questions on priming

[TwoShadows]

Fellow flinters, I believe I have a stimulating question that will be sure to generate plenty of opinions:

For fastest ignition time should a rifle be primed with 4f or 5f out of a priming horn, or primed from the shooting horn?

I'm not looking for the amount of powder in the pan. Nor am I seeking where to position it for best results, each lock is it's own adventure.

It is my belief that few shooters way back when used a priming horn as much as we are led to believe, yet I have used one for 40 years. I have been lucky enough to take a couple National titles and several State titles during this time, not bragging, just qualifying statements and looking for answers.

Tell us here on the forum what you prime with and what are your reasons please.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I always try to prime with the same granulation as the main charge for simplicity. My fusil ignites FFG just fine, but that's under a 1" flint with a passel o'sparks. A large Siler lock will get FFFg going without need of finer powder. I had a T/C Hawken flinter 20+ years ago that never did spark powerfully, and that rifle needed a pan of FFFFg to take off. I understand the more recent T/C's are much improved.

 

I have always primed with 4f from a priming horn. Not because I think it's faster, I don't, but for convenience. I find it easy to discharge the right amount of powder into the pan every time with the charging spout on my priming horn. I have used 3f and it works equally well. I use it for hunting because it does'nt draw moisture as readily as 4f. I may wean myself off of the priming horn but for now, I'll still use it.

Cody

 

[tg]

I have found that the powder from my main horn (3f)provides ignition that I can not tell any difference from than when useing 4f "priming" powder, I have drifted this way as I try to duplicate the experience from the past as closely as possible, with a dead steady hold I suspect the target end would show little difference either.

 

[musketman]

I use a small flask to hold my priming powder, like the small flasks used for the Colt .31 caliber cap and ball 1849 "Pocket" Revolver.

This flask gives quick and easy primes of FFFg or FFFFg to my large musket.

 

[Zonie]

Wal, after yars o readin, I went out an bought a pound o 4F just fer primin my flinters. Course har in 'Zonie thar aint any water in the air so that aint never been an issue.
Ah'm a thinnin that the 4F is lightning quick in tha pan, but ah'm also thinnen ats because I got $8.00 tied up in 4F powder so's ahm a fibbin to myself to make me feel better.
Back when ah was usin 3F in the pan it wer also lightening quick in Sylar, L&R, and even am Ee-tall-iun locks.
Ah'm a thinnen it ain't the powder in the pan, its how good do the frizzen spark what makes the differance.

 

[Birddog6]

I have talked to several of the lock builders about this same question. From what I have been to by almost all of them, there has been extensive research by them on the timing of the locks with dif. grain size of powders. Altho it does make a dif., same dif. is so minimal that a human cannot tell the difference as the dif. of ignition time of3F vs. 4F in a pan is a few Hundredths of a second. Such testing was done with slow motion cameras & timing devices & etc.
Freom what I am told the testing done by persons testing is usualy inconsistancies in lock ignition & etc, thus you get varing results.

At the range I use 4F cause having powder in a small flask or horn is easy to take to the firing line & prme & part of my shooting proceedure. (Got to have a proceedure, fellers, or I will be punchin out dry balls all day!)

Hunting I use what powder is in my powder horn, just like they did 300 yrs ago. You will find the 2F & 3F will not absorb moisture s easily as the 4F will.

Custom Muzzleloaders & Custom Knives

 

[roundball]

I use Goex 4F in the pan from a pocket priming horn with 3grn plunger dispenser tip.
Using the priming horn / dispenser is not only very convenient at the range when shooting a lot, it also throws exactly the same amount each time which is part of any 'consistency' process.

So after using that approach 3 out of 4 weekends year round, when hunting season rolls around, "I hunt like I train" using the same equipment, same approach...only adding the one step of refreshing the prime periodically while out hunting.
I've now been fortunate to have taken several nice bucks and does with my TC Hawken flintlocks and every time I've dropped the hammer, ignition has been perfect...so for me:
"if it ain't broke, I ain't gonna fix it"

 

I use 4F out of a horn for the obvoius reason that "that's the way I've always done it"...hehehe. I have used 3F and I can tell no discernible difference. As others have said, I belive it's the shower of sparks one gets more so than the granulation of powder, within reason of course.

Vic

 

Roundball,

I'm sure you know this but for readers that may not, if you're putting your priming horn with a plunger dispenser in a pocket, be sure not to put it in a shirt pocket. A spark from the pan ignition can easily find its way into a breast pocket. If you have the horn spout up, the spark could go right in the spout. If you put it in spout down, odds are a little powder will dribble out into said pocket if the spout gets any pressure on it. Unlikely to cause a problem but if it does, it's sure to be a BIG problem.

Cody

 

[roundball]

Thanks...I've thought about that too and with that in mind, being right handed, I decided to carry the horn over in the left pocket of a hunting shirt, and always carry it plunger up to avoid accidential spilling.

However, as far as the plunger being in the up position, I'm not sure I agree that's an exposure to worry about...I mean, ultimately, anything is possible...but it is a spring loaded plunger valve which means it's shut and sealed off from the rest of the horn, and being in a heavy hunting shirt pocket with a thick flap buttoned down over the pocket, it's very well protected.

While I'll never say never, pretty sure a spark couldn't make it from my right handed rifle over to my left pocket and survive long enough to navigate it's way around the heavy flap over the the pocket, then find it's way into that tiny plunger, which would also have to be in a failed stuck open position at that moment to reach powder, etc, etc...probably a far greater chance of falling out of the treestand and shooting myself.

On the other hand, if you see a tree stand leaving the North Carolina woods some hunting season like a rocket on it's way up into the heavens, it just might be me.

Incidentally, I had a couple of these pocket priming horns made by John at October Country and they are just beautiful little things...the horn part is about 4" long and hold 100-150grns powder.
They have a 1/2" brass filler knob on the base plug, and a 1/2" 3grn plunger on the spout end, which drops a half a pan of 4F on my TC Hawkens and work great...and of course they can be carried in different pockets, or a belt pouch, a shoulder bag, etc

 

My prime'n horn is attached to a leather-thong, one end tied to my pouch-strap, and the other end to a "staple" located near the "spout-end" of the prime'n horn.
I tie this "thong" jest a liddle "short", so thet when the "horn" is in my shoot'n bag, it is held "spout up" to prevent the plunger from be'n pressed and dump'n "prime'n" in my bag.
Tho my smoothie shoots good with FFG and FFFG, I find thet FFFFG is handy to have, 'specialy when shoot'n "competition" and a fella dry-balls, or is have'n miss-fire problems with a "percussed" gun..... it is easyer to dribble the finer prime'n thru the nipple-hole to fix his problem.

With the "horn" in my shoot-bag, and covered with the flap, the chance of a spark git'n to it, is purty slim!

 

[Deadeye]

I do exactly as Roundball except I have a loop thru the baseplug that hangs around my neck hanging the pan primer about the top of my stomach. I've several that I use for different guns. I've done that for yrs. with no problem.
I like exactly the same thing in the pan every time.
Deadeye

 

[roundball]

I used to hang a couple things around my neck but then read a safety suggestion about hunting from treestands that made sense to me, so I began tethering odds and ends like that to shirt button holes, belts, etc, and nothing around my neck.

99% of my deer hunting is from tree stands and if there's anything hanging around my neck, and I fall, the suggestion was it could catch on the stand or on a tree step or something, and I could decapitate myself.

So to discipline the habit, I never put anything around my neck...not an owl call for turkey hunting...not a crow call for crow hunting...I tether them all to a button hole on a shirt pocket.

The notion seems to be catching on as I've now noticed some hunting shirts now being made with a tiny 'D' ring sewn under each shirt pocket flap

 

[Zonie]

Roundball: Ah don't thin ye would decapitate yerself. Ye might break yer neck or strangulate but ah don thin yer head would come off sooo they wouldn't have ta put ye in two boxes nor nothin like that when they put ye under!

What ye say do make sense though.

 

[Stumpkiller]

"99% of my deer hunting is from tree stands . . ."

That ain't huntin. That's waitin. Tried it once. Was so bored I fell asleep. Then it got real excitin.

Try the trick flats fishermen use. Make a sacrificial section on the loop around your neck. These guys carry pliers and hook disgourgers on 80 lb test, but with a length of 10 lb test spliced in - so when the dog shark you thought was a bonefish chomps on the pliers you were using to get your fly back and squirms wildly he doesn't garotte you in the process.

Fasten the loop to a tab of leather on whatever you're carryin with just a stopper knot on the line through the loop - so the knot will pull through. Don't want some dastardly rascal sneakin up behind you and stranglin ya with yer own neck knife strap.

 

[roundball]

No time to get bored...too busy draggin' out deer !!!
I've thought of the same thing..using a weak link so to speak but there's just no need to... simply tethering it to a shirt pocket button hole works perfectly

 

[tucoblue]

An artical today in "The Press of Atlantic City" (NJ)about two deer hunters tracking a deer and they find a human skull. They happen to look up and in the tree is a fully clothed skeleton hanging there apparently a tree stand hunter who fell and couldn't free himself.

 

[roundball]

Stumpkiller...double click my ID: roundball

Then also double double click the line: home page

 

[Stumpkiller]

Nice! Looks like them perches is good for sumpin. I don't have a digital camera, but this is an image of last year's bow buck for me.

My buck was taken at 11 yards on the ground with a recurve bow and cedar arrows. I'se proud o' that one. That was #28, and I took two since this year during gun season.