Flintlock not firing

I bought a Traditions Mountain flintlock and while ago and I’ve always had one hell of a time to get it to actually fire.

Started using black powder substitute that the gun seller swore by (a muzzle loader specialty place).

No luck with the fake stuff so I finally got some fffg Swiss and it’s better but still hit or miss.
Tried more, less, and everything in between for powder in the pan. Also priming with fffg.

Any tips to make it go boom? Pan ignites, but that’s all I get 80% of the time.
Swiss powder is about 1.5 years old, but it’s been opened twice and stored in a climate controlled area. I can’t imagine it is bad since the pan is still going off reliably.

Check the size of the flash hole....you may need to open it up a few thousandths

Got to be the flash hole

Any idea if I can just buy a bigger one? Looks like they are about 5$.

If not, and suggestions on drill bit size?

don't make it too big. I shot in a competition next to a guy with a huge flash hole in his gun. Damn thing shot flames two feet and sprayed the side of my face. I had to move positions.

When you load it,try bumping the side a couple times near the flash pan.
I had an old Thompson Center caplock 40 ish years ago that liked a little side bump before seating the bullet.
Not on the opposite side. Just the flash pan side.
It should be the same on a flint lock.
Sounds crazy, but put some sand in a flat pan and bump it with your hand and watch the sand move towards the side you bump.
I figure the same thing happens in the flash hole.

I’m a lefty, so that’s definitely a concern. I’m already paranoid enough that I always wear safety glasses to shoot it.

I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Update:

I bought some conical bullets to try it with. I rammed them down and made sure they were seated with a few small taps of a rubber mallet. I could see powder through the flash hole unlike last time. Loaded it up and it fired. Got it to work consistently with about 8 shots.

Getting ~1300 FPS with 385gr conical and 60g of fffg. That sound about right?

Lastly, any tips to help the flash to bang time? I know it’s the nature of a flintlock, just trying to minimize it if possible.

You can put a little less primer in the flash pan and it will shorten the lock time. It won't be anywhere near as fast as what you're used to with modern firearms. You can think of it as having a quicker path to the charge in the barrel.

There are many variables effecting lock time like powder, environmental conditions, etc.

Glad you got it firing though.

This may be common knowledge... if it is forgive me.

A trick I learned a few years ago: When you get it loaded, take a vent prick or a large straightened paperclip and punch a hole in the main charge through the flash hole. The theory is that you make a small open chamber in the charge that the fire from the pan can fill, effectively adding more surface area to the main charge. I have no scientific data to back up whether this helps with ignition reliability or speed, but every shot I've fired the last two years, I've done this way. And only twice have I had the flash in the pan not ignite the main charge.

I tried that, but it didn’t work. I could only get it to go off if I basically stuffed the flash hole with the powder and pick. I’ll try to experiment with it over the weekend with the flash pan amount and see if I can get it to work with punching through the flash hole. I also have some 4f I can try in the flash pan if needed, but everything I read recommended the 3f for pan charge

I've never read anything like that, all I ever read was 2F for the load and 4F for the flash pan for rifles but I haven't read anything in years??? Also take 7X57 Mauser advice about flashing the pan.

The way I understand it is that black powder attracts moisture. The 3f attracts it a lot less than 4f. Not sure if it’s surface area or a slight graphite coating as the difference.

Put a little bit of a hotter powder down the hole first, then your regular powder. Use the hotter powder in the pan. My uncle sold me my flintlock. That's how he told me to do it. Mine fires pretty fast but I don't have much to compare it to. A pinch of ffff first then your normal load of fff. ffff in the pan. Go bang fast

^^^This^^^

You can shoot Pyrodex pellets in a flint Lock if you will put a little 4 f down the barrel first.

The flintlocks I've owned (all 2 of them, so they all may not be this way) the flashhole is not situated at the very end of the chamber at the breech plug. So, a pinch of 4f down the barrel prior to the main charge would not put the 4f at the flash hole opening.

It’s close enough. 4 f is hot and ignites easy. It makes a flintlock go boom a lot faster.

Shot the gun yesterday with the 4f.

Still no issues with getting it to go bang, so mystery is solved.
I put 4f in the pan and I didn’t really feel like there was any discernible difference in flash to bang time. I’ll try to prime the main charge with 5grains of 4f next time. I’m also going to get some new flints and hope that’ll help. Still not a deal breaker, I just don’t want to flinch on a deer and end up with a bad shot.

I also shot my optima. I forgot how much that damn thing kicks, but it’s a pretty good shooting gun.

Broadhead,
I have shot flintlocks competitively since 1986. When I first started I shot fffg for the main charge & ffffg to prime the pan...... eventually to I just started priming with fffg. I have always shot Goex but the Swiss should be OK as well as long as it's real black powder & not a substitute. Personally I would just stick to fffg for the main charge.....our humidity will turn ffffg to mud quick. Also using just fffg and not a duplex load will give you more consistent breech pressure/velocity.

Some things you might consider:

Your touch hole can be up to 1/16 of an inch and still give you good compression(wouldn't go any larger)

As stated earlier ALWAYS pick your vent .....that ensures to that the priming flash will ingnite your main charge

When priming the pan......prime away from the touch hole. If the power is placed right next to the touch hole many times you will get a hang fire. By placing the priming charge away from the barrel, it is the flame that gives fast ignition.

Another thing which could be causing you problems is the location of the touch hole. If you open the frizzen and look at the touch hole.....where is it in relation to the pan? Ideally I want the touch hole positioned in the middle of the pan and when I look directly at the touch hole....the top of the pan bisects it(I only see the upper semicircle)
Lastly.....I would take that lock & polish every bearing surface glass smooth. That will increase you lock time & speed up the ignition as well

Good luck with your endeavors.....a Flintlock will make you a better shot....it forces following thru a shot!

One last thing.....if it's cold....do not take the gun into a warm environment..... the metal will sweat. There is a 10 point that walked within 15 yards that got a new lease on life due to my stupid mistake! I got a "consolation prize" the next morning but I can still see that 10 point to this day.....a little deer hunting PTSD I guess


D.H.