The

Flintlock Gun
The flintlock gun was a weapon used for hunting and defense. Used in modern
settings at re-enactments for educational purposes.

Lock Barrel

Stock

The 3 main components of the Flintlock are the lock, stock and barrel.

The lock is the area of primary function of the weapon. This is the area in which the
gunpowder and the projectile is packed down to. The gunpowder behind the projectile will be
the fuel to force the projectile out of the barrel.
 The stock is the general skeleton or foundation of the gun.
 The barrel is a metal tube – long or short depending upon a musket, carbine,
blunderbuss or pistol – with an open end facing away from the carrier and an enclosed
end where the lock is placed on the gun. Often referred to as the bore.
 The lock is the mechanism that triggers the gunpowder inside the barrel to combust and
force the projectile out.
 The appearance of the lock varies with location, but the function is generally the
same.
With the gunpowder and projectile packed into the enclosed end of the barrel, it awaits
for the lock to activate.
How the lock activates is:
The trigger on the bottom half of the lock is where the finger is placed. But this is
not the first function of the lock. The first function of the lock to prepare it for firing is
the cock or hammer. This piece has the screw where a good piece of flint is place firmly
between the top jaw and lower jaw of the cock. The use of a piece of leather the size of
the flint is necessary so the flint does not crack, splinter when firing or fall out.
Pulling the cock back will activate the tumbler on the inside of the lock plate and
hook upon the sear lock. Be careful though, one click is not a full cock back, but a half
cock back. To fire the gun properly, the cock must be back at least 2 clicks to put it at full
cock and ready to fire.
With the cock back, the trigger mechanism will release the tumbler from the sear,
this strikes the flint down upon the frizzen – the piece of metal that is vertical in front of
the cock. When the flint strikes the metal frizzen, sparks are created. These sparks are
directed downwards to the pan which is a small encasement that holds a tiny amount of
gunpowder. The sparks activate and combust this small amount of gunpowder to cause
the same combustion inside the barrel through the pin hole which is located next to the
pan.
The sparks inside the barrel combust the gunpowder, creating explosive gases
which force the projectile out at incredible speeds.
Maintenance of the Flintlock

Each part of the flintlock is vital to the functioning of the gun. So maintaining this
weapon is important. Maintaining the flintlock will ensure your gun will function. If not
properly cared for your gun will perform poorly and you risk endangering yourself.
How to maintain your flintlock is rather easy but sometimes time consuming. But,
again, it is essential.
Items needed to clean out your gun:
 Hot water
 Cold water
 Several cloth strips about 1 ½ inches in height by 5 to 10 inches in length
 Remington Oil
 Ramrod
Or
 A shotgun cleaning kit

Before you begin cleaning, you need to remove the lock. Carefully remove the
screws on the opposite side while holding onto the lock. Do not by any means clean or
touch the oil that is within the lock mechanism. The oil is essential for the functioning of
the lock. Make sure to put a toothpick or something small enough to plug the pin hole.
You can’t have the water seeping out when you pour it into the barrel.
Now that the lock has been removed and the pin hole is plugged, take your cold
water and pour down the barrel filling it to the top of the barrel. Wrap a strip of cloth
through and around the ramrod or your shotgun cleaning rod. Swab the inside of the
barrel for a few seconds. Then remove the rod and dump out the water. Repeat this part
of the cleaning process until the water that comes out of the barrel is clean and clear.
Each time you swab you must use a new, clean piece of cloth.
Pour hot water into the barrel to the top. Again using a clean piece of cloth, swab
the inside of the barrel for a few seconds. You can now remove the toothpick or whatever
you are using to plug the pin hole. Now you want to pour out the hot water. The hot water
will dry faster and it’s important that you use cold water first then hot water second.
Once you have cleaned out the barrel of the gunpowder, you use Remington Oil
to lubricate and preserve the metal of the gun. This helps to prevent rust from damage to
the barrel and lock parts, ensuring your gun functioning.

Remember to inspect your weapon to make sure it is free and clear of any
unwanted objects. Inspect it personally & even have someone else inspect it.

During Re-enactment inspections, is a twice a day routine that helps you organize
and ensure your weapons free of unwanted items as well as cleaned properly using the
ramrod during these inspections as your commander observes your weapon.
Firing a flintlock

Firing the weapon is a series of events that will lead up to a successful firing.

The bullet of these weapons are round balls made originally of lead. Their size or
gauge is based upon the barrel size.
The cartridge is paper rolled up from a special pattern with a wood round pin or
dowel no bigger than ¾ diameter with a ½ inch of paper off the wood pin. Once the paper
is rolled up, fold in the ½ inch end. This part is the bottom of you cartridge.

The amount of gunpowder in the cartridge is dependent highly upon what type of
flintlock you have – musket, rifle, carbine, blunderbuss or pistol. It’s so specific that you
count by grains with a grain measure. By no means should you overload the measure, too
much gunpowder is just as bad as too little. The amount of grains must be level with the
top of the measure. Once measured, pour the gunpowder grains carefully into the paper
cartridge. If using a projectile, the roundball would sit at the bottom of the cartridge with
the gunpowder on top of it. With the gunpowder inside the paper cartridge, roll, twist, or
fold the end to ensure that the gunpowder remains inside the cartridge.

When using the cartridge, just tear off the loosely folded top with your teeth. Pour
a little gunpowder into the pan. Close the frizzen. Pour the rest of the powder into the
barrel. If a roundball was inside the cartridge, that would be poured into the barrel after
the gunpowder then you would use the ramrod to pack the gunpowder and roundball in.
But you do not use the ramrod to pack the gunpowder in while at re-enactments due to
safety regulations.

With the gunpowder within the barrel, follow the steps of activating the lock to
fire the flintlock.

Remember gun safety at all times. A flintlock is as dangerous a weapon as any

other weapon. Refer & follow gun safety laws of the state you are in or will be attending
any event in any state when you have your flintlock with you.
 More information on the flintlock

Anatomy of the cartridge

Measurements of gunpowder grains per gauge

SUGGESTED SHOTGUN LOADS

10 GAUGE 12 GAUGE 16 GAUGE 20 GAUGE
GRANULATION 1F OR 2F 1F OR 2F 1F OR 2F 1F OR 2F
GRAINS 90-110 75-85 65-75 50-60
CLAY PIGEON
OR BIRD HUNTING 1 1/4 - 1
SHOT OZ. 1 - 1 1/4 1 - 1 1/8 3/4 - 1
3/8
GRAINS 115-125 90-100 75-85 60-70
FULL CHARGE 1 3/8 -1 1 1/4 - 1
SHOT OZ. 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 1 - 1 1/8
1/2 3/8
APPROX. ROUND BALL
.760 .700-.710 .645 .600
DIAMETER

Blueprints to acquire
Charleville French Musket http://www.mek-
schuetzen.de/Blueprints/1766CharlevilleMusket.JPG
Brown Bess English Musket http://www.mek-schuetzen.de/Blueprints/BrownBess.JPG
Pedersoli Replica Brown Bess Musket http://www.mek-
schuetzen.de/Blueprints/Brown_Bess_Pedersoli_bp.gif
** Note: these instructions are in German.**

Bibliography & reference material

Websites for images & additional info:
http://members.aye.net/~bspen/flintlockfaq.html
http://muzzleloadingandmore.com/points_of_interest/
http://www.mek-schuetzen.de/Sites/navi_links_blkpowder.htm
http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/weapons.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/flintlock.htm
http://ftp.keyaccess.nl/~weegf02/Wapens/Flintlock_anatomy.gif
Other images, items and information are collected by S. L. Rinner from unnamed sources but were acquired
from Colonial Williamsburg & the Yorktown Victory Center in Virginia.