You nailed this.... you are spot on. Like many of us old timers, we learned to do this through trial and error. Although I rarely over charge my pan, I typically tap the off side of my lock by force of habit when target shooting. Now when loading for a hunt, I am very particular about both my loading and priming. If I come in from a hunt and said gun hassent been fired, I'll plug the vent hole, open the frizzen and cover the frizzen with a leather stall and cover the entire lock with a leather lock cover. Never had a problem with ignition, short of a dull flint on the range. I always check the flint and action before loading for a hunt.
You are right about the location of the flash hole in relation to the pan. But for my life I cannot understand how this alignment could be made less than ideal with today's technology. Thanks so much for this informative presentation, and greetings from South Carolina!
Thank you. I wish I watched this video before the weekend. I shot a flintlock for the first time and thought it was a great ideal to cover the hole with powder.
Best advice ever! I am a new shooter and have been all over the web, looking for any and all advice about shooting. I have never come across this issue about the flash hole. Wow! That explains a lot about some of the problems I have been having. I have the Pedersoli 1809 Potsdam, and the flash hole is really low into the pan. So following your advice, I primed the pan correctly. what a difference! You're the best. Chris McDonald
The NMLRA has a series of videos using high speed video and electronic timers. They primed with powder in every possible position in relation to the flash hole as well as different positions of the flash hole itself. The results were enlightening and changed how I prime. Worth checking out.
Thanks Bob. I shall recommend this video to all new “Click-poof-whiz-bang” shooters. You have done a marvelous job of explaining how and why. Flint shooting has always been my favorite and I am over 3/4 century old.
Thank you Mr Tennesee teacher. I call you a teacher because you have perfectly explained with a drawing the cause of a fire delay, which I have had for years and nobody could tell me the cause. Some gave me a faster gunpowder but the problem kept on. I have already made the modifications to the pan. So now you have a new subscriber and a fan from Argentina. Thank you, thanks internet, and thanks youtube. My Tower thanks you too.
Thanks for the informative video. My wife (70 years old) got her first BP flintlock yesterday. We have been shooting percussion and are brand new to FL. Love your vids and have subscribed... Ron
Nice to know from an expert that I'm doing it right.. Thank you.... It might be of interest for y'all to know about my Pedersoli .50, which had its flash hole pretty close to the pan bottom. Having pondered the wisdom of this and remembering a book written on the subject in the 18th century that I read some years ago, I got to work on the lock (I am a 'smith) and lowered the bottom of the pan to give about 2.5mm (3/32") clearance. Ignition speed and consistency went up noticeably, being near instantaneous. So it does work best to have that flash hole well clear of the priming. Oh...a thought... I don't hunt any more (78 years old now) but your mention of having a rifle loaded for days at a time, especially in hot weather got me to thinking whether a thick paper or thin card wad over the powder might prevent any possibility of the lube contaminating the charge. Shouldn't affect accuracy I would think.... What do you reckon? :-)
Priming from my main horn--which is a pocket horn I come in from the side and shake the powder out rather than pouring over the top. If I get too much I shake out a bit before I close the cover-but then the touch-hole in that one is properly located so there's a lot of leeway. Good vid.
I "found" the priming flask and I got lazy. Now, it's the only way I prime my smoke poles. FFFF powder works just fine as a primer. FF for the gun, but I'd rather have F for the bigger grains. I'll probably start making my own powder over the winter. It's getting hard to find and expensive when you find it. The only thing I'd add to your video is my little trick (learned from playing with my cannons) of 'spiking' the touch-hole into the charge for clear passage of the hot gasses/flying powder grains, etc. to get into the main charge. I've found that my "lock times" are very comparable with modern center-fire shootin' irons. Just a little bit of priming powder (just as you said) but, first spike the touch hole. By the way, now that I've found your channel, I'm you're new subscriber!!!
Thanks for the great presentation. Been having troubles with flash pan ignition and even tried to polish the pan as some have suggested to no avail. I have a traditions Kentucky flintlock and the flash hole is as you described at the bottom of where the flash pan sits. Many misfires!
This is great stuff. I learned all this via Sam Fadala's Black Powder Handbook back in the day, but this makes it far more accessible. I wish we'd had youtube back when I was first starting out.
Good instructions for those new to flintlocks. I was trying to explain this to someone last night but had a wee bit much madeira. I'll send them over to watch this. Thanks
Can't beat that. I usually have a couple big bonfires from the deadfalls on the farm each year and lots of smaller ones throughout the Spring and Fall. No better place to get carried away and no better duds to do it in than that.....
Thanks for that information. I've recently bought my first flintlock. The flash hole is above the pan but I still had issues with the main charge not going off several times. I was filling it level with the pan so I guess I was just wasting my 4F.
If you mess up drilling your touch-hole or buy a rifle second hand that has the touch-hole drill too low or too far forward or back you can easily fix it. Most locks have enough metal thickness around the pan that you can take the lock off the gun and working from the back side of the lock use a dremel tool and a grinding burr to grind the pan a little deeper or remove a little metal on one side of the pan or the other to center the touch-hole up on the pan. It's a ten minute job that anyone who is the least bit handy with tools can do.
Regarding the brass priming ‘flask’, one thing I was told some years ago was to replace the brass screw cap with a suitably sized cork. That way, in the unlikely event of a stray spark igniting the priming powder, the flask was less likely to explode like a stick of dynamite! I’ve no doubt it would still make a fair bang but at least the cork ‘should’ be the path of least resistance!! This was from a very experienced matchlock/flintlock shooter and it’s something I’ve done ever since.
I have a .32 Pedersoli Squirrel Gun and that gun works best with just enough powder to cover the bottom of the pan, any more than that it tends to hang up.
Great info, Bob. Flitnlock pans need to be loaded no more than UNDER the touch hole. The less the better. Powder granulation depends on the firearms, but I always use FFFFG (4F) because it catches fire faster than higher FFs. Also, and very important for quicker ignition is to use a vent pick, or feather, or a toothpick to poke a hole in the powder already loaded in the barrel so it has more powder granules facing and taking the primer flash. In flintlocks it is just another way to get a faster shot off. My old Tennessee goes off like a new-fangled percussion gun and I don't have that mule ear showing up in my face. Ha!
Yep.... reflects my experience..... I usually leave a little bit of brass brazing rod in the flash hole while I load....It has a loop on the end to pull it out before priming and is held by the pan cover while loading the main charge... got that hint from an 18th century book on the subject. Those guys only had flinters, and they knew how to run them...
I have a priming wire ( prick) attached to the priming flask I use every time I load. This will always make the gun have a zero lock time. Touch hole can be almost anywhere.
I sure am glad I watched this video. Being new to flintlocks, I just assumed that you’d want as much powder in the pan as possible and I would actually TRY to get powder in the flash hole. This would explain why I’m having firing issues. Our flintlock season starts the day after Xmas , here in PA. One question.... what should a person use to clean the frizzen face? Rubbing alcohol? Thanks!
Glad the video helped! I don’t worry about it too much but if I do get oil on the frizzen, yes, a quick wipe with rubbing alcohol will clean it right up! Good luck in the deer woods!
1/2 a pan is fine on my flintlocks. Any more causes excess carbon fouling to build quickly. Too much carbon on the flint causes a weak or no spark. Keeping the ignition area fairly clean equals reliability.
Bob: you are on a roll. Remember everybody keep the hammer at half cock and frizzen open until you are at the line (where you should be doing the priming) and ready to shoot or able to point the rifle in a safe direction. Flintlocks have been known to go "boom" with no powder in the pan. Love these videos if you are new to flintlocks or an old grizzled guy like me.
Very good point Mike. I forget sometimes that most folks shoot at the range as opposed to walking through the woods. THE FRIZZEN OPEN IS AN UNLOADED WEAPON. THE FRIZZEN CLOSED IS 1/2 OF THE SAFETY OFF AND THE GUN LOADED REGARDLESS OF ANY POWDER IN THE PAN.
Now, I bought and Indian made Ketland pattern musket with it flash hole drilled by a gunsmith at the very bottom of the pan. The pan is plenty strong yet and I wonder if deepening this further might help preventing hang fires.
Thanks for your great video. I'm a novice flintlock shooter, and I have a priming flask that always seems to overfill the pan. Your idea of tilting the rifle outward or tapping it sounds very useful. Any other suggestions?
I've been shooting percussion for 30+ years and been thinking about a flintlock. This helps but concerned about the humidity where I live affecting the pan charge.
With my two hawkens it seems like the when I bottom the plunger on my primer flask out once it’s the perfect amount of powder or maybe a little more than necessary
@@BlackPowderTV A lot of guys I think overprime; you are trying to create enough flash to go into the touch hole and ignite the main charge, but if you put in too much powder it will slow down the burn and you don't get enough heat where you need it to go.
Made the mistake of buying my first flintlock, used, from a substandard builder. Flash hole is so low in pan that the guy ground out a fuse in the bottom of the pan to the touch hole. When it works it works like a firecracker, mighty slow. Would it help to try dropping the pan and grinding the pan a little wider where the guy put the ground out fuse. Any advice would be helpful. Good parts, siler lock and Douglas barrel, just extremely bad workmanship.
Thanks, this is confusing.as nobody explains this even in the instruction manual. I have a Lyman GPR. Duelist1954 says the Pedersolis may have A low flash hole.
I notice that some muskets at the end of the barrel by the breach plug there's a cavity maybe about 1/4 or 5/16 deep, so when loaded with less powder like 45 gr after pressing down the patch and ball the powder gets press in and is hardly within the touch hole for the igniter to ignite the main charge because the patch and ball is in the way and this causes misfire. Have to load it with enough powder maybe about 50+ grain so that it will be by or over the touch hole for instant bang. My Kentucky have no problem but my Hawken yes. Is this a factory production defect? Thanks
It's a leather wrap generally and it holds it still which is important for keeping the same angle shot to shot. I don't think it would work without a leather strip.
Thanks for this great informative video I got my first flintlock 50 cal a Traditional Hawkens barrel length 28" can I use the FFFg for ignition on the pan? I'll be using this FFFg as my main projectile powder.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes 3f will work just fine and it will be convenient to only carry one horn/flask. If you run into 4f or 0B you can give it a try so see if it runs faster in your rifle but the 3f will be excellent as well. 👍🏻
@@johnkelinske1449 Hi John, how come my touch hole get foul up so fast? should I removed the screw nut cover on the touch hole to improve ignition contact? Thanks
I have them over my sights on my squirrel gun. The tiniest reflection of the sun on the side of the front sight makes it hard to tell where the center of the front post is for those fine shots.
I’d probably just use cooking oil if I was going to use something out of the house but you can give it a try. Spit actually works really well. Just stay away from any petroleum product. When they burn off they leave a sort of lacquer behind. Thanks!
Windex (I believe htat's the name of the US product) works well...it's quite soapy and slippery, and being alkaline is good at killing acids in the bore... I often clean with it, but sometimes also use soluble cutting oil as a 'wet' lube... My usual lube for pre lubed patches is beeswax and a softener... Vaseline, Crisco or olive oil...all work a treat...... That same lube works in my cap'n'ball revolvers even on sized and lubed conical bullets for paper cartridges...... Fun and games eh? :-)
Bob... I have a question. I can't seem to find any 4f locally for my wife's flintlock. I read that some people grind down 2f or 3f to make it fine enough for the prime. Wondering your thoughts...
It’s something some folks do and they report very good results but I’ve had a static discharge of BP that burnt me pretty good so you won’t get the go-ahead from me. Mortar and pestle is what I’ve heard works to get some good fine priming powder. Perhaps run your 3f through a fine screen to get some Swiss ‘0B’ type powder off of it.
If you can find the 35mm film, plastic container put 2ff in it with a pure lead round ball put it in your pocket and walk in about a week you will have fine pan powder.
How do you ensure reliable firing with a flintlock? I have a nice .50 cal. Tradition Arms with the breech plug arrangement...to make the chamber fire the spark, or flash, or whatever has to make a right hand turn after the flash in the pan, and travel almost an inch to get to the charge in the chamber. I've been over-filling the flash pan, like you said not to do, so maybe that's my problem. Advice?.....
Hey George, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The most important thing with those is a clear flash tunnel. Either run a tight patch down to blow it clear before you load your first shot or run a pipe cleaner down to keep it clear. The closer to the flash hole the charge is the better so with those you have to find a solution you can repeat. Keep me posted.
Can you do a video on touch hole size? My flintlock has a 1/16” touch hole and I get some self priming, I feel my touch hole is too big. Or am I mistaken and self priming isn’t really a big deal?
Veteran Iron&Wood 1/16” is about right. I, and most people I know drill the holes out to 1/16” if they are smaller. 1/16” is considered average. No big deal.
@@veteranironoutdoors8320 Yeah, 1/16" is fairly standard. I've read of people going smaller, down to .050" on small caliber guns, but 1/16" (.062") is a good all around size. Too large and you get self priming and excessive flash back out of the hole, while too small and you don't get reliable ignition. 1/16" seems to be the sweet spot for most guns.
It’s right on the line and either would be great. 3f for more velocity and recoil and hunting larger game. 2f for shorter range target shooting. Some guns prefer one or the other so I suggest trying both. 👍🏻
Just standard period sights. I handmade the front and customized the rear from a sight from Kibler’s website. Most correct sights can be found there or on trackofthewolf.com. 👍🏻
Do you have a video on how to properly swab the barrel and keep the pan hole clear of powder gum after firing 5 rounds so that it does not misfire for range shooting? Thanks
If your hole is smaller than 1/16" you can drill it out. That really helps keep it clear and will speed up ignition. If you continue to have issues a pipe cleaner through the touch hole should sort you out. I'll put this question on my list of How To videos! Thanks!
@@BlackPowderTV Thanks, I take my flintlock to the range once a month and it seems that after 10 rounds even after swabbing the barrel and using my pin needle to poke the hole trying to clear it up I'll always experience misfire I end up having to put powder into the pan hole but this result in fuse fire just like the one of your videos which messed up my aiming.
If it were me I would question the lube I was using and the size of the touch hole. Next time you go to the range try shooting with just a wet patch soaked in water for 5 shots and see if the gum is lessened. If so you need to switch lubes. The touch hole prick should be all that is needed to shoot all day without a misfire from a plugged up hole. Stay in touch and we'll figure this out.
A few grains will if you use a fine grain powder but it will fire faster if there is air between the charge and the primer. It seems counterintuitive but if there is a gap it allows the hot gasses to ignite the main charge instead of having a chain reaction, if that makes sense.
@@BlackPowderTV yeah that makes perfect sense, I like that trick of tipping the gun to the right so you clear touch hole. We used to make what we called cow's knees to go over the frizzin keep your powder dry. You put out some informative videos thanks.
Black powder dose not burn as you discribed "fuse affect" it explodes, no burn rate applies to black powder.you should do the oppsite of what you say "tap pan powder away from touch hole" this will move the explostion away from the touch hole. just google slo mo flintlock to see the expolstion completly engulfes the entire pan and barrel. My advice to newbes is to cover the touch hole by turning the rifle pan to the sky and tap pan powder to cover the touch hole, this works so good I don't even carry a vent pick anymore. I know many will disagree and I was also taught to do what you say but "cover the touch hole" works better, please it a try you will never go back.
Burn rate applies to every explosive, even high explosives. High speed photography shows the fastest ignition is with the powder next to, but not covering the flash hole.
Wax in the lube mixture is not necessary at all but if you live where it’s hot it helps keep the lube from running. It’s just like if you live where it gets -20 degrees f you need something in the lube to keep it from freezing solid. 👍🏻
@@dantankunfiveancestorsfist The lube greases the bore as it is pushed down, keeps the fouling soft after it’s fired, and keeps the patch from burning through when the charge goes off. If the patch burns through you will get odd spin on the round ball and you will get poor accuracy.
@@BlackPowderTV Thanks for all these great info. I finally fired my first black powder flintlock rifle with many experience black powder shooters that assisted me great individuals many thanks. th-cam.com/video/KKeWbT4EDwQ/w-d-xo.html
I get a flash in the pan 75% of the time , my gun only fires 25% of the time, my flash hole is at the very bottom of the bowl. I was told to tilt and tap powder into my flash hole, this results in a hang fire “if” it ignites the charge in the barrel. Every time my gun fires, it is a hang fire.
John Cooper Nice catch. It’s a feather in the ‘feather hole’ in the bottom of the stock. Southern rifles had feather holes which held a songbird feather for plugging the touch hole to keep humidity out as most southern guns were kept loaded.
Thanks, great video and a beautiful rifle. I knew they used quills to plug the flash hole I just assumed they kept it in the possibility pouch. I never heard of a feather hole in the stock. Would love a video of the rifle with close ups.
@@BlackPowderTV Thanks I am excited about the channel not very much of this content on here. I am a cap and ball guy but really enjoy the flintlock stuff (both rifle and pistol).
I wouldn’t load lead pellets or shot in a rifle. You’ll get lead cut up as it’s shot and it’ll imbed in the rifling and you’ll have a hard time cleaning and loading until you scrub it out. As far as multiple balls I would stay away from that as well. You’re tripling or quadrupling the pressures. You may be able to shoot two round balls with no ill effect but I personally wouldn’t do it or advise it. Safety first. 👍🏻
You have less to worry about as far as how full the pan is if your touchhole is a bit high. A half pan is plenty in any case so if you overfill brush a bit out with your finger or brush so the frizzen closes fully and shoot away! Thanks!
Safety side note... put that priming horn/flask away (in your bag) before you fire the gun... Don't leave it out where a stray spark could potentially cause it to detonate... Chances are it will never detonate. But it's a risk that is easily mitigated by putting it away.
I’m new to black powder shooting …so glad that people like you have made these informative videos. Thank you.
You nailed this.... you are spot on.
Like many of us old timers, we learned to do this through trial and error. Although I rarely over charge my pan, I typically tap the off side of my lock by force of habit when target shooting. Now when loading for a hunt, I am very particular about both my loading and priming.
If I come in from a hunt and said gun hassent been fired, I'll plug the vent hole, open the frizzen and cover the frizzen with a leather stall and cover the entire lock with a leather lock cover. Never had a problem with ignition, short of a dull flint on the range. I always check the flint and action before loading for a hunt.
You are right about the location of the flash hole in relation to the pan. But for my life I cannot understand how this alignment could be made less than ideal with today's technology. Thanks so much for this informative presentation, and greetings from South Carolina!
Many thanks
Thank you. I wish I watched this video before the weekend. I shot a flintlock for the first time and thought it was a great ideal to cover the hole with powder.
Best advice ever! I am a new shooter and have been all over the web, looking for any and all advice about shooting. I have never come across this issue about the flash hole. Wow! That explains a lot about some of the problems I have been having. I have the Pedersoli 1809 Potsdam, and the flash hole is really low into the pan. So following your advice, I primed the pan correctly. what a difference! You're the best. Chris McDonald
I looked all over for flash hole orientation and couldn’t find anything of significant. Thank you sir!
Veteran Iron&Wood You’re welcome! Thank you!
Oh heck yeah, this answered yet another question for me. Keep going guy, you'll have me making smoke yet.
Good stuff! We'll get you there! Thanks!
Great advice! Thanks for taking the time show the new shooter how its done!
Black Powder Maniac Shooter Thanks Mark!
The NMLRA has a series of videos using high speed video and electronic timers. They primed with powder in every possible position in relation to the flash hole as well as different positions of the flash hole itself. The results were enlightening and changed how I prime. Worth checking out.
Do you have a link to the video? Thanks.
@@stevensheldon9271 I looked and couldn't find the original video series but it was Blackpowder Magazine not the NMLRA.
I'm new to flintlocks and this was VERY helpful, thanks. I was putting too much powder in the pan, but know better now.
Thanks Bob. I shall recommend this video to all new “Click-poof-whiz-bang” shooters. You have done a marvelous job of explaining how and why. Flint shooting has always been my favorite and I am over 3/4 century old.
Thank you so much Eman!
Thank you Mr Tennesee teacher. I call you a teacher because you have perfectly explained with a drawing the cause of a fire delay, which I have had for years and nobody could tell me the cause. Some gave me a faster gunpowder but the problem kept on. I have already made the modifications to the pan. So now you have a new subscriber and a fan from Argentina. Thank you, thanks internet, and thanks youtube. My Tower thanks you too.
Gracias Marcelo!
Excellent presentation👍‼️
Great explanation! Covered it well!
Thanks John!
Thanks for the informative video. My wife (70 years old) got her first BP flintlock yesterday. We have been shooting percussion and are brand new to FL. Love your vids and have subscribed... Ron
Thanks so much Ron! If you have any questions feel free to comment or email me!
Darn - that's very useful --- THANKS SO MUCH!
😎👍
Very informative video, well done
Awesome tips
Again a nice explanation. If I wassent a Flintlock shooter before I would start after watching your videos👍
Homemade History Thanks so much. I enjoy your videos as well. You’ve got some really great content.
Very good advice! A low vent hole with too much priming will cause the thing I hate the most! A wooshbanger!
Yessir!
Great info. Thank you. Cheers.
Great information. Thanks
Dan Standish You bet! Thank you!
Man you and the maniac are a boat load of knowledge! Black powder rifles are new for me but I own many years a dragoon.
Thanks. Very good advice.
Wow i was all wrong in my thinking once again ! Thank you very much!
Just as with anything, most things will work but there's always a 'best practice'. Thanks PA!
Great video
Thanks brother!
Nice to know from an expert that I'm doing it right.. Thank you....
It might be of interest for y'all to know about my Pedersoli .50, which had its flash hole pretty close to the pan bottom. Having pondered the wisdom of this and remembering a book written on the subject in the 18th century that I read some years ago, I got to work on the lock (I am a 'smith) and lowered the bottom of the pan to give about 2.5mm (3/32") clearance. Ignition speed and consistency went up noticeably, being near instantaneous. So it does work best to have that flash hole well clear of the priming.
Oh...a thought... I don't hunt any more (78 years old now) but your mention of having a rifle loaded for days at a time, especially in hot weather got me to thinking whether a thick paper or thin card wad over the powder might prevent any possibility of the lube contaminating the charge.
Shouldn't affect accuracy I would think.... What do you reckon? :-)
Instablaster.
Weld the old flash hole shut or close it with a screw and drill a new flash hole at the correct position
Priming from my main horn--which is a pocket horn I come in from the side and shake the powder out rather than pouring over the top. If I get too much I shake out a bit before I close the cover-but then the touch-hole in that one is properly located so there's a lot of leeway. Good vid.
Thanks Wade. Yep, if your touch hole is in the right place youve got no worries. Thanks!
This helps a lot with the issues I’ve been having great lesson!
I "found" the priming flask and I got lazy. Now, it's the only way I prime my smoke poles. FFFF powder works just fine as a primer. FF for the gun, but I'd rather have F for the bigger grains. I'll probably start making my own powder over the winter. It's getting hard to find and expensive when you find it. The only thing I'd add to your video is my little trick (learned from playing with my cannons) of 'spiking' the touch-hole into the charge for clear passage of the hot gasses/flying powder grains, etc. to get into the main charge. I've found that my "lock times" are very comparable with modern center-fire shootin' irons. Just a little bit of priming powder (just as you said) but, first spike the touch hole. By the way, now that I've found your channel, I'm you're new subscriber!!!
Thank you
Thanks HB! 👍🏻
I enjoyed the video!
Thanks for the useful information
Thanks for the great presentation. Been having troubles with flash pan ignition and even tried to polish the pan as some have suggested to no avail. I have a traditions Kentucky flintlock and the flash hole is as you described at the bottom of where the flash pan sits. Many misfires!
Lots of good info here. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind words!
very good
This is great stuff. I learned all this via Sam Fadala's Black Powder Handbook back in the day, but this makes it far more accessible. I wish we'd had youtube back when I was first starting out.
Cro Minion Thanks! I don’t know how I ever learned to do anything without youtube.
😄👍
Spot on
Good instructions for those new to flintlocks. I was trying to explain this to someone last night but had a wee bit much madeira. I'll send them over to watch this. Thanks
One can have too much Madeira? Thanks!
@@BlackPowderTV I got carried away sitting round the fire in some new braintan duds.
Can't beat that. I usually have a couple big bonfires from the deadfalls on the farm each year and lots of smaller ones throughout the Spring and Fall. No better place to get carried away and no better duds to do it in than that.....
Thanks for that information. I've recently bought my first flintlock. The flash hole is above the pan but I still had issues with the main charge not going off several times. I was filling it level with the pan so I guess I was just wasting my 4F.
Immediately subscribed. Thanks for sharing
good content, as always
If you mess up drilling your touch-hole or buy a rifle second hand that has the touch-hole drill too low or too far forward or back you can easily fix it.
Most locks have enough metal thickness around the pan that you can take the lock off the gun and working from the back side of the lock use a dremel tool and a grinding burr to grind the pan a little deeper or remove a little metal on one side of the pan or the other to center the touch-hole up on the pan. It's a ten minute job that anyone who is the least bit handy with tools can do.
really good video!
thank you
Thank YOU!
Regarding the brass priming ‘flask’, one thing I was told some years ago was to replace the brass screw cap with a suitably sized cork. That way, in the unlikely event of a stray spark igniting the priming powder, the flask was less likely to explode like a stick of dynamite! I’ve no doubt it would still make a fair bang but at least the cork ‘should’ be the path of least resistance!! This was from a very experienced matchlock/flintlock shooter and it’s something I’ve done ever since.
Very good advice! Thanks for sharing!
Where would this random spark come from? Brass is non-sparking.
I have a .32 Pedersoli Squirrel Gun and that gun works best with just enough powder to cover the bottom of the pan, any more than that it tends to hang up.
thanks I am learning
You bet! Thanks!
Good stuff
Good video, thanks!
Thanks so much John!
Great info, Bob. Flitnlock pans need to be loaded no more than UNDER the touch hole. The less the better. Powder granulation depends on the firearms, but I always use FFFFG (4F) because it catches fire faster than higher FFs. Also, and very important for quicker ignition is to use a vent pick, or feather, or a toothpick to poke a hole in the powder already loaded in the barrel so it has more powder granules facing and taking the primer flash. In flintlocks it is just another way to get a faster shot off. My old Tennessee goes off like a new-fangled percussion gun and I don't have that mule ear showing up in my face. Ha!
Right you are! Thanks Bill!
Yep.... reflects my experience..... I usually leave a little bit of brass brazing rod in the flash hole while I load....It has a loop on the end to pull it out before priming and is held by the pan cover while loading the main charge... got that hint from an 18th century book on the subject. Those guys only had flinters, and they knew how to run them...
EXACTLY👍
4 f is a great priming powder
Where is your last hole on that kibler I got a 36 coming just curious awesome presentation thank you
I have a priming wire ( prick) attached to the priming flask I use every time I load. This will always make the gun have a zero lock time. Touch hole can be almost anywhere.
Awsome
Thanks for the explanation! I've been struggling with this. Even after I clean the touch hole the powder in the pan goes off but not the main charge.
Thanks Bear! Keep me posted if you keep having problems!
I sure am glad I watched this video. Being new to flintlocks, I just assumed that you’d want as much powder in the pan as possible and I would actually TRY to get powder in the flash hole. This would explain why I’m having firing issues. Our flintlock season starts the day after Xmas , here in PA.
One question.... what should a person use to clean the frizzen face? Rubbing alcohol?
Thanks!
Glad the video helped! I don’t worry about it too much but if I do get oil on the frizzen, yes, a quick wipe with rubbing alcohol will clean it right up! Good luck in the deer woods!
@@BlackPowderTV thank you sir. I’ve been hooked on watching your channel for the last hour. Good info!
Thanks again.
Subscribed.
1/2 a pan is fine on my flintlocks. Any more causes excess carbon fouling to build quickly. Too much carbon on the flint causes a weak or no spark. Keeping the ignition area fairly clean equals reliability.
Amen. I find the same. 👍🏻
Howdy - Thanks much for the priming instruction. Big question for me: How many shots can a new, commercial flint typically provide?
Bob: you are on a roll. Remember everybody keep the hammer at half cock and frizzen open until you are at the line (where you should be doing the priming) and ready to shoot or able to point the rifle in a safe direction. Flintlocks have been known to go "boom" with no powder in the pan. Love these videos if you are new to flintlocks or an old grizzled guy like me.
Very good point Mike. I forget sometimes that most folks shoot at the range as opposed to walking through the woods. THE FRIZZEN OPEN IS AN UNLOADED WEAPON. THE FRIZZEN CLOSED IS 1/2 OF THE SAFETY OFF AND THE GUN LOADED REGARDLESS OF ANY POWDER IN THE PAN.
Now, I bought and Indian made Ketland pattern musket with it flash hole drilled by a gunsmith at the very bottom of the pan. The pan is plenty strong yet and I wonder if deepening this further might help preventing hang fires.
Weld the flash hole shut ore close with a screw and drill a new flash hole at the correct position
Thanks for your great video. I'm a novice flintlock shooter, and I have a priming flask that always seems to overfill the pan. Your idea of tilting the rifle outward or tapping it sounds very useful. Any other suggestions?
I’ve seen guys use their finger or thumb as a valve to control the flow. I’m not coordinated enough but Hershel House does it so I guess it works.
I tune my locks. Heating hammer with torce to get geometry perfect. My flints last hundreds of shots
I've been shooting percussion for 30+ years and been thinking about a flintlock. This helps but concerned about the humidity where I live affecting the pan charge.
On a humid day I do what they did originally when the gun needed to be charged for any length of time. Seal the pan closed with a little bees wax. 👍🏻
excellent~~~e
With my two hawkens it seems like the when I bottom the plunger on my primer flask out once it’s the perfect amount of powder or maybe a little more than necessary
You’re right. It doesn’t take much 1-3g is plenty.
@@BlackPowderTV A lot of guys I think overprime; you are trying to create enough flash to go into the touch hole and ignite the main charge, but if you put in too much powder it will slow down the burn and you don't get enough heat where you need it to go.
Made the mistake of buying my first flintlock, used, from a substandard builder. Flash hole is so low in pan that the guy ground out a fuse in the bottom of the pan to the touch hole. When it works it works like a firecracker, mighty slow. Would it help to try dropping the pan and grinding the pan a little wider where the guy put the ground out fuse. Any advice would be helpful. Good parts, siler lock and Douglas barrel, just extremely bad workmanship.
I’d try ordering a vent liner from Jim Chambers (flintlocks.com) to raise the touch hole and fill the groove in the pan or replace the lock. 👍🏻
@@BlackPowderTV thank you.
You ought to take that squirrel rifle out and show us how it shoots! Maybe show how much prime you put in and the perceptible delays????
Thanks, this is confusing.as nobody explains this even in the instruction manual. I have a Lyman GPR. Duelist1954 says the Pedersolis may have A low flash hole.
My Lyman GPR "signature" made by pedersoli has a very low flash hole.
I notice that some muskets at the end of the barrel by the breach plug there's a cavity maybe about 1/4 or 5/16 deep, so when loaded with less powder like 45 gr after pressing down the patch and ball the powder gets press in and is hardly within the touch hole for the igniter to ignite the main charge because the patch and ball is in the way and this causes misfire. Have to load it with enough powder maybe about 50+ grain so that it will be by or over the touch hole for instant bang. My Kentucky have no problem but my Hawken yes. Is this a factory production defect? Thanks
It’s a touch hole placement defect if you can’t load a small charge and still fire the gun.
@@BlackPowderTV I think you're right my Hawken 50 the touch hole is probably a few inches higher or away from the breech plug. Thanks
In installing the flint can it be without the cloth wrap? What's the purpose of the wrap is it to prevent the flint from breaking? Thanks
It's a leather wrap generally and it holds it still which is important for keeping the same angle shot to shot. I don't think it would work without a leather strip.
Thanks for this great informative video I got my first flintlock 50 cal a Traditional Hawkens barrel length 28" can I use the FFFg for ignition on the pan? I'll be using this FFFg as my main projectile powder.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes 3f will work just fine and it will be convenient to only carry one horn/flask. If you run into 4f or 0B you can give it a try so see if it runs faster in your rifle but the 3f will be excellent as well. 👍🏻
3F works fine, 4F is for priming only, never use it for a main charge- gun go kablooey!
@@johnkelinske1449 Hi John, how come my touch hole get foul up so fast? should I removed the screw nut cover on the touch hole to improve ignition contact? Thanks
Do you have shrouds over your sites to creat a sharper view of the sites?
I have them over my sights on my squirrel gun. The tiniest reflection of the sun on the side of the front sight makes it hard to tell where the center of the front post is for those fine shots.
Hi, for lubricating patches can these be okay: soap + water how about regular moisturizing lotions?
I’d probably just use cooking oil if I was going to use something out of the house but you can give it a try. Spit actually works really well. Just stay away from any petroleum product. When they burn off they leave a sort of lacquer behind. Thanks!
Windex (I believe htat's the name of the US product) works well...it's quite soapy and slippery, and being alkaline is good at killing acids in the bore... I often clean with it, but sometimes also use soluble cutting oil as a 'wet' lube... My usual lube for pre lubed patches is beeswax and a softener... Vaseline, Crisco or olive oil...all work a treat...... That same lube works in my cap'n'ball revolvers even on sized and lubed conical bullets for paper cartridges...... Fun and games eh? :-)
Bob... I have a question. I can't seem to find any 4f locally for my wife's flintlock. I read that some people grind down 2f or 3f to make it fine enough for the prime. Wondering your thoughts...
It’s something some folks do and they report very good results but I’ve had a static discharge of BP that burnt me pretty good so you won’t get the go-ahead from me. Mortar and pestle is what I’ve heard works to get some good fine priming powder. Perhaps run your 3f through a fine screen to get some Swiss ‘0B’ type powder off of it.
If you can find the 35mm film, plastic container put 2ff in it with a pure lead round ball put it in your pocket and walk in about a week you will have fine pan powder.
Who knew there was so much double entendre when it comes to black powder. Amiright?
What kind of a rear sight is on your Squirrel Rifle? Thanks…
How do you ensure reliable firing with a flintlock? I have a nice .50 cal. Tradition Arms with the breech plug arrangement...to make the chamber fire the spark, or flash, or whatever has to make a right hand turn after the flash in the pan, and travel almost an inch to get to the charge in the chamber. I've been over-filling the flash pan, like you said not to do, so maybe that's my problem. Advice?.....
Hey George, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The most important thing with those is a clear flash tunnel. Either run a tight patch down to blow it clear before you load your first shot or run a pipe cleaner down to keep it clear. The closer to the flash hole the charge is the better so with those you have to find a solution you can repeat. Keep me posted.
@@BlackPowderTV now it's starting to get cold so I won't be doing much shooting till spring...thanks for the info....
@@georgeclausen2408 You're welcome! It is starting to get pretty chilly!
Can you do a video on touch hole size? My flintlock has a 1/16” touch hole and I get some self priming, I feel my touch hole is too big. Or am I mistaken and self priming isn’t really a big deal?
Veteran Iron&Wood 1/16” is about right. I, and most people I know drill the holes out to 1/16” if they are smaller. 1/16” is considered average. No big deal.
Black Powder TV thank you!
@@veteranironoutdoors8320 Yeah, 1/16" is fairly standard. I've read of people going smaller, down to .050" on small caliber guns, but 1/16" (.062") is a good all around size. Too large and you get self priming and excessive flash back out of the hole, while too small and you don't get reliable ignition. 1/16" seems to be the sweet spot for most guns.
@@crominion6045 8
What is the ideal black powder for .50 caliber 3F or 2F?
It’s right on the line and either would be great. 3f for more velocity and recoil and hunting larger game. 2f for shorter range target shooting. Some guns prefer one or the other so I suggest trying both. 👍🏻
What kind of sights are on that Squirrel gun?
Just standard period sights. I handmade the front and customized the rear from a sight from Kibler’s website. Most correct sights can be found there or on trackofthewolf.com. 👍🏻
Do you have a video on how to properly swab the barrel and keep the pan hole clear of powder gum after firing 5 rounds so that it does not misfire for range shooting? Thanks
If your hole is smaller than 1/16" you can drill it out. That really helps keep it clear and will speed up ignition. If you continue to have issues a pipe cleaner through the touch hole should sort you out. I'll put this question on my list of How To videos! Thanks!
@@BlackPowderTV Thanks, I take my flintlock to the range once a month and it seems that after 10 rounds even after swabbing the barrel and using my pin needle to poke the hole trying to clear it up I'll always experience misfire I end up having to put powder into the pan hole but this result in fuse fire just like the one of your videos which messed up my aiming.
@@dantankunfiveancestorsfist Are you using real black powder or a substitute?
@@BlackPowderTV I am using Goex FFFg black powder
If it were me I would question the lube I was using and the size of the touch hole. Next time you go to the range try shooting with just a wet patch soaked in water for 5 shots and see if the gum is lessened. If so you need to switch lubes. The touch hole prick should be all that is needed to shoot all day without a misfire from a plugged up hole. Stay in touch and we'll figure this out.
I'm a lefty and thinking of buying one very soon. So is a right handed gun ok or try to find a lefty?
A righty is better. Easier to sell and just as safe to shoot but lefty’s are out there you just have to search a bit. 👍🏻
How about showing us how to make sight shades?
Many woods walk shoots don:t allow them so make them removable.
If you fill the pan up halfway, will powder go into the touchhole if you tilt the firearm to the left?
A few grains will if you use a fine grain powder but it will fire faster if there is air between the charge and the primer. It seems counterintuitive but if there is a gap it allows the hot gasses to ignite the main charge instead of having a chain reaction, if that makes sense.
@@BlackPowderTV yeah that makes perfect sense, I like that trick of tipping the gun to the right so you clear touch hole. We used to make what we called cow's knees to go over the frizzin keep your powder dry. You put out some informative videos thanks.
Thanks for the kind words brother. I have a few cows knees myself. A wet fall Deer hunting morning makes them absolutely necessary.
Black powder dose not burn as you discribed "fuse affect" it explodes, no burn rate applies to black powder.you should do the oppsite of what you say "tap pan powder away from touch hole" this will move the explostion away from the touch hole. just google slo mo flintlock to see the expolstion completly engulfes the entire pan and barrel. My advice to newbes is to cover the touch hole by turning the rifle pan to the sky and tap pan powder to cover the touch hole, this works so good I don't even carry a vent pick anymore. I know many will disagree and I was also taught to do what you say but "cover the touch hole" works better, please it a try you will never go back.
Burn rate applies to every explosive, even high explosives. High speed photography shows the fastest ignition is with the powder next to, but not covering the flash hole.
❤
just curious. is the pan welded to the gun barrel?
The pan is part of the lock and just snugs to the barrel when screwed on. 👍🏻
If you have a Japanese matchlock, the answer is usually yes, otherwise no.
What's the purpose to apply some lube on the patches what happens if the patch was not lube? Thanks
Wax in the lube mixture is not necessary at all but if you live where it’s hot it helps keep the lube from running. It’s just like if you live where it gets -20 degrees f you need something in the lube to keep it from freezing solid. 👍🏻
@@BlackPowderTV will the rifle still fire properly if the patch is not lube?
@@dantankunfiveancestorsfist The lube greases the bore as it is pushed down, keeps the fouling soft after it’s fired, and keeps the patch from burning through when the charge goes off. If the patch burns through you will get odd spin on the round ball and you will get poor accuracy.
@@BlackPowderTV Thanks for all these great info. I finally fired my first black powder flintlock rifle with many experience black powder shooters that assisted me great individuals many thanks.
th-cam.com/video/KKeWbT4EDwQ/w-d-xo.html
@@dantankunfiveancestorsfist I think I saw a big smile on your face! Very cool! Thanks for sharing the video! 👍🏻
I get a flash in the pan 75% of the time , my gun only fires 25% of the time, my flash hole is at the very bottom of the bowl. I was told to tilt and tap powder into my flash hole, this results in a hang fire “if” it ignites the charge in the barrel. Every time my gun fires, it is a hang fire.
What is poking out of the bottom of the stock on the squirrel rifle?
John Cooper Nice catch. It’s a feather in the ‘feather hole’ in the bottom of the stock. Southern rifles had feather holes which held a songbird feather for plugging the touch hole to keep humidity out as most southern guns were kept loaded.
Thanks, great video and a beautiful rifle. I knew they used quills to plug the flash hole I just assumed they kept it in the possibility pouch. I never heard of a feather hole in the stock. Would love a video of the rifle with close ups.
John Cooper I’ll make that happen. Thanks!
@@BlackPowderTV Thanks I am excited about the channel not very much of this content on here. I am a cap and ball guy but really enjoy the flintlock stuff (both rifle and pistol).
How long is that squirrel gun?
61” if I remember right. 46” barrel. 👍🏻
Hi, are substitute powder okay for caplock muskets? Thanks
Yes they should be fine. Be sure to clean your gun very well after each session when using subs. 👍🏻
Hi, is it okay to load more than one lead ball maybe 2 or 3 or maybe some lead pellets on a flintlock 50 cal. rifle?
I wouldn’t load lead pellets or shot in a rifle. You’ll get lead cut up as it’s shot and it’ll imbed in the rifling and you’ll have a hard time cleaning and loading until you scrub it out. As far as multiple balls I would stay away from that as well. You’re tripling or quadrupling the pressures. You may be able to shoot two round balls with no ill effect but I personally wouldn’t do it or advise it. Safety first. 👍🏻
@@BlackPowderTV For smoothbore should be okay right use lead pellets or round balls? Thanks
@@dantankunfiveancestorsfist You can shoot most anything soft as lead or softer in a Smoothbore with no problem. 👍🏻
How about if your touchhole is above the top of the bowl? Just fill the bowl up to the top?
You have less to worry about as far as how full the pan is if your touchhole is a bit high. A half pan is plenty in any case so if you overfill brush a bit out with your finger or brush so the frizzen closes fully and shoot away! Thanks!
Safety side note... put that priming horn/flask away (in your bag) before you fire the gun... Don't leave it out where a stray spark could potentially cause it to detonate... Chances are it will never detonate. But it's a risk that is easily mitigated by putting it away.
OldSchool Jack Excellent point. Thanks!
The one thing that bothers me about flintlocks is rainy and damp weather.
Great video