Logically speaking, why is the flintlock rifle or pistol not more frequently used for self defense in areas like cali that are hostile to guns?
Legally, not a firearm. Effectively, just like a regular gun. Constitutionally, just like the Founding Fathers intended.
The benefits:
>just about anything from marbles to barring balls can be used as ammo with any explosive powder, both of which can be bought online
>no paperwork or registration needed to own one
>can keep in car without having to worry about traffic stops
>less likely to go to jail shooting someone with colonial weaponry vs scary assault rifle
>news will report you as 'Local chad shoots home intruder 1776 style'
Cons:
>slow reload rate
>not for people who cant aim
Why arnt more black powder cannons set up to cover entrances to homes as legal claymores? Double load of powder and grapeshot seems like it would cure most home invaders.
You'd look like a freak in court. "Yes your honor, I have a wall of miniature cannons ready to go at my front door because i am a normal person. No I did not premeditate this crime".
Miniature?
>mfw California limits magazine capacity to 10 but I’ve stocked 20 cannon in mine
what if i had a brace of them?
It's not a firearm. So it's fine.
it’s a firearm in at least NJ, probably order anti gun states as well
>Why not in Cali?
Guns are still obtainable. There's more red tape than most states, but you can still hop through the hoops and get a Hi-Point or something else that's on roster and cheap. Pretty much any firearm will be exponentially better than a flintlock.
Let's go with cap and ball revolvers since they are similarly unrestricted and far better.
>Like Cali
Depends on the state, but shit state gun laws vary in the depths and specifics of their shittyness. For instance in New Jersey BP guns are still regulated the same way as a modern firearm.
>Effectively just like a regular gun.
It's far less effective and more of a pain in the ass. Assuming we got for cap/ball it requires a lot of little tools to operate and practice with. Most ranges don't allow it because of the smoke, there's a whole procedure for loading it that can be messed up resulting in a blown up gun, sourcing and safely storing black powder is also not always easy. That's just the various issues that drive people away from buying or using one.
Reliability is not as good as a modern firearm. Flintlocks misfire pretty frequently, not to mention the delay between the trigger pull and actual ignition. Percussion caps are much better but they can still fail or dislodge and jam. These are very rare problems with modern self contained cartridges.
Because you are loading with loose powder and ball, a combat reload is basically not happening either unless you go for a cylinder swap and even that has issues.
>can keep in car without having to worry about traffic stops
That's where you're outright wrong. Gun laws that define a what a firearm is for the purposes of owning differ from those for the purposes of carry and use. In CA for instance it's the same thing to illegally CC a BP or antique pistol as a modern cartridge firing one. If you get stopped by a cop and they find it arguing that it's technically not a firearm won't work.
Mind you, it's a state law issue so results may vary.
at this point if you can't carry or own a gun might as well make your self defense kit a $300 ebay special chinese retinal popper laser and a pair of goggles.
Something related I was thinking earlier;
Legally speaking, is there anything stopping people from manufacturing full auto black powder guns with modified modern designs? Obviously, it would have terrible fouling and the design would need to be changed to properly feed despite lower pressure. But since they're not firearms, they wouldn't be restricted in any way by the NFA, right? Or just manufacturing a ye olde gatling gun?
I'm pretty sure black powder just straight up lacks the pressure needed to cycle a gun.
You're wrong.
Just because it uses black powder does not mean it is not a firearm.
Not so. Some of the early Maxims were chambered for BP cartridges.
In California and Washington black powder weapons legally ARE firearms, even without cartridges. They're a lot less regulated, but even being muzzleloading won't cover your ass.
You can cycle most firearms chambered for any turn-of-the-century caliber with blackpowder loadings. With clean powder you can put 10+ mags through a 1911 before it siezes up, and I've seen a Glock chew through 8 before it started to FTE. Of course, then you have to basically just dump the entire gun into a bucket of hot water and spend two days detailing it with a toothbrush, but it'll cycle. Older machine guns and other systems that are more careful about fouling can run much longer.
Cartridge firing guns are still considered firearms. It's only muzzleloaders which are exempt.
>Legally speaking, is there anything stopping people from manufacturing full auto black powder guns with modified modern designs
The Gun Control Act of 1968 which defines what you just described as a firearm
What if there were no cartridges and it was just two big hoppers, one for lead balls and one for black powder
>Legally, not a firearm
According to the feds, your state most likely includes antiques in their legal definition of firearms. I know Michigan does because fricking Traditions still won't ship a BP revolver to my door even though the law was changed eighteen years ago
any explosive powder? try some smokeless powder in it and send video of what happened after
federally not a firearm but virtually universally regarded as one in state law for the purpose of carry law/weapons law
NJ specifically calls them out as firearms. Even bb gun are considered firearms there