[pamusky]

Just out of curiosity here.I've asked several others and got differing answers.Do you put your pan powder in first thing in the morning and close it or do you wait until you think you have a shot opportunity?

 

[JesseJamesJim]

If I'm hunting in the morning, I'll put it in the pan as soon as I can start to see. If I'm hunting in the evening, I'll put it in as soon as I would as if I'm hunting with a rifle and always check it periodically.

 

[bigt557]

I put my in when i start to hunt check it often

 

[8mikemike]

Depends on the weather. Bluebird day, powder in the pan all the time. If its damp or humid, no powder till I'm pretty much ready to shoot. If I'm still hunting tho' I try to keep powder in the pan at all times regardless of the weather.

 

[LONEWOLF5347]

I load the pan 2 grains when I start walking into the woods
I try to change the powder charge about every 1/2 hour on damp days
I always try to tap the powder charge away from the vent liner if I can before taking a shot.

 

[Loggy]

Many times im traveling in woods before light to my stand. I wait until im on stand before priming. If treestand...I wait until I pull gun up before priming pan. If stillhunting...I have pan primed. Also as a safety precaution...I suggest putting a toothpick in touch hole especially when pulling gun up in treestand. If gun would fall...there could be ignition pending angle gun hits ground..even if pan unprimed. One cant be too careful.

 

[Big Redneck]

I prime the pan just like I would load a modern rifle, Starting time, load pan, nice day just check upon occasion, damp day check and change as needed, rainy day I don't lift my leather flap cover to check unless I can get under cover, always seem to get a rain drop square in the pan otherwise.

I unprime, flip the frizzen up and lay the hammer down on a dry patch before crossing fence, log, slippery bank etc same as unloading a modern rifle. With precussion I remove the cap and set the hammer down on a dry patch covering the nipple.

As Loggy said even an unprimed flinter can fire if a spark dances into the touch hole.

 

[jimsdad]

I charge the pan as soon as I load the main charge. Typically then, I walk to my stand. When I get there, I check the prime. I don't mess with the prime unless I move to a new place. Once I get to a new spot, I check th prime again. I don't like making unnecessary movements.

 

[frontier gander]

As soon as im on foot and in the woods.

 

[Grey Bear Jr]

Get yourself a frizzen cover. This slides over the frizzen and prevents the flint from sparking. Sort of like a safety for a flintlock. I re-enacted for many years and have been a safety inspector for historic weapons for many years as well. These are manditory in the re-enactment community. They should be in the woods as well.

GBJ

 

[Jester]

Hmmm let's see. How do I answer this?? Well, it's gonna be daylight in about an hour so......I'd say I'd be putting mine in the pan.....in about an hour from now!!
Good luck and be safe!!

 

[mauser06]

we typically do alot of small pushes in rocklock season..hit a small patch, jump in the truck and head to the next...my pan gets loaded when its safe to do so...and its unloaded when it needs to be unloaded...

depending on the weather and how long the drive is taking, but ive checked and dumped my pan every 15 minutes before when it was sucking up moisture...ive hunted in days when within 15 minutes i had nothing but goo in the pan...thats with a cows knee and trying to keep it dry...but after you fired your pan, its going to suck up moisture if it can...thats why its so corrosive...after i fire, i try to clean my pan the best i can with alcohol patches i carry..helps, but still usually makes a mess for the day if theres alot of moisture in the air..

 

[Sidney Smith]

I don't even load the gun until I am on stand, so my answer is, I charge the pan when I am at my stand site. If its damp or humid, I check the pan often, and change the priming powder if I notice it starting to cake up. On dry days, I don't change it at all.

 

[Bunky]

At first light.

 

[duckman76]

At first light.also. change it as needed.

 

[Varmintmist]

5 feet from the back door. If I am going into a stand, I empty the pan before going up and before coming down. I use a Bluejay feather in the vent with the frizzen down to hold it. It looks better than a toothpick and my Woodpecker feather from last year is beat.

 

[mus42tang]

Hunting procedures sure have changed in some forty years.

We always put 4F or FFFF blackpowder in the pan. Once we started hunting or the first chance to have a shot.

In Pa, the weather was sometimes very damp and snowy. One had to check on the condition of the pan powder during the hunt. I carried a safety pin to check on the opening of the touch hole as it could be plugged with powder. (I put the safety pin, locked, on a loop of my pants, for safekeeping.)

We also would check the pan powder and see if it started to cake. On a hunt we didn't take chances, as it was far less costly to pour out the "damp" powder and put some new dry pan powder in pan.

And that's the way its been for over 35 years. And I do recall taking a PA deer in some foot of snow. Muzzleloader fired instantly using that checking system of ours.

 

[mickeyd]

When I load the gun, I prime the pan; checking it often throughout the day. Replace it periodically if it's damp or wet weather. I always load at first light to avoid any safety issues.

 

[MuzzleMike]

Get yourself a frizzen cover. This slides over the frizzen and prevents the flint from sparking. Sort of like a safety for a flintlock. I re-enacted for many years and have been a safety inspector for historic weapons for many years as well. These are manditory in the re-enactment community. They should be in the woods as well.

GBJ

I agree with you Grey Bear Jr I made myself one when I first started with my flinter and it is still hanging on it and I always use it . You can not be to safe . I like to prime My flinter up right at the beginning of the day when hunting hours come around and check often to make shore it is dry . I also use a cows knee to cover my Lock evern if it is not raining or snowing . I do not like getting cot in a down poor . My cows knee looks more like a lock cover now days (the kind you buy from the store ). Last day of late flintlock season I learn a big lesson Wet powder and it was a block of ice .