Thunder14
32 Cal.
Hi I’m new to flintlock and i was wondering when do you load the pan? I’m thinking if you load it then walk around its going to upset the powder in the pan and bunch up in a sertant spot or am I overthinking this.
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Loading pan when hunting
- Thread starter Thunder14
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In my opinion you are overthinking it. Check to make sure the frizzen sits tightly (no gaps) on the pan. If so, then there should be no problems. If you are concerned, every once in a while flip the riffle towards the lock side, this will move the powder away from the touchhole. If you can safely do it, practice walking around with powder in the pan (no load in the barrel) then stop and fire. This will give you confidence that everything will be ok when you go hunting. Keep the lock in the half cocked position until you are ready to shoot it.
Thunder14
32 Cal.
Thanks I’m new to flintlock and I’m just asking a lot of questions so i get an understanding of the gun. Different from my percusion and inline.
Well welcome to flintlocks, a lifelong addiction. Keep asking questions, that is the way to learn. I also have a tc flinter in .50 cal. Have had it over 40 years. It is a good quality gun that has not given me any problems. I would suggest you get some good flints for it, those cut agates that came with the gun tend to lose their edge and are difficult at best to sharpen.
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The only time it's an issue is when the pan fit isn't good and you leak powder as you move around. One of the first lessons I learned with my first cheap flintlock. Kinda hard to kill my first flintlock deer when the pan was empty at the "shot!" :rotf:
If I am hunting in a blind I do not load the pan until I see what I want to shoot. The rifle is resting pointed upward in the blind. It is a tight squeeze with a long barrel to manipulate it into position. I leave the frizzen open and prime the pan with a small pan powder flask I wear around my neck. When walking around, I tend to keep the rifle horizontal in a one hand hold or a port-arms hold. Others have made a good point, a quality lock will seal the powder in the pan and it shouldn't be an issue. My practices are for personal comfort more than actual issues that need addressing.
Skychief
69 Cal.
Welcome Thunderduck (GREAT handle :haha: )!
When I'm squirrel hunting or hunting behind beagles, I never prime until a shot seems immanent. No need for it that I know of and often I'm hunting with a friend or two. Just one less thing to worry about safety-wise should Mr. Murphy make an appearance.
Deer hunting, my pan is primed all the time except walking in or out of the field.
Turkey hunting REQUIRES, in my opinion, a panful at all times. Those sneaky devils have been known to materialize from nowhere in the blink of an eye. :wink: More often than not, close by and on "your six" making an attempt at sneaking some prime into your pan futile at best! :surrender:
That's my way of handling things.
Enjoy that flinter. Get to know her and work with her and your in for a lot of satisfaction afield.
Best of luck, Skychief.
When I'm squirrel hunting or hunting behind beagles, I never prime until a shot seems immanent. No need for it that I know of and often I'm hunting with a friend or two. Just one less thing to worry about safety-wise should Mr. Murphy make an appearance.
Deer hunting, my pan is primed all the time except walking in or out of the field.
Turkey hunting REQUIRES, in my opinion, a panful at all times. Those sneaky devils have been known to materialize from nowhere in the blink of an eye. :wink: More often than not, close by and on "your six" making an attempt at sneaking some prime into your pan futile at best! :surrender:
That's my way of handling things.
Enjoy that flinter. Get to know her and work with her and your in for a lot of satisfaction afield.
Best of luck, Skychief.
Ron LaClair
In Rembrance
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Have you ever heard the expression, "going off half cocked"? A leather cover over the frizzen protects against an accidental tripping of the hammer. No spark will be emitted if the frizzen is covered with leather. A short leather thong attached to the leather pocket and tied to the trigger guard keeps it from being lost.
A finger tip of an old leather glove works good.
A finger tip of an old leather glove works good.
I get about 1-1/2 seconds to make a decision to shoot for grouse (or deer, sometimes) so I hunt with a primed pan.
A cow's knee over it in damp conditions.
A cow's knee over it in damp conditions.
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Load, prime, and return the hammer to half cock....install a frizzen cover if you feel it's necessary.
I'm not lucky enough to have grouse to hunt, but I go primed whenever I'm hunting, you never know when that snap shot will come your way. Last squirrel season I collected a gray which popped out of the trash on one side of a dry creek bed and made a rush toward trash on the other side, 20 feet away, fast as a squirrel can run. He didn't make it.Stumpkiller said:
A couple of years before that I was standing relaxed at the edge of a creek with the butt of my gun on my toe when a dead branch on a small tree across the creek gave way under a gray, and it tumbled down, took off upstream in a flash. Squirrel for supper.
I have absolutely no concern what position my gun/pan is in when the shot comes along, it will fire if everything else is right.
Tests which show that position of the prime in the pan, near the touchhole, away from the touchhole, covering the touchhole are interesting to read about, and I like seeing them done, but that's one of those things where the difference in the practical world is not worth a moment's concern, it causes no problems.
I never use a hammer stall when hunting. I depend on the half-cock. If that ever fails me, I won't shoot anything important. I know how to handle a loaded gun.
Spence
:hatsoff:George said:
I've done a lot of squirrel hunting w/ a .45 LR that I made and have never concerned myself w/ how much prime is dumped into the pan {sometimes I use my finger to level the prime} and other times there's barely enough prime, but the LR always goes bang. Also, where the prime is located in the pan was never a concern. I think that's how a flintlock should work....it supplied food and saved lives in olden times and don't think a flintlock should be "fussy" or have erratic ignition.....Fred
If I'm hunting then my pan is primed. Otherwise it's an unloaded gun. By the way, Georgia law considers a flintlock with no prime an unloaded weapon.
I also use a hammer stall judicially. One is always tied to my trigger guard. It's a lot quicker to slip that piece of leather off the frizzen than to try and prime when a shot presents itself.
I have fit my frizzen and pan so no light shows when closed. That also means no prime works its way out.
I don't care where the prime is in the pan, it always goes boom.
I also use a hammer stall judicially. One is always tied to my trigger guard. It's a lot quicker to slip that piece of leather off the frizzen than to try and prime when a shot presents itself.
I have fit my frizzen and pan so no light shows when closed. That also means no prime works its way out.
I don't care where the prime is in the pan, it always goes boom.
Black Hand
Cannon
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The gun is primed when I leave the vehicle. I check the prime every so often (more frequently in wet weather - about every 15 minutes or so) and replace as needed. And Yes, you are overthinking...Thunderduck said:
:metoo: But with little humidity not such an issue to check and replace. I have actually never expedienced the soupy prime issue I read about here?
Black Hand
Cannon
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I had it happen twice hunting in the rain (barrel pointed down and a greased cows-knee) - figured out that water was wicking up the barrel channel and sneaking into the pan from BEHIND the lock. Filled the barrel channel with wax gasket material and it hasn't happened again.azmntman said:
The essence of my response is to first remember the best 'safety' feature of any firearm is that gray glob inside yer skull.
Here in the Ozarks I have long likened deer hunting as being not too different a discipline than quail hunting. Ye see, aim, shoot. Usually all in a split second. Meaning, if using flintlock, that rifle must be ready.
I always carried my rifle primed at half-cock, no frizzen cover. It was my practice/habit to frequently check the prime to make sure it was level in the pan and I hadn't accidentally spilled it. Of course, if hunting with others, then muzzle control becomes a paramount consideration.
ff That was how I did it. Past tense. Not sure if I will ever be able to hunt again. Time doesn't stop for any of us.
Here in the Ozarks I have long likened deer hunting as being not too different a discipline than quail hunting. Ye see, aim, shoot. Usually all in a split second. Meaning, if using flintlock, that rifle must be ready.
I always carried my rifle primed at half-cock, no frizzen cover. It was my practice/habit to frequently check the prime to make sure it was level in the pan and I hadn't accidentally spilled it. Of course, if hunting with others, then muzzle control becomes a paramount consideration.
ff That was how I did it. Past tense. Not sure if I will ever be able to hunt again. Time doesn't stop for any of us.- Joined
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azmntman said:
It's real common here, even SOP. Doesn't happen with prime in an un-fired gun. Sure the powder gets clumpy and stuck together, but it's not soupy. After firing though, the RESIDUE gets soupy in minutes. And if you don't get every stinking little bit out before reloading and priming, your prime quickly turns to soup too. Part and parcel of my wet weather shooting is to really clean and dry the pan (and frizzen!) before reloading.
Skychief
69 Cal.
Same here BrownBear. Maybe not as bad as Alaska, but bad enough that you've got to maintain your pan for sure.
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