Wind and the Primer Pan.

[Beamer]

I was hunting today with my flintlock, the wind was blowing very enthusiastically. I checked my primer pan and found the wind blew it empty so I refilled it, closed the frizzem, and had one heck of a time the rest of the day keeping any powder in there, had to keep refilling it. Any suggestions? I know, don't prime it until I'm ready to shoot. Any other suggestions? Thanks a bunch.

 

[rabjr]

Umm the wind is blowing your prime out of the pan with the frizzen closed? You need a better frizzen/pan fit.

 

[roundball]

I was hunting today with my flintlock, the wind was blowing very enthusiastically. I checked my primer pan and found the wind blew it empty so I refilled it, closed the frizzem, and had one heck of a time the rest of the day keeping any powder in there, had to keep refilling it. Any suggestions? I know, don't prime it until I'm ready to shoot. Any other suggestions? Thanks a bunch.

If this is the first time hunting with this particular flintlock?

Reason I ask is I'm also surprised wind can blow prime out of your pan...was wondering if what's really happening is that there's open clearance where the pan and frizzen fit up against the breech and vent.

When I was getting started I put a new lock on a converted percussion stock and not paying enough attention, I left too much clearance there.

Kept trying to figure out where the prime was going then when I leaned it against a tree to have a discussion with mother nature, when I picked it back up and checked the prime, most of it had drained out...was coming out of the pan into the vent opening then draining away.

I set the lock deeper into the mortise so it's snug against the breech and took care of that

 

[biliff]

What Swamp Rat and Roundball said. It ain't the wind. Check the frizzen pan fit, check the pan barrel fit and if either of them isn't the problem I'd say you're inadvertently opening the frizzen during the day. Maybe a weak frizzen spring or just the way your carrying the piece.

 

[tg]

Definately need a better fit if it is getting out with the frizzen closed, it will blow out when you open the frizzen on a windy day useing 3f helps eliminate this problem.as mentioned look inside the lock mortice for a pile of priming powder, had a guy almost set off a small bomb out of a pistol once but I caught it in time before he made the lock cavity full of powder go off.

 

[Beamer]

Thanks for the suggestions! I looked at it to make sure everything was fitting tightly and noticed dumb mistake #5134, bottom of frizzen had "crud" on it from prior shooting stopping the frizzen from sitting on pan tightly. I know, dumb. It's all better, thanks for the responses.

 

[d50russ]

Using 3F as opposed to 4F in the pan while hunting also helps.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

To avoid throwing a fit, check the fit, as in, pan to frizzen, and lock to barrel. If using 4F, it can weep out through slight openings. Also, that barrel to lock fit, if sloppy enough, can leak enough priming into the mortise to create a little bomb.

"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."
H.L. Mencken

 

[Dphar]

I was hunting today with my flintlock, the wind was blowing very enthusiastically. I checked my primer pan and found the wind blew it empty so I refilled it, closed the frizzem, and had one heck of a time the rest of the day keeping any powder in there, had to keep refilling it. Any suggestions? I know, don't prime it until I'm ready to shoot. Any other suggestions? Thanks a bunch.

Fix the lock.

Dan

 

[MikeChapin]

You need to check the fit of your frizzen and the fit of the lock to the barrel. If powder is blowing out of the pan in a stiff wind there is a definite problem. If it is going out of the pan when you are just moving around then it could be the frizzen fit or it is sliding between the lock and barrel. That is a bad condition and could blow the lock off the gun when all that powder down in the lock goes off.

We get our share of wind out here. The only time I have seen it bother the functioning of a flint lock has been when it is blowing hard enough that the flash ends up two or three inches away from the pan. The prime was fine until I fired then the wind would blow everything away from the pan when the frizzen came open. I was kind of silly of me trying to hit anything under those conditions but I was young and thought I could handle it.

 

[FPDoc]

:rotf: I HEAR THAT!! (Nebraska Panhandle) I was shooting the other day with my GPR flinter. Wind 35mph with gusts to 50+mph. Actually I wasn't shooting I was watching the panflash blow downrange (excellent ignition..of the priming charge even with wind). I backed into the wind-shadow of the granary and got the thing to fire..the ball hit approx. 4ft(FEET) downwind of the target..then I went back into the house. Very educational. I learn more from bad conditions than good.