New to shooting a flintlock. I have a Lyman Great Plains 50 cal and having problems keeping the powder in the priming pan. The frizzen looks like it closes tight and I can't figure out where the powder is falling out. I'm finding out that you can't sling it, lay it down on its side and I have to try to keep it up right all the time. You old time shooters got any advice on how to keep the powder in the pan?
How do you keep powder in the pan
- Thread starter Jar550
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lonewolf5347
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I would check and see if there is a small gap between the lock and the vent liner,you may have to inlet the lock a little deeper to sit tight againt the vent liner :thumbsup:
Something else you could try is priming with a larger powder size. If you're using 4f and it's falling down between the pan and the barrel it may be that 3f wouldn't be able to fit through the crack. Actually, there shouldn't be an opening there so closing it up would be a reasonable solution.
Mtn. Rifle
Mtn. Rifle
The first thing I would look at is if the flint is up against the frizzen in the half cock position. This is an obvious cause and often overlooked because it is so obvious. Even slightly touching the frizzen is enough to cause it to not seal correctly and let powder out of the pan.
Next, pull the lock off of the gun, close the pan, hold it up to the light and check if it is a good fit of frizzen to pan. If you have gaps with light showing the powder could be falling out through them.
Next, pull the lock off of the gun, close the pan, hold it up to the light and check if it is a good fit of frizzen to pan. If you have gaps with light showing the powder could be falling out through them.
First I go along with what the others have said. Now you said you can't sling or lay the rifle on its side. Well don't do either after you are primed. As both could and probably would let the prime enter the touch hole maybe all of it if the main charge isn't getting to the back side of the touch hole. Either way you will have a slow ignition the dreaded Klak siss boom the dread of all flinters and a missed shot.
Once primed the rifle should be held level or tilted to the lock side to keep the prime away from the touch hole. If you tilt it and the prime gets out of the pan you will need to correct the fit of the pan frizzen or use a larger size prime powder.
Fox :thumbsup:
Once primed the rifle should be held level or tilted to the lock side to keep the prime away from the touch hole. If you tilt it and the prime gets out of the pan you will need to correct the fit of the pan frizzen or use a larger size prime powder.
Fox :thumbsup:
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If your prime is leaking in between the barrel and the lock..... you've got a lot bigger problem than losing your prime. You've got a potential time bomb. One of these time when you touch it off, it will blow the lock off and possibly injure yourself or someone else.
Make sure you fix that problem first!!!
Then work on the rest.
Make sure you fix that problem first!!!
Then work on the rest.
I am not really and old timer but, I will give this a shot.
I have had the pan powder (4F) clump up on me while hunting on foggy mornings or in the snow. When conditions are just right, the cookie I call it, will stick to the bottom of the frizzen or what would be the lid to the pan. You open up the frizzen and look, there is nothing there, if you don't think to look at the bottom of the frizzen you would swear it had all fallen out. Not sure if that is your problem, just an observation to check. If this is the problem, try switching to 3F, it will not clump up as seasily as the 4F. Another trick, carry some denatured alcohol into the field with you in an old nasal spray bottle. On those damp days, spray a little on a cleaning patch, empty the pan and lay the alcohol dampened patch in the tray, close frizzen and let it sit a few minutes. As the alcohol evaporates, it draws water from the metal in the pan and frizzen as well as moisture from the main charge through the touch hole. This little trick can save a hang fire on a rainy or snowy hunting trip.
I have had the pan powder (4F) clump up on me while hunting on foggy mornings or in the snow. When conditions are just right, the cookie I call it, will stick to the bottom of the frizzen or what would be the lid to the pan. You open up the frizzen and look, there is nothing there, if you don't think to look at the bottom of the frizzen you would swear it had all fallen out. Not sure if that is your problem, just an observation to check. If this is the problem, try switching to 3F, it will not clump up as seasily as the 4F. Another trick, carry some denatured alcohol into the field with you in an old nasal spray bottle. On those damp days, spray a little on a cleaning patch, empty the pan and lay the alcohol dampened patch in the tray, close frizzen and let it sit a few minutes. As the alcohol evaporates, it draws water from the metal in the pan and frizzen as well as moisture from the main charge through the touch hole. This little trick can save a hang fire on a rainy or snowy hunting trip.
Russianblood
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On my GPR flintlock, I too was losing my prime. The frizzen doesn't cover the pan completely. What I did was build up around the pan with JB weld so there were no gaps left between the frizzen and the pan.
:hmm: Never heard of such a thing...pulling moisture out of the main charge on a wet day?J.R. said:
Seems like that sort of process would be working on full overload pulling all the closer moisture out of the air right all around the alcohol patch instead of reaching past all the moist air and pulling moisture out of the powder from inside. :shocked2:
I just refresh my 4F often and never let it cake up so there's never a misfire worry...however, I do carry a few of those foil wrapped alcohol wipes for cleaning the frizzen, flint, and pan after taking a shot.
roundball said:
Oh, I am replacing the pan powder often under these conditions. One foggy morning here recently that 4F went into a hunk in as little as 20 minutes. I can get longer intervals between necessary pan powder replacement if I hit the pan area with alcohol every now and then.
What is the alcohol doing? I don't know how to effectively test that. Only thing I can offer is the anecdotal evidence of two different flintlock hunters caught in the same rainstorm, one employed this alcohol patch method during the rain and after, the other only replacing pan powder. At the end of the day the alcohol treated flintlock went off like normal, the other had a very pregnant pause of a hang-fire. I know a lot of variables are possible there but I believe the theory is sound.
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Smallpatch makes a very good point and I agree with what he has said. Many years ago I actually saw this take place. I mean - the powder was sifting into the space between the barrel and stock. When the conditions were just "wrong" there was a tremendous prime build up and it lit off. The shooter was burned on his face and trigger hand. Not very badly but it was scary. I don't know how he fixed the problem but there was considerable talk about the mishap at the range for a long time.
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Mr. Jar550,
On first use of our Lyman Trade Rifle, noticed it was losing powder via a very narrow gap between lock and barrel.
As a field expedient measure, trimed a thin piece of oiled leather to fill the space snuggly (under compression) when the lock retaining bolt was tightened. It has worked so well, we never got around to inletting the stock for a proper fit of the lock. That was well over 12 years ago.
Yes, I'm a little on the lazy side :redface: but we haven't lost any powder since.
Best Wishes
On first use of our Lyman Trade Rifle, noticed it was losing powder via a very narrow gap between lock and barrel.
As a field expedient measure, trimed a thin piece of oiled leather to fill the space snuggly (under compression) when the lock retaining bolt was tightened. It has worked so well, we never got around to inletting the stock for a proper fit of the lock. That was well over 12 years ago.
Yes, I'm a little on the lazy side :redface: but we haven't lost any powder since.
Best Wishes
You can take a roundball and smash it out with a hammer and trim it to fit making a spacer to fit between the lock and barrel.
I have one rifle thats not snug fit and with a flash hole liner installed and not ground off it cant seat.
I just keep track of whats going on and have had no problems. I will fix this later when I finish building its replacement.
I have one rifle thats not snug fit and with a flash hole liner installed and not ground off it cant seat.
I just keep track of whats going on and have had no problems. I will fix this later when I finish building its replacement.
It's the only flinter that I have fired, and my experience is not otherwise extensive, but I notice that the frizzen on my TRS Baker rifle fits the priming pan with absolutely no gaps. I get no priming powder leakage whatever. All I had around was 3f powder, so I used this for priming and it worked fine.
The first day that I fired it, I also tried the 'upside down' firing test as advised: no problem with that, either.
The first day that I fired it, I also tried the 'upside down' firing test as advised: no problem with that, either.
