Flintlock noob question about 4F

[Doctortoxic]

Hey all. Just got a Traditions Deerhunter and I want to get it ready for Feb 2023 primitive season. I started looking around for powder and flints and realized OMG, the shortage is affecting this area of the shooting sports too. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

Anyway, I need 4g powder for the flash pan. Everywhere I look online it’s sold out (not surprising) but my question is, Is GOEX really the only company that makes 4F? Every time I do a search for 4F that’s the only thing that comes up. Any alternatives to GOEX for 4F? If so, any recommendations on where to look for it?

I’m a complete noob in this area of shooting so any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[M1842]

There is a Swiss made powder called Schuetzen. It is more expensive than GOEX but since the GOEX plant has been down since last summer when the plant was damaged in an explosion, you might be able to find it. I use 3F in my flintlock for the primer charge and it works just fine.

 

[Doctortoxic]

There is a Swiss made powder called Schuetzen. It is more expensive than GOEX but since the GOEX plant has been down since last summer when the plant was damaged in an explosion, you might be able to find it. I use 3F in my flintlock for the primer charge and it works just fine.

I was just reading that 3F works in the pan and was coming back here to ask if others use it. I guess I’m picking up a bottle of 3F because 4F appears to be unobtainable at the moment.

Do you adjust the amount you use in the pan if you are using 3F vs 4F?

Thanks for the reply!!!

 

[Inigoes]

Find an Amish or Mennonite community near you.

They can tell you where to score some powder locally. The shops I was in before the hunting season were pretty sell stocked.

 

[John from MD]

I was just reading that 3F works in the pan and was coming back here to ask if others use it. I guess I’m picking up a bottle of 3F because 4F appears to be unobtainable at the moment.

Do you adjust the amount you use in the pan if you are using 3F vs 4F?

Thanks for the reply!!!

3 F works fine in the pan if you have a good spark. As for the amount, you should only put powder in the outside half of the powder well. The idea is to have the spark jump the gap into the flash hole. If you use too much powder, it acts like a fuse and your lock time increases causing you to move more before the gun goes off.

I suggest that you practice lighting off a few pans with the gun UNLOADED so you can see how you move when the hammer hits the frizzen and the powder is touched off. This is easy to do in your back yard and doesn't use a lot of powder. Obviously, you will still need to sight the gun in with the load you are using.

 

[John from MD]

Hey all. Just got a Traditions Deerhunter and I want to get it ready for Feb 2023 primitive season. I started looking around for powder and flints and realized OMG, the shortage is affecting this area of the shooting sports too. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

Anyway, I need 4g powder for the flash pan. Everywhere I look online it’s sold out (not surprising) but my question is, Is GOEX really the only company that makes 4F? Every time I do a search for 4F that’s the only thing that comes up. Any alternatives to GOEX for 4F? If so, any recommendations on where to look for it?

I’m a complete noob in this area of shooting so any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

For the Rifle you are using, 80-90 grains of 3F will be a good deer load.

 

[Doctortoxic]

Find an Amish or Mennonite community near you.

They can tell you where to score some powder locally. The shops I was in before the hunting season were pretty sell stocked.

Yeah this appears to be the problem. A search online appears to come up with no BP available. I guess I’ll have to pound some pavement next.

 

[Melnic]

If your in Hoco, I could gift you some 4F. Enough to fill up a flash pan powder dispenser or two
Just enough to get you testing your load and hunting.

 

[Doctortoxic]

If your in Hoco, I could gift you some 4F. Enough to fill up a flash pan powder dispenser or two
Just enough to get you testing your load and hunting.

Dude that is incredibly generous of you. I’m still gathering my supplies and possibles for my possibles bag. So I don’t even have a dispenser yet. If your offer still stands once I get all my supplies and equipment (i.e. powder dispenser), I’ll may just take you up on your generosity. That’s just totally awesome of you!

 

[rseymorejr]

I got a mortar and pestle at a kitchen supply store and made my own out of 2F

 

[John from MD]

I got a mortar and pestle at a kitchen supply store and made my own out of 2F

You can do that but he can't find ANY BP around.

 

[bbrown]

I got a mortar and pestle at a kitchen supply store and made my own out of 2F

How do you prevent sparks when doing that?

 

[echo6mike]

I got a mortar and pestle at a kitchen supply store and made my own out of 2F

Just don't try that with the coffee grinder!

 

[pre64hunter]

Try this guy

http://blackpowderva.com/
I too have some 4FG to spare, probably close to a full pound can.

Somewhere on this forum they said Goex was sold to Hodgon's and they're not making black powder anymore, I think?

 

[rseymorejr]

You can do that but he can't find ANY BP around.

Aahh, didn't catch that part.

How do you prevent sparks when doing that?

They are ceramic

Just don't try that with the coffee grinder!

Gotta have a little excitement once in a while!

 

[John from MD]

How do you prevent sparks when doing that?

I do it outside and only small amount at a time. You don't put enough pressure on the BP to set it off and, if you don't introduce any flint and steel, you won't get any sparks. It doesn't take a lot of grinding to make 2F into finer powder for priming. You don't have to grind it to a powder just some smaller pieces.

The object is to get as much surface area as possible since BP burns on the surface. The more surface area that is exposed to the flame, the faster the BP burns.

 

[Virgil Co.C]

3 F works fine in the pan if you have a good spark. As for the amount, you should only put powder in the outside half of the powder well. The idea is to have the spark jump the gap into the flash hole. If you use too much powder, it acts like a fuse and your lock time increases causing you to move more before the gun goes off.

I suggest that you practice lighting off a few pans with the gun UNLOADED so you can see how you move when the hammer hits the frizzen and the powder is touched off. This is easy to do in your back yard and doesn't use a lot of powder. Obviously, you will still need to sight the gun in with the load you are using.

What he said , I agree

 

[dannyp]

I use 3F for both also , works fine. need 3F for the bp pistols anyway .

 

[Horseman308]

No need for 4f. Use the same as your main charge. National Muzzleloading Rifle Association has published timed experiments where the difference in priming speed between 4f and 3f was smaller than most of us can tell IF (and it's a big IF) you prime correctly and use a good lock with a sharp flint and well tempered frizzen. You've got a good bit of time to work out the details.

There are lots of old wives tales about the priming process. In 25 years of shooting flintlocks, the most consistent problem I've seen people have is over-priming the pan. It really doesn't need much. I usually fill mine about 1/3 to 1/2 full. People say to bank it away from the touch hole or whatnot. I'm sure that's fine in a firing line at a range. But if you're hunting and moving around, the powder will move around in the pan, anyway, so don't worry about that too much. I've not had that be an issue at any rate. Focus more on learning to keep the flint sharp and the frizzen clean of fouling residue. I also like to use a thin nail or wire to clear the touch hole between shots, so there's a clear path for the heat/flame.

 

[Blacksmith101]

Some Links for a Flint Lock Newbie:
http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/index.html

http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/flintterm.html

https://www.blackpowdermag.com/

https://www.blackpowdermag.com/category/videos/