new fanged flinter

I saw a guy that had a flinter [think it was Traditions] that used pyrodex pellets and it was fast and sure fireing---QUESTION---being as B P is getting hard to get for some folks---couldn't the same type of breach plug be used in our custom flint long guns to fire fake powder in events of B P shortages???

Years ago when I had trouble getting BP I used loose Pyrodex in my CVA flintlock with photographic flash powder in the pan...worked fine.

Can someone please enlighten me? I don't see what the breechplug has to do with being able to shoot Pyrodex pellets in a flintlock rifle (not that I would want to). The few times I tried Pyrodex in my flinters, it was a real hassle. Emery

if I'm not mistaked Tradions has a flintlock that has a special breach plug made to fire with pyrodex reliably,was just wondering if this tecnology could be used on our custom flinters????

The problem with using substitute powders in flintlocks is that the flashpoint for the subs is so much higher than it is for Black Powder, it is difficult to ignite. Now, the Pyrodex pellets are suppose to have some amount of black powder on one end of the pellet. If you load a starter load of BLACK POWDER down the barrel before loading the pellets, they can be ignited, altho reports indicate that both ignition and SDV are irratic.

I don't think anything you can do with any breechplug is going to have much to do with whether they pellets work or not. You have to get enough heat inside the barrel from the burning priming powder to ignite the main charge. Getting heat there is not a problem. Getting enough heat to ignite the higher flash point powders IS.

I believe your referring to the T/C Firestorm.

See Link

I believe their design is supposed to funnel the primer flash to the rear of the pellets to ignite them.
One problem I see with using pellets in a lot of our rifles is that the pellets will rest on the end of the breech hence leaving the breech area void of powder. This may cause ignition and pressure issues IMO. Now if you put 10-20 grains of loose powder in before the pellets you would probably have good ignition.
All in all I think the use of pelletized powder in any sidelock be it flint or cap is defeating the purpose of shooting a sidelock in the first place.

HD

if you have to measure 20gr and dump down the barrel, why not just measure 80 and be done?

pennsyltucky said:

if you have to measure 20gr and dump down the barrel, why not just measure 80 and be done?

Click to expand...

That's my point exactly.

HD

:surrender: OH God here we go again!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what do you do if you're sooting a .36 or say a .72 and the pellets don't fit properly. Don't they only make these pellet things in .50 cal??

----------YAAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOO--------

A few years back when we had this discussion, someone contacted Hodgden. They said that figuring the air space around the pellet and thru the center was the hardest part of designing the pellets in the first place. I guess that means it is critical for good repeatable results.

I think that if it come to this we might all as well take up knitting and telling stories about how good things used to be, no exagerations though keep it honest...

I hear and agree with a lot of folks here. I like to use real black powder. Nobody in my area handles it, because of government regulation and/or restrictions. I must resort to mail order. But what happens to our flint locks when the government stops that? Hang them on the wall and look at the pretty rifle? On the serious side, why can't someone develope a powder that would work in flint locks, but could fall in the same classification as Pyrodex? Just a thought :hmm: .

It's all about economics. Developeing a suitable powder substitutes for flinters alone is just not viable. There are just not enough of us for the big manufactuers to be able to make a profit. There is too much R&D plus the tooling and marketing costs. We complain and bicker about Black vs Subs as it is now. The way they look at it is why make something for an already small market when only a fraction of that market is going to use it. The BP only snobs surely won't. :v

Wouldn't a substitute powder that worked well in flintlocks work well in percussion guns too?

Interesting enough what was left out of this discussion is if you can't get bp what are you going to prime with? Isn't flash powder for photography bp?

BTW the T/C Firestorm does have a special breechplug that holds the pellet end right in front of the touch hole so the flame (heat) from the prime can surround the end of it to help it ignight.

would this type of plug work with pyrodex powder instead of pills?

I don't think any better than with a regular flintlock. The pellets have a small ring of real bp on the ends of them to help with ignition.



This pic should explain how it works. Notice the little ring of bp on the pellet and where the touch hole is.