I've heard it said that if you put in the time and practice to become proficient with a flinter, you will improve with everything else you shoot also, and I believe it. To a degree, I found that true with precussion.

Sounds like you need one of each! Then practice till proficiency is reached. Mainly, enjoy it! It is fun!

While nobody in his right mind wold argue the flintlock is a mechanically superior system. I will say that I own a couple of professionally tuned flintlock rifles. One is a Hershall House poorboy with a Bob Roller handmade lock. The gun also has a properly positioned and countersunk flash hole liner. The darn thing is as fast as any standard percussion sidelock gun I own (not an inline mind you...) I also own a Siler lock tuned by a local guy who has been shooting blackpowder guns for 50 years...its not quite as fast as the handmade job...but close. Neither of these rifles give you a woosh-bang.
Many of the commercially available guns are decent enough but they need some work on the locks and will improve 100%. Also people tend to fill the flash pans too full and this slows down the ignition as well.
A good flintlock is a thing of joy and a marvel to shoot in front of people who don't know any better....

percussion to flintlock is a natural progression we all go thru.. i have all my caplocks still, and have moved on to a chambers 16 gauge smoothbore. i shoot a duck or more every year with it. so buy what intreags you usually an entry level gun and if its in the closet all the time so be it. if you find it out continually , tinkering , shooting , hunting,for a year or two, it may become a time to move on to a quality flintlock, which will cost but worth every penny if you like blackpowder.. the caplock will still be a good thing to a have around, and maybee a friend/ relative will like to go along on a hunting trip.. .. dave..

Excuse the post

The flintlock is the choice for me. Not that I dislike the cap, or in-lines. Not a thing wrong with any of them, as long as you have quality equiptment. I own several of both caplocks & flintlocks. I have one flinter in perticular that has a long delay before ignition occures, but that is a cheeply slapped together kit. When I get done tricking it out, it will be every bit a great as my T/C Hawken flintlock, or my beloved old timer, the Hatfield Flintlock. Both of these rifles shoot better & are more reliable then most of my caplocks. 1 is an antique & the other is moderan. But they both shoot superior because they were made correctly.I use the English flints only when I am out of French ambers. With a quality flint, a tricked out lock & the vent hole PROPERLY alined, you will find out that it would be difficult for most caplocks to equal them. What ever ya do, never fill the priming pan full. It will not be able to travel threw the vent until the powder burns off enough to be at the vents level.

One thing that I also do to help speed the discharge, I take my priming powder(4F),& pour some a bowl & farther crush the powder even more finer then it already is. This super fine powder burns alot faster & the flame reached the vent as fast, or nearly as fast as it takes for the flint to reach the base of the frizzen.

If I am shooting one of my caplockes,I put some of my recrushed 4f in the port of my nipple. Plus, one other thing that I do to the nipples, is before I put it in the drum, I secure it in my vise that I keep atatched to my drill press, & bore out the inside openin of the nipple with a drill bit just alittle bit smaller the O.D.whith of it. By doing this, it allows the spark to hit your powder up against the breech.