Thanks for the complements. I read some of the comments about flintlocks, and perceived ignition lag . The Jim Chambers lock is an excellent lock that is very fast with ignition. Once I touch the front trigger, as soon as I hear /sense the flint strike the frizzen the round ball is on it's way. Seems like the key to flintlocks is a quality lock, correct orientation to the flash hole, and of course a good sharp flint. It produces between one and two inch (bench rest) groups at fifty yards.
Flintlocks take a lot of experimenting with load components. For example, common recommendation is the tightest ball / patch combination you can hammer down the bore. Not always. I started with a .015 linen patch and .360 R/Balls. Took a while to figure out, but this rifle seems to shoot best with a .358 R/B and .010 patch with just a "dash" of spit. Saturating a patch with lube, of whatever type, may not always be conducive to allowing the ball a good grip on the rifling with the patch in all cases.
In 21 years of shooting this rifle, I've never had a problem with the lock. The frizzen still makes lots pf sparks. This rifle has a straight barrel. I have another rifle ready to be started with a "swamped" barrel, (tapered and flared). They are much lighter for off hand shooting. That rifle will also wear a Chambers lock. I made the bag and the horn.
Here's another photo,...forgive me, I'm still getting hang of correctly resizing them !
