So I am watching the show "Triggers" today. The show is about combat shotguns. Well at some point they bring out a blunderbuss, and the halos asks how to load it. The other fellow says, "first we put the hammer at half cock (so far so good)", the he says, " now we prime the pan, then we pour in the main charge....." By now I am yelling at the tv. I haven't been shooting flintlocks for all that long but I know better than to prime the pan first.
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Triggers/Military Channel
- Thread starter curiousgb
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Black Hand
Cannon
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Except that the original military method (at least for smoothbores) used paper cartridges. In this case, the paper was ripped, the pan primed, the remaining powder dumped down the barrel and the ball/paper run down the barrel by the rammer.
Modern standards of safety require priming AFTER loading...
Modern standards of safety require priming AFTER loading...
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Depends. When loading from a horn, priming is the last step but when using cartridges, priming is done before the (remaining powder in the cartridge) main charge is poured down the barrel.
PS - an unprimed flintlock will fire often enough that is should be considered as ready to fire.
PS - an unprimed flintlock will fire often enough that is should be considered as ready to fire.
Right, with paper cartridges it's difficult to save powder for priming after pouring the main charge. At military reenactments priming is always done first, though of course the hammer stall is an added safety if used when priming first.
Yep. That was the way in the day. Bite the cartridge, prime and pour the rest in the barrel followed by the ball.
But then they used leeches to bleed out foul bodily humors and thought cholera was caused by vapors.
But then they used leeches to bleed out foul bodily humors and thought cholera was caused by vapors.
AZbpBurner
54 Cal.
Stumpkiller said:
Leeches are still used today as well as maggots for debridement of dead tissue for burns patients.
Black Hand
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:thumbsup:AZbpBurner said:
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Stumpkiller said:
you mean, disease isn't caused by evil vapors?
my mother was wrong??!~!
well, this was from a woman who had a Masters degree from a prestigious university and truly believed that the calories in the sugar "went away" when you put the sugar into the coffee because the sugar dissolved.
really.
for true.
I'm betting there would be a million deaths a year from cholera if evil vapors caused it.
Anyone who owned a mid sized or large dog and kept him/her in the house would be doomed. :shocked2:
Anyone who owned a mid sized or large dog and kept him/her in the house would be doomed. :shocked2:
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No kidding, my daughters dog that I get to baby sit often will rip off an "SPD" (Silent but Deadly)and the room will clear out in jig time as he looks up as if to say (Who's causing all the trouble here, Me?) :rotf: Mike D.
our word malaria means bad air. while true that germs of some sort cause most of our sicknesses germs leave thier calling card with bad smells.Cholera was found in stool contaminated water,and I wager it spelled a might stong.The old folk wern't to stupid,they may not have know about germs but knew clean air was healther then dirty stinky places
illuveatar
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ff Was the fellow giving the demonstration using paper cartridges?
I always wince when I see guys priming first. Even while doing military reenactments. There must be accounts of personnel sending a rod through their hand or worse during this military procedure.
illuveatar
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I'm going to use that vapors excuse the next time
Mrs. Illuveatar complains about my occasional cigar habit.
Mrs. Illuveatar complains about my occasional cigar habit.
illuveatar said:
Was the fellow giving the demonstration using paper cartridges?
I always wince when I see guys priming first. Even while doing military reenactments. There must be accounts of personnel sending a rod through their hand or worse during this military procedure.
At military reenactments ramrods aren't used since blanks are fired so there's no danger of having a ramrod through your hand then.
I know people who live fire their Besses and 1777s with paper cartridges with balls like this all the time (and I've done it a few times myself though usually I prime last because generally I don't use paper cartridges) and have discussed it with them. They're adamant it's no more dangerous and I have to agree to an extent. The real danger comes when you pour powder down the barrel and a stray spark is still in there, not in the highly unlikely event the prime ignites while you're ramming a charge home. Especially if you use a hammer stall.
I've done it,and even did the 15 shots in 3 and 3/4 min with my tulle.I dont think it safe and will probibly never try it again.On the other hand given a choice between a gun that might 1 in 1000 times go off while Im loading it and a bayonett in the belly I will prime fist with the paper cartridge.
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We got a safety sally in the house!
Yup, that's why it's not done except for demonstration purposes. Apparently at one time at reenactments they did use them and people wee hit by flying ramrods! :shocked2: I've yet to make it to a European reenactment but I've heard at some of them ramrods are still used but don't know if that's really true.
