20 gauge/.62 caliber flintlock smoothbore fusil.
.32 caliber flintlock rifle.
Flintlock blunderbuss.
Smoothbore flintlock pistol.
Advantages Of A Flintlock Muzzle-loader.
1) Ammo is less expensive than a modern equivalent caliber firearm.
2) The smoothbore is very versatile, being able to digest round ball, bird
shot, & buckshot, or any combination of two of these (can also use minies).
3) The fusil is lighter to carry than a modern equivalent sized gun.
4) You can vary the load if needs be.
5) The smoothbore will digest other projectiles besides lead.
6) Lead can be retrieved from downed game & remoulded with a simple
mould & lead ladle. This means that you can carry less lead, & more of
the lighter gunpowder.
7) You can make your own gunpowder.
8) You can use the lock to make fire without the need for gunpowder.
9) You can use gunpowder for gunpowder tinder fire lighting if needs be.
10) IF the lock should malfunction
(these are very robust & it is not likely) you can easily repair it if you
are carrying a few spare springs & a few simple tools.
11) If you do not have any spare parts & the lock malfunctions, you can
easily convert it to a tinderlock or matchlock & continue using it.
12) You do not need a reloader, brass shells, caps, or primers. The latter
have been known to break down in damp conditions or if they are stored for too
long.
13) Wadding for ball or shot is
available from natural plant materials or homemade leather or rawhide.
14) Less chance of being affected by future ammunition control legislation.
15) Gunpowder is easily obtainable providing you have a muzzle-loader
registered in your name regardless of caliber (only NSW is looking at this
legislation at present).
16) A .32 caliber flintlock rifle is more powerful than a .22 rimfire, less
expensive to feed, more accurate over a greater distance, able to take small
& medium sized game, & other than not being able to use shot (unless it
is smoothbore), it has all the attributes of the other flintlocks.
17) Damage from a .62 caliber-.75 caliber pistol or long arm is in the
extreme. Wounded prey is unlikely to escape.
18) By using buck & ball you are
unlikely to miss your target. This load is capable of taking out more than one
target.
19) There is less kick-back to a
muzzle-loading gun.
20) Antique Flintlock muzzle-loading
guns do not require a license, registration, or a permit to purchase in NSW
Australia.
All true.. The .62 smoothbore flintlock fusil would be my preferred choice of ANY firearm in a primitive situation... A flint for the gun as an initiator is far more easily improvised than any percussion .. Flint, chert, good quality quartz, even stuff that is harder than the frizzen that actually create the sparks.. A piece of carbide properly sharpened would work as well as a diamond.. Frizzen hardness determines the actual heat of the spark..Dwell time of the spark depends on steel particle size and frictional energy to detach the material that spontaneously ignites in the air...flintlock weapons and traditional flint and steel fire making all depend on this... Go Flintlocks!!..
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