Pan flash - from INSIDE the barrel

[glw]

While waiting for some new flints and such I pushed my bore camera down the barrel of my new (to me) TC Hawken .54 flintlock to check its condition. Then I wondered: what does it look like on the inside when the pan fires? I jury-rigged something to protect the camera and made this video. I guess it's pretty much what you'd expect but interesting nonetheless. I wish it were slow-motion. The light's along the edge are some annoying reflections caused by the plexiglass window I put over the camera lens to protect it.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Interesting!

 

[Sidney Smith]

Kid of resembles a spark plug firing, only not as hot.

 

[ppb]

Neat! Looks like it should do the job...

 

[tom_in_vt]

Very cool to watch!

 

[Brokennock]

Have you tried actually shooting the gun yet?

 

[Art Caputo]

Interesting! Thanks for posting.

 

[glw]

Have you tried actually shooting the gun yet?

Not yet. I waiting for some English flints from TOTW and I need some balls as well. I was gonna wait till the weather got cooler but I don't think I can wait that long.

 

[SolidLeadSlug]

Cool!

 

[Brokennock]

Not yet. I waiting for some English flints from TOTW and I need some balls as well. I was gonna wait till the weather got cooler but I don't think I can wait that long.

I was just curious if you could get full ignition or not. I'm sure you can, just not sure how reliably or consistently.
This is one of the few cases where I think I would try some blanks 1st. Just stuff some wadding over the powder. Why have to pull a ball if it won't go bang?

 

[PathfinderNC]

Very cool! What a great experiment. The fun with guns type of thing

 

[Musketeer]

Super cool. Thank you.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Not yet. I waiting for some English flints from TOTW and I need some balls as well.

I've said this before, I'll say it again, in the group I run with you'd get a Mountain Man name with comments like this.....................................

Thanks for the chuckle...........

 

[Larry Akers]

The Bevel Brothers did an article for Muzzle Blasts several years ago on this subject. They wanted to see if the placement of powder in the pan made a difference in the amount of fire inside the barrel. They filmed the flashes with a high-speed camera and also timed the events. They found that the least amount of fire inside the barrel occurred with the powder banked away from the touch hole and the most fire inside the barrel occurred with the powder banked against the touch hole. The visual difference was dramatic. The difference in time was insignificant to a shooter, being just a few milli-seconds. Which method do you think would give more positive and consistent ignition?

 

[Mulemauler]

Way cool! Answers a number of questions, thank you.

 

[McClura]

GLW, sent you a Private Message. Great video.

Mike

 

[OldSmoky1967]

While waiting for some new flints and such I pushed my bore camera down the barrel of my new (to me) TC Hawken .54 flintlock to check its condition. Then I wondered: what does it look like on the inside when the pan fires? I jury-rigged something to protect the camera and made this video. I guess it's pretty much what you'd expect but interesting nonetheless. I wish it were slow-motion. The light's along the edge are some annoying reflections caused by the plexiglass window I put over the camera lens to protect it.

Pretty cool!

 

[glw]

The Bevel Brothers did an article for Muzzle Blasts several years ago on this subject. They wanted to see if the placement of powder in the pan made a difference in the amount of fire inside the barrel. They filmed the flashes with a high-speed camera and also timed the events. They found that the least amount of fire inside the barrel occurred with the powder banked away from the touch hole and the most fire inside the barrel occurred with the powder banked against the touch hole. The visual difference was dramatic. The difference in time was insignificant to a shooter, being just a few milli-seconds. Which method do you think would give more positive and consistent ignition?

Full disclosure: I do image processing software for a living so this stuff is right up my alley. It would be fun to figure this out.

But first, I'd better just go shoot the gun. But the heat index is supposed to be over 100 this weekend so I might not.

 

[ord sgt]

This experiment needs to be done with cap locks to see how much flame is introduced into the barrel from different percussion caps.
I do not have any equipment to do the tests so we need the technical people to step forward.

 

[Norman Brooks]

I done a stop action. Looks like it should set off the main charge with no problem...