Priming powder

[Gene Perryman]

Today was the second time that I used 2F in my pan. Ignition seemed to be instanteous and just as fast and more reliable than 4F.
Now what to do with this almost full can of 4F powder.
Gene Perryman

 

[Roy]

I always try to keep a can of 4f around... :haha: seems to be the same can anyway If you ever dry ball (not that I have ever done that :bull: ) you can pick a pan or two of 4f behind the ball and shoot it out. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

If it's Goex 4F I'll buy it from you if you're close to Raleigh...I use almost a can a year.

 

[Larry Pletcher]

Today was the second time that I used 2F in my pan. Ignition seemed to be instanteous and just as fast and more reliable than 4F.
Now what to do with this almost full can of 4F powder.
Gene Perryman

Hi Perry,
The key to your answer is the word "seemed". Human senses are not good enough to tell the difference, but there is a difference. In the April 05 issue of MuzzleBlasts I have an article in which I timed Goex ffg, fffg, ffffg, Swiss ffffg and Swiss Nullb. powders. I timed each 20 times. The fastest ffg time was slower than the slowest Swiss ffffg time. The difference is almost non-existant to human senses, but it is measurable. I would stick with ffffg for prime, except in very humid situations. The fimer grained prime is likely to absorb moisture faster. In that case ffg may very well be better.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[MercerLake]

:grin: FFFFg is considerably faster if it is DRY as it burns faster than FFg. But FFFFg is not coated so it does draw moisture much faster than the coated coarser grades. Priming with FFg or FFFg has two "possible" advantages over FFFFg in that, they are coated so there is some moisture resistance, and the larger grains offer a larger area to catch a spark. It gets so wet here on the NW coast that you can wipe a pan dry with alcohol prime it and watch FFFg turn to a black soup just from the humid air, it takes much longer with the FFg or FFFg. Plus it simplifies things if you can prime with what you are shooting.
As to what to do with the full can of 4F, well you could have a dry-ball fit and shoot them out, or just use it as 7000 grains lasts a long time. :v

 

[Gene Perryman]

Even in the summer with 4F (excluding the flint), I have found that I have to wipe and dry my pan after each shot. Yesterday, I fired 20 rounds and purposely did not clean the pan. There was NO perceptible difference in ignition time between the first and last shots.
Have you written and/or do you know of an article on finetuning a flintlock by a person who does not have access to a machineshop
Thanks for your help.
Gene Perryman

 

...and it was a good article; the time differences were, as you intimated, miniscule; so that in practical terms there is little difference in the times of say fffg and ffffg. I have never tried ffg for prime, but it was commonly used in the old days. Where I live ffffg gums up the pan every shot [humidity]. I use it on the range sometimes, but fffg works well. Reenacting, I carry only one horn [typically fffg] and load and prime with it...as did the folks I am trying to 'recreate'...

 

Mike, I have played with 2f in the pan on my muskets that I use 2f for the loads. It works great. Lots better than 4f on a humid day or misty foggy morning. 4f has proven to be a waste of time and effort for this child.

Your mileage may vary in your particular lock though. It is worth trying if you are using 2f in the bore.

 

[xxgrampa]

hey pletch,

have you guys ever tested the swiss nullb to see how it holds up in humid conditions???

thanks and ..ttfn..grampa..

 

[shmrck1]

Gene,
My thoughts are keep it, you may very well want to return to it at sometime:hmm:What would you be out maybe 12/15$There is
no expiration date on powder. Just keep it dry.
snake-eyes

 

[Larry Pletcher]

hey pletch,

have you guys ever tested the swiss nullb to see how it holds up in humid conditions???

thanks and ..ttfn..grampa..

The tests I did on the priming powder were done between 50% and 60% humidity if memory serves. At those numbers it was flawless. I have not used it in humidity extremes. At this point I would use it until I ran across conditions where it failed. I am not opposed to changing prime a few times during a day hunting,

Regards,
pletch