Flintlock or Percussion

Procrastination

September 08, 2004 17:41

Hi Fellers,

My son and I like to go to rendezvous in our area. Sometimes I shoot a black powder rifle. Mine is a flintlock, but there are lots of percussion lock guns at the shooting lines. It's a lot more fun to shoot both types, but I often tell my friends that a mountain man would never have been seen with a percussion lock rifle. The mountain man era was all over by 1840 and I don't think there were any percussion lock arms out in the field at that time. I believe that even if there were early forms of the percussion lock at that time, they would not have been in use yet. What say the experts?

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  Contender Man

  September 08, 2004 17:54

  Hi and welcome to the forum!
  
  Interesting question. Was it due to the lack/availability of the percussion technology ... or the "keep it simple" life style of the "Mountain Men".
  
  I think the answer is some of both, but even if the technology had been readily available I don't think many of the "Mountain Men" would have used it because it would have added another element to their lives that they had to depend on outside supply sources. And it would be one more thing to trade for at the rendezvous thus further stretching their trade stock.
  
  But that's only my opinion and I'm interested in what the responses will be.
  
  
  
  
  If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!

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  jjmitchell60

  September 08, 2004 20:25

  I do a lot of reenacting of the Revolutionary War and do many rendezvous. what Powder and Contender Man told you is basically the nuts and bolts as to why so many mountain men used flinters. You can find rocks in the mountains that can be used to make a spark but it was another item to purchase, carry, keep dry, and keep up with in general concerning percussuion caps in the mid 1800s. Now as to the era being over by 1840, that is questionable to say the least. Into the Rockies, Canada, and Alaska, trapping was going on well into the late 1800s and even into the 1900s. One thing to concider in building or buying a good hand made rifle is making sure it has the Bedford County style locks on it. They are made in both flint and percussion so you can interchange them. You basically have one rifle that is period correct for a wide time period. What area are you attending rendezvous in? One must remember the idea of the "rendezvous" came about in the early 1800s and it was a plains or western event rather than something done east of the Mississippi River. Just my 2 cents worth on it.
  
  The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.
  Rita Mae Brown

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  He Dog

  September 08, 2004 20:33

  There were indeed some percussion rifles in use during the rendezvous era 1825-1840. Most of those were in the hands of the company trappers. The vast bulk of the rifles used however were indeed flinters. The bulk of the guns were Pennsylvania/Kentucky types with a lot of trade guns made in Europe or the US, particularly among the company trappers. Caps were costly, and undependably available except at rendezvous. Nearly all of the free trappers used flintlocks, as flint could be found and pressed into service if cut flints ran out or were lost. While caplock became the norm in the years following the rendezvous era (Kit Carson was given a Hawken by Sam Hawken, which is a cap lock and is on display at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale Wyoming, but Hawkens were not the rifle of the mountain man, Jeramiah Johnson not withstanding) some continued to use flinlocks without interruption right up to today.

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  Chief Shaway

  September 09, 2004 08:52

  I would start him out on a flinter. Nipples don't belong on guns.

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