How to overcome a nonsparker.

[greyhunter]

The post about the new type of flint reminded me of a coupla guys at one of our BP shoots. They had a rock lock rifle that wouldn't fire. So they did the old Bic trick, lite and hold to open pan.  I know they won't try that again!  The Bic holder obviously didn't know a flinter throws fire through any port it comes to. If I had known that they weren't just adjusting the flint I woulda stopped em, but anyways it was a fine lesson for all who saw it, and esp the one who felt it! BTW, a looooong match will work just fine if the holder stands to the rear a bit!

[gunmaker]

Saw the hammer break off a gun years ago. Guy held his bic up to the pan & burnt the devil outa his paw----I haven't wanted to try that myself.   LESSON well learned...........Tom

[Uncle Russ]

GH, That's kinda funny in one way, and kinda sad in another.
I've never seen it tried but I can certainly imagine what might happen.

Here's a short story...........
I had a guy shooting one of my old flinters one time from the Bench, this was his first time behind a flinter and everything was going fine, he had instant ignition and was continually complimenting me on such a fine rifle, how accurate, and yada, yada, yada...load & shoot, load & shoot, and so on when I noticed his left hand come around under the rest to set on top of his right hand which was his trigger finger.....
I yelled no, no, no, and reached over to move his left hand from outside the touch hole when he touched one off!

The blow-back from the touch hole took his fourth finger nail off, not really off, but it actually raised it up from its bed and blood was flying everwhere! I thought he was going to faint from the pain, and I just knew he was going to shoot me as soon as he colud get his breath, because I suspect, actually I've always suspected, that he thought I had something to do with that because I started to reach over him.

I must have bought him a hundred beers after that, trying to convince him that what he did he did himself by putting his finger too close to that touch hole.
But, like I said, I honestly think that to this day he still believes it was me, and he has never shot another  flinter......as far as I know.

Some lessons come really hard!

Uncle Russ...

[Bigsmoke]

The answer to how to overcome a non sparker is pretty darn simple.

Convert it to Percussion.

Don't get much simpler than that.

That's what I'd do, anyway.

John

[Fletcher]

Uncle Russ - fer all them beers did ya ever talk him outta the flinter???

I'm sure it wern't the gun  

[Captchee]

well ,
 here is one for ya .
 i actually broke my frizzen  off one time on an old CVA flintlock .
 i was way the hell back and gone on a pack in elk hunt  and im sitting there like a penny waiting for change .

 i lit a cigarette and  set down to  think threw the situation .
 When I got back to camp  I showed a friend who had went with me .
 He starts laughing and says ,; you didn’t pass up any shots on the way  back did you .
 Now im thinking ; SMART !@## . And lit another smoke .
 that’s when he says , well I guess  you will do this hunt with a match lock  won’t you  .

Sure enough , a stubby cig , pushed into the jaws , will set the pan off just fine . Corse you  don’t have a smoke after words .  But it does work

[Two Steps]

Darn Cap...good thing you weren't smoking a pipe at the time  

[Uncle Russ]

Darn Cap...good thing you weren't smoking a pipe at the time    :rotf

If I remember right, Cap does indeed smoke a pipe.

Uncle Russ...

[Captchee]

ya , i smoke a pipe now  LOL , but at one time i was a  pack an a half a day smoker