Traditional Muzzleloading Association

Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons => General Interest => Topic started by: Gordon H.Kemp on October 16, 2010, 12:59:55 AM

Title: R. Pierce Mo. white flints !
Post by: Gordon H.Kemp on October 16, 2010, 12:59:55 AM: Just got some Mo. flints from R. Pierce . I tried one awhile back and it was a real sparker and it just kept on sparking till it was too short to keep iin the jaws! I usually use the black English , and they did well . But I believe thease white Mo. flints are at least as good and possibly BETTER :lol: then the last English flints I just changed out ! 8)
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Post by: Roaddog on October 16, 2010, 06:16:01 AM: Yep that's what I have been using too and they are very good.
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Post by: Hanshi on October 16, 2010, 01:09:38 PM: I use both. Each flint is an individual but I consider both the English and Mo. flints to be about equal. RP sell the white ones for a better price, though.
Title: Re: R. Pierce Mo. white flints !
Post by: Uncle Russ on October 16, 2010, 03:27:11 PM: Quote from: "Gordon H.Kemp"
Just got some Mo. flints from R. Pierce . I tried one awhile back and it was a real sparker and it just kept on sparking till it was too short to keep iin the jaws! I usually use the black English , and they did well . But I believe thease white Mo. flints are at least as good and possibly BETTER :lol: then the last English flints I just changed out ! 8)

Gordy, like you, I was very pleasantly surprised when I first tried Rich's flint a few years back. Since then, they have been the main-stay in my flint box.
What makes one flint better than the other is beyond me, and I have to admit the light colored flints from Rich just somehow didn't look as hard as the black English flint, but performance is indeed the tell-all IMO.

FWIW: I keep a small piece of paper in the patch box of my Penn. Longhunter from Pedersoli, and on it I keep the number of balls fired on that particular flint. After reading your post I pulled that paper out and took a look...seems I have 62 on this flint and it's still sparking good...even dry-fired it three times to even the count out at 65!!

Unfortunately I never did this with any English Flints, when it quit sparking, I just napped a little and kept on trucking until it gave up the ghost.
Although I have never kept an actual record before, other than maybe a quick count of the number of balls shot, I can't really say what my best English flint turned out, although I do remember one especially at about (45 +/- a couple) in my .69 cal and I thought that was pretty doggone good at the time. In fact, I kinda considered that to be more the norm, compared to what I had been getting before.

Is Rich's "creek rock" better than the English??

Can't say for sure, but all indications are kinda leaning that way, at least for me, right now. Don't think they'll ever replace the English Black Flint, but what do I know?

All my life I have read, and heard, stories of folks getting 100 shots and even more from a single flint.
I can assure you that has never happened with any flint I have ever used before, and I have used a few over the years....
Still yet, that "story" is what led me to try keeping a fairly accurate count of my own.
Up until about three years ago, I have always discounted such stories as just another of the "old wives tales" that abound in this hobby....now, I'm starting to re-think this thing on flints.

In view of all this ramblin, I think you have a great subject, and one I personally would like to hear more of.
I have always suspected I never "set" my flint just right in order to get the number of shots I have heard of others getting.
Bevel up, Bevel down, thicker leather, thiner leather, no leather, using a pounded out round-ball to increase cock fall, and on and on the stories go, been there, done that, and if I ever did anything that actually increased flint life I was never astute enough to see it.

I definitely would like to hear more on this!

In fact, I would like to encourage keeping some kind of record for all us flintlock users, so you'll know fairly close as to what you're actually getting, and then, let's compare notes.

Uncle Russ...
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Post by: Gordon H.Kemp on October 16, 2010, 06:37:15 PM: Like you Russ ,I took the storys about 100+ shots off 1 flint with a grain of salt . But I'm going to do as you are and keep notes on each gun . I know the first white flint I tried had at least 60 shots to its credit because thats the number of balls I used up on my .54 and then I used the same flint in my .50 but can't say how many shots I fired from the .50 , but several before it got too short !
I think one reason so many use the black , has to do with how it looks in their locks . When I first saw the white flint it looked like a hunk of chalk ! :lol:
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Post by: Kermit on October 17, 2010, 12:15:02 AM: Gordy's right--the white is a little strange looking at first, but once you spark with one of Rich's rocks, appearances no longer matter. One truly amazing thing about Rich is that you can't send him money to order rocks. You tell him the number and sizes, and he ships 'em with an invoice. If you like 'em, pay him. If not, send 'em back. Refreshing way to do business. It seems to work for him!
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Post by: Gordon H.Kemp on October 17, 2010, 02:12:03 AM: Just curious ? but is there anyone here recall reading about the old timers using local flint deposits to knapp into rifle flints when they ran out or lost their purchased or issued flints in the boon docks ? I recall mention of using arrowheads , but no other details as to color etc. I do know there are many flint deposits throughout the U.S.. My understanding is that the word "Schenectady" is a mangled Mohawk term roughly translated , meaning "land of flint "I know as kids we would find areas along the creeks and streams to the north of Schenectady in Saratoga County , where they had camped and knapped arrowheads ! Here again the term "Saratoga"another Mohawk word meaning the land of healing waters , because of the many mineral springs in the area ! I guess I'd better get back to the subject matter of "flint"
Rich sent a little note with my order reminding me that Texas also has deposits of flint ! Thus far I havn"t found any amount on the ranch we have land on ?
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Post by: mark davidson on October 18, 2010, 02:02:22 PM: I sure would like a contact number for these Rich flints! I need some new ones and I would like to try these wonder flints. I think I tried one time before to find a website or place to order from and either failed or gave up. How can I contact him and get some on the way?? Thanks in advance! :-)
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Post by: cb on October 18, 2010, 02:06:50 PM: Rich Pierce Long Trek Flints
New Pricing April 1, 2010
Made from local white to gray rock, these are rough, tough, and sparky.
1/2" wide x 5/8" long are $12 per dozen.
5/8" wide x 3/4" long are $12 per dozen
3/4" wide x 7/8" long are $15 per dozen
7/8" wide x 1" long are $15 per dozen
1" wide x 1 and 1/8" long are $18 per dozen
1 and 1/8" wide x 1 and 1/4" long are $18 per dozen.
Shipping and handling is generally $1.75 for the first dozen, more for larger sizes. 2 dozen usually costs $2.25, etc.
I'll need your name and address in an email with "flints" in the subject line, and will send you the flints for your inspection with an invoice. If these work for you, you can pay by cash, check, or money order. If not what you need, just return them, no questions asked.
Please email me directly: longtrekflints@gmail.com
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Post by: Gordon H.Kemp on October 18, 2010, 02:33:48 PM: Thanks cb , I was just going to post the info ! and it takes me forever to type that much !
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Post by: cb on October 18, 2010, 04:42:58 PM: it's called copy and paste!
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Post by: Sir Michael on October 22, 2010, 04:44:28 PM
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Post by: waksupi on November 03, 2010, 02:56:58 AM: Well, I have used Rich's flints quite a bit the past year or so. As others have said, they are nice and sparky.
But.
I have noticed on my fowler, they have made a distinct groove in the frizzen. So, I am back to shooting English as long as they are available. However, I will continue to buy from Rich to build up a stock pile, just in case.
Title: I have had mixed results
Post by: KHickam on November 03, 2010, 04:56:34 PM: Sometimes they work well - sometimes not so well. I use english black flints almost exclusively now.

Dan'l
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Post by: Buzzard on November 05, 2010, 05:23:52 PM: I've tried a couple that were given to me, can't say that i was impressed.
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Post by: Roaddog on November 06, 2010, 06:17:36 AM: Why?
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Post by: mark davidson on November 08, 2010, 09:50:36 AM: I ordered some last week by e mail but have not gotten them yet nor have I gotten a confirmation that my order was received. I look forward to trying them if they do indeed come.
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Post by: Two Steps on November 08, 2010, 10:20:22 AM: Mark, if you told him the size you need and gave him your address, they'll be there, along with a bill. If they fit your need...send him the payment...if they don't...just send them back. Great way to do business with someone huh? I don't remember getting anything from Rich telling me that he rec'vd my order...the flints have just shown up inn my mail. FWIW, they work better in some of my locks than in others...but they do work. Hope they work out for you.
Al
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Post by: mark davidson on November 08, 2010, 02:22:40 PM: Thanks, I look forward to trying them. That is indeed a gentleman's way of doing business. That kind of trust is not common these days.
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Post by: Gordon H.Kemp on November 08, 2010, 04:04:36 PM: When I put in my order He had 20 dozen ahead of my order . He said at the time , the orders were comming in pretty fast. Hang in there , He"ll get to pretty quisk.
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Post by: jtwodogs on January 07, 2011, 07:12:35 PM: Just got mine today. No more hangfires. These flints are sparky for sure. They are awesome.
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Post by: W. Welshman on January 07, 2011, 08:48:55 PM: I place a order last week, Mr. Pierce said , He was three weeks out on orders and had snow on the ground.That isn't bad, I can wait.
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Post by: Double Barrel on January 11, 2011, 10:04:58 PM: I got my second dozen white river rocks from Mr. Pierce last week. I think it took about 3 weeks to get them. Probably less. I wasn't chomping at the bit to get them. I have had nothing but good luck with these flints. They are sparky to be sure. I have installed them on my four flintlocks of varying make and quality. I have given some away to other shooters on the range who were suffering with non sparkers. Mr. Pierce is a first rate businessman. He sends you the flints for your trial and approval before he accepts your payment. If you don't like them, send them back on your dime. He also includes an interesting information sheet detailing his process for harvesting and knapping these flints.

If you're looking for a sparky flint at a reasonable price, these are your rocks.
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Post by: rich pierce on January 11, 2011, 10:19:54 PM: My real job, lots of orders, snow on the ground and November back surgery set me back a little. I certainly dropped some orders when I was hurting pre- and immediately post-surgery, so if your order got dropped, please contact me again at longtrekflints@gmail.com. I'm healthy and happy post-surgery, but there's still snow on the ground and work is still pressing me. So as noted, I'm still running 20 or 25 dozen behind. Doing my best to catch up. Meanwhile if you run short, try the English flints that Stonewall Creek Outfitters sell. Theirs are the best and most consistent English flints I've seen.
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on January 11, 2011, 10:36:58 PM: Quote from: "rich pierce"
My real job, lots of orders, snow on the ground and November back surgery set me back a little. I certainly dropped some orders when I was hurting pre- and immediately post-surgery, so if your order got dropped, please contact me again at longtrekflints@gmail.com. I'm healthy and happy post-surgery, but there's still snow on the ground and work is still pressing me. So as noted, I'm still running 20 or 25 dozen behind. Doing my best to catch up. Meanwhile if you run short, try the English flints that Stonewall Creek Outfitters sell. Theirs are the best and most consistent English flints I've seen.

Rich, good to hear your on the mend, no quit sleeping and get busy!!!! :lol: