Priming the pan first

[tallpine]

They're farcical. Nothing like asking a question about safety only to have people tell me that I'm having fun wrong.

5 pages of posts telling you that your loading method is risky. You just didn't get the answer you wanted to your question

 

[Gavinm28]

5 pages of posts telling you that your loading method is risky. You just didn't get the answer you wanted to your question

I wasn't talking about the comments that just said it's risky. Clearly I listened, I'm taking the safety precautions and using the safety equipment they recommended. I would rather be certain I'm safe than have a slight accident. I'm fine with my answer. People were just being touchy, and like I said, exaggerating. People really like to argue about irrelevant stuff. I didn't expect the muzzleloading forums to be so edgy.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Okay, use your hammerstall to cover the frizzen, prime the pan from your cartridge, dump the powder, and push the paper cartridge into muzzle, ram the load to the breech. Shoot a number of loads that way. Get the fun out of your system. I have just as much fun by priming just before I advance to the firing line.

By the way, when a military unit was firing during an action, the hammerstall (if even present) would not be placed on the hammer (frizzen) before starting to load the next round. There is no command in our 18th century manual of arms to install the hammerstall or remove the hammerstall.

I do and all the members of my unit have hammerstalls and we use them. They are a required safety feature and the use is safe practice. When we are on Woods Walks where we fire live rounds using paper wrapped cartridges, we use the hammerstalls between stations. The person in lead will have his firearm primed. All of us who follow will have our hammerstall in place and the firearm is not primed.

 

[George]

I seriously doubt that the average person or hunter back in the 17th and 18th century would do it this way.

Everything old is new again. This argument has been going on for a very long time.

The Sportsman’s Companion; or, an Essay on Shooting - By a Gentleman - 1783
"I will here endeavor to explain my method of loading, and hope that habit will make it both expeditious and safe to such as chuse to practice it:...... I first of all, prime, 2dly, fill the head of my horn with powder and empty it into the top of my shot bag, (Which should contain the exact charge I intend, and serve as a measure for powder and shot and be equal to the full of my powder horn top) put my horn, empty the powder in my gun, take one of my square papers for wadding, and ramming it down, I 3rdly, fill my measure with shot, put it in the barrel, take another bit of paper, ram it down, and, returning my measure and rammer, I am ready........Many of the best more experienced shots, object to priming first; I cannot see wherein the danger consists, unless it may be supposed to proceed from the heat of the barrel, or something touching the trigger while you are loading. How must it be with the Army, who always prime first, and fire very often so quick, that they can scarcely hold their pieces in their hands, with the heat, yet it’s extraordinary to see one of them going off whilst loading, without some other cause than the heat of the piece. - Bad powder leaving a sulphurous sediment in the breech of the barrel, is a more frequent cause of such accidents. I have often seen a battalion from five to seven hundred men, fire sixty rounds on a field day, without one accident of this nature; though once I saw a whole Grenadier Company’s pouches on fire, by a spark communicating to a broken cartridge in one of the men’s pouches; it was in the instant of firing and the pouch was open. However I shant insist on the propriety or impropriety of priming first or last only insist that priming first is most expeditious; and Gentlemen seldom fire so quick when fowling as to endanger any accident of this kind; - it never happened to myself; - every one’s discretion may guide them in this particular as they please."

Spence

 

[Gavinm28]

Okay, use your hammerstall to cover the frizzen, prime the pan from your cartridge, dump the powder, and push the paper cartridge into muzzle, ram the load to the breech. Shoot a number of loads that way. Get the fun out of your system. I have just as much fun by priming just before I advance to the firing line.

By the way, when a military unit was firing during an action, the hammerstall (if even present) would not be placed on the hammer (frizzen) before starting to load the next round. There is no command in our 18th century manual of arms to install the hammerstall or remove the hammerstall.

It should be mentioned that I rarely shoot at ranges, and the one I do sometimes shoot at doesn't have super intense range rules. I do the entire loading procedure at the firing line, no one cares. I think it's kinda ironic that you were getting upset at me that I was being unsafe, and now you're getting upset that I'm not being HC, I mentioned this before, but I'm fine sacrificing some historical accuracy for the safety. I shoot these guns as a hobby, I'm not gonna gray my hair trying to get everything 100% HC. I'm having fun either way, but sometimes I'd like to have fun with paper cartridges rather than loose patches. As long as I'm being safe, how I have my fun is none of your concern. Take a breather and say a few positive things on the forums please.

 

[Gavinm28]

Everything old is new again. This argument has been going on for a very long time.

The Sportsman’s Companion; or, an Essay on Shooting - By a Gentleman - 1783
"I will here endeavor to explain my method of loading, and hope that habit will make it both expeditious and safe to such as chuse to practice it:...... I first of all, prime, 2dly, fill the head of my horn with powder and empty it into the top of my shot bag, (Which should contain the exact charge I intend, and serve as a measure for powder and shot and be equal to the full of my powder horn top) put my horn, empty the powder in my gun, take one of my square papers for wadding, and ramming it down, I 3rdly, fill my measure with shot, put it in the barrel, take another bit of paper, ram it down, and, returning my measure and rammer, I am ready........Many of the best more experienced shots, object to priming first; I cannot see wherein the danger consists, unless it may be supposed to proceed from the heat of the barrel, or something touching the trigger while you are loading. How must it be with the Army, who always prime first, and fire very often so quick, that they can scarcely hold their pieces in their hands, with the heat, yet it’s extraordinary to see one of them going off whilst loading, without some other cause than the heat of the piece. - Bad powder leaving a sulphurous sediment in the breech of the barrel, is a more frequent cause of such accidents. I have often seen a battalion from five to seven hundred men, fire sixty rounds on a field day, without one accident of this nature; though once I saw a whole Grenadier Company’s pouches on fire, by a spark communicating to a broken cartridge in one of the men’s pouches; it was in the instant of firing and the pouch was open. However I shant insist on the propriety or impropriety of priming first or last only insist that priming first is most expeditious; and Gentlemen seldom fire so quick when fowling as to endanger any accident of this kind; - it never happened to myself; - every one’s discretion may guide them in this particular as they please."

Spence

Awesome info. Love to see more posts like this on the thread

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

The War between the States discussion was much more entertaining.
SM

 

[Tumbledown]

So I have a flintlock musket and I load it with paper cartridges, therefore I prime the pan first and ram everything else down the barrel second. I've recently been hearing a lot of people say that priming the pan first is seriously unsafe, even if the gun is on half-**** and I do not lean over the gun when ramming. I don't particularly think there's anything wrong with it, it is historically accurate after all. Am I really committing a heinous crime against God with this loading procedure, or do people just say I am because their smooth-brained friend had a shooting accident once.

There is no reason to prime the pan first if you are using paper cartridges. Use a small priming flask. They're cheap and effective.

You came here asking for advice, and got it. It wasn't what you wanted to hear, and now you're pissed at everyone. Reading your initial question, your attitude was lousy from the start.

You are the one with the problem here, not the rest of us.

 

[Archer 756]

This forum sounds like our GOVERMENT.

 

[Gavinm28]

There is no reason to prime the pan first if you are using paper cartridges. Use a small priming flask. They're cheap and effective.

You came here asking for advice, and got it. It wasn't what you wanted to hear, and now you're pissed at everyone. Reading your initial question, your attitude was lousy from the start.

You are the one with the problem here, not the rest of us.

I'm fine with the answer I got. I understand it can be unsafe, and I'm glad I got that answer before I gave it a few more shots that way. I only phrased the question like that because I couldn't think of a reason anything would go wrong from half ****. I only dislike the people who feel the need to tell me that "Hammerstalls aren't HC" or "there's no reason to prime first, priming last is the correct way to do it." If I'm doing it safely, I can do what I want. You take part in muzzleloading your way, and I'll do it my way. Since there's nothing wrong with it, people saying stuff like that are pretty much saying "you're having your fun wrong." Let me load the way I want to load as long as it's safe. Since we got the safety stuff out of the way, people are now just starting arguments about stuff that really doesn't matter. I don't find arguing on this forum particularly fun, aside from laughing at what these people come up with. I think I'm done with this thread.

 

[user 36911]

Good response Gavin

Go have fun and stay safe.

 

[Rich]

Priming the pan first would be just plain stupid.