[longfellow]

It seems I see some guys saying that when you prime your flint lock you are to keep the powder away from the touch hole. I myself have been shooting flintlocks since the 80's and never had much luck using that method using different guns. I would get far more flashes in the pan doing it that way. My guns fire just fine with the powder next too the vent,plus the fact when you carry your rifle it would be difficult to keep the powder from covering the vent with walking through the brush and such.
This is just something I'm throwing out there to get your thoughts.
I was on another web sight that some of you may have seen where they tried it in different positions in the pan. they were using a timing system to record ignition times and the powder that was against the touch hole set the charge off faster than when it was away from the vent.
They also experimented with touch holes being at different heights at the pans on flintlocks and I was very surprise at the results seeing it wasn't like what I've be hearing most of my life. They showed the powder going off in the pan plus looking down the barrel. It made me believe that alot of things I was reading were just plan wrong.

 

[long hunter]

I fill my pan with powder to the point that it is full but not being compressed when i close the pan. I figuer the more surface area covered in the pan the more sparks to hit powder = faster ignition.
I have seen those tests they are well thought out and hard to argue with their results.

 

[limbhnger10]

I put it in the touch hole and "guide" the powder into the pan, leaving an "asprin" sized amount at the touch hole in the pan.....not alot..

 

[jimsdad]

I use the same method as you described. As for the touch hole location, I beleive it should be level with the top of the pan (the part of the pan that makes contact with the bottom plate of the frizzen when it's closed) and centered in the chanel - front to back. Mostly though, this is probably an individual thing and varries from rifle to rifle as whatever works best.

 

[410-er]

Gun gets moved from my over my shoulder,cradled across my arm,side to side,who knows where the powder is located in the pan when it goes off.

 

[SpiritNugent]

One little touch from the primer... usually half full or les. Goes off like a centerfire.

 

[bob1961]

i use a T/C pan primer i cut most of the spout off....so it only drops bout a 1/2 to 1 gr of powder in the pan, it looks like pepper in my pan there is so little powder in there....always goes BOOM, less is better at least for my guns...............bob

....

 

[Bunky]

After loading my gun I use a pick in the touchhole---I them prime with 3F in the pan----just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Too much isnt always best...you want the flame to pass quickly into the touch hole not make a bonfire around it... Zimm and GBJ have a great annaolgy I think for this one from some time past--hope they chime in.

 

[tobyje]

http://www.blackpowdermag.com/featured-articles/part-5-timing-powder-locations-in-pan.php

Check this out.

Bill

 

[mauser06]

if you fill your pan and touch hole, your creating a fuse...

what you want is a FLASH of flame when the pan ignites...to get that, you need to play around with pan charges...my TC pan is always less than half full..and i keep most of it on the outside of the pan away from the touch hole...

ive filled mine full and loaded up the touch hole...the fuse effect is real and isnt something guys on the net made up lol....my lock time is alot slower when i fill er up...

 

[Grey Bear Jr]

I know this is going to sound like a BS answer but since Bunky put me up to this; everyone is right.

What I mean by that is that a lot depends on the placement of the touch hole, type of touchhole, and shape and location of the pan. As several of you know I have a few flintlocks. Each is a bit different in what it likes. My general rule of thumb is to follow what longhunter said and fill the pan to just below the touch hole if using 4f on most of my guns. My large bore guns I use 3f and the Brown bess likes just a bit of powder in the bottom of the pan. The trade gun likes it full.

I have never perscribed to the powder away from the touchhole theory. Something has got to make that powder ignite and move to the touch hole, but some of the pans that are deep and sharp do better with just a small amount of powder in the pan.

You do not want the fuse affect in your pan. Blackpowder requires oxygen to burn efficiently. The more oxygen the faster the burn. If the powder is packed against or in the touchhole, generally that means less oxygen and a slower burn.

The reason I generally fill my pan to just below the touch hole is the instance that 410-er pointed out, too little powder and with the powder moving in the pan from just hunting and moving the gun you cannot guarantee you have the powder where you need it everytime.

Just my thoughts,

GBJ

 

[sparkchaser]

I usually use3-4 pushes of the primer which usually ends up as slightly less than half full or half empty depending on how you look at it.My touchhole is a white lightning touch hole liner which almost always provides an extremely fast ignition. In this case I believe that more is not better.

 

[long hunter]

Like Grey Bear said each gun is an individual as to what it likes. The touch hole location has a lot to do with that. There are a lot of production guns that have poor at best touch hole location(not that they cant be made to shoot) but they are much harder to get consistant ignition.

 

[Swift]

I've been using 1/2 - 3/4 full pan in the TC Hawken with great results.