of weapons and how they fared (even though they upgraded to newer bolt action weapons later in the movie).
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
i would of thought they stabbed them first then hit them with the butt?
billboi92 3 years ago
@LS1Cobra Lock, Stock, and Barrel is a merism used predominantly in the United Kingdom and North America meaning 'all', 'total', 'everything'. The effective portions of a gun are the lock (used to hold ready the sparking mechanism); the stock is the portion held and the barrel being the aiming guide and conveyor for the explosive-driven ball. Collectively they are the weapon, therefore, everything.
LutzDerLurch 1 year ago
@GlockMeAmadeus7 They were not as bad as many think. And as for Reliability, in dry weather it comes down to 99% users fault, for example not using a good flint etc.
LutzDerLurch 1 year ago
oh ok, cool, thanks
billboi92 3 years ago
i thought u hafta put a wad in after the ball to keep the ball from just rolling out the end of the barrel when pointed down
deadtofall666 3 years ago
Yes there usually is a wad but for safety reasons we weren't using one. This thing is usually used to fire shot and a wad would be used. But with a ball there is more chance of a barrel blockage so no wad.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
makes perfect sense to me man none the less this thing is so badass haha
deadtofall666 3 years ago
i heard flintlocks can blow back in your face when you do not put a cap like object on the tip of the hammer, is this true?
billboi92 3 years ago
Sounds like your refering to a Cap lock. These came out after Flint locks and were much more reliable. Instead of using a flint to throw sparks into a pan of gun powder they use a cap much like a toy cap gun. The cap is usually made of copper and it had some fulminate of Mercury in the bottom of it. The cap is placed over a nipple that has a hole dilled into the back of the chamber where thepowder is. The hammer hits the cap and the flame shoots down the hole to ignite the powder.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
Good answer but I think they are referring to a brass flash guard which was attached by the frizzen screw and directed the pan flash straight up protecting the shooter's face.
Zardoz215 2 years ago
Btw, doesn't he have to put some paper down after the ball to wad the ball down?
EnigmaHood 3 years ago
In most black powder muskets the ball would be pushed in ontop of a greased cloth patch. This was designed to retain the ball and the grease in the patch kept the powder dry. This flint lock is actually a 2 guage thats designed to fire shot. He uses a lead ball from time to time as it's more fun to try and hit a target with it. The ball is a lose fit for safety reasons as the barrel isn't as thick in the wall as a regular musket.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
Actually in most muskets, you use a paper cartridge, and after you put the musket ball down, you just ram the paper down to prevent the ball from rolling out.
You're saying the cloth patch is sticky and that's what holds the ball in the barrel?
EnigmaHood 3 years ago
Paper cartridges were pre measured doses of powder issued to musket men. Yes the paper was usually used as wadding. The ide was to increase the speed at which troops could reload and fire.
Regular hunters would probably use a powder flask and measure out each shot. since speed wasn't an issue.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
Powder would normally be measured out from a flask into a powder measure for each shot. After tipping the charge into the barrel a small round or square cloth patch would be placed on the end of the barell and then the ball placed on top. The ball would then be pushed down the barrel with the ram rod and the patch would make for a snug fit. The idea of the grease or oil on the patch was just to keep the water away from the powder.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
Well I really don't see what keeps the ball from rolling back out then. Unless you just make sure that you don't turn the barrel upside down so the ball won't roll out.
EnigmaHood 3 years ago
Don't you have to pour gunpowder into the pan as well as down the barrel?
EnigmaHood 3 years ago
You put the powder in the pan after loading it.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
damn i actually tried to avoid that fly
sensejengi 3 years ago
how ineffective. Fun though!
loginloginlog 3 years ago
holy shit that thing shoots a big ball
Roossell93 3 years ago
The kick wasn't that bad. Not something you want to shoot all day though. The gun was so heavy that the recoil was damped down a fair bit. It didn't kick so much as give your shoulder a good shove.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
Holy SHIT that's a big musket
MrFloppy19 3 years ago
Funny dude xDDD click click click..boom xD
kroshkamaster 4 years ago
Dangerous to shooter! What if it will shoot after 2-3 sec after he clicking on lock
Freakazoit2 4 years ago
A hangfire? You wait ten seconds if the standard procedure waiting time I remember is correct, then you empty the gun.
Still, it'd be a wary thing to examine a loaded gun.
Slikhedgehog 4 years ago
That was me holding it when it did the flash in the pan. I figured I better just hang on to it incase it was still smoldering and was about to go off. Not good for your nerves.
LS1Cobra 3 years ago
That's the way. A 31mm musket recoiling into the gut or out of your hands wouldn't be fun.
Slikhedgehog 3 years ago
lol listen 2 the guys laughs lmao
polo4545 4 years ago
Give up the musket and try the gun in the back of your car. It has to be a ten pounder.
po1pop 4 years ago
wow!! 31mm that's awsome!! when I visit US for tour I was shoot musket and lot's of modern assault rifle and 50.cal barrett(I don't know spell M80A1). but it that musket is like a monster!! man I wanna shoot that thing!! nice video!!
sdhch477 4 years ago
(Comment part two since there's a 500 character limit)
You can knap a flint "on the fly" without removing it from the lock jaws by holding the tip of a short flathead screwdriver in your hand and scraping the underside of the flint until it's sharper. Not as good as taking it out and knapping it properly, but if you are in the middle of a reenactment battle it keeps you in the game.
Misfires aside, that musket is freakin' sweet! I want one :)
Graumagus 4 years ago
Whole lot of reasons for flintlock misfires. The "flash in the pan" was probably caused by a clogged touch hole.
Either they seriously needed to knap that flint, the frizzen was oily, or it wasn't hardened properly. Oftentimes the frizzen is case hardened and after awhile the hard outer layer gets worn off and you need to heat it up and re-harden it with a surface hardening agent like casenit.
Graumagus 4 years ago
What was the problem with the musket? I know flintlock muskets are unreliable but I didn't think they were that unreliable.
Slickrick1853 4 years ago
The flint wasn't sparking enough to set the powder off. It needed napping which is where the leading edge of the flint is chipped away exposing fresh flint and hopefully making a better spark.
This is where the term "Caught napping" comes from. A dangerous place to be in on the battle field when you are chipping away at your flint trying to make your musket fire properly when the enemy is upon you. It doesn't mean geting caught having a sleep on the job.
LS1Cobra 4 years ago
I mostly use percussion cap muskets for re-enacting so I don't know alot abot flintlocks but I figured it was either the flint or a greasy frizzen.
Slickrick1853 4 years ago
I have built a 4 bore based on Samuels Baker "Son of a Cannon" and dedicate it to "Frederick Courtenay Selous" Who hunted elephants with a similar one. Shot many times with it 273 grains of fffg and a 1670 grain lead round ball. Never killed a thing other than pidgeons with shot. Havent shot it for some time now...Made it in 1989, musket percussion cap, modified enfield lock. Nice fun! I should shoot it and record it with modern micro chip memory..Have a lot of old 8mm video shootings...
pipkeajaj 4 years ago
Kool Rifle. Or canon since it's over 1 inch or 25.4mm. I liked it. Kool video to watch.
bobmillerbob 4 years ago
lol if this would have happened during lets say napoleonic era, you would be dead. are you shure that you have given a little bit od gunpowder on the pan? I didnt see that during "the loading" part and i would explain so many failures. and what about the caliber, 31mm-its an elephant hunting musket or what? i know that most of army muskets had caliber between 16-20mm and it was strong enough to shoot-off mans arm. these guns have some kind of beauty.
CassidyAiiit 5 years ago
It's actually a 2 Guage and can be used to fire shot as well. It's really heavy to hold but good fun to fire. The kick wasn't that bad, probably because of the weight of the thing.
LS1Cobra 5 years ago
The guy built this thing himself. He'd built a few different black powder firearms including the cannon in the back of the 4x4
LS1Cobra 5 years ago
Wow, he built it himself? That's amazing.
EnigmaHood 3 years ago
what is the name of that rifle
Fwbs 5 years ago
holy crap!
nice vid..btw, from which era is that musket?
fortvaux 5 years ago
JAYSUS!!! I was on the edge of my seat watching that!
CroppyBoy1798 5 years ago