gun flint?

[unclemac]

all this talk of gun flints got me thinking....I always supposed this was a broken base to a point but now I am not all that sure. it is nicely flaked all the way around but as you can see it is snapped on two sides...cleanly snapped with no sign of wear after the break. Is this a gun flint?...If so it would have been from a trade gun supplied by HBC or NWC...or even Astor's company...Mouth of the Columbia area.

 

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[Tnmountains]

Looks like that honey gun flint but I do not know. Often they look like that french material. I do not know Unclemac.

 

[scepter1]

I've found several like that here in the Northwest, and I call my material chalcedony/agate. There's not a lot of flint in that area, and the odds of that being flint from a trade gun has to be astronomical...

 

[Mekong Mike]

Just the right size and shape. I would classify that as a yes...gunflint.

 

[monsterrack]

Looks like a gun flint for a pistol to me . Just a guess

 

[mcb66]

Agree. Gun flint.

 

[GatorBoy]

Looks like a typical gunflint.

 

[bsit1361]

French gun flint!! Cool

 

[rock]

So why are some called french and some called others? If they were found in USA ? That is if I am reading it correct.

 

[unclemac]

I've found several like that here in the Northwest, and I call my material chalcedony/agate. There's not a lot of flint in that area, and the odds of that being flint from a trade gun has to be astronomical...

...because?....even Tacoma had a HBC fort at one time....

 

[GatorBoy]

You will never know for sure.. but there were alot of guns that used Flint..so odds are its not from a trade gun.

 

[Guest 1551]

totally appears to be a gun flint

 

[kansa54]

Quite possible that it's a French gunflint. Sometimes it's hard to ID something from a photo though.

Rock, they are called French because they were manufactured in France. At that time period England and France were the main manufacturers of gunflints for the world.

 

[unclemac]

You will never know for sure.. but there were alot of guns that used Flint..so odds are its not from a trade gun.

true, but the area wasn't settled to any extent until the the 1850's...

 

[unclemac]

does anyone have examples of what a broken gun flint looks like? this one is broken along two perpendicular sides...clean snaps the length of both sides.

 

[kansa54]

Heres a pic of a broken English gunflint. It is really easy to ID this example because of the manufacturing technique used on English flints.

 

[GatorBoy]

I have many broken pieces.
I will post later if you need.
That's just what happens to flints.
Looks like damage from striking on yours also.

 

[larson1951]

although a french or english gun flint is a rare find i am gonna have to agree that it could be a gun flint

the shape is correct and as far as a scraper it is possible but not the average more common shape

i have to agree with gator......we will never know for sure from these images (which are quite good)

 

[Charl]

So why are some called french and some called others? If they were found in USA ? That is if I am reading it correct.

The French, the English, and the natives themselves all made gunflints. The amber colored or honey colored ones were made in France, the others in England, and of course you can find native gunflints made from their local flints, but many were obtained from the Europeans. So if they are amber, they are usually ID'd as French gunflints. This one is English, and looks like it wasn't used up before lost...

 

[scepter1]

QUOTE=scepter1; I've found several like that here in the Northwest, and I call my material chalcedony/agate. There's not a lot of flint in that area, and the odds of that being flint from a trade gun has to be astronomical...

[QUOTE=unclemac;3539212]...because?....even Tacoma had a HBC fort at one time....[/QUOTE] As I said -> astronomical odds

QUOTE=unclemac true, but the area wasn't settled to any extent until the the 1850's... Even more of a resaon to be astronomical odds

How many trade guns have ever been found on the lower Columbia? None(?)

How many gunflints have eve been found on the lower Columbia? None(?)

How many gunflints from France have been found on the lower Columbia? None(?)

l find gold when I go gold panning. i also find pyrite and mica that's the right size and looks just like gold, but that doesn't make it gold no matter how much i want it to be....

I'd happy with a chalcedony/agate scraper, knife part.