The missing powder, where did it go?

[Lastmohecken]

This has happened at least twice to me. After priming my flintlock, and carefully closing the frizzen, and carrying my gun a while, I have on occasion opened it, and found no powder left in the pan.

The Frizzen to pan fit looks pretty good. And while there is a very slight gap in the lock to barrel fit, I can't see loosing a pan full of powder through it.

Have any of you ever had this happen? The only thing I can think of is while going through brush, opening wire gates, and I did crawl under one fence. is that maybe I hooked the frizzen on something and dumped the powder, but had the frizzen fall back in place over the pan. At least that would explain it today, but it did happen once before, and I don't thing I did all of  those activities. On top of that, I had been regularly checking the prime, off and on, it's not like I had carried it for hours without checking it.

[biliff]

Somewhere in the universe there's a pile of priming powder sitting next to a pile of mismatched socks that never came out of the dryer.

Seriously, assuming its not leaking out thru an opening either between the frizzen and the pan or the pan and the barrel then its getting out when you inadvertently bump the frizzen open.

[BEAVERMAN]

ever pull your lock and look under it?

[jbullard1]

This exact same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. After my successful kill on opening day I drew down on another doe and a no fire no prime in the pan so I reprimed and waited then got to thinking where did the prime go?? Now I picked the rifle back up and lo and behold no prime in the pan. Seems the flint had hit the bottom of the frizzen or the part that seals off the pan and made a tiny burr; moving the rifle around caused the prime to spill out and leaving the deer safe
Live and learn with flintlocks  

[tall bear]

I would pull the lock off and make sure there in no powder in the lock mortice.There should be NO gaps between the lock and the barrel.I would be a nasty suprise if a lock mortice full of powder went off!!!!

Mitch

[Three Hawks]

Depending on the amount and fineness of the priming charge, may it have sifted into the touch hole?  

Perhaps upon close examination with a good strong glass*,  the wee grubby face of a miniature troll might be seen evilly grinning from the back of the touch hole.  

Another sound reason to distrust flinchlocks.

Three Hawks



*The glass in question holding at least a gill.

[BEAVERMAN]

I would pull the lock off and make sure there in no powder in the lock mortice.There should be NO gaps between the lock and the barrel.I would be a nasty suprise if a lock mortice full of powder went off!!!!

Mitch

The reason I asked if you've pulled the lock is.... 2 years ago at our rondy, a young lady was having a problem with her caplock, dad pulled the nipple and pushed some 4f in the drum, picked the nipple, reinstalled and when off a flame shot out of the trigger area and burned her hand a bit, after pulling the lock from the stock, the area behind the lock obviously had a bunch of powder behind it and when the the thing went off full of 4f, some of the flame escaped and went into the lock mortise and ignited the powder behind it, just don't want ya to get burned! and yes there are alot! of folks who don't pull their locks and clean behind them but maybe once a year, I've had to help folks out on a woods walk fix their rifles and have pulled the lock and there so dam gummed up you wouldn't believe it! just an FYI!

[Lastmohecken]

Judging by some comments, I take it, that this just might be another occurance that happens with others besides me.

I have taken the lock off every time I cleaned it except tonight, because, I only fired 2 shots today, but every time I have removed it, no powder was found, however there is a little blow by on the inside edge of the lock, and it is a few thousands off of the barrel when in place, but it's not much.

I bet I dumped it, at some point, and didn't know it. I recond that another good reason to check the prime often, and another reason why, I wouldn't care much for a sling on a flintlock.

[Osprey]

I had it happen one day deer hunting, every time I'd open the frizzen there was no powder left in the pan?  Was very perplexed until I noticed that the new flint I'd started the day with was just barely hitting the frizzen when it shut, keeping the slightest of crack openings around the pan.  Every time I held the gun sideways all the primer was falling out.  Now I always check flint clearance more carefully and haven't had that problem since.

Just another thing to keep in mind.  

[Lastmohecken]

It's not my flint touching the frizzen. I now believe the first time it happened, I had left a few granules of powder laying on the edges of the pan, and that created a gap, that would allow powder to sift out. I have been very careful since then, to wipe the edges of the pan so that the frizzen would close completely.

However, yesterday I had switched to 4F for the prime, and it is of course very fine. I removed the lock, and I suspect that some powder is leaching between the lock and barrel, and I also held the lock up to the light, and with it closed there is a fair amount of daylight, visible between Frizzen and pan.

This gun needs work. I hope Jackie does a better job on the gun I have comming.

It's been fun, though. And I have learned a lot, about what is needed to get decent reliability out of these flintlocks, and that learning curve is bound to help me in the future.

[pathfinder]

A lot of times if a little powder is out of the depresion of the pan,it can hold the frizzen up just a touch,enough to let it trikkle out. I now try to make sure all the powder is in the cut out,not slopped around.

[Mitch]

check to see if you flint is resting on the frizzen when on half-cock...I had this problem and it was the flint "pushing" on the frizzen and moving it "just enough" for the prime to disappear...also if you have a huge flash hole, the prime will often sift into the barrel

[Lastmohecken]

No It's not the frizzen resting against the flint.

I pulled the lock, and I believe most of leached out behind the lock plate.

[Captchee]

well i dont know if i can help or not but  i did have a traditions rifle i worked on once that had the same problem . the customer stated it would not hold a prime .
 I looked the pan over and it looked tight .
 Removed the lock and checked the  fit   of the frizzen from the barrel side . Still looked tight ..
 The lock  fit tight to the barrel  and the frizzen spring held the frizzen soundly .
 I had a heck of a time figuring it out .
 The only thing I could think of was it  had to be the fit of the frizzen .
So I took and  blackened the complete underside of the frizzen   so as to check  just how well it did fit .
 Low and behold the lid had a slight warp  and did not close  around the toe where it went through the bridle . .
 You might check there . It really surprising  just how small a space even 3F will go through

[Lastmohecken]

I did dress the frizzen to pan contacts a little bit, as there were some high points creating daylight, then with the lock off of the gun, I filled the pan with 4F and held my thumb over the hole, where the flash hole would be on the barrel, and shook the lock, every which way but loose, to see if I could loose any powder, and never really seemed to loose any powder.

However, lockplate to barrel fit up is not tight, and I believe that is the main problem. And I have since closed it up a little bit, by doing a little of cleaning up on the lock mortise. It's not perfect, but it is a lot better.

In the process, I believe I have learned a lot, about correct fit, on these here rocklocks, which sure ought to help me in the future to trouble shoot, and also evaluate a flintlock's correctness, or lack there of.