How do you prime?

[Harry Marinakis]

Small priming horn.

No brass nozzle, I hate those things. On humid or wet days they get clogged.

 

[Crow Choker]

Wondering to those of you who load with FF and prime with the same and to those of you who may be in the know; is there a slower ignition time using FF vs FFF. Wondering since FF is courser than FFF and supposedly has a slower burn time than FFF if it affects the ignition of the powder in the pan to set off the barrel charge. The MO for flint shooting has always stated to use the finer FFFF in the pan but reading how may of you who load with FFF and have great results in priming with the same IMO deletes the need to use FFFF. I can see where shooting off a table at targets using a separate priming horn or apparatus wouldn't be much of a hassle, but shooting on a woods walk or in hunting having to deal with a separate priming device would just be another step or hassle for a fast reload. Have been a TC percussion shooter since '74, will just be getting started on a Kibler build.

 

[Banjoman]

I can’t tell any difference between 2f or 3f for priming if it’s primed correctly.

 

[deerstalkert]

I made a antler priming horn with the 3g spring doohickey. probably posted this before, but still use it and it works so well don't think I will replace it any time soon. poured pewter cap, with turned buffalo horn plug.

 

[maillemaker]

Lp0

???

You tear the cartridge, prime the pan from the cartridge, cast about, pour the powder down the barrel, and then load the rest of the cartridge down the barrel.

 

[CyrusP]

I’ve been shooting smoothbore exclusively these last several months. My .62 NWTG and new to me 12 gauge Blunderbuss both get Goex FF from my horn and I prime using the same powder from same horn and this has given me zero issues. No doodads needed. I love the simplicity and HC.

 

[Grenadier1758]

You tear the cartridge, prime the pan from the cartridge, cast about, pour the powder down the barrel, and then load the rest of the cartridge down the barrel.

That's the military method when using paper cartridges. With that method, you are putting different amounts of powder in the pan and different amounts of powder to send the charge down range. Since we are not facing a line of enemy soldiers, leave the charging from the cartridge to reenactors firing blanks.

I prime my blank loads from a paper cartridge. Prime first, then dump the remaining powder down the barrel. The leftover paper is tossed on the ground. Nothing in the barrel but powder. There is a chance of an ember setting off the charge after several blank shots fired, but at least there is nothing but powder in the barrel. Reenacting range rules limit the powder charge to powder only. No tamping of the paper wadding for a louder report and no use of the ramrod.

During live fire competitions, we are required to prime from a separate priming device. While the muskets are safety checked for hold at half cock, most range rules require one to prime only when ready to fire. We use pretty coarse powder and do not see the filling of the pan on loading powder. I have either a small priming horn or a brass tube that releases priming powder.