Priming for Bess

[Enfield1]

I am buying a Pedersoli Brown Bess. Are you able to use 2FG to prime the pan or do you have to use a finer grade of powder?

 

[Tommy Bruce]

Yes, you can prime with 2f. In dry conditions it will be slower than 4f but 2f seems to stand up to higher humidity than the finer grain powder. I prime with 2f during reenactments and will use 3 or 4f if I'm target shooting. I use 3f in my .54 smoothbore and prime with the same horn. It's just easier than carrying two horns. One thing to remember is those fellows carrying the brown bess during the rev. war primed with the same powder they put in the barrel.

 

[Tinker2]

I am buying a Pedersoli Brown Bess. Are you able to use 2FG to prime the pan or do you have to use a finer grade of powder?

I use 2fg to prime my Bess and all my other flint
locks. I have 4f, a lot of it, I just don't find
that it works well to prime with.



Tinker2

 

[flintlock75]

I load and prime with 3F it works for all my flintlocks. Just use a lighter main charge with 3F. I shoot 80grs with a PRB.

 

[FPDoc]

I guess if you are volley firing without aiming, any ignition delay due to using FFg powder for main charge and prime would be of little concern and increased reliability in damp weather and simplified logistics would be good as well.

 

[rice1817]

Muzzleblasts did a test on the relative ignition times when priming with the various granulations. It was done very scientifically, with high speed cameras and digital timers. Their conclusion: 4F is faster than 3, which is faster than 2, but you are talking milliseconds, far too quick for the human to detect the difference.

I prime with 4F at the range, mainly because I have a pound to get rid of. I will never buy it again. I use 3F exclusively now and find it more water-resistant than 4f under hunting conditions.

 

I use 2f in the bore and in the pan in all my smooth bores. Works great. :thumbsup:

 

[Marlan]

In my Bess, I use 2F in the bore and in the pan. Haven't had a problem with it yet.

 

[Grenadier1758]

In my unit we all use 2fg powder as the main load and the prime. That big lock and huge flint throw more than enough sprks to ignite a pan full of 2fg. Just be sure touse black powder, not any of the substitutes.

 

[Enfield1]

Thank you for all of your responses. I own many rifles that I shoot and prime with 4f. This Bess will be my first "smoothie" and I was hoping to be able to prime with 2f because I will be using it in my cartridges. I do not do any reenacting, but I love to cast my own balls and shoot live rounds. I will let you know how it is going.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

With my first model bess the barrel wall is so thick that I have to prime with 4F. 2F will only light off the main charge 75% of the time. The touch hole is nearly 1/4 inch long I need the extra heat of the 4F for a sure ignition. This is for patched round ball. In the past I have used this musket in re enactments and with loose powder
from a paper cartridge it will light off most of the time with a no pressure load. It will work with 3F most of the time.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I prime with whatever is in the horn. There may be a difference in lock time between FFg and FFFg, but I can't tell the difference. Once the prime has lit off, it should light the main charge too, assuming everything else is as it should be.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Now we all know the practice for period firing with cartridges is to prime from the cartridge and then pour the powder down the barrel followed by the paper wrapped ball. This does work and it is period correct. I do load blank rounds in that fashion. I DO NOT load live rounds that way. I have a separate horn for priming the pan after the gun has a live round loaded. The separate horn has 2fg powder. There is no need to follow historic practices when you are hunting or firing live rounds.

Do use cartridges. Do use 2fg powder. Do follow safe firing practices.

 

[Tinker2]

2Fg doesn’t ever give me the fuse effect that 4F has if every thing
is not perfect.


Tinker2

 

[musketman]

I am buying a Pedersoli Brown Bess. Are you able to use 2FG to prime the pan or do you have to use a finer grade of powder?

Some will say that the finer the pan powder, the greater the chance there is to attract moisture and dampen the prime, therefore I went to using FFg in both pan and barrel.

 

[Parzifal]

I use ffg in em all, Piedersoli bess ,Loyalist kings musket ..all of em, the only one that doesnt seem to like it is my traditions rifle.