2f in the pan?

[Ezra]

Anyone use 2f in the pan?  If so, your thoughts?

Ez

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

It'll work just fine...just not quite as fast as 4Fg.

[T*O*F]

Fast is a relative term measured by statistically irrelevant microseconds.  I have been shooting as long as anyone here and have never used 4f for a priming powder.  I use whatever happens to be in my horn, either 2f or 3f, in a variety of guns with different locks.  All are almost as fast as a caplock.  To add to that, I have also never used a touch hole pick and none of my guns have White Lightning liners.  I guess I am too ignorant to know what all you guys are doing right or wrong, as the case may be.

[Kermit]

Try it. See if you notice a difference. You won't hurt anything. 

[Ezra]

Thanks guys, I'll give it a try.  Been using 3f forever.

Ez

[Hungry Horse]

 I think there another point to consider. If you use 3F or 2F in the pan of an early flintlock rifle, or fowler, with a good size lock, and large flint, in it, I seriously doubt you could feel the difference in how quickly the gun actually fires. On the other hand if you are trying this with a late flint rifle, or pistol, with a small lock, and tiny flints, you may experience slow fire, or no fire. I only use 4F in some of my tiny traveler type pocket pistols, because they just aren't reliable with courser granulations.

                               Hungry Horse  

[wpalongrifle]

I've used 3fff for years in the pan during flintlock season here in PA. Doesn't soak up as much moisture!!! Fires just as fast. I think more important is a sharp flint and a properly hardened frizzen. I still love talkin to guys who shoot once a year and think they know everything about a muzzleloader!!!! Ie: 150 grains of powder to shoot paper?"thats what my gun sighted in for", Cover touchhole with priming powder? "my lock likes it like that", Click Click Click, did you put powder down? "Yep", check it dry balled. Again... Drives me Nutz

[Long Ears]

I target shoot a bunch and have used 3fff to prime forever. I did try the 2ff for prime and it is notably slower I think. I can't tell any difference between 4ffff and 3fff. As usual it may just be in my head but either way I quit using it to prime with. Bob

[smylee grouch]

For targets, I use 4f or null b but for hunting its 4 or 3 f. I can tell the difference between 2f and null b.

[Ezra]

My flintlock is a Chambers Golden Age Germanic and the rifle is a Lancaster in .58.

Ez

[Long John]

I tried FFg once and felt (subjective opinion, not quantitative) that it was a tad slower and I was slightly more likely to get a miss-fire.  It seemed that I could get consistent ignition with the same flint for more shoots before the flint needed some knapping or replacement when I was using the FFFg powder.  Since my guns all shoot loads made up with 3Fg  I just stayed with the 3Fg.  I load and prime from the same horn so that keeps things simple.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[Old Bob]

I normally use 4f but a couple of years ago I picked up a couple pounds of 5f and recently decided to use it. I think I'll stick with it. I have used 7f in the past but on a windy day it'll blow right out of the pan and draws moisture too bad. You can't get either size anymore.

[Dphariss]

The actual timed difference between FFFF and FF as priming is the same as the total lock time of a 700 Remington. Serious shooters tend to try to speed this up by lighter parts etc. For example the difference in lock time between a mini-Martini 22 and a Stevens or Win SS with center hung hammers is enough to make the difference in winning or losing.
People who think that priming speed is irrelevant might want to think about the above.
It DOES make a difference especially in offhand shooting. The place to tell the difference is on the TARGET, if shooting paper target matches.
I use a priming horn because its hard to get powder in the pan and nowhere else with a larger horn. I find priming with the main horn to be a major PITA for that reason. But thats just me.
Dan

[buzz]

2f in a large pan works but in my small pans it not as reliable

[Larry Pletcher]

I timed various types of priming powder for a MuzzleBlasts article in 2005.  The text and data are at the link below:

http://www.blackpowdermag.com/featured-articles/priming-powder-timing.php

In 20 trials of each, the fastest Goex ffg time was slower  than the slowest Swiss Null B time. 

One advantage for Null B, besides speed,  is that you can trickle it through the vent.  I've done that for shooters on woods walks, in fact one shooter on this list.  He was using ffg at the time.

Regards,
Pletch

[T*O*F]

I've done that for shooters on woods walks, in fact one shooter on this list.  He was using ffg at the time.

Pletch,
If you are referring to me when we shot the woodswalk at Friendship, I was using Swiss 1.5fg at the time and finally figured out what the problem was.  The powder was contaminated with bullet lube from my LRML.

[WaterFowl]

priming powder preference in order.
groups shrunk with smaller priming powder.

Null- B
3f swiss
4f goex
3f goex
2f  swiss
2f goex

[Daryl]

A couple Sundays ago, I used Taylor's .50 cal. Virginia rifle. I'd forgotten my priming horn, so primed with 2F.  Was it as fast as my normal 4f prime? No way - never, ever - in comparison to my normal 4f prime, almost every shot seemed like a hang fire. Every now and then, I'd get some 4F from Taylor or one of the other shooters and enjoy what felt like instant ignition - in comparison.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

When I started shooting flintlocks in 1974 I primed from my horn with 3f and it worked OK. Somewhere down the line I started using 6f for primer and never went back to the 3f I think it makes a difference. But if I ran out or lost my primer, I would use it in a pinch.

When I was involved in re-enacting we used 2F in our Brown Bess Muskets for primer and the main charge. Never noticed any lag that I can recall, but with that big honkin flint, I think almost any powder would burn.