A percussion muzzleloader relies on a good supply of percussion caps, & if they get damp they will not work. Unlike a flintlock that can still be used even if the lock should break, the percussion is not as reliable. The only way to use a percussion once you have no caps, is to remove the nipple & fire it holding a fuse in your hand, or by using a linstock. But if the gun has a snail drum as the one below has, this method is dangerous, because the fire through the vent is blown backwards towards the shooter, rather than sideway like a flintlock.
Many people assume that mountain men adopted the percussion arm as soon as it was available in the 19th century, but this is not the case. Anyone in a wilderness situation kept to their flintlock as it is far more reliable.
Note the back action lock & the snail drum on my Samuel Marsden 19th century .74 calibre fusil.
Note the "wedding band" that was popular on 18th century flintlock fusils.
2 comments:
Love your blog, and the wife just recieved a .54 caliber CVA flinter from her grandfathers estate. Kind of getting interested in it myself, and I was just wondering if you could explain how to use a flintlock when the firelock fails.
Thanks,
Doc in Alaska
Hi Doc, good to hear you are getting interested. I will post an article for you now.
Regards.
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