Changing priming powder

[Pierre du Plessis]

Good morning all!

I have been wondering about this quite some time now... when hunting with my flintlock in damp weather, how often do I need to change my priming? I do know that I should probably seal the frizzen with beeswax, but am just curious. In the past I have actually never primed before-hand - only doing so upon seeing game. And I have also kept a feather in the touch-hole in order to maintain the integrity of the main charge. Is this necessary for a 2-3 hour hunt, sitting on the ground or up in a tree?

Thanks!

 

[Stumpkiller]

When I'm out in the damp I keep a waxed cow's knee over my lock and the muzzle slightly down at all times. As much as possible I try to keep my torso (hat/cape/vest) over the lock for added "roofing". I do not put wax on the frizzen or around the lip of the pan.

The only time I change prime is if I suspect moisture got to the pan. Like when a branch load of snow comes down for a visit or after a cloud burst lets up. If I'm moving around I will refresh the prime after I eat lunch.

 

[BrownBear]

I just open the pan and shift the gun side to side. If the prime still slides freely, it's okay. If it hesitates a little before starting to slide, I dump it, wipe the pan and replace.

In our wet, wet climate that can be as often as every half hour. If I'm in hot deer country on a wet day, I change it even more often, just cuzz.

 

[Billnpatti]

It is kind of hard to answer this question because it depends so much on the weather, your gun (how well the pan seals), how protected your gun is from the elements and what powder you are using in your pan.

The wetter the weather, the more often you will need to change your pan charge. The better the seal between your frizzen and your pan, the less often you will have to change the pan charge. If you are hunting from a blind that has a roof to keep rain off you, the less frequently your pan will need to be changed. If you are out in the elements and you are able to keep your pan well covered so that any rain, snow, etc. can get in, the less frequently you will have to change your pan charge. Even the granulation of your powder will effect how often you will need to change the charge in your pan. If you cnarge your pan with something like Goex 3fG, it will not need changing as often as when you use something very fine like Swiss Null B.

In the end, it will all be up to you to determine when to change your charge, I think it is like BrownBear said, check your pan frequently and when it shows signs of becoming damp and not moving freely in your pan, change it. It is but a tiny amount of powder so you can afford to err on the safe side by changing it every time it shows any signs of becoming clumpy and not flowing freely.

 

[Kenny54]

i hunt mostly in late season which means snow and rain and am a tracker so must always have gun primed and ready. i learned to check my prime often, as brown bear says, just cause. i put a piece of HC tape on the end of barrel and use tracks mink lube around pan with an oiled cows knee draped loosely over lock, attach with a thong to trigger guard and just flip it off for quick shots like when tracking etc. you can lift frizzen and check or replace prime and just smooth the mink oil back around pan with your finger. I've had very good luck with this system. just be careful when checking prime that you don't tip your head down and let water or snow drip from your hat into the pan. ask me how i know this

 

[Rifleman1776]

Theoretically, never.
If your lock, pan especially, is clean to start with the powder can remain as long as you keep water out of it. High humidity won't be a problem. I keep my frizzen closed and my hand over the lock in that kind of weather. I do have a habit of checking the prime frequently to keep it even. Really, I have been surprised a time or two when I let moisture get in at how well it will still ignite.

 

[hanshi]

I do the same thing as Stumpkiller.

 

[buzz]

Do the same as brown bear but i try keep my lock covered as much as i can

 

[Ken Cormier]

When it is raining I stay home. Now that I am getting old retired I can hunt any day that I want. So I don't need to worry about keeping it dry.

 

[hanshi]

Actually I stay home, too. I use to be an old fool and did those stupid things; but I'm younger and wiser, now.

 

[larryp]

I just open the pan and shift the gun side to side. If the prime still slides freely, it's okay. If it hesitates a little before starting to slide, I dump it, wipe the pan and replace

I spent this last week out hunting in the rain almost every day and this was the procedure I followed. If it started raining to any degree I carried the gun muzzle down with the lock under my armpit which seemed to keep it pretty dry. This works better than even the "cow's knee".

 

[BrownBear]

Make for pretty limited hunting here if I stayed home when it was wet. I imagine back in the day, it made for hungry bellies too.

 

[hanshi]

Understand, though, that I am not half the man I use to be; and probably never was. :hmm:

My mind is tough but my body is tender.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

When I'm out in the damp I keep a waxed cow's knee over my lock and the muzzle slightly down at all times. As much as possible I try to keep my torso (hat/cape/vest) over the lock for added "roofing". I do not put wax on the frizzen or around the lip of the pan.

The only time I change prime is if I suspect moisture got to the pan. Like when a branch load of snow comes down for a visit or after a cloud burst lets up. If I'm moving around I will refresh the prime after I eat lunch.

This is very sound. I prime with 3Fg instead of 4Fg, as I found the 4Fg seemed to get damp faster than the the larger powder, plus it's a lot simpler for me to use only one powder size.

I sometimes put a tiny bit of grease, forward of the lock, where the right side of the stock and the barrel meet again in drizzling or rainy weather, as I've seen water sorta run along that point like a rain gutter, toward my lock pan, and under my cow's knee.

If I take off the cow's knee, as I've seen deer at a distance coming my way, or heard something, and I wait and see that they've altered direction so are moving away from me, then I will dump the pan and reprime, before replacing the cow's knee and returning to watching the woods.

LD

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Out here in the Pacific Northwest where it rains 10 months a year. All Ive ever down is use a crayon around the frizzen lip.
Also wear me tricorn backwards as not to pour water inside when tilting me head down.
I load in the morning, fire after dark, charge the next morning

 

[Col. Batguano]

Do any of you use the old "tape over the open muzzle" trick with your ML'ers? I do it all the time with my modern rifles, but (so far), haven't with the ML'ers. No good reason (other than I just take them out on nice days and use cartridge guns when it's more inclement weather). I just haven't yet.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I don't. If water gets past the gasket of my lubed patched ball I'd be astonished. I just keep the muzzle down so rain doesn't get in.

And if I've been in the rain I pull the charge and clean at the end of the day.

 

[Billnpatti]

I rarely venture out in inclement weather. At one time, I bought some rubber finger cots at the drugstore. I put one over the muzzle of my rifle and it worked very well to keep rain and stuff out of my muzzle. It's been quite a while since I ventured out in inclement weather so the finger cots have probably all dry rotted but they worked well at one time. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

Do any of you use the old "tape over the open muzzle" trick with your ML'ers?

I do. But it's more about keeping out mud, snow and sticks in our rough, rough terrain. Always amazes me that guys talk about keeping their muzzles down to keep out rain. That's a sure prescription for bore blockage from slips and falls in our terrain. If no tape, I'd carry it muzzle-up in spite of the rain. Muzzle down means muzzle on the ground several times a day around here.

 

[jamesthomas]

The most important thing to make sure of is that your frizzen and pan make a TIGHT seal when its closed, that more than anything will keep your prime from getting wet. I had to do quite a bit of work with the file on my Siler to make a good fit and a some on my Bailes lock also.