Powder for Flintlock

[ColonialRifleSmith]

Totally your right to believe what you want!
Why do cannon shooters swab with a wet sponge between shots, then wait 1/2 hour before placing another charge? A rifle may be on a lower scale, but the same principle of chemistry is going on.

I personally have not had it happen to me. I don't hurry my powder charge after a shot, leaving ample time for embers to extinguish. I have heard testimony from other shooters who have had cook off occur to them, or seen it occur, so I am a believer.
Larry

I have seen it happen. Luckily, the man used a powder measure. He only ended up with singed fingers. That's the only one I have witnessed, but it made me a believer. I do blow down my barrel and give cooldown time between shots. Semper Fi.

 

[Bobby44]

Honestly I think that burning ember line is a myth. I've never seen it happen, nor have I had it happen to me. I do not blow down the barrel either. That said, I'm still not going to pour powder directly from a horn into the barrel. Moreso because how can you gauge how much you're putting in versus using a measure, than the next to nil chance of an ember setting it off.

We do what we feel comfortable with, not just what people say. While I do follow your ember belief I do not put unmeasured powder any place I can not see it. That comes from the respect I learned after an accidental double charge in an unmentionable. At the range I run a mop before I charge from a measure. In the pan I can see how much powder I am using and I have lots of time.
There is nothing like the ringing in your ears that says - what the Heck was that - to make you may a little more attention and adjust your thinking.

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

We do what we feel comfortable with, not just what people say. While I do follow your ember belief I do not put unmeasured powder any place I can not see it. That comes from the respect I learned after an accidental double charge in an unmentionable. At the range I run a mop before I charge from a measure. In the pan I can see how much powder I am using and I have lots of time.
There is nothing like the ringing in your ears that says - what the Heck was that - to make you may a little more attention and adjust your thinking.

I agree, always go with what you're comfortable with. You probably already know this, however if you mark your range rod, you will always know where you are at. It's easy to get talking and forget where you were at in the loading process. When my ML is clear, the rod is the exact length of the barrel. Then there's a mark for powder charge, then one for P-P-B. Semper Fi.

 

[Mark E. Prickett]

There is a video on YouTube where a guy filmed priming with 3f and 4f. 4f was faster but the human eye couldn't detect it. I like to prime with 4f.

 

[jd945043]

Yes but....

Would not the powder you poured down the barrel have already been set off by the ember?

When shooting at a match with a bench etc. I find it is easiest to leave the powder horn on the bench and our club does not allow you to prime the gun until you are at the line, gun pointed down range. Woods walk is different and if someone wishes to prime with their main horn that works just as well.

Dude that's ridiculous. If it is going to woof it would do it the moment you poured the charge. By the time you prime if it's not gone woof then it's not going to.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

The simple explanation is that 3Fg powder will work as the main charge and the priming charge. White it is true that the 3Fg powder in the pan is slower than 4F powder in the pan, it takes specialized timing equipment to really be able to prove that the powders are really that close in timing.

Or a skilled offhand competitor, who can tell the difference in ignition immediately.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have often observed that time slows way down when firing a flint lock. While timing the shot, there will be only a few milliseconds difference between ignition from a pan of 4F powder and a pan of 3Fg powder, it seems like seconds to many shooters.

I have used 1Fg powder in the pan of the King's Musket. There, I can't tell the difference between 1Fg, Reenactor grade powder and 4F.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I use 4f for skeet. I use 3 f for everything else.

 

[longcruise]

I have seen it happen. Luckily, the man used a powder measure. He only ended up with singed fingers. That's the only one I have witnessed, but it made me a believer. I do blow down my barrel and give cooldown time between shots. Semper Fi.

This is what bothers me about the load-without wiping methods. That said, I've done it on occasion.

Dude that's ridiculous. If it is going to woof it would do it the moment you poured the charge. By the time you prime if it's not gone woof then it's not going to.

I've been advised of one cook off that happened after the ball had been seated but before the rod was pulled out. It was said that it cost the shooter a thumb. I'll admit however that it's not first hand information so..............

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

This is what bothers me about the load-without wiping methods. That said, I've done it on occasion.


I've been advised of one cook off that happened after the ball had been seated but before the rod was pulled out. It was said that it cost the shooter a thumb. I'll admit however that it's not first hand information so..............

I hear that story all the time. Some people say they were there, some say they heard it. Me, I've never seen a touch off while ramming a ball. Just once as the powder was being poured from a measure. However, due to the rumor, I NEVER ram the ball home with my palm. I always use my thumb and 2 fingers to bounce the ball down with the rod. Semper Fi.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

There are accounts and newspaper articles from the 1800's describing accidents while loading from a flask: you can find some of them on line.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I've been shooting muzzleloaders for over 30 years. I've never had an "ember" cook off a charge in all that time. I'm going to go with experience over hearsay! Some of you may have seen it. I won't doubt you. However, we don't know the circumstances behind how it happened. Could've been a fluke, could have been carelessness, or just a roll of the dice. At any rate, I'm going to continue as I always have and do things my way. I'm still here and have all ten fingers and my face. So I must be doing something right.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I used 2Fg for both main charge and prime in my Bess. I frequently prime with 3Fg with my .54 rifle (and also us that as the main charge). Horner75 made me a little flat priming horn so anymore I mostly prime with 4Fg just because I like that little horn. ;-)

 

[Jimbob]

Or a skilled offhand competitor, who can tell the difference in ignition immediately.

I second that! I can darn sure tell the difference in ignition speed between 3f and 4f

 

[mikesto44]

I'm no expert but a lot of the difference to me. Depends on the quality of your lock and the position of the touch hole/ vent... JMHO

 

[flntlokr]

Totally your right to believe what you want!
Why do cannon shooters swab with a wet sponge between shots, then wait 1/2 hour before placing another charge? A rifle may be on a lower scale, but the same principle of chemistry is going on.

I personally have not had it happen to me. I don't hurry my powder charge after a shot, leaving ample time for embers to extinguish. I have heard testimony from other shooters who have had cook off occur to them, or seen it occur, so I am a believer.
Larry

Cannon use 'corn powder', i.e: very large granules, plus their charge is often contained in a cloth cartridge, which may not burn away completely; either of those can leave smoldering embers in the gun. I can believe that reenactors who shoot multiple blank loads could get a build-up of fouling that might carry an ember in a musket thus leading to a cook-off. I personally always load using a measure, but I often prime direct from my horn. 35 years of this stuff, and I have never seen or heard first hand of such. (Not to say it is impossible. Better to be safe than blown up.)

 

[Mr. Flintlock]

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Honestly I think that burning ember line is a myth. I've never seen it happen, nor have I had it happen to me. I do not blow down the barrel either. That said, I'm still not going to pour powder directly from a horn into the barrel. Moreso because how can you gauge how much you're putting in versus using a measure, than the next to nil chance of an ember set

Honestly I think that burning ember line is a myth. I've never seen it happen, nor have I had it happen to me. I do not blow down the barrel either. That said, I'm still not going to pour powder directly from a horn into the barrel. Moreso because how can you gauge how much you're putting in versus using a measure, than the next to nil chance of an ember setting it off.

I've been shooting these guns since the 1960's and never saw the burning ember issue. Last year I was shooting with a friend and he had a flash in the pan. He left the gun pointed down range for a good 20 seconds. When he moved the rifle to re-prime, the rifle fired. Never say never.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Ask a basic question (albeit a good one) and you will get scores of answers. I have always used 4Fg for prime because when I started this game I was told "you are supposed to". As years passed I learned there isn't an 'nth' of difference in lock time between 43Fg and 3Fg for prime 2Fg for prime is another critter, to me, it is notably slower. I will continue to use 4Fg out of habit and because I still have a lifetime supply on the shelf.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I



I've been shooting these guns since the 1960's and never saw the burning ember issue. Last year I was shooting with a friend and he had a flash in the pan. He left the gun pointed down range for a good 20 seconds. When he moved the rifle to re-prime, the rifle fired. Never say never.

Hang fires are one thing, but once the gun has fired, the odds of a burning ember still in the bore is practically nil! Nope still not buying the burning ember argument.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

Hang fires are one thing, but once the gun has fired, the odds of a burning ember still in the bore is practically nil! Nope still not buying the burning ember argument.

I'll bet folks in the NSSA buy into it: they call them "cook offs" and they happen from time to time.