Actually, I took a so-so video with my cell phone, it showed my son attempting to fire it and not getting as much as a spark, the phone being
put down while I told my son to recock it and try again, then a nice sequence of the flint igniting the charge in the pan and the slight delay
before the main charge went off.
Fred, when I first started shooting flintlocks, I was under the impression that the little delay in firing was normal. Everyone said so. Then I read an excellent article in Rifle Magazine by the noted flintlock gunsmith John Bivens titled "Care and Feeding of the Flintlock Rifle". He went into great detail about every llittle aspect such as touch hole size and location, pan powder, correctly priming the pan, choosing the best and most reliable flints, setting the flint in the jaws of the cock, frizzen hardness, etc. He said the difference in lock time between a flintlock and a percussion rifle should be mere milliseconds.
I applied what he said and I was amazed that the ignition of my flintlock was nearly as fast as my center fire rifles. What I learned from that single article shortened my learning curve immensely. And there is a learning curve. It's a real sense of accomplishment to hunt all day in the rain, and have perfect ignition when you finally get a shot at a deer. Now, if I notice a bit of a delay, I know I'm doing something wrong. Don't believe anyone who tells you that a half second delay is normal. It's a lot of fun to work it out and get better performance, and fast consistent ignition makes for much smaller groups too.
