Priming
- Thread starter Pigman
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Well, at reenactments they generally prefer you to prime from the paper cartridge (for safety), but you can usually get away with carrying about 60 grains in a primer to use should the wind blow or something. Priming from a cartridge is totally PC for military applications, but it is not when using a horn and pouch. Either way, at events you load from cartridges, but with a horn you would use... well, a horn. Personally I prefer to carry a pouch and horn at reenactments, because it is correct for the gun I use (fowler).
paulvallandigham
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WHOA! The man is talking about re-enactments. No live rounds fired there! The range officers MUST check each shooter to make sure he has no ball or bullet for his gun in his box, or bag. When we march in parades, for instance, and shoot off blank charges, our range officer of the day always checks each participant to see that he only has powder, caps, and wadding in his bag, and ABSOLUTELY NO ball or bullets. That protects the club and the shooter from liability for any possible injury.
Now, if you are putting on a shooting demonstration, with a proper backstop, firing line, and provisions to keep the spectators in a safe area behind the line, then by all means, Load the gun with powder, patch and ball, and fire away. My gun clubs has done shooting demonstations for years, and most of us have become experts at building temporary ranges on site.
Now, if you are putting on a shooting demonstration, with a proper backstop, firing line, and provisions to keep the spectators in a safe area behind the line, then by all means, Load the gun with powder, patch and ball, and fire away. My gun clubs has done shooting demonstations for years, and most of us have become experts at building temporary ranges on site.
If your lock fits tight to the barrel, frizzen mates up good to the pan, and the hole is big enough in the barrel from the pan, it could be self priming.
Get a leather booty (frizen cover) to go over your frizzen. Close the frizzen with booty on and lock set to 1/2 cock. Send your charge down. Leaning your gun to the side give it a moderate "thump" with an opened palm on the lock side, run the rammer in to seat the wad and compress just a bit. Open the pan and see if there's powder in the pan. If not, maybe try a finer grain of powder (2Fg to 3Fg.).
This will probably give you that famous Fess Parker/ Danial Boone Fzzz,boom. Fine for parades and such.
Now if you want faster ignition, Open the pan, shove a pick into the hole to compress the powder and to push it back out of the hole. Then you've got Musket Man's "Boom". Much faster ignition.
Being left handed, I find priming a right sided lock a bit awkward and do the above, load/pick/fire. Just be mindful not to reload too fast (as usual of course).
By-the-way, if you've too much powder in the pan, a larger grain size will probably cure that, or just thumb a bit out when picking.
Get a leather booty (frizen cover) to go over your frizzen. Close the frizzen with booty on and lock set to 1/2 cock. Send your charge down. Leaning your gun to the side give it a moderate "thump" with an opened palm on the lock side, run the rammer in to seat the wad and compress just a bit. Open the pan and see if there's powder in the pan. If not, maybe try a finer grain of powder (2Fg to 3Fg.).
This will probably give you that famous Fess Parker/ Danial Boone Fzzz,boom. Fine for parades and such.
Now if you want faster ignition, Open the pan, shove a pick into the hole to compress the powder and to push it back out of the hole. Then you've got Musket Man's "Boom". Much faster ignition.
Being left handed, I find priming a right sided lock a bit awkward and do the above, load/pick/fire. Just be mindful not to reload too fast (as usual of course).
By-the-way, if you've too much powder in the pan, a larger grain size will probably cure that, or just thumb a bit out when picking.
Guest
Swampman said:
:shocked2: :nono: If your in the BAR they'll kick yer tail if they catch ya.
Mike Brooks
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Mark, I can't help but notice your new avatar is distorted enough to make you look like a Hobbit.... :haha: ....Bilbo Lewis..... :rotf: :blah:
The BAR is the Brigade of the American Revolution... its an umbrella organization that basically lays groundwork etc. for smaller units. You can join it without being in a specific unit, though and attend events as well. I've been in it for a few years now.
Johnny Tremain
Silversmith in training
I have always use a Rev War primer repop I bought form Dixie Gun Works, many years ago.
Its tin and drops just the right amount into the pan.
So far I took it apart and cleaned it once. It has always worked flawlessly.
Its tin and drops just the right amount into the pan.
So far I took it apart and cleaned it once. It has always worked flawlessly.
sherpadoug
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I have been in the hobby for two years and Safety Officier of my group for a year and I never heard the BAR won't let you even CARRY a ball! I always have a bare ball handy to show spectators at events. I will look through the BAR rules again... :shake:
we were marching in the Marshall,NC Thanksgiving parade a couple of years ago, and as we got near the reviewing stand and the MC announced us, and that we'd fire a volley, one of our members whispered, "Harry...I stil got a ball in here from deer season..what'll I do?" and I told him. "don't shoot..you'll hit somebody and they won't invite us back"...and he didn't...what I could never understand is why, as we all loaded blanks prior to the start, he didn't think about the matter...oh well...Hank
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Most of the reenactors here prime from the cartridge before loading the barrel--normally a safety problem with live rounds; but the weapons are inspected before hand to ensure that the half cock holds with pretty hefty pressure. It still bothers me to see it done that way...
CrackStock
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Mark,
I am assuming that we are discussing the firing of blanks during battle re-enactments while facing the opposing force.
In this case, the command "Prime and load" is given. The soldier grabs a cartridge from his box and bites off the top -- just into the powder while he holds the musket with the hammer (commonly called a frizzen) open/forward; the cock is at half cock position and he primes from the cartridge while keeping the muzzle elevated but at an angle to not endanger the other men in the ranks. This is tricky as it sort of defies gravity. He closes the hammer to keep the prime in place.
The gun is brought to muzzle up in a move called "casting about" so that the rest of the charge can be dumped down the barrel.
Having said this, I prefer to prime from a horn after loading when able to do so. It is safer that way. Some units did carry horns, not necessarily for priming purposes, but for general use. The SC required each man to carry one.
As to never firing live rounds during a re-enactment, this is partly true. You would surely never fire live when facing the other personnel, but you might do a live fire at a range as a demo. Some groups enjoys shooting races such as breaking 4X4s in half by shooting at them. There are also spectators nearby, so this is a form of re-enactment.
I would not carry any projectile onto the field during a battle re-enactment, but we do show some to visitors once back at the camp. I might even cast a few as part of the camp demo.
CS
I am assuming that we are discussing the firing of blanks during battle re-enactments while facing the opposing force.
In this case, the command "Prime and load" is given. The soldier grabs a cartridge from his box and bites off the top -- just into the powder while he holds the musket with the hammer (commonly called a frizzen) open/forward; the cock is at half cock position and he primes from the cartridge while keeping the muzzle elevated but at an angle to not endanger the other men in the ranks. This is tricky as it sort of defies gravity. He closes the hammer to keep the prime in place.
The gun is brought to muzzle up in a move called "casting about" so that the rest of the charge can be dumped down the barrel.
Having said this, I prefer to prime from a horn after loading when able to do so. It is safer that way. Some units did carry horns, not necessarily for priming purposes, but for general use. The SC required each man to carry one.
As to never firing live rounds during a re-enactment, this is partly true. You would surely never fire live when facing the other personnel, but you might do a live fire at a range as a demo. Some groups enjoys shooting races such as breaking 4X4s in half by shooting at them. There are also spectators nearby, so this is a form of re-enactment.
I would not carry any projectile onto the field during a battle re-enactment, but we do show some to visitors once back at the camp. I might even cast a few as part of the camp demo.
CS
