| " Flintlock Fixin’ " |
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Last year, after years of lusting in my heart and finally holding Peter (and Paul) at gunpoint, I was able to buy the latest high-tech individual combat weapon system in the arsenal of the United States Army. Relatively speaking, of course. This “high-tech” weapon is a Pedersoli replica of the M1816 Harpers Ferry . 69-caliber flintlock musket. And no, it’s not currently in action in Iraq, but in its day it was the latest thing and as far as I know was only the second military smoothbore to be made by a U.S. national armory (The M1795 Springfield was the first; I don‘t count the M1803 Harpers Ferry rifle because it was a rifle). The M1816 was made between 1816 and 1844 by the Harpers Ferry and Springfield arsenals, plus several contractors. All told, I think approximately 800,000 of these “Sweet Sixteens” were made, and according to the Dixie Gun Works catalog it enjoyed the “highest production of any U.S. flintlock musket.” The 1816 was a workhorse. It saw action primarily in the Second Seminole War, the Texas Revolution (and was the official arm of the Texas Republic following that war), the War with Mexico , and even up to the early days of the War Between the States -- when about 700,000 were converted to percussion. Original 1816s that weren’t so converted are prized by collectors today. Some are on display at the U.S. Army Infantry Museum in Fort Benning . Originally, the musket came in three variations. The one offered today by Pedersoli has a feature common to the first (an 1816 date stamping) and the third -- an armory bright finish and a removable brass flash pan (which it inherited from one of the French Charleville muskets). It’s that curious brass flash pan that proved to be somewhat troublesome to me, a first-time flintlock owner and shooter, and that’s the topic of discussion. I bought this musket ever-so-slightly used from my commanding officer in the Leon Rifles here in Tallahassee . He used the musket in several Dade’s Battle events and took very good care of the piece. So when I bought it from him it was in like-new condition. The problem with buying a new gun is you have to buy all the fun little accessories that go along with it (yeah, I know what you’re thinking, oh darn, another excuse to buy more gun stuff!). So in no time flat I had ordered a brass flash guard and a whisk pick combo (from Jonathan Townsend), a M1808 cartridge box (from Dixie), a white buff cartridge box sling (from C&D Jarnagin) and a M1828 bayonet scabbard with white buff baldric (also from Jarnagin). The last major purchase was a M1833 “hog killer” forage cap from Dirty Billy, purchased while at Olustee this past February (if this sounds like a recipe for a U.S. solider or militaman of the 1830s, you would be correct--I‘m diversifying my reenactment holdings). Of all these purty new things, the flash guard was most essential. It fastens around the flash pan using the frizzen screw, and it’s a required safety device at many state park events (you don’t want to “flash” the guy standing next to you, although it doesn’t really work all that well). I installed the simple brass cup with a pair of taped vise grips (to clamp the frizzen spring in place) and a screwdriver, and set about testing the musket with blank black powder rounds. But back home at the Dehart Proving Grounds in Oxford it didn’t take long for me to notice a slight problem with the flash pan/flash guard arrangement. I noticed the “problem” when I first went to load the sucker. Here’s the process, in terms you can understand: 1) With the musket at hip level and the hammer at half-cock, open the pan. 2) Handle the blank cartridge. 3) Open cartridge with teeth. 4) Tap a few grains of powder into the priming pan (not too much!) 5) Close the pan. 6) Pour the rest of the powder down the barrel. 7) Tap the butt of the gun on the ground to compact the main charge. 8) Shoulder arms. 9) Bring the piece to full-cock, aim and press the trigger. Followed by 10) big badaboom and lots of smoke. My first firing attempt, though, ended in dry sparks and no big badaboom. Slightly curious, I checked the pan. No powder. It had fallen out during Step 7. An investigation revealed that the priming powder was falling out of a gap between the top of the pan and the frizzen/pan cover. Not good -- it didn’t stop the piece from functioning, since I could always re-prime from another cartridge, but that’s not very efficient or safe because you end up with an open cartridge in your box. So I had to figure out what was going on and fix it. At first, the flash guard seemed to be the culprit. I discovered that the removable flash pan was tilting out of battery when the frizzen screw holding the flash guard in place was tightened down (backing off the pressure only allowed the guard to fall out of battery). The annoying problem corrected itself when the guard was removed. But that wasn’t an option. I shot out e-mails to various folks but nobody seemed to have an answer until I contacted a couple nice folks in the Florida Frontier Guard, a Tampa- area unit that does First, Second and Third Seminole War reenacting. They told me that the problem was a missing pan screw, located inside the lock. The pan screw holds the flash pan in place. If it’s loose or missing, it causes the pan to tilt. After removing the twin lock screws on the left side and lifting the lock out of the stock I was relieved to find the pan screw still in place, just loose. A quick twist with a small screwdriver locked it down. I then carefully re- installed the lock, and then the flash guard. With a few minor adjustments, the pan and pan cover/frizzen mated together perfectly, and the guard stayed in place. And so it came to pass that shortly after this I learned of an upcoming Second Seminole War skirmish at DeLeon Springs State Park . Eager to test out my flintlock, I fell in with Major Keith Kohl and a handful of other re- enactors, including Calen Smith - who had the only other 1816 on our side that day (It was great to compare notes with another 1816 aficionado). During the ensuing battle the 1816 functioned very well, and despite all of the constant running and maneuvering there was no loss of priming powder. The gun flashed and roared with great authority (much big badaboom!), and that brought a very satisfied grin to my face. That is, until the flint stopped sparking … but that’s another story. I’ll just say that next time, I’ll carry a knapping tool with me into combat. Until next time, keep your powder dry, your flints knapped, and your steel clean! |
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