Priming from the Horn

[Greg Blackburn]

I know a skydiver who once packed his altimeter up into his main canopy....not sure if that would have killed him but it might have had he not gone to missing his altimeter! *Certainly would have cost him an altimeter, maybe hurt something on the ground when it hit, and he'd probably need a new main parachute at the very least.

I would never charge my pan or barrel with my powder flask. I would only use the measure.

Greg

 

[Bob J]

My main point was that I was pleased to discover that this rifle will do just fine with 3f if I ever forget the priming horn with 4f. Safety concerns and tips are appreciated, however :thumbsup: here is one concern all this has made me think of: if the hammer slipped as you were priming from the powderhorn, the whole powderhorn could go off :shocked2: Likely to happen? Probably not. But definitely possible. Always make sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction, including while priming, whether from a small flask, priming horn, or full-size powderhorn!

 

[Baxter]

I will charge my rifle bore with an adjustable brass powder powder measure; is there some reason for which I cannot use a 'dab' in the measure, poured from the horn to charge the pan? Once I have settled on THE charge for my rifle I will suppose that I will stop using the adjustable powder measure and then a separate 'device' for priming will be more useful?

 

[nchawkeye]

How you gonna prime that flinter with the frizzen back where the flint can hit it??????

Kinda grasping for straws...Millions of shots have been fired when primed from the main horn, both in the past 50 years and 250 years ago...

Sure accidents happen, part of life...If a fellow wants to do whatever, have at it.......

 

[Claude Mathis]

I was trained that when looking at a practice or procedure to look for what could happen, not only at what has happened because if it can happen, eventually it will happen.

If I thought like that, I'd never climb on my Harley again. Life is one big risk. We do what we can to minimize the risk, but we don't stop living because something "can" happen. When you ride a bike, it's not a matter of if you'll go down, it's just a matter of when.

Based on the odds and past history, I'd say priming from the horn is safer than many things we do.

 

[Matt85]

if the hammer slipped as you were priming from the powderhorn, the whole powderhorn could go off :shocked2:

unless your shooting a different kinda flintlock than the rest of us, id say this is completely impossible. the flint needs to strike the frizzen to make sparks and the frizzen needs to be open to put powder in the pan. if the frizzen is open what is the flint gonna hit to cause sparks?

as said above, priming from the flask is pretty safe or at least as safe as any thing else we do in life. id say your far more likely to get killed in a car accident on yer way to the range then you are to have your horn explode while priming your pan.

-Matt

 

[ebiggs1]

Nothing in life is absolutely safe.

Very well said! :applause: Use common sense. :thumbsup:

 

[xring2245]

I think this is a non-issue.

 

[xring2245]

"As I reached into my bag, lo and behold, the priming horn was gone I left it in the bag that goes with the .36...oh well!"

This is a good reason for having a bag and powder horn for each rifle (or smoothie) you own. Each bag's contents should be customized for the gun that it belongs to.

James

 

[Greg Blackburn]

You bet! I hope to do something like that, caliber specific bags.

Greg

 

[Billnpatti]

Yep, I discovered the need for having a caplock bag, a flintlock bag and a fowler bag after running into similar circumstances as you. Sure, you have to duplicate several things in order to have separate bags for each kind of rifle but it pays off in the longrun. Believe me, it is very disheartning to get into the woods for a squirrel hunt with your fowler and find that you have no wads or cards in your bag because you forgot to grab some before you left home.......I dang well know. Now, I also have an inventory for each bag posted on the inside of the door of my gun safe. After each time I go out to shoot or hunt, when I return, I make sure that each bag is properly restocked before hanging it up. I also have a check list for each gun posted next to the inventory lists and I run over it before leaving to go hunt or shoot such as rifle, range rod, powder, right size balls, targets, etc.. I guess it's like wearing belt and suspenders. Kinda gets necessary after reaching that "certain age".

 

[DUSTY 14]

the ride to the range is certainly the most danger we will face in a shooting day. the number of persons killed in auto accidents every year would get our sport outlawed quick if we came close to matching it.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I learned long ago, trying to make someone change their ways when they are determined to use dangerous methods is almost always unsuccessful.
Too many times I have tried advising the "it ain't blowed up yet" crowd on proper techniques.
Now, I'll voice my concerns only once or twice (I'm probably at three with this post) then stop.
I just ask, don't do your dumb stuff next to me or those I love.

 

[Bear64]

when moving fast and quite or slow and quite in the woods, it matters not, all the weight that I could cut was left behind, priming from the main horn was a standard thing be it 2f or 3f smoothbore or rifle, it mattered not...we all have heard stories of some dunderhead doing something stupid...can't let that bother me, I do what is right for me and for the conditions I find myself in....

 

[fyrfyter43]

filling your pan directly from your horn is a very dangerous practice. The least little spark left from a previous shot could set off the whole horn in your hand. Not a pretty sight. It would be far safer to pour a bit into your powder measure and then put it into the pan.

This is by far the silliest thing I've ever read on this forum.

 

[pargent]

:thumbsup: A good experience, I somtimes use a small priming horn instead of a priming flask, you just have to watch closely how much prime comes out.

 

[pargent]

You just have to watch some of the vids on utube of people shooting flinters to see how unco a lot of guys are, missinformed and all the rest. For all you saftey what if nannas the military trained troops to prime the pan first, drop the butt to the ground and load the cartridge.What we do to-day is quite safe there is no need to bring fairy stories to a guys post about priming the pan from his horn a practice that is over 300 years old

 

[gus13]

As I reached into my bag, lo and behold, the priming horn was gone :shocked2: I left it in the bag that goes with the .36...oh well!

Well, pulled the plug from the powderhorn which is filled with 3f Goex.

I have used 3f in my pan for years and have not found a reason to go back to the 4. plus it saves having to carry extra when I can use one horn!

As to the other discussion;
both brass and horn are non-conductive, and will not cause or carry a spark to begin with - which is why they are used! the difference between priming with a flask/primer or main horn is simply volume (and obviously Grain size), so I really don't see how its an issue whether you use a main horn a priming horn or brass plunger(?), either way the firearm must have the pan primed to fire and if there is any kind of residual spark (though, unlikely at best) it would result in combustion.
Most of the horror stories you hear are from user error, such as the above mentioned examples.
To me, it is an illogical statement to claim that a priming horn/or flask is "safer" than priming straight from the horn.
Not trying to start anything this is merely my .02 cents. we are all apart of a dangerous sport. But I'm just trying to make sense of it all! :hatsoff:

 

[kopfjaeger]

(When you ride a bike, it's not a matter of if you'll go down, it's just a matter of when.)


Isn't that the truth brother. Been riding bikes for 40 years never had a bad accident. Then on August 2, 2012 a deer broadsided me, got a helicopter ride to UPMC Presby's trauma unit in Pittsburgh. Had two fractures on my skull, bleeding on the brain, a concussion, bruised right kidney, sprained right ankle, and some road rash. 4 days in trauma unit, six weeks with physical therapy. Doing good now though. :grin: