So I know that we have several flintlock guys here, Birdy, KW, etc.

I have a flinter I got for a song years ago when I was working at a gun shop. The policy there was that muzzleloaders of any description were less than worthless due to there being no muzzleloader hunting season and therefore almost no demand. Taking advantage of that policy I bought a TC Hawken cap lock for a whole $25 once and more importantly for this thread I gave $50 for a new and never fired Lyman Trade rifle flintlock.

I brought the Lyman with me when we migrated back south with the intention of shooting a deer with it. I feel it’s silly the “Primitive” weapons allowed during our muzzleloader season and have always stuck with a sidelock using iron sights and loose powder. Just my personal prejudices and enjoyment of a little more challenging way to hunt.

I decided that this is the year that I kill a buck with the flintlock but I found last week when checking my sights and load that it may end up being a little more of a challenge than I bargained for. The gun shoots well enough for my uses, 4” 3 shot group at 50 yards using 90gr of Goex 2FG under a patched round ball and a priming charge of 3FG. But my gosh the lag time. Never a hang fire or misfire, just what seems like an eternity from snick to boom. I shot my two cap lock guns with the same load and standard #11 caps and they seemed like benchrest guns in comparison.

I’ve had almost no guidance, only reading a little online and shooting a really nice handmade long rifle years ago that the gent who made it was kind enough to let me try out. I don’t recall experiencing near the lag with that rifle, which was undoubtedly of higher quality than my Lyman. I don’t have access locally and don’t want to get bent over on shipping to source some 4FG or priming powder. Can I gently grind up a tiny amount of 3FG to fill my little priming flask? I probably have cheap “flints”, IIRC they’re agate and not flint. I do knap a little and could probably sort through my flint piles for a chunk of Alibates to try and make a flint, not sure if that would help at all.

So I’m all ears, fill my head with knowledge. Season starts the 3rd week of October so I don’t have a long time but I have a little bit to experiment and the “Range” is less than 5 minutes from my easy chair.