How and what do you use to prime with?

[hanshi]

I can verify that if the humidity is very high, the brass spring primers sure do plug up.  In those cases the little leg bone primer shines.

[Daryl]

That eventually happened to mine, about the same time the spring gave up the ghost, so I switched to tapered wooden plugs I can pull out of the horn & hold with my teeth, prime then reinsert in the horn quite easily. A longer than normal 'internal stem' on the plug helps to align it back onto the little priming horn.

[Dennis Glazener]

haven't used this in years.   prime from the main horn now.

easy to make

Mark,
I like that one, how well did it work? I have some Dogwood (tight smooth grain) that would work well for the wooden part and I have a few pieces of large Elk horn that would work well for the reservoir. About what size holes are used?
Dennis

[Hungry Horse]

I tend to look at every part of a priming horn/flask for it potential value as shrapnel. Lots of flat springs, and metal parts, give me the Willys. The old sheet copper pistol flasks were designed to vent through the solder seam if ignited. Some of these home grown flasks could easily become a hand grenade in my opinion.

  Hungry Horse

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Here's a picture of the primers I currently am using.  The brass 'grenade' on the left has a 1/2" hole drilled though it and covered with leather.  this may be just a feel good fix but it's better than nothing, and I do not use it much.  I prefer the soft wood pegs, made long enough to be withdrawn and re-inserted with the teeth.  All my primers have lanyards to hang around my neck, and I find that easiest to use.  The brass plunger type nozzle works pretty good here, as humidity is usually pretty low, but I have rectified that issue on this type of nozzle by soldering a short sheet brass extension to the tip, so that the opening of the tube is not shoved into the muck in the pan.  Another way to use that type of primer, is to press the nozzle against the heel of the open frizzen face, allowing the prime to drop into the pan.

[mark esterly]

dennis
      the hole into the antler section is 5/8" x 2 1/4" deep.  the walnut plug is friction fit 3/8" into the antler.  drilled out with 1/4" bit with a 1" long piece of 1/4" copper tube for the spout. horn end of the plug is countersunk for powder flow.  the cross pin started out as a 3/8"  mulberry dowel turned down to a proud 5/16" for burnishing.  the slight curve on the antler fits the hand nicely.

[Dennis Glazener]

dennis
      the hole into the antler section is 5/8" x 2 1/4" deep.  the walnut plug is friction fit 3/8" into the antler.  drilled out with 1/4" bit with a 1" long piece of 1/4" copper tube for the spout. horn end of the plug is countersunk for powder flow.  the cross pin started out as a 3/8"  mulberry dowel turned down to a proud 5/16" for burnishing.  the slight curve on the antler fits the hand nicely.

Mark,
Thanks for taking time to give me those dimensions. I want to make one of those.
Dennis

[little joe]

E. Christopher Firearms Co. made a 4 dollar powder grinder, all wood that would grind about 1 table spoon at a time  of 3f into fine grain or dust if you wanted. I think it was faster ignition.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The trouble with ground powder is the dust...it sucks up water faster than brain tanned buckskin.  FFFg GOEX is fine (x4) powder without the dust.

[Daryl]

FFFFG GOEX - no dust, fine powder works great. I did not see any difference with 3F, except maybe the speed of ignition, real (we know 4 is faster than 3) or imagined.

[mark esterly]

glad to help dennis.   i've never had it clog or get sloppy.

[vtmtnman]

I have a separate horn with 4F.Don't see the need to use one of the brass primers.If I'm in a hurry to get reloaded chasing after a squirrel I may overfill it but a quick brush with my thumb and it's good.

[little joe]

The trouble with ground powder is the dust...it sucks up water faster than brain tanned buckskin.  FFFg GOEX is fine (x4) powder without the dust.

Talking, the ground powder I would use for line shooting, and 3 or 4 f for hunting. Dennis did not say which in his orginal post.

[WKevinD]

I fill this with 3f, used to fill with 4f but I thought it picked up moisture being that fine.
At the range I use one of those brass plunge valve things.
Kevin

[Carney Pace]

What ever is in the horn I load with.

I have some 7f that works great of the bench really fast. but for normal offhand work what ever is in the horn.

Carney

[Dave Patterson]

I started out with the little brass push-primer thingy, and 4F Goex...

then somebody here on the Forums said, "... hand grenade...", and I went, "Wait... WHAT!?!".  About that time, in another thread, there was a long discussion about relative ignition speeds of the various grain sizes of Goex.

Since then, I've been using the main horn (2F Goex) for both charging and priming, and dumping any excess:  haven't had an issue yet with that method.  She always goes "BANG".  Figured, if it worked for the oldtimers, it'd probably work OK for me.

On the other hand, I'm not a competitive target shooter, either.  About the smallest group I've gotta produce is minute-of-jackrabbit.

[hanshi]

I use 4F the great majority of the time simply because I have a good supply of it.  At the range I always drop in a fairly specific amount of either 4F or 3F.  Honestly, I can tell no difference between the two since my follow-through is quite leisurely.  In the bush I just dump some in and brush off the excess, if there is any.  And while I use 4F there, too, I may quickly prime from the horn.  Since, in hunting deer, I'm as likely to carry a few premeasured charges; A small primer goes with me filled with 4F.

[John Ciccone]

When, I began shooting  flintlock pistol, I used the brass push-tip powder dispenser. Guys on the USIMLT warned me not to use it. It seems there was a match, not sure how, but apart ignited the powder in it and blew off two of his fingers. What we use now is a plastic squeeze bottle, the very small ones that are used for eye drops. As we tend to use Null-B, the powder is fine enough to be 'puffed" into the flash pan.

[James Rogers]

When I use 4f I use this little horn made by Orville Mumma circa late 80s.

[trentOH]

I am functional rather than historic with my priming. I have the larger of the two typically seen brass plunger priming devices. It and a vent pick are attached to a key ring holder like a maintenance man usually carries, and clips onto my belt on my left side (for shooting left handed). There is also a strip of cloth attached to clean the pan, sop up blood from an ultra sharp flint, etc.

[Molly]

Maybe not a "horn" but works very well.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/73/1/FLASK-PP-FF

After a few outings it will look 200 years old too.

No "pushing" multiple times, just hold the spring loaded button and let it flow to the level appropriate.

[hanshi]

That does look pretty good.  I might even get one.

[rich pierce]

I like the pick on there but might poke my eye out. I really like Taylor's idea of a neck-hung priming horn for woods walks.

[Dphariss]

Priming- when your little 4F priming cow horn runs out, you use your big 3F cow horn - then dump the excess out of the pan. Both horns use wooden plugs. I stopped using the brass hand-grenade priming horns some years back.

Me too on all counts.

Dan

[smallpatch]

This is my go to primer.  The natural curve allows you to go over the top of the lock, instead of reaching around.  All nice hand forged springs, and cap, with a lanyard loop. 


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