Flintlock priming powder?

For INFO, just because I'm not responding to each and every post, doesnt mean I'm not reading them.

Keep them coming. Being new to Flintlocks I'm learning and trying most every suggestion.

The exception being the "smashing of powder" bit. I dont know much about flintlocks but I do know powder make up.

I was on the bomb squad for my department for many years. Part of my job was post blast investigations, which included policing up fingers and other assorted body parts of people who try making their own repellents or modifying existing repellents.

I'm a firm believer that the chemist know a lot more then I do and I'll stick to their suggestions.

Keep the post coming, I'm learning.
 
I have a Traditions Pennslyvania .50 cal and it uses a "patent breech" design which unfortunately can be problematic as far as consistent ignitions. My rifle prefers 3F powder, and after I load the powder charge I thump my palm at the breech area to help get some powder down into the small passageway that connects to the vent hole. I then prime with 4F and just enough to still see the vent hole, and if the stars are aligned correctly and I did my job she will go kaboom...
 
I have read that 4Fg powder granules, unlike the other grades, are not coated with graphite and therefore absorb moisture more readily. This might be more of a problem if you carried the gun afield for an extended period in humid/damp weather.

I always use 3Fg for main and priming charges, works fine, and you only need one powder horn.
 
every flintlock has its own ways. One of mine likes a heavier 4f pan charge while the other prefers a lot less. Play around and learn what amount it likes. I use 4fg for hunting and target shooting.
 
Never heard of anyone having repetitive touch off's using any sub powder in their flash pans. {not at all reliable stuff.} You might try making your own B/P. Which requires a small investment before hand and is easily recovered due to the overwhelmingly high cost of today's store bought B/P. Swiss brand especially.
Living out in the country as I believe you do. Easy peasy making home-made powder when neighbors are not a concern i.e. nosing into your business.
 
Howdy

I have not shot a flintlock in a bazillion years, but I used to use 4F Goex in the pan.

I am a bit leery of these ideas of crushing the powder.

Black Powder can indeed by ignited by concussion of the grains. When grinding in a powder mill, the powder is always mixed with water to prevent any chance of ignition. Later the powder cake is broken up into grains and sifted to separate the different granulation sizes. The thought of grinding dry powder in a mortar and pestle gives me the willies.
 
You might try making your own B/P. Which requires a small investment before hand and is easily recovered due to the overwhelmingly high cost of today's store bought B/P. Swiss brand especially.
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Be sure you do not do this in the basement. Do it outside or in an outbuilding that you will not mind losing if the powder blows up. Your home insurance will not cover you if you blow up your house making Black Powder.
 
I got my 1st flintlock in 1971. An unfortunate mishap caused me to loose better than a half container of priming powder. Since that time, I have always ground my own priming powder and have done so without incident. As with everything, you have to use common sense when doing so. Most of my flintlock shooting buddies do the same as well as make flints.
 
I had my first flint lock. I stopped in the gun store and they handed me pyrodox P and R. It would not go off. I tried and tired. Next I tried smokeless powder. Bullseye. No go. Next we held a propane torch to the touch hole. We never got it to fire until I had some real Black.

David

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I use 4f but all my flintlocks get a flash hole liner upgrade to a rmc liner I've only had 1 hang fire and it has always gone off with first pan powder.
 
Black Powder can indeed by ignited by concussion of the grains. When grinding in a powder mill, the powder is always mixed with water
Click to expand...

Can you provide a source for that info? Black powder needs a spark or flame to ignite. There's nothing in black powder that can spark by concussion, just dont use something that can spark when you grind it. I make black powder with a ball mill. As long as your grinding media is a substance that can't spark (I use hard lead, but copper and brass work too), it will not go boom. I do not wet it, and most people I know of that make their own powder don't wet it either.
 
While the initial mixing/corning is done using a wetted compound
and pressed into cakes to dry (completely), the powder cakes are
then literally crushed by huge rollers into final size(s).
See Here for a complete discussion.
https://www.scribd.com/document/13116741/Black-Powder-Manufacturing

(Note that while mortar/pestle is fine -- as is large mill rollers/rotary tumblers/ball mills -- the old "rock-crusher/stamper" method is not recommended to continually hammer the compound really hard, really fast, really often........ )**
Can I recommend a low-numbered Springfield to you...?




** the old stampers most likely produced continuously/compounded compression heating.
 
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Black Powder can indeed by ignited by concussion of the grains. When grinding in a powder mill, the powder is always mixed with water
Can you provide a source for that info? Black powder needs a spark or flame to ignite. There's nothing in black powder that can spark by concussion, just dont use something that can spark when you grind it. I make black powder with a ball mill. As long as your grinding media is a substance that can't spark (I use hard lead, but copper and brass work too), it will not go boom. I do not wet it, and most people I know of that make their own powder don't wet it either.
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One hard and fast rule in Bomb Disposal (either training or practice) is to:

NEVER HAND ENTER A PIPE BOMB

Reason being most are make with black powder. (some may not be but you dont know which).

Reason being that grains of BP can get into the threads of the pipe and can ignite WITH NO SPARK INVOLVED.

Now I normally dont like to discuss bomb tech procedures but I thought this would be a good time to throw that out there.

Smashing BP may not always cause problems, but its like seat belts, you dont always crash there just may be that one time.
 
I have made black powder from raw ingredients, way back in the 70s when you could not find any to buy.

You grind it WET.

There is a VERY GOOD reason you do it that way.
 
Bullseye for priming powder David_R? I'll pass on that and I'm glad it didn't work for you.

I tell people to prime with their regular powder - just like the soldiers did in the American Revolution. Priming powder didn't come about until the 1790s and even then, the British soldier primed from his paper cartridge. Riflemen of the British Army had priming flasks (starting 1797).
 
Read closely.

I went to the gun shop and told them I had a black powder flintlock.

They said the Pyrodex would work. They sold me P and RS.

No matter what I did, no joy.

The little bit of bullseye was hard to ignite too. Flint would not do it.
Once I got the bullseye lit, still no BANG from the main charge of pyrodex RS.

Once I got some real black, everything was fine.

I know a guy that made a pipe bomb and used Black. It DID get caught in the threads. It blew. He lost most of his fingers.

David
 
Your BP; Your call !!!

At this point, it might be a good reminder that BP is classified as a Class-A explosive and all other replacement M/L propellant are classified as Combustible-Mixtures. Knew a dealer that had an outdoor storage bunker where he was required to store BP. If you Google BP, it list precautions on how to handle it. I carry a classification of "Vintage" and work with BP as well as the latest and greatest propellants. I also know folks that have gotten hurt by "playing" with BP. ...... :rolleyes:

Be Safe !!!
 
Reason being that grains of BP can get into the threads of the pipe and can ignite WITH NO SPARK INVOLVED.
Click to expand...

The threads on the metal pipe and the metal cap can make a spark. Without a hot spark or flame, black powder will not combust.

Smashing BP may not always cause problems, but its like seat belts, you dont always crash there just may be that one time.
Click to expand...

Don't crush it with metal that can creat a hot spark. Copper or brass will work. A ceramic mortar and pestle will not cause the bp to ignite no matter how hard "you" can pound it.
 
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