I have quite a bit of range time with my flinter and feel very confident in it's reliability but this will be my first season hunting with it. I have searched quite a bit on the subject of flintlock reliability in damp weather and I have read where lots of folks dump their prime every hour or so if it's wet,raining,foggy,humid,etc.,but what about on a good day? Is this necessary on a good day as well or only if damp out? Just wanna' know what ya'll do. BTW,I'm priming with FFFFG Goex. Thanks in advance!!
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How often to refresh your prime ?
- Thread starter WH .50
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I must confess I rarely dump my prime on good days, maybe once if that during a sit. I do prime with 3FF...on damp days I do dump and reprime, when I think about it. :haha: Usually somewhere every half hour to an hour if its misty or raining out.
Walks with fire
54 Cal.
On damp days I take a peek at it under the lock cover every so often; depends on the day but I just let the top knot tell me when. If it slides around in there I leave it; if it gets clumpy or worse it gets changed. 3f is easier to keep dry but I generally us Swiss Null-B in the pan if hunting.
Really though; as long as there is absolutely no fouling in the pan it's not going to get very damp unless water actually gets into the pan. Fouling is what attracts the moisture.
If your hunting and you must depend on your rifle to fire instantly then take great pains to remove all fouling in or on your rifle and make sure the flint is sharp.
Really though; as long as there is absolutely no fouling in the pan it's not going to get very damp unless water actually gets into the pan. Fouling is what attracts the moisture.
If your hunting and you must depend on your rifle to fire instantly then take great pains to remove all fouling in or on your rifle and make sure the flint is sharp.
So it sounds like,on good days,it may not be necessary at all to dump the prime? I will check it every so often to make sure it looks OK. How much better is 3F at staying dry than 4F? Is it worth switching to the 3F prime for hunting or is it not that big of a deal unless it is an overly damp day? Thanks again!!
I hunt in all weather using Goex 4F prime and always keep a clean pan so any effects on prime are caused by humidity.
I check it about every 15 minutes...open the frizzen and slowly tilt the rifle one side or another to see if the prime still slides easily indicating it's still dry.
If it starts to hesitate and I have to tilt it further than normal before it breaks loose and slides I know it's starting to "cake up" due to being affected by humidity so I dump, wipe, refresh it.
But worst case, I refresh at least every hour on the hour by my watch, period.
I check it about every 15 minutes...open the frizzen and slowly tilt the rifle one side or another to see if the prime still slides easily indicating it's still dry.
If it starts to hesitate and I have to tilt it further than normal before it breaks loose and slides I know it's starting to "cake up" due to being affected by humidity so I dump, wipe, refresh it.
But worst case, I refresh at least every hour on the hour by my watch, period.
Great question. As Swampy and Walks With Fire mentioned it depends on the day. Depends greatly on humidity. Though I tend to leave the lock alone and covered with a waxed cows knee on drizzly days as I am just as likely to introduce damp and water by futzing with it as to just leave it be. I poke it with a vent pick (mine hangs on my horn with the measure) and if it seems to have caked I dump it.
On very cold days I also leave it be.
Otherwise, I reprime every two hours or so. My routine is to move and then sit - so once sat I reprime.
On very cold days I also leave it be.
Otherwise, I reprime every two hours or so. My routine is to move and then sit - so once sat I reprime.
I never dump my prime unless I see I have let liquid water get to it. If you start with a clean pan, you can leave your prime all day on the most humid day, even in the rain. I've tested this on hundreds of hunts over many years, and I have no doubts about it.
I use 4F Goex for prime, and take no special precautions except making absolutely certain the pan is clean and dry before priming.
If liquid rain is a possibility I run a bead of lube where the barrel meets the stock for about 12-18 inches in front of the lock, use an oiled leather cow's knee and keep my muzzle tilted down at all times.
Spence
I use 4F Goex for prime, and take no special precautions except making absolutely certain the pan is clean and dry before priming.
If liquid rain is a possibility I run a bead of lube where the barrel meets the stock for about 12-18 inches in front of the lock, use an oiled leather cow's knee and keep my muzzle tilted down at all times.
Spence
Thanks again for all the tips!! I think I will stick with the 4F for my prime for now as I don't have range time between now and Sat. morning to test out the 3F in my rifle. That being said,I will check it often and dump if necessary. It's supposed to be a beautiful day here on Sat. so I don't foresee any issues but I just wanted ya'lls opinions. Thanks again for all the help I have recieved here from all of you. Ya'll truly made my switch from cap to flint nothing but loads of fun. I have only had one mis-fire since I started with the flinter,which was when I intentionally shot a flint continuously without knapping to see how many shots I could get out of it. I have no doubt that,given the opportunity,she WILL make meat!! :thumbsup:
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I would not worry a bit if you ever found yourself without 4F and only had 3F to prime during a hunt. Don't care what anyone says, when your sights are on an animal and you touch it off, you'll never notice a difference. At the range you might/maybe...but not shooting at an animal.
hanshi
Cannon
:hmm: Well I always refresh my prime after each shot; it burns okay the first time but not the second :grin: . If I don't shoot I don't refresh it unless it gets wet.
Its also important to understand in these kinds of discussions that there is no single universally correct answer.
There's no question 4F can / will be affected by humidity.
But whatever routine might work in the low humidity of Arizona or other low humidity states, won't work in the high humidity of many of the eastern/southern states.
No way I can hunt here in central North Carolina for hours on end with the same prime I start with...it usually cakes up / starts getting a skin on top after a while unless a front has come in and there's an unusually low level of humidity.
There's no question 4F can / will be affected by humidity.
But whatever routine might work in the low humidity of Arizona or other low humidity states, won't work in the high humidity of many of the eastern/southern states.
No way I can hunt here in central North Carolina for hours on end with the same prime I start with...it usually cakes up / starts getting a skin on top after a while unless a front has come in and there's an unusually low level of humidity.
Richard J.
40 Cal.
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In Pa,Va,Fl. you need to check it often. Mainly depends on the weather. If you fired a shot off then you might check it as your weapon cooling down in the winter time hunts will affect it. When checking the powder to see if it is clumped also check flash hole. In rain or heavy snow try not to check it to often as it will get under the calf knee, if you are using one. Trial and error.
That just hasn't been my experience. We've been known to have a little humidity here in Kentucky, but it has been a total non-problem, for me. And that includes the days when I'm actually hunting in falling rain.roundball said:
Oh, well, one less thing for me to worry about.
Spence
Walks with fire
54 Cal.
Me too Spence. I never have to change the prime charge here in PA unless fog or rain gets to it. I think a temperature change could sweat the metal a bit but really I watch the pan and never see any dampness. As I said in the other post fouling will make pan powder soup very quickly.
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