what happened here

[pharmvet]

Took my smoothbore hunting this weekend and diddnt see anything to shoot. Decided late sunday afternoon the shoot my gun to unload it. Because cleanup is about the same with 1 shot as it is several I took the opportunity to do some shooting, as I have only been shooting black powder for about 1 year. The temp had been dropping all day with slight mist off and on. My first 2 shots went off without a catch. The third, however, misfired 4 times. Each time I blew out the pan powder, picked out the vent and reprimed. I noticed that the powder in the pan seemed "clumpy". My priming brass never got wet, and the powder inside it is bone dry. Is this phemomena common with weather like this. Are ther any tricks to overcome this while hunting. Whats going on here??

 

[roundball]

Took my smoothbore hunting this weekend and diddnt see anything to shoot. Decided late sunday afternoon the shoot my gun to unload it. Because cleanup is about the same with 1 shot as it is several I took the opportunity to do some shooting, as I have only been shooting black powder for about 1 year. The temp had been dropping all day with slight mist off and on. My first 2 shots went off without a catch. The third, however, misfired 4 times. Each time I blew out the pan powder, picked out the vent and reprimed. I noticed that the powder in the pan seemed "clumpy". My priming brass never got wet, and the powder inside it is bone dry. Is this phemomena common with weather like this. Are ther any tricks to overcome this while hunting. Whats going on here??

In damp weather, especially high humidity, the pan residue turns to soup by the time you set the rifle down to reload it...that wet soup residue also immediately forms on the underside of the frizzen, the edge of the flint, and to a degree on the frizzen face itself...unless you religiously wipe the pan, flint, and frizzen clean & dry after shots under thosae conditions, you will very probably get ignition failures like you got.

 

[riarcher]

Agree with Roundball.
Here in New England (land of 110% humidity) I carry a little 1/4 oz sample bottle that I keep full of 90% Achohol and wipe the pan clean and dry when the soup starts.
Once cleaned and dry the new powder stays "do-able" much longer.

 

It's been 30 yrs. I remember sticking a rag in the right rear pocket of my jeans and wiping down flint, frizen and pan after every shot. Also the top of the barrel. The back of an old T shirt would get me through a day or two and kept the rifle and myself clean and presentable. Yes, humidity and residue are sure to ruin the shot. Also, if I didn't wipe it down, the transfer to my hands, face, ect. made me look dirty. This was important to me as I was trying to impress the girls also. It only took a second to do. It was worth it here in Florida with the humidity. :imo: :grey:

 

[Mike Brooks]

If you weren't getting a flash it was a dull flint or dirty frizzen.

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

Sometimes in wet weather, guys will switch to fffG for priming, just to slow the process somewhat. Also, as others have said, be sure to wipe the pan and frizzen to keep it dry.

 

[Bob Riegl]

OK here's the smart a$$ Chemist speaking---the BP contains nitrates as you know already which are Hygroscopic ( i.e. they absorb moisture from the air and will get wet). So you can do the math from that point on. :hatsoff:

 

[rayb]

OK here's the smart a$$ Chemist speaking---the BP contains nitrates as you know already which are Hygroscopic ( i.e. they absorb moisture from the air and will get wet). So you can do the math from that point on. :hatsoff:

????NO3 + C + H2O = black soup?????

:crackup:

rayb

 

[musketman]

Another trick is to change your pan powder every 1/2 hour or so during wet weather, this ensures a fresh prime when needed...

The few cents lost in unused powder is nothing compared to the dollar loss of deer meat...

 

[smokeblower]

Same situation here in dead of summer humid Tennessee

 

[Rusty Old Gunns]

I completely agree with "Roundball". I have a TVM Fowler I use in both re-enactments and live fire.

I have found that 4FFFF powder will cake up on a cloudy day and muck up the pan and plug the vent hole something fierce. So I went to loading with 2FF priming with 3FFF when shooting live, and both prime and load with 2FF for re-enactments. This works every time, and the 3FFF doesn't lag at all (no wosh boom).

In fact, we did a re-enactment three years ago in Connecticut. It was a drizzly day, so I tucked a small piece of towel under my belt behind my Hunting pouch, giving the pan and frizen a quick wipe after three or so shots.

I stood in the rain and that darlin of a fowler lit 37 out of 37 times. In fact, after about 25 rounds, I started double loading to make up for all the Besses that wouldn't go off in the line.

So... try priming with 3FFF if you have a well tuned lock, a good vent, and a decent flint, there will be absolutely no lag time, and you will have a much more dependable ignition system.

 

[charcloth]

Hello all,

I generally use my breech cloth or shirt to wipe my rock, frizzen and pan after every shot. When hunting I use a paste of 50/50 beeswax and tallow to form a bead around the edge of my pan. On average, I think I probably refresh my priming two to three times a day. When I check it I usually find that it wasn't required but once I expose the 4f to the air I change it out anyway.

Charcloth

 

[mikelange]

The finer the powder, the worse it is about turning to goo in high-humidity situations. I was using 4F in a priming horn, with a plunger-type tip to throw just a few grains into the pan. On humid days the powder simply wouldn't come out. I've since discarded the priming horn or any other separate priming device, and prime with whatever's in my horn. On days that 3F or 2F goes gummy, odds are I'm sweating so bad I can't see anyhow, and I'm liable to pack it in. I've never noticed the nth degree of difference in ignition time, in regard to coarser powder vs. 4F.

 

[tg]

Your best bet is to use 3f for the prime it does not draw moisture as quick as 4f.

 

[dlemaster]

One thing I did on a priming horn I made many years ago was to put a small caliber lead ball inside before I permanently installed the base plug. I never had any trouble with powder clumping up.

Regards, Dave