Pan Powder for Flintlock Rifle

[Muddly]

From small acorns( thoughts), grow mighty oaks( threads). I wonder, does the ( ever so slightly) longer burn time of 3f give potentially better ignition due to its duration?
Unburned Holy Black can,and will, absorb moisture. I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers old Goex cans with rust on them from errant powder. Black lasts forever so long as its kept DRY. Damp, it fizzles. Wet, it makes passable ink.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

I don't think I am qualited to comment on Priming but I do believe that the piming cannot be to fine.In days of yore ,may be your ancestorts only had what they could carry. One flask of powder? One comment . Always turn your gun Lock Side up and smack the stock after you finish loading. I'm only an amature as I don't shoot a Flint gun to live. Just for Gold and Sunday lunch. OLD DOG..

 

[Rick1]

I Want to re-brown (rust)a small area on a flint rifle that has lost the original Brown color that I had applied some years ago when I built it. Was wondering if anyone tried a repair like this by soaking a small cotton flannel patch soaked in table salt & water to the area that I want to rust blend in on the browned rifle. Hopefully if I applied a number of applications of salted water soaked rags until cotton patch dries and reapplied over a few days will rust the area and finally be washed and oiled to stop further rusting and leave a nice unnoticed repair.

 

[Cattywompuss]

3Fg will work fine. But, I am one of those who believe 4Fg ignites faster and that is what I use. As for attracting moisture, it doesn't do that. But BURNED bp of any granulation is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture.

I use 4f hunting and while it may not "attract" moisture, it definitely absorbs it in a damp environment. I hunt along the Tallapoosa River where it is always humid at a minimum. I have to dump my pan about once an hour hunting. Just my experience.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

I think that "possibly" his dead horse has been "flogged" long enough. There is so much conflicting advice to newbees so may I suggest -- For muskets- Fill the pan with as much of your barrel powder as possible. You need a BIG flash!! For Fine Euopean type Game guns with small narrow pans Keep it as Fine as you can find.. OLD DOG..

 

[Robby]

I Want to re-brown (rust)a small area on a flint rifle that has lost the original Brown color that I had applied some years ago when I built it. Was wondering if anyone tried a repair like this by soaking a small cotton flannel patch soaked in table salt & water to the area that I want to rust blend in on the browned rifle. Hopefully if I applied a number of applications of salted water soaked rags until cotton patch dries and reapplied over a few days will rust the area and finally be washed and oiled to stop further rusting and leave a nice unnoticed repair.

You could try Clorox. Keep an eye on it, wire brush it off and reapply as needed.
I use ffff, and can tell the difference.
Robby

 

[hanshi]

Four FFFF is my default prime, when I have it, and it works in most any type of priming tool/horn. Sometimes I have to use 3F in the pan and can't tell any difference. Never even tried 2F. I hunted in my native Georgia where it is hot and humid even into the fall. I never had 4F get wet in the pan before the rifle has fired. 4F has worked for me when hunting in drenching rain and ignited fast and effectively in the 100% humidity. I recall at one rendezvous on a super humid day when I could tip the barrel down and have black sludge drip out the muzzle; but the 4F prime never failed. I did thumb wipe the pan before priming.

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

Nevermind

 

[Cattywompuss]

Take this with a grain of salt because I'm as newby as newby can get with flintlocks. I didn't have any priming powder so used 2F and though I'm sure it is better I personally can't see why I'd pay $125 for a tin of 4F when 2F ignites this quickly.

Haven't bought powder since the spring but $125 for a pound of 4f sounds a bit higher than the $30 I paid in April.

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Don't get hung up on the wrong part of the post, it ignites fast is my point.

Surely it isn't the wrong part of the post if one justification for using 2 or 3f is price?

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

.

 

[Cattywompuss]

I understand you don't live here. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean I know the prices of powder where you do live. No offense is intended.

 

[Travis186]

I've started using 4F as prime for range work, but I honestly can't tell the difference between it and 3F. 2F I might can feel a slight delay but even that's not concrete evidence.

 

[ord sgt]

FFg in the pan, same powder as in the barrel. It worked well for the King's army for years. FFg also worked well in the colonial smoothbores for many years. FFg works well in the barrel and pan of my .69 calibre Charleville smoothbore. FFFg works very much good in all of my flintlock rifles and pistols, pan and barrel.

 

[William Lincoln]

These "split" "pre-charge" "duplex" "Kicker" loadings, where 3F or 4F is loaded before the main charge ,is described in the early Black powder manuals and major powder manufacturers directions
relating to substitutes. Small kicker charges prevent misfires when using substitutes, such as pyrodex and triple-7. However, it slows down and complicates loading. And no, you cannot mix-up the powders and load without getting unpredictable results. True, the finer the grain the more hygroscopic but the faster it burns, simply because grain size determines surface area available to combust. I do think that the key cause of issues is from the touch-hole outward, especially the lock.
A quality lock is actually a small machine and makes a huge difference in ignition. Also, with a
little tinder from the tinderbox, that lock will start your campfire.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The touch hole in my King's Musket is much larger than the touch hole in my other flintlocks. The pan easily holds twice the pan powder as the next largest pan. The pan is like a very fast bonfire. I have videos of using 1Fg as pan powder posted on the forum. It's not noticeably different from using 3Fg in the pan.

 

[Irishmusket]

Most large bore muskets the Kings arm aka brown bess was designed to used with 1f both for loading and priming works well .which is true with matchlock musket s and most military fire locks .even percussion military muskets in the day .4f may work for some people for priming their rifles 4f powder is much finer in damp conditions and in general packs together like flower it takes more spark to ignite 3 or better yet 2 not the case .How ever weather poorly fitted flint the wrong size flint or condition .Also poor lock condition dirty fouled flint frizzen pan or vent etc and of course to small a vent or vented to low in pan these are what usually slows. Ignition or flashes in the pan not what you use for priming F4f is for charging mortar bombs and hand grenades not for shooting rifles and muskets oh and 4f is used for blowing out tree stumps

 

[Kev308]

Ten years ago I stopped using 4f to prime. I load 3f in both my 50 and my smoothbore, and prime with the same powder. I have never had a problem doing so. Now that I think of it, I don’t even have any 4f powder!

 

[Kev308]

Most large bore muskets the Kings arm aka brown bess was designed to used with 1f both for loading and priming works well .which is true with matchlock musket s and most military fire locks .even percussion military muskets in the day .4f may work for some people for priming their rifles 4f powder is much finer in damp conditions and in general packs together like flower it takes more spark to ignite 3 or better yet 2 not the case .How ever weather poorly fitted flint the wrong size flint or condition .Also poor lock condition dirty fouled flint frizzen pan or vent etc and of course to small a vent or vented to low in pan these are what usually slows. Ignition or flashes in the pan not what you use for priming F4f is for charging mortar bombs and hand grenades not for shooting rifles and muskets oh and 4f is used for blowing out tree stumps

I would like to hear more about blowing out tree stumps……..asking fot a friend