Flintlock priming

HLOUIE2

Is there anything that works well as a substitute for 4f black powder for priming a flintlock? Hlouie

mongrel1776

Whatever grade of black powder you are using for your main charge, will do for priming the pan. I myself have used Fg, FFg, and FFG, all three, as priming. Assuming your lock throws a good shower of sparks, the worst problem you might notice would be a slight difference in ignition speed -- but I've had the same problem crop up with FFFFg, due mainly to either the humidity that day, flint quality, or my rifle simply deciding to be difficult. The convenience of loading and priming from a single horn far outweighs any problems that I have (or haven't) had with the coarser powder. I decided to try using a single type of powder for both main charge and priming after reading advice to that effect in "Muzzle Blasts" magazine, by the way, so the practice seems to work for others than just me.

Remember that standard practice, in the days of the flintlock being the primary military arm of Great Britain, France, and the United States, among many others, was to prime the pan with a few grains of powder from the pre-fabricated paper "cartridges" soldiers were issued, which consisted of a ball, or ball-and-shot combination, and the main charge of powder, wrapped in combustible paper. If the coarser powder had consistently given problems when used as priming, the practice probably wouldn't have continued through the more than two centuries that the flintlock helped build empires.

If you're considering any form of substitute black powder, either as main charge or as priming, odds are the reliability of your ignition will suffer. Like I said, though, the same grade of black powder you use for your main charge will work for priming.

mbsams

3F works fine in mine

Guns & Glass

Mongrel l776 (1776 a great year!)is correct, especially when viewed historically. In some applications Black powder is still hard to beat.

For todays shooter......4F is still technically the best overall especially for todays shooter of which most if not all aren't in military situations.

4F provides better accuracy, ignition, faster burn time, better flame. Keep in mind the pan powder isn't a fuse as often written or talked about.

Our fore fathers, and militeria didn't have the knowledge base we have, money to buy expensive 4F, the luxury of walking to a store to buy meat, and in battle....simpler is better, and life saving.