First Muzzleloader

[Winter Hawk]

I think it's more to do with shooting in a match rather than when out hunting.

~Kees~

[Ohio Joe]

I think it's more to do with shooting in a match rather than when out hunting.

~Kees~

I could see that. They always say to keep everything the same that works for you, so the prime wouldn't be any different I would think. 

[Uncle Russ]

I think it's more to do with shooting in a match rather than when out hunting.

~Kees~

I can see that....in fact, in a Match, I actually do that very same thing...slap that side of the lock a time or two, with the gun tilted to the right.....at least I think that's what I do.
Then I cross myself 3 times, say a couple of Hail Mary's, and let 'er rip.
Nooo, just kidding.

But I actually give two little plunges of 3gr dispenser to the center right of the pan. I suspect I do that whether I'm in a match, or hunting, or just punching paper.

I can clearly see Hanshi's point.
Think about it.....After I have packed that thing at that just right balance point for an hour or two, than carried it over my shoulders with one hand on the rifle barrel, the other on the stock...with lock up, and then hung it off my shoulder with a sling and the stock down, unless it's drizzling rain, then I carry it with butt up and the barrel down.

 .....it's amazing that thing ever shoots! Think about what that powder is doing in the pan all this time I'm doing all this nonsense!

Here in Washington State, rain or shine, during the late season if you ain't dumping that prime and re-priming, at least every 45min or so, that flinter ain't going to shoot properly...in fact that prime will look like mush.

I hunt with a flinter 'just about' as much as I do with a cap buster, maybe just a little bit less, but I always take two guns, and I never leave home without a flinter.
I fact, thinking about that right this minute, I honestly believe my Penn Longrifle is my all time favorite carry rifle for hunting...the balance on that thing is absolutely amazing. I love that old girl!

It's just the luck of the draw that I have shot considerably more game with a cap buster, I don't think I ever shot an animal that I couldn't have just as easily taken with either gun, it's just when I pulled the trigger I was toting a capper on that particular day.....

Russ...   

[Ohio Joe]

This does make one think of how much prime our forefathers used for prime?  I would guess a soldier when priming his musket probably didn't care so much - just get it in the pan and the rest of that charge/load down the bore.

Wonder how much prime Boone & Crockett used?

I guess when I think about it, after I prime my flintlock, I do roll the lock in toward me - then back out away from me - and then back to its upright position when target shooting. Couldn't say how much prime I use (maybe a 3rd of a pan?) Don't seem to have any issues on ignition, but the area I live in here in Nebraska is less humid... Back in Ohio it was always humid it seemed like...

In this picture my priming smoke is hanging, but the ball is well on its way to the target... Perhaps a bit to much prime on this shot / or the timing of the picture was just right to make it look so?

[AxelP]

I read somewhere that some soldiers of the line used more prime than was necessary and let the overflow go to ground so there was less powder for the main charge--in order to lessen the recoil of their brown bess. Not sure how often that occurred.

I use whats in my horn for prime UNLESS I get a misfire, then I will dig into my bag for my little ffff primer horn and use that. I rarely use ffff priming powder when hunting because it seems to attract more moisture than coarser powder. I too will change out my prime about every 45 minutes or so when hiking in the woods.  I will generally use 6 to 9 grains of prime. This fills the pan up to the bottom edge of the vent hole and maybe a tad more depending on how generous I am at the time. If I am in a rush, I might end up with more or less prime. Most times it eventually goes off either way.

anyone have their flintlock go off without any prime at all? I have heard that can happen too.
K

[Bigsmoke]

Ken, Long ago in a galaxy far away, which would equate for me to the late 70's up in Idaho, I had a Brown Bess and if I closed the frizzen  before loading, the touchhole was so big it would self prime (even with Fg powder).  Guess that could equate to going off without priming?  It would also consistently fire upside down.
Regardless, selling that old musket I do consider a mistake.  Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[Winter Hawk]

anyone have their flintlock go off without any prime at all? I have heard that can happen too.

I haven't had that experience.  I have had an unprimed rifle with powder and ball in her, which the State of Ohio considers unloaded, where while driving enough powder jiggled through the touch hole that it had a prime....  The vent is hand drilled out to 1/16" and it had FFFg Goex for the charge.  After that I make sure that the lock is UP when driving to another hunting area!

I have also read that the Bess had a large enough touch hole that the soldier could pour powder down the barrel from the paper cartridge, then bump the butt on the ground several times to get powder into the pan, and then seat the paper cartridge w/ball.  I don't know the truth of that claim, though.

I suppose a spark from the frizzen could bounce out of the pan and through the touch hole (vent), so one would not want to drop the cock on the hammer of a loaded piece, just for safety's sake!

~Kees~