What do you prime with?

[davec2]

Made these two many years ago...not HC but both made from modern brass cases that were lucky shots (another story).  The small one is a 30-06 with a plunge valve.  Gold plated and with a vent pick in the base plug.  Throws a good 4Fg prime for most pistols and rifles.  For larger guns (muskets, blunderbusses, small cannon, etc.) I use the one I made from a .50 BMG case with an on / off valve.





For more traditional use, I use this little priming horn:

[bigsmoke]

I have tried the push type primers and never really cared for them.
Back in the late 1970's I came up with the idea of making a primer using a powder horn valve in a brass fixed measure.  Then I necked down the spout to allow a smaller flow.  Several years later (mid 90's?) at the SHOT Show, I was talking to the owner of House of Muskets/Treso and he spied the item on my table.  He seemed to like the idea and I told him to take it and run with it.  He made a much better looking product than I had and I have been buying them from him and selling them ever since.

http://store.powderhornsandmore.com/11frflflpanp.html

I carry it in my pouch in a loop.  I hate stuff dangling off the strap.
I use Ffffg in it, although I have primed with Fffg, Ffg and in my Brown Bess Fg over the years.  Actually, in that great big lock, I really did not notice any delay in timing with the Fg.  It would even fire upside down.

[Stone River]

I'm one of the minority I guess.  I have a small priming horn that I use when I'm hunting for the main charge and prime as well.  It carries about enough powder for 5 or 6 shots plus prime.  If I have to use more than that, I need to go back to the range.  I use 3f for both, though I do have a bunch of 4f that I should use up.  I switched to this set up because I found that I was just carrying too much stuff in my coat and couldn't find anything.

sr

[hanshi]

Finally, here it is.  Deer leg bone and what appears to be (walnut?).  It was made for me by a forum friend.

[HardBall]

Made these two many years ago...not HC but both made from modern brass cases that were lucky shots (another story).  The small one is a 30-06 with a plunge valve.  Gold plated and with a vent pick in the base plug.  Throws a good 4Fg prime for most pistols and rifles...

That 30/06 plunger/primer/pick thing is a fantastic idea!  I love it!

[Dennis Glazener]

That 30/06 plunger/primer/pick thing is a fantastic idea!  I love it!

I am hesitate to mention this but I think it best that i do. Please be careful with large reservoir priming tools. They are after all small hang grenades just waiting for some careless action to bring them in contact with a spark. I had a friend of mine blow off his thumb and a large part of his index finger using a priming tool using a 50 cal BMG cartridge as the powder reservoir. He was a very experienced flint rifle shooter. It can happen to any of us.

The one I lost the bottom off of could easily have driven the base plug into my brain if a spark had accidentally ignited the full tube of 4F that I had in it. I assume the base plug was clinched on to allow it to easily blow off in case of an explosion. Hanging from my horn strap it could easily have been driven up thru my throat into my brain.
Dennis

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I like a small horn primer, with a long wooden plug.  I have purchased several of the brass tubular dispensers over the years, but since Roger posted about an incident where permanent personal injury resulted from an explosive accident, I have gone to horn exclusively.  Here is a pic of several of the ones I frequently use, including a shoulder carry horn that I shall retire to use with my future .25 cal rifle.  The brass tubular one is covered with brain tanned moose skin to insulate against seven months out of twelve of freezing or lower temperatures.  The glasses are for size reference.  Old people apparently wear them, I'm told.

[bgf]

I lost the top (temporarily it turns out) to my plunge primer, so I got one of these:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/83/1/FLASK-PP-FF

It is a primer with a free flow valve, and I actually prefer it, as it seems to work with 3F as well as 4F.  This, along with a pick is hung on a leather strap from my belt and put in the lower pocket of my carpenter's jeans (ca. 1810 for matches.  I don't like the hand grenade concept, but there is enough meat on my thigh that I'd probably live !

A friend made me a small horn with plug that I use most of the time for priming at woods walks.  I've been trying 4F prime since my .50 told me 2F worked better for main charge, but I still use 3F for both at times, and it does seem to work better when it is sticky out.

[Pete G.]

I use 4F for prime when plinking at the range because I bought two cans of it several years back. Enough for a lifetime supply, since that is all its good for. When hunting I use 2F in the horn and prime with it also. Usually fill the pan almost full because it takes up more space and when priming from the horn, it's hard not to anyway. I have tried both with back to back shots at the range, and if there is any difference, I can't differentiate one from the other. Trying to fiddle around with two different powders while in the woods is for the birds.

[490roundball]

same idea - but after breaking off the wooden plug once when out hunting, I carved a plug out of antler

[Joe S]

I have primed with Fffg, Ffg and in my Brown Bess Fg over the years.

Bigsmoke - What is the diameter of the flash hole in your Brown Bess?

It would even fire upside down.

I'm trying to picture this: Standing on your head at the firing range?  Hanging upside down by your knees in a tree stand?  Is there any real utility for this shooting position, or do you just shoot like that for a little variety?

[Pete G.]

It would even fire upside down.

I'm trying to picture this: Standing on your head at the firing range?  Hanging upside down by your knees in a tree stand?  Is there any real utility for this shooting position, or do you just shoot like that for a little variety?
[/quote]

I actually tried that once out of curiosity, not really expecting it to work. Just flipped the rifle over and held it trigger side up. I fully expected that if I did get a flash it would not ignite the main charge. Rifle could not tell the difference. Incidentally, if you do try this at home pay attention to where the vent is facing. This was one time where I actually thought it out ahead of time instead of "gaining experience".

[Larry Pletcher]

I have timed locks that were faster up side down that right side up. The prime only has time to fall a mm or two. You have priming falling into the rising sparks. IMHO a good rifle will fire just as fast upside down.

Just for fun we fired a large Siler up side down primed with canon grade Goex. In that case some of the chunks had fallen far enough not to ignite. However some chunks were inveloped by the fire before they fell away. Sometimes the chunk would ignite on one side and spin away like a pinwheel.

Regards,
Pletch

[Mike R]

Boy am I out numbered   

When reenacting 18th cent stuff I prime either from the main [only] horn or from the paper cartridge [military persona].  That means either ffg or fffg priming.  No problems, although I have heard of the main horn blowing up from stray sparks....On the range I typically use either the small brass charger with either fffg or ffffg, or one of a couple of small horns I have....I've tried them all.   Commonly when hunting I carry pre-measured loads and a small glass vial of priming powder.  Whatever works...

[dagner]

 swiss null hands down