fuse lock question

[Captchee]

I was wondering folks .
 how does a fuse lock  get along at shoots ?
 anyone  having any problems with burning fuses and  carrying powder ?
 many of the shoots i go to dont allow smoking on the line .
 never thought about  how this rule would effect a fuse lock .

also how do you prim the pan ? so you remove  or put out the fuse every time you load .??

[Craig Tx]

Howdy Cap,

At one shoot, which was at a range, I left the match at the firing line and loaded on the bench and recalimed the match at the line.

According to "The Exercise of Arms" illustrated by Jacob de Gheyn.  The match is held in the left hand well away from the chargers.  Now I do have to modify the loading it that the priming pan is filled first.  To placate safety comcerns at a normal shoot, I perform it last.

And yes, the match is removed every time the load procedure is initiated.

The de Gheyn manual is readily available.  If you "google' de Gheyn you'll also get examples of the plates.

With my pike and musket group we light the match at the beginning of the manouver, and don't extinguish until the manouver is done.  Its never bothered me as all the powder is either in the chargers, or the priming flask which is on my right side.  The match is in my left hand and well away from the powder.  I'm more concerned about accidently burnin' my doublet, or sword hanger.

The procedure is really very safe, or it wouldn't have been employed for so many years.  However, it's not worth the arguement with safety officers.

Craig

[Gordon H.Kemp]

Great information ! I have regressed from cap lock to flint , and who knows ? if I"m around long enough , may take another step back in time .

[Captchee]

thank you Craig for the info.
 i wasnt really all that concerned about the actual safty , as much as  issues i might run into  with safty officers  lol


 i was sure thinking about giving  matchlocks a try Gorden .
dont get me wrong , i do love my flintlocks  .
couldyou emajion the look on the cap lock guys faces  LMAO . they get grumpy enough when beat by a flintlock  

[Craig Tx]

Well, all that bein' said I haven't taken it on a trail walk yet...

But given the crowd and safety officers I usually shoot with I'd expect a coupla frowns, and a "don't do anything stupid" warning.

Interestingly enough in May one of my clubs is havin' a special matchlock shoot...  Of course there's only two of us with matchlocks...  


Craig

[MedicineSoldier]

It can be a lot of fun competing against cap & flint shooters with a match lock.  Last summer at the High Plains Regional Rendezvous I won the smoothbore match using my matchlock.   It was a combination of shot & roundball shooting.  I didn't have much luck during the the clay pidgeon aerial shots but the number of hits on the turkey head gave me clear advantage while using shot.  The funny thing is that I had someohow forgotten my normal wads and just used grass I pulled  as I was loading.

Medicine Soldier

[bluelake]

Great information ! I have regressed from cap lock to flint , and who knows ? if I"m around long enough , may take another step back in time .

Hehehe...  I went the other direction: I started with a matchlock musket and then progressed to flint and cap longarms.  Actually, while shooting matchlock, I was also shooting a flint pistol and cap 'n ball revolver, so I also shot them around the same time.  They're all great fun.

As for a burning match, I have a stick with a holder on top that I keep it on--at a distance--while I'm loading; I retrieve the match as a last step.  I could never get used to holding a burning match while loading, although, as mentioned, that is the way it was done.