I MADE FIRE!!! - I didn't expect this...

[rhwestfall]

Okay, I finally got a chance to put all that I have been reading here to the test. I took my flinter out for the first time and actually made it go off!!!! TOO MUCH FUN!!!! I'm hooked!

Okay, here is the question: Is the absolutely greasy mess that resulted in the pan, on the frizzen, and all over the flint and lock normal? I was shooting Goex fffg in both the pan and the charge. Had to spent about 3-5 minutes after each shot to clean things up or it wouldn't fire again. Haven't seen anyone ever comment about this.

Had a couple of hang-fires and a pan flash but for the most part there was no delay. Used about 1.5 pushes from my TC pan charger to make it happy. 75g loads and a prb.

For the record, I seasoned the bore with TC Bore Butter and was shooting pre-lubed TC patches. Had no issues with fouling in the barrel. Last ball set as easy as the first.

Thanks for everything you guys have put here. It really helped.

BobW :front:

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Bob W That greasy mess in the pan will change with the weather quite likely, what was the humidity when you were shooting? I have that trouble some days and not others. :winking: Rocky

 

[susie s]

As my dear departed chemist shooting friend used to say,"The powder is rather deliquescent today." In high humidity it gets rather sticky and gooey-draws liquid. I'm perpetually wiping off the flint, pan, and frizzen with my thumb and then wiping all that off on whatever is handy (if I'm in a woods match where I don't have all my other stuff handy). I've cut my thumb on the flint a couple of times, though, got to be careful. I never travel without a couple of bandaids in my pouch. In Indiana in the summer we often have very high humidity. When it is drier out, I have no problem. I use 7 f in my pan. S :results:

 

[bob1961]

during a warm day in winter where the humidty was low i've shot 35 rounds and i didn't even wipe the bore let alone the flint and pan....wanted to see how far i could go without doing so....my last range session bout a month ago i had to wipe bout every 2-3 shots....and yes it was a humid day then..........bob

 

[Wart]

Agreed, the humidity can be a bummer. Keep a strip of rag tied to you shooting bag or use your shirt to wipe the pan. One thing you might want to do is to put your prime to the far side of the pan (so it can flash across the pan into the touch hole). I also prick the touch hole before each shot (this is just the way I was taught). When you wipe the pan, don't forget to wipe the flint as well, it gets gummy on the underside. Just be patient, you'll get it worked out. Before you know it, you'll be shooting in the rain and thinking to yourself "wow" I haven't had a misfire today ... then you'll have a day when you may have one every shot ... its part of this wonderful world of blackpowder and flinters ... you gotta love it :thumbsup:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Me thinks better the gooey mess than a rock hard boulder growing in the pan here in this dry (very) part of Arizona. I just spit on a finger and give the pan a wipe about every shot. :results:

 

[roundball]

Okay, I finally got a chance to put all that I have been reading here to the test. I took my flinter out for the first time and actually made it go off!!!! TOO MUCH FUN!!!! I'm hooked!

Okay, here is the question: Is the absolutely greasy mess that resulted in the pan, on the frizzen, and all over the flint and lock normal? I was shooting Goex fffg in both the pan and the charge. Had to spent about 3-5 minutes after each shot to clean things up or it wouldn't fire again. Haven't seen anyone ever comment about this.

Had a couple of hang-fires and a pan flash but for the most part there was no delay. Used about 1.5 pushes from my TC pan charger to make it happy. 75g loads and a prb.

For the record, I seasoned the bore with TC Bore Butter and was shooting pre-lubed TC patches. Had no issues with fouling in the barrel. Last ball set as easy as the first.

Thanks for everything you guys have put here. It really helped.
BobW :front:

Lots of humid days here in central NC too...particularly from May through September...I use alcohol to clean the lock items with sections of old wash cloths, q-tips, and pipecleaners...the frizzen face, frizzen bottom, flint, pan, and vent liner.

I saved a water bottle with one of those quick-resealable tops and pour a whole bottle of drug-store alcohol into that for use at the range. (For hunting, I carry a few individually foil wrapped alcohol wipes in the pouch for a good cleanup after a shot)

When range shooting in humidity I just use the rag to make a quick wipe of the pan after every shot...then about every 5 shots, I use the alcohol and other items to completely clean up all the lock items in general.

The 'soup' in the pan will also gum up the little plunger/dispenser on your pan primer if you keep pressing it down into a gooey pan, and the pipe cleaners are invaluable for occasionally cleaning out that plunger.

Glad to see the Goex and bore butter worked as advertised...Flintlocks are fun !!
:redthumb:

 

[amccall]

Bob, with borebutter and warmer weather, yes it is messy. I use moose milk or spit for target practice and bore butter for hunting with rifles. Usually hunting is in colder weather and bore butter is not as messy, also you can keep your rifle loaded for longer periods without worrying about it fouling the powder. I also use 90% or better isopropyl alcohol with murphys oil soap mixed in to clean the barrel after each shot and I take a patch with that mixture to clean the pan and flint every 4 to 5 shots. After each shot I usually take a clean dry patch and wipe the pan/flint, takes about 5 seconds. The alcohol and murphys oil soap is great to have. Keeps things clean, displaces water, dries fast and you can put some on a rag with some water and clean your hands. :thumbsup:

 

[The Baron]

Okay, I finally got a chance to put all that I have been reading here to the test. I took my flinter out for the first time and actually made it go off!!!! TOO MUCH FUN!!!! I'm hooked!

BobW - I know how you feel! I'm pretty new to the flintlock world and having a lot of fun at it.

I had a similar problem to you with pan flashes, misfires, etc and had to clean the pan/vent thoroughly every 3-4 shots to be reliable. Thanks for getting the topic out here.

 

[doverdog]

I believe that when shooting a flinter "Cleanliness is next to Godliness", so to speak. I have made it my routine, for EVERY shot, to do the following. When I have stepped to the line with a loaded gun, my last actions are: wet a finger with spit and wipe the underside of the flint, the frizzen, and the pan. Then, using a strip of rag I have tied to my belt, I wipe those areas dry. I then use the touchhole pick and pick the hole, all the way into the powder charge. This system results in almost 100% reliable ingnition, the only misfires coming from when the flint gets dull. I don't swab the bore at all, having no problems firing an entire 25 shot match, when using my Cat Whiz homemade patch lube.

 

[rhwestfall]

Thanks everyone. :thanks: I could reply to each and every on of you that yes, it was about as humid as it could possibly be. You were dead on for that one! :RO: Actually, it was rain/drizzle the whole day. :curse: So I guess that except for the late season - minus 20 days here in New York (western and upstate) I can expect this to happen all the time I shoot. I did get a box of alcohol wipes for my hunting bag, but I never expected that much of a mess in the pan. A the fun of making fire. :curse: I'm hooked!!!

BobW

 

[bbassi]

Had a couple of hang-fires and a pan flash but for the most part there was no delay.

Hey BobW,

Wow, your experience is very similar to the experience my friend had last weekend. Except my friend had at least 3 or 4 mis-fires in his new gun before it actually went off the first time. :blah: And then there was a string of 12 or 13 mis-fires in between loads at one point. :crackup: :crackup:

All in all though, I could tell my friend had a great time being "hooked" on flintlocks (you couldn't wipe the smile off his face). Hopefully his new gun will be more reliable this fall than his "old" muzzleloader come deer season. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

 

[Zonie]

bbassi: Use the Power of the Force! The Force is with you!!

What force? This one...The Muzzleloading Forum.
The Force will tell you to tell your friend to get a 1/16 drill bit and to use it to drill out the touch hole.
If his/her gun is a .50 or larger, a 5/64 drill will work even better.

If he/she is loading with real black powder, almost every time the pan lites off, the gun will fire. ::

After he/she fires 10-20 shots in a row without a miss-fire or a noticeable delay, THEN they will be Hooked. ::

 

[Grantman]

One thing that really helps with that gooey mess in the pan is to snap the frizzen closed immediatedly after firing. The residual heat in the pan will help dry things out.