Will 3F prime ok in a pinch.

[Pittsburghunter]

Just wondering as right now there is no 4F handy and I want to try my new rifle.

 

[jethro224]

Some of the guys here told me to use 3f instead of 4f for hunting.
It works GREAT!
The 4f would absorb moisture from the air and not light up after a while. Never had it happen with the 3f. :thumbsup:

 

[ol vern]

Go for it! I use 3f for prime all the time.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Me too.

I use 3F for everything in my .54 flinter.

Heck, I used 2F for prime in my Bess. If you throw enough sparks you can prime with any black powder. I have seen it proven that 4F is faster, but 1/15th of a second slips by so fast I hardly notice.

 

[tnlonghunter]

yeah, 3F works well. I hunt with it, and since I use 3F as my main charge also, I only have to worry about the horn, no priming flasks while all excited about reloading after shooting at that big buck (I lost my priming flask last year for that very reason). I still prefer 4F if target shooting, but mostly just 'cause I have a pound of the stuff left and need to use it up.

 

I use fffg to prime most of the time and cannot tell the difference between it and ffffg--maybe some machine can, maybe not, but I cannot....I have not tried ffg to prime but the old timers used it alot. I am using ffg in my .54 rifle and .62 smoothie but I am priming with either fffg or ffffg. With my .50 and .40 I load and prime with fffg. Works fine.

 

[Maestro]

As stated by the others, I found out early this past hunting season that 4f was affected by humidity very quickly. 3f worked much better and by the end of the season, I was just priming with 2f from the same horn as my main charge. Worked just fine.

 

[Claude Mathis]

... I was just priming with 2f from the same horn as my main charge. Worked just fine.

Me too.

 

[Cherokee]

Never used anything but 3f

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Thanks guys guess I can go ahead and try the rifle without a trip to gun shop.

Any pointers for a lefty to eliminate safety concerns and flinching? I plan on wearing saftey glasses of course.

 

[roundball]

I've always used 4F...experimented with 3F at the range, it worked, and I'd certainly use it for hunting if I didn't have any 4F.
However, not hunting with a horn, and already having pan primers for 4F it, plus having a couple Lbs of Goex 4F on hand, I'll be staying with it...I just dump/refresh it often when hunting and it's never been a problem so far

 

[J.M.]

I'm pretty green when it comes to flinters, but I got some good advice from veterans, I use 3f to load and prime, and my fowler goes bang every time, no problem. Go get shooting!

 

[Landngroove]

FFFG in the pan, FFFG, for the main charge. Goes Boom! All I use.

 

I've used FFF in rifles for prime and it works great and also FF for prime in my smoothbores and it works fine as well. I use the same powder for priming as I am using in the bore at the time with no problems.
Don

 

[Swampman]

I use 3F for everything. It's the only thing I will use given the choice. Priming horns, short starters, and patch knives are things I don't need to carry. They are just dead weight.

 

[Stumpkiller]

You don't carry a knife when shooting? I carry one all the time, and I work in an office building. :haha:

If you've got a knife, and you cut a patch with it, it's a patch knife.

 

[Ken Morrison]

Pittsburghunter,
Are you shooting a right hand rifle left handed?
I'm left handed and my first few shots with a flintlock was with a right hand rifle owned by a friend.
I never had a problem with shooting a right hand rifle but when it was time to buy a rifle of my own I bought a left hand Lyman Deerstalker.
My advice as a newby myself is to concentrate on the sights and target and trigger squeeze and ignore the smoke and flame. I've not had a problem shooting a flintlock.
I mostly prime with 4F but have used 3F on a rainy day when hunting. 3F seemed to work well but I have can of 4F so I'll use it till it's gone. Might take my whole life to use a pound of powder 4 grains at a time.
Good shooting.
Drive safe you don't want to fly in an EMS helicopter.

 

[Swampman]

I only use precut patches that I make myself. I save my knife for skinning critters.

 

[Pittsburghunter]

Magumba, I only shoot lefty. Not a big deal for me but I never have shot a flint rifle so I was looking for advice on that.

Thanks for what you offered!! Trust me it helps.

 

[jderrick]

FFFg in my barrel. FFFg in my pan. FFFg in my salt shakerJUST KIDDING... :youcrazy: I imagine charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter may not taste well, and certainly might not agree with H. sapien biology....