practice getting used to the flash pan ignition

[chironomidkraut]

would it hurt my hawkens woodsman.50cal to practice with just powder in the flashpan? I wanna get used to not flinching everytime the rifle is fired and the flash pan ignites.. and should I use about 1/3 of a pan to do this? thanks guys

 

[bpd303]

Won't hurt it a bit. Just concentrate on your front sight and in no time you won't notice the flash. 1/3 pan seems like a little too much powder, all of my flinter's only take about as much powder to cover the bottom of the pan 4-5 grains. The more powder the larger the flash.

 

[Rusty_Nail]

4-5 gr? I have two primers, one brass and one homemade with an antler piece. One has a 1gr. nozzle and the other is 3gr. And the 3gr. nozzle is too much in most of my pans!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I was taught that if the flash is causing a flinch that is then causing accuracy problems, the problem is the lock ignition is too slow, and you need to pay attention to the lock. The ball should be already moving down the barrel before you percieve the flash, and should exit before that flinch has a negative effect. On the other hand if you find yourself being diverted from the sights by the movement of the cock in your peripheral vision vision before ignition begins, then you can train yourself to concentrate on the front sight by simply dry firing with a piece of wood instead of a flint. Teach yourself to ignore the movement.

LD

 

[bpd303]

Got me thinking. I had never weighed the charge my measure throws so I just did. It throws 2.5gr and that's plenty of powder in the pan.

 

[chironomidkraut]

Won't hurt it a bit. Just concentrate on your front sight and in no time you won't notice the flash. 1/3 pan seems like a little too much powder, all of my flinter's only take about as much powder to cover the bottom of the pan 4-5 grains. The more powder the larger the flash.

thank u for the info!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yeppers on what others have said. About 3 gr. primer is just fine.
Just shooting is the practice you need. In short time the flinching will go away. Try replacing your flint with wood and just dry fire. Concentrate on your sight. That will help as much as shooting.

 

[Keb]

Chironomid...Don't forget to clean it when you are done.
Yer pal, Keb

 

[Carl Fowler III]

Did this when I first started and it helped immensely...for some reason I thought the flash was right next to my face and was delighted to find it was well forward of same! Remember to clean afterwards as carbon is working thru the touch hole an into the barrel when doing this! :v

 

[petew]

Good question, and lots of good answers. You might want to plug the touch hole when you practice so you are not flashing into the chamber and needing to clean the bore again.
You will quickly see just how little pan primer you need for a good flash. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan , 2 to 3 grains, works well for me. Don't practice in the house, that little flash makes heap big stinky smoke. :shake:

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

After dark take your empty flintlock out on your back deck, Make sure the flintlock is empty and prime your pan. Now turn off the light and shoulder the unloaded but primed flintlock and pull the trigger. In the dark the flash in the pan will look like an A Bomb going off. After this scare do it again. It may take a couple of nights but when you do not flinch doing this you will not flinch anywhere.
When you prime your pan never cover the touchhole with the prime as this can cause a delay.

 

[petew]

After dark take your empty flintlock out on your back deck, Make sure the flintlock is empty and prime your pan. Now turn off the light and shoulder the unloaded but primed flintlock and pull the trigger. In the dark the flash in the pan will look like an A Bomb going off. After this scare do it again. It may take a couple of nights but when you do not flinch doing this you will not flinch anywhere.
When you prime your pan never cover the touchhole with the prime as this can cause a delay.

Might not want to do this if you live in town and have neighbours that are not understanding.

 

I’ve mentioned this before on a different subject in another thread and a number of folks disagreed with me. But I’ll say it again anyway. I first came across this advice in the writings of the late Max Vickery. It takes practice, and it takes discipline. If you can train yourself to do it every shot, it will improve your shooting. And if you have a good flintlock - one with no discernable lag - you will not flinch. Ever.
It goes without saying that holding steady is vital to hitting what you are shooting at. Some can hold steadier than others, but nobody can hold as solid as if they are shooting off a rest. As you are holding (or trying to anyway) your sights on the target, the front sight will drift around passing through the center on its way to other parts of the target.
When the sight is on the center, and ONLY when the sight is on the center, apply pressure to the trigger. As the sight drifts off, hold the pressure but don’t increase it. As it drifts back again increase the pressure again. Hold but don’t increase as the sight drifts off. Continue the process until the sear trips and the gun fires.
If it is done right you will be on the ten ring when the gun fires, and ”¦. this is the good part”¦..the ball will be well down range before you know the gun has fired. In other words, it should be a complete surprise when the gun fires.
If your flinching is caused by anticipating the flash in the pan, this will cure it. You won’t know when the flash is going to happen, so you won’t flinch.
Try it, it does work.

 

[chironomidkraut]

I’ve mentioned this before on a different subject in another thread and a number of folks disagreed with me. But I’ll say it again anyway. I first came across this advice in the writings of the late Max Vickery. It takes practice, and it takes discipline. If you can train yourself to do it every shot, it will improve your shooting. And if you have a good flintlock - one with no discernable lag - you will not flinch. Ever.
It goes without saying that holding steady is vital to hitting what you are shooting at. Some can hold steadier than others, but nobody can hold as solid as if they are shooting off a rest. As you are holding (or trying to anyway) your sights on the target, the front sight will drift around passing through the center on its way to other parts of the target.
When the sight is on the center, and ONLY when the sight is on the center, apply pressure to the trigger. As the sight drifts off, hold the pressure but don’t increase it. As it drifts back again increase the pressure again. Hold but don’t increase as the sight drifts off. Continue the process until the sear trips and the gun fires.
If it is done right you will be on the ten ring when the gun fires, and ”¦. this is the good part”¦..the ball will be well down range before you know the gun has fired. In other words, it should be a complete surprise when the gun fires.
If your flinching is caused by anticipating the flash in the pan, this will cure it. You won’t know when the flash is going to happen, so you won’t flinch.
Try it, it does work.

Same philosophy as archery, the best shots are the ones u take that are a complete surprise when your bow fires
Just got to get out there and practice practice practice

 

[54ball]

If the act of firing a flintlock was a sentence, pulling the trigger would be the comma in the middle.

You need to be fixated on the target. You need to follow through with the entire shot. The only time you should move off the target is when the recoil pushes the barrel and your shoulder and head back and up.

When dry firing since you are not actually firing the rifle. There should be no movement except for the action of the lock. You should be a stone statue fixated on the target before and most importantly after the trigger is pulled.

This follow through will help prevent and even overcome a flinch. It will help you stay on target and possibly get the game if you have a hang fire.

It will even help you in center-fire shooting. As follow through is just as important there also. Many folks have a tendency to snatch the trigger on a modern rifle actually moving before the shot is complete. They have no follow through.

The thing to remember about a flintlock is that it is a rifle, only more so. If you can shoot a flintlock well you can shoot anything well.

You may want to to ignite a pan or two to get used to it and check your lock function but I would not recommend this for the bulk of this practice.

As I said a flintlock is a rifle only more so. Would you primer a box of empty 30-06 cases,load them in the action and pop them off over and over again? Probably not. Now a specially made or bought dummy is something else. A dummy for a flintlock is a wooden flint that would take about 5 minutes to make.

Just the action of the lock popping with a wooden flint will be enough IMHO. This will save your flints and powder.

 

[Carl Fowler III]

I believe as Randy Johnson does...no one can hold rock steady, the pulsing of the blood thru your body will move your sights back and forth making it an impossible task. By sqeezing the trigger everytime you are on target the gun naturally will fire giving you your best groups. Now realize this movement we are talking about is very minute (depending on the individual and solidness of your hold), but it is always there. Open sights may tend to hide this motion to a degree, but if you were to put a 10X scope onto the rifle you would see it much more clearly! :v

 

[chironomidkraut]

Good question, and lots of good answers. You might want to plug the touch hole when you practice so you are not flashing into the chamber and needing to clean the bore again.
You will quickly see just how little pan primer you need for a good flash. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan , 2 to 3 grains, works well for me. Don't practice in the house, that little flash makes heap big stinky smoke. :shake:

what should I use to plug the touch hole?

 

[petew]

Wet tooth pick, or what ever you can find. just make sure it isn't smoking when you fill the pan.

 

[Birddog6]

I never worried about the flash, I just totally ignore it. :idunno: I concentrate on the target, doesn't matter to me what ignition it is. It is simple discipline, and nothing more. You accept the fact it is a flash, it is not going to hurt you & you go on. I don't even see it, I concentrate on the sights & target.

Keith Lisle

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I don't even see it, I concentrate on the sights & target.

The pan flashed big time? Really ... ?

Geeze, guss I must do as Keith does too ... as I've NEVER seen the pan flash :wink: ... and I'm a lefty shootin' righty flinters ...