Flintlock loading technique...pick in?

[Cruzatte]

I used to insert the pick just before beginning the loading sequence. I lost several vent picks I had that way. They all either fell out, or blew out.

I tried inserting the pick just before priming. I never noticed a difference, unless it was very humid. But then on the other hand, forcing a column of air down an empty barrel while swabbing between shots seemed to clear out any minor obstruction. If that didn't work, that meant I was lax in my cleaning.

Nope, I don't do it any more.

 

[Griz44Mag]

After 20 or more shots my Bess needs a good bore wipe and a breech scrape with a bladed jag.
The crud builds up in the bottom and I do need to pick it to keep it shooting.
A few minutes for a wipe and scrape get it up for the next 20 or so rounds, but usually by then I am retiring back to the house...
I do not plug the vent hole when loading with the Bess or with the Pedersoli guns with the patent style breech.
Ignition is very dependable in both.

 

[Ames]

I never use one for loading. I'll clean the hole if I'm cleaning up the pan after a lot of shots but that's it.
Besides, if you keep picking it, it will never heal.

 

[Sparkitoff]

At the range today I tried both ways with two different rifles. They were both more reliable and faster ignition WITHOUT the pick in upon pouring powder and seating the ball. I did find myself just poking into the touch-hole after loaded and before priming just to feel a little crunch of powder. That was only to satisfy myself that indeed the powder was in place. Twice with the same rifle this "curiosity poke" revealed there was not powder there, and a good hand whack on the opposite side of the stock cured it. So I guess NO PICK IN while loading is the way to go, however a little prod for reassurance didn't seem to hurt anything and in fact may have saved at least two shots from not going off instantly. Thanks for the replies!

 

[Griz44Mag]

Besides, if you keep picking it, it will never heal.

I always wondered where that saying came from, now I know!

 

[Eric Krewson]

I do leave a toothpick in my touch hole for the extended periods of time I may I leave my rifle loaded during deer season to hopefully slow the migration of ambient moisture into the powder charge.

 

[Ben Meyer]

I load the charge, poke the pick thru the touchhole once, prime, and shoot. I was taught by some old timers on the line at Friendship to only fill the priming pan about 1/3 full with 4f and to never block the touch hole with priming powder. They said running the puck into the charge, basically poking a hole in the compacted column of powder in the barrel, further creates an "avenue" for the fire caused by the flash to reach the powder quicker. Or something like that.

I'm not an expert. But ever since I started doing this, I rarely if ever get misfires. And if I do, it's because I wore the Flint out. A quick snapping and repositioning of the Flint has always fixed things.

 

[Dibbuk]

I have a .32 flintlock, and due to the small caliber, yes, I put the pick in the touch hole before loading.

 

[Atticus69]

I hav

In my opinion, whether to put a pick into the vent before loading or to leave it out with the vent hole wide open to the world depends on the way the breech is designed.

On most custom flintlocks, the vent hole or vent liner goes directly thru the barrel wall into the bore. A very short, direct path.
With these, leaving the pick in the vent hole while loading the gun won't cause any problems. In fact, many think doing this creates a hollow cone in the powder charge at the vent and this hollow exposes more of the fresh powder charge to the pan flash that comes thru the vent hole so it increases the reliability and speed of the gun.

On many of the flintlocks made by the big companies like Pedersoli, Thompson Center and Traditions, the flame channel that connects the bottom of the bore with the vent hole is a rather small, long hole that the fresh powder must pass thru to get to the vent hole or liner.
With designs of this kind, the vent hole should be left open, without the vent pick in place.
Leaving it open allows the air that is trapped under the bullet or patched ball a way to escape when the ball or bullet is rammed down the barrel. In the process of escaping, the air blast will blow some of the new powder charge thru the flame channel to the vent hole so it will be exposed to the pan flash.
Plugging the vent hole with this design will keep the fresh powder from being blown thru the flame channel so, very little of the new powder charge will end up at the vent.

This same sort of thing happens with the factory made percussion guns. If the shooter leaves a spent cap on the nipple or leaves the hammer down so it is resting on the nipple, the new powder charge will often not be blown back to the base of the nipple. This can and does cause mis-fires in the cap guns.

With these "chambered breech" or "patent breech" guns, after the ball or bullet is rammed, picking the vent hole before filling the pan can create the same sort of hollowed cone in the new powder charge at the vent as leaving the vent pick in place does with the direct "thru the barrel wall" style guns.

I have an old Narragansett Arms Tulle that I have found ignites noticeably faster if I put the pick in the touch hole and leave it in til the loading process is complete. Not so much with my Lyman GPR. I have come to use this procedure on all my flinters however, to use the pick like a loaded chamber indicator to help me from dryballing, seems the older I get the more easily I get distracted!

 

[olskool]

I never do,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[excess650]

I have one rifle that seems to benefit from loading with the pick in the vent while loading. The others seem to just fine without, and I'm speaking of afternoons at the range and only an occasional wiping when necessary.

 

[TerryK]

With a good rifle it is not needed, and with a poor rifle, it is a misdirection of the issue in my opinion.

 

[Kansas Kid]

I like to insert soft iron wire pick that is on a short string tied to trigger guard. I remove it just before seating the ball. So my guns must only be fair

 

[Loyalist Dave]

When loading, do you put a pick in the touch-hole first and then pour powder and seat the patched ball? Or do you drop powder, seat the patched ball and then shove a pick in the touch-hole? I've heard (and now have seen) both and am curious which way you do it and why. Any other tidbits of technique for "picking" the touch-hole? Thanks

On my .40 caliber rifle, Patience, I load her with the "pick" in...well it's a round wooden dowel with a pointed tip, made from a cooking skewer. None of the rest of my rifles do I do this. In none of my smoothbores do I do this. No idea why, other than I don't have a vent liner installed, but Patience is reliable when I do this.

LD

 

[Flintandsteel]

I have several vent picks, can't say I've ever used one. Of course, I live in AZ, super low humidity, so maybe I don't deal with mud in my pan and touch hole.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I have several vent picks, can't say I've ever used one. Of course, I live in AZ, super low humidity, so maybe I don't deal with mud in my pan and touch hole.

Good point.
On foggy humid days here in Metro-mess Texas it is necessary to clean-wipe-poke until the barrel and pan get nice and warm.

 

[rp77469]

I'm a bit south of Houston. Sometimes the pan draws so much damp the skeeters use it for a swimming pool.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I'm a bit south of Houston. Sometimes the pan draws so much damp the skeeters use it for a swimming pool.

LOL, I thought South of Houston was called the Gulf of Mexico, no wonder your pan is wet!

 

[hanshi]

I'm with Dave

Plus 1

 

[MIOutdoorsman]

When I'm at the range, I tend to run a cleaning patch down the barrel between shots, and when I do this, I can often feel a puff of air coming through the touch hole on my leg--and can usually see a little black residue puff out. This tells me that my touch hole is clear, so I don't see the need (or reason) why I'd want to use a pick in the touch hole during or after loading. I always assumed the pick was for clearing a clogged touch hole, which I've had to do on those rare occasions when it just wouldn't fire... but very rarely.