Making ffffg from fffg BP?

[user 33697]

Hi guys,

I'm considering purchasing my first flint pistol from Dixie Gun Works. I currently have a good supply of fffg Geox BP but no ffffg on hand for the flash pan. I was wondering if any forum member has a method to possibly grind small amounts of fffg to a finer ffffg consistency for use in a flash pan? Possibly a small marble or porcelain motar and pestle comes to mind for carefully grinding fffg BP to a finer ffffg consistency. Additionally, does any forum member just use fffg in their flint pistol flash pan with successful ignition sans ffffg?

 

[PathfinderNC]

Hi guys,

I'm considering purchasing my first flint pistol from Dixie Gun Works. I currently have a good supply of fffg Geox BP but no ffffg on hand for the flash pan. I was wondering if any forum member has a method to possibly grind small amounts of fffg to a finer ffffg consistency for use in a flash pan? Possibly a small marble or porcelain motar and pestle comes to mind for carefully grinding fffg BP to a finer ffffg consistency. Additionally, does any forum member just use fffg in their flint pistol flash pan with successful ignition sans ffffg?

I do it regularly. I use a porcelan bowl and a rounded wooden dowel as a pestle. Grind slowly and always wear eye protection. Been doing it for 30 years this way.

 

[bore_butter]

i've been shooting my Traditions Trapper Flint Lock with fffg in the pan and it always fires the load with no detectable lag time.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The grinding of 3g into 4fg is one of those practices that has a sort of theoretical basis that seems sound, but in practice (Yes, @PathfinderNJ, I know you and others have ground powder for many years) the grinding seems to work. But so does using 3fg in the pan. In my Bess, 2fg works fine.

Many a thread on the Forum that supports the use of 3fg in the pan. Larry Plecher's study of pan ignition has verified that 4fg in the pan is faster than 3fg, but it takes some pretty sophisticated measuring instruments to do it.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, there's nothing to gain by grinding up courser grained powder.
Much of it will turn to dust.

Also, 3Fg powder works just about as well as 4Fg powder to prime a flintlock. As I recall, Pletch's experiments when he timed ignition speeds in a flintlock only showed a few thousandths of a second gain for 4F over 3Fg. Far too small of a gain for a human to detect without special instrumentation.

 

[Rudyard]

I might add that one sort of open spark gun that does benefit from snuff like crushed power is the matchlock , Since the glaze on normal powder being broken away renders the snuff like primeing more sure fire . Wherass the glazed courser powder will some times snub out or cause that 'hang onto' hold down range . Very often when you think it isn't going to go as you allow the match to come away it then decides to go off ! .The snuff like prime mostly avoids that and improves your scoreing ability . I once shot a match at Bisley with a common lock of 12 bore it didn't give fire. I held then as I brought it down it fired propelling the gun to my rear I just scooped it up and proceeded to reload as you would . But seemed to supprise a bystander ( Who clearly didn't shoot Matchlock events ) .The snap matchlock locks are generally better but all improuve for fine priming . While the match lock coal is Red hot it isn't the cintilating molten globules of White hot steel that come with a flint & steel lock . Bit of a down side But think of the saveing of buying flints !.
Rudyard

 

[No second place]

When 4f was in short supply years ago I used this method with no problems to save my slight supply for Matches. Only issue is it`s more often clog your despencer in damp weather. Just make sure your main supply is not near the small amount you are grinding. I grind less than 5 grains at a time with eye protection...gently...I prefer Swiss Null-B (about 7f)...I would not use 3f in my pans for match shooting as my experiments have shown it to seem a bit slower on average and more important to "slowfire" or "hangfire" more often...c


I'm considering purchasing my first flint pistol from Dixie Gun Works. I currently have a good supply of fffg Geox BP but no ffffg on hand for the flash pan. I was wondering if any forum member has a method to possibly grind small amounts of fffg to a finer ffffg consistency for use in a flash pan? Possibly a small marble or porcelain motar and pestle comes to mind for carefully grinding fffg BP to a finer ffffg consistency. Additionally, does any forum member just use fffg in their flint pistol flash pan with successful ignition sans ffffg?

 

[ord sgt]

It was said before, but I will repeat....FFFg works very well as pan priming powder. There is no lost lock time with FFFg over FFFFg. It also saves a little money. No extra powder to buy.

 

[No second place]

"It was said before, but I will repeat....FFFg works very well as pan priming powder. There is no lost lock time with FFFg over FFFFg. It also saves a little money. No extra powder to buy."


Yes, If you are plinking and playing around shooting 3f is just fine. My reference was to Match grade shooting...Winning matches...4f-7f is what the guys do to get the gold. Have not met any champions who prefer 4f since trying Null-B "7f" Swiss came out. Before spending about double on it I asked a few National Champions If they noticed an improvement in ignition. All said Yes. Many said it was better than having to grind their 4f...c

 

[bore_butter]

my biggest fear of going to the range on my harley carying my bp revolvers, is that my fffg would turn into ffffg on the trip.