GUN FLINTS (SET OF THREE) - Brandon, Suffolk
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Three gun flints of different sizes
A gun flint is a piece of flint that has been shaped, or knapped into a wedge-shape to fit in the jaws of a flintlock. They were in common use for over two hundred years, until the middle of the nineteenth century when flintlock weapons were finally superseded by those with percussion locks.
Brandon gun flints were well regarded as they had a lower rate of misfire than flints from other sources. This was due to the high quality of the flint from this site.
Knapped flints were still produced in the 1950s for export to South Africa, where flintlock blunderbuss weapons were still in use for game shooting.
Size: 2.6 x 2.2 x 0.7 centimetres (size of largest flint)
Weight: 20 grams (total weight)