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Pyrodex as a primer
- Thread starter ncmtmike
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If they have they were dissapointed with the results. Stuff is hard enough to ignite as a main charge with caps. It won't work with a flintlock as a main charge. Less likely it will ignite as a pan prime.
I've done it once, and was very surprised how well it touched off. That was with a very cheap, poor-grade repro flinter that hardly sparked at all, though maybe the problem wasn't the frizzen after all, I dunno! Either way, it worked for me once, I believe it was 3f stuff in both pan and barrel.
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Plenty of support for it NOT working for prime. I quit using it when I got my first flintlock as real BP does well in all my guns & there was no reason to keep two kinds of powder. Availability seems to be the main reason for it's use.
IMO, it isn't exactly that Pyrodex won't work in a flintlock.
It is about how poorly it works.
First off, Pyrodex does require a hotter temperature to get it burning, and after it starts burning, that is exactly what it does outside the barrel. It burns .
Like smokeless powder, Pyrodex needs some high pressure to burn rapidly. Without it, it goes, "foooooooooffff" when its lit.
That "foooooooooffff" doesn't give the instant, "POOF!!!" that black powder gives outside the barrel.
The 2000+ degree sparks created by a good frizzen and flint can light Pyrodex but a poor frizzen or dull flint often will not produce enough sparks to light it.
In order to fire, the heat from the prime must go thru the touch hole and heat up the powder in the main charge to a temperature hotter than its ignition point.
The rapid "POOF!!!" of the black powder won't have a problem going thru the touch hole.
The "fooooooooffff" from Pyrodex may make it thru or it may not.
As I mentioned, Pyrodex needs more heat to ignite it.
While black powder will ignite with a temperature of around 460 degrees F, Pyrodex needs over 700 degrees F to get it going.
The bottom line is Pyrodex (by itself without a BP starter loaded first) may fire or it may not.
Several times I found I got about 3 mis-fires (flash in the pan) for every time it fired.
It is about how poorly it works.
First off, Pyrodex does require a hotter temperature to get it burning, and after it starts burning, that is exactly what it does outside the barrel. It burns .
Like smokeless powder, Pyrodex needs some high pressure to burn rapidly. Without it, it goes, "foooooooooffff" when its lit.
That "foooooooooffff" doesn't give the instant, "POOF!!!" that black powder gives outside the barrel.
The 2000+ degree sparks created by a good frizzen and flint can light Pyrodex but a poor frizzen or dull flint often will not produce enough sparks to light it.
In order to fire, the heat from the prime must go thru the touch hole and heat up the powder in the main charge to a temperature hotter than its ignition point.
The rapid "POOF!!!" of the black powder won't have a problem going thru the touch hole.
The "fooooooooffff" from Pyrodex may make it thru or it may not.
As I mentioned, Pyrodex needs more heat to ignite it.
While black powder will ignite with a temperature of around 460 degrees F, Pyrodex needs over 700 degrees F to get it going.
The bottom line is Pyrodex (by itself without a BP starter loaded first) may fire or it may not.
Several times I found I got about 3 mis-fires (flash in the pan) for every time it fired.
Billnpatti
Cannon
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I was curious about what I had heard about Pyrodex and 777 not working in a flintlock pan. So, I decided to conduct my own experiment. Man, they were right. That stuff was very unpredictable. Sometimes it would ignite on the first try but most of the time it would take 3 or 4 or even more times to get it to go off. Sometimes I would just get tired of trying and wipe it out of the pan. Bottom line....forget about using it for anything in a flintlock. Since I have a good supply of real blackpowder, I don't use the stuff at all. If you can't get the real thing, you will have to stick to caplocks.
\\ :applause: :applause: :applause:mtmike said:
I have used Triple 7 FFg in the pipe and FFFg GOEX in the pan. I have NEVER had it fail to fire. I do notice a very slight delay once the pan lights off and the main charge lights off. I have never tried Pyrodex or Triple 7 in the pan so I'm not sure how it will light off in the pan. I would think that FFFg Pyrodex in the pan would light off with a good rock and frizzen. I'm sure that there will be a bit of a delay however. BUT it the gov't makes it so hard to get real BP we all may want to experiment with the subs.
T.
T.
Now for the correct answer. :grin:
Pyrodex will work under certain conditions. And if you are a person that has difficulty getting GOEX, I can see this as a viable alternative. But it does require a person getting a small quantity of GOEX.
Pyrodex is unacceptable as a propellent in a flintlock,.....................alone. :hmm:
But if you were to use 4F GOEX as your prime and 5 ”“ 10 grs of 3F GOEX as a starter load, Pyrodex is almost undetectably the same as just GOEX. :shocked2:
Simply load the 5 - 10 grain starter load first and the main charge, reduced by either 5 - 10 grains, second.
Use the 4F as your prime and make sure it trickles into the 5/64th touch hole. :thumbsup:
In a TC Firestorm, this combo is impossible to tell the difference from solely GOEX. In other flintlocks, it is nearly identical to straight GOEX.
Again I am not a supporter of Pyrodex in a flintlock but if you have need to use it, this method works and it works well. If you simply can not get a small supply of GOEX, switch to cap locks.
Pyrodex will work under certain conditions. And if you are a person that has difficulty getting GOEX, I can see this as a viable alternative. But it does require a person getting a small quantity of GOEX.
Pyrodex is unacceptable as a propellent in a flintlock,.....................alone. :hmm:
But if you were to use 4F GOEX as your prime and 5 ”“ 10 grs of 3F GOEX as a starter load, Pyrodex is almost undetectably the same as just GOEX. :shocked2:
Simply load the 5 - 10 grain starter load first and the main charge, reduced by either 5 - 10 grains, second.
Use the 4F as your prime and make sure it trickles into the 5/64th touch hole. :thumbsup:
In a TC Firestorm, this combo is impossible to tell the difference from solely GOEX. In other flintlocks, it is nearly identical to straight GOEX.
Again I am not a supporter of Pyrodex in a flintlock but if you have need to use it, this method works and it works well. If you simply can not get a small supply of GOEX, switch to cap locks.
The way Black Powder works SO WELL, I cannot comprehend why anyone would use fake stuff in the pan or main charge.
(Certainly if you have NO Black Powder) I can see trying it if you MUST shoot your flinter. But you can rectify NOT having any Black Powder in 4 days or less anywhere in the US. Black Powder is available from online sources as well as many shops.
(Certainly if you have NO Black Powder) I can see trying it if you MUST shoot your flinter. But you can rectify NOT having any Black Powder in 4 days or less anywhere in the US. Black Powder is available from online sources as well as many shops.
Yup.
They are both highly technical words and because someone new to shooting black powder won't understand them I refrain from using them often.
There comes a time though when nothing but the official technical jargon will describe things.
I did not mention the "Phizzzzel" Pyrodex can make because some of the crustier members might think I was suggesting the sound of a flatulence which, as we all know, is more of a rumbling noise. :grin:
They are both highly technical words and because someone new to shooting black powder won't understand them I refrain from using them often.
There comes a time though when nothing but the official technical jargon will describe things.
I did not mention the "Phizzzzel" Pyrodex can make because some of the crustier members might think I was suggesting the sound of a flatulence which, as we all know, is more of a rumbling noise. :grin:
