Traditional Muzzleloading Association
Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons => General Interest => Topic started by: Ironhand on June 10, 2017, 09:23:46 AM
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Looking to buy some flints so I am just wondering, what do you guys think is the best type of flint and where can I find them?
IronHand
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For my money, the best are Tom Fuller's black English flints, available at Track of the Wolf. The price is not too bad if you buy them by the dozen.
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I agree with amm1851. :hairy
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Neolithics Flintknapping Supply and Stonewall Creek Outfitters are also worth a look/comparison shopping.
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Tom Fuller's black English flints is what I use. I like 'em! :bl th up
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ome more for Fuller's :hairy
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Neolithics Flintknapping Supply and Stonewall Creek Outfitters are also worth a look/comparison shopping.
Maven, when looking at those websites you provided, a little something came to mind.
I prefer the "flat-top" flints and have always made mine using a "Mittzie Wheel" on a dremel tool.
On the web sites you provided the flat-tops are actually pictured.
Not that long ago, Ohio Joe informed me you can easily get flat-tops when ordering from TOTW by simply noting your preference.....something I had never realized before.
Also, a few months back I came across a bag of flints in my shop that I had long forgotten about.
I found 43 new flints that came about because TMA once made a "group buy" and, if memory serves me right, I bought five dozen....it was such a great deal I thought I better get all I might need for a while, of course that's the very same reason Wal-Mart sends people out to greet me when they see me coming, they know I'm an easy mark. :P
However, all the flints were peaked, not flat-top, so I suspect I will have to continue using my dremel and Mitizie Wheel until those are gone.
Thanks for sharing that information.
Uncle Russ...
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gun flints are at least a bit subjective. there are to basic types, "common" and "fine". a common gun flint is typically thick and a pair of beveled edges where at least one slopes less and is used for the cutting edge against a hammer steel. sometimes the other steeper bevel can be used to spark as well. the fine gun flint is thin, with one almost knife-like low sloping cutting edge. some say that a fine gun flint is more fragile and won't last as long as a common gun flint because it's not as robust a build, but boy do fine gun flints spark a big bunch ... it'll take a fine gun flint any day. TOTW sells black english flints, which i prefer, and as mentioned are called "tom fuller flints" ... last i heard, tom fuller has passed but his name carries on.
i'm a terrible gun flint knapper, but i did manage to flake off a fine gun flint of georgetown, texas, chert that i stuck in a lyman trade rifle, and she do spark mighty nice ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N1EyHIZe4o
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I also use mostly Fuller flints from TOTW. But still have some of Rich Pierce's white flints. There's a good handful of mixed flints from a 5 lb bag I bought with a friend a good while back. They were very old and from a recently found cache. Most were huge flints for larger locks than we're use to. There were broken pieces that were perfect for the early English and large Siler locks. A lot of them were amber French flints and they are very good. Most of the flints seem to last a long time. The huge ones could be cut in half and make two nice rifle flints. I have a couple of guns right now with those flints installed.
I, too, didn't know you could specify flat top flints from TOTW; but I do now.
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Thanks Hanshi...I've been trying since yesterday to remember Rich's name :Doh! I too use mostly Tom Fuller English flints, but I still have some left from Rich. I use them mostly in a .40 pistol. Rich was a great guy to deal with...
Al
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Al, I have used Rich's flints and also have some left. Last I talked with Rich, he wasn't making flints anymore - though he told me that if I was really in need, he get me some. So maybe he's doing them again? I don't know? :shake
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They've been my favorites for quite a few years. Last I heard, he's quit making them.
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RussB said
"Not that long ago, Ohio Joe informed me you can easily get flat-tops when ordering from TOTW by simply noting your preference.....something I had never realized before. "
Russ how do you do that? I went to the site but I could not find how to select flat top flints.
Thanks
IronHand
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RussB said
"Not that long ago, Ohio Joe informed me you can easily get flat-tops when ordering from TOTW by simply noting your preference.....something I had never realized before. "
Russ how do you do that? I went to the site but I could not find how to select flat top flints.
Thanks
IronHand
Not Russ, but I can answer this...
At the end of your transaction there is a comment box. Just type in "I would prefer Flat Top Flints" Thanks!
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If you're ordering by mail with check or money order, just drop them a note along with your order.
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I too prefer flat top flints and have used the usual black english flints, as well as french amber flints, and even the white chert flints with satisfactory results. If I had to choose one style, I'd probably choose the french amber. Black english come in a close second.
K
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Another vote for the Fuller English flints from TOTW.
John
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I mostly use Tom Fuller's flints, although my Saturday foray to the range found me with a Rich Pierce white flint in the jaws of the T-C. Unfortunately it kept breaking off and not sparking well, even after knapping it back to a good edge and I had to replace it with a black flint. I also have some cut flints I picked up at a gun show which seem to work well enough. I keep a diamond knife sharpener in my shooting bag to sharpen those if needed.
I've heard lots of good things about the French amber flints, and may give those a try at some point.
~WH~
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You know, this topic reminds me of a little test I did last year.
On another forum we were talking about the popularity of the flintlock over the caplock, and how/why the flintlocks held on in popularity (which is still true to this day) that if you ran out of caps for your rifle - well, you were just plain screwed until you could get somewhere to get those percussion caps... However, if you had a flintlock rifle and you needed a flint for it, you could pretty much find something on the ground (flint or chert) that you could fashion into a flint for your rifle.
So I decided to do a little test last summer and found what looked like a piece of chert on the ground, picked it up, took it home and fashioned it as best I could into a workable flint that would fit the jaws of my lock and gave it a try - by golly it worked! It pretty much put the above mentioned topic we were discussing in prospective.
Now this post has nothing to do with "Best Flints" but it does shed light on the subject that a flint (no matter who made it or where it came from) as long as it works, it's a good flint. :bl th up :bl th up
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thats a good endorsement.
I think the biggest deterrent for choosing a flintlock in the past was that low-dollar flintlocks simply did not function very well. So people thought the technology itself was not good. I used to think that years ago-- so I stayed with a percussion lock. When I finally tried a decent quality flintlock, I found that flintlock technology is plenty good and there ARE a few advantages to it over percussion. Not to say percussion was not an improvement. <snip!>
K
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