doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com uses for gradations of black powder

My m/l mentor was once asked to put on a demonstration of how long it takes to load and fire a m/l rifle, at a state fair. He chose a flintlock because he knew that self priming would speed things up considerably. He used finer grained BP to do the demonstration and loaded and fired a flintlock rifle something like 9 times in 60 seconds. He said he would lean the rifle to the right as he loaded to facilitate a priming charge exiting the vent hole into the pan, and it worked perfectly every time.

Daryl, absolutely stunning firearms!

After almost 50 yeas of shooting rifle, pistol and shotgun muzzleloaders, BP cartridge rifles and percussion revolvers I would agree whole heartedly with Stantons granulation recommendations.

Either John or Joseph Manton are credited with absolute perfection of the flintlock. They're geometry is perfect and I think the way his pan is designed is as close to perfection as a flintlock can be made. I had a reproduction Manton flintlock on a 54 cal. Leman rifle and it was the best lock I ever owned. I still regret parting with it. Anyway, Manton's locks were considered weather tight. There should be a sort of ring on the bottom of the frizzen that fits into a corresponding mortise in the pan. As you've no doubt noticed, the pan stands free of two fences, front and back. Those were so designed that rainwater would roll down and drop out the bottom rather than accumulate in the pan. It worked for me on my reproduction. On all other locks the pan is part of the lock, rather than free standing, and rainwater, or snow, whichever the case might be, has a direct path into the pan. That isn't to suggest they're completely water proof, that they aren't but, they're head and shoulders above the rest.

Fine pieces. I have a percussion Manton shotgun, neither Joh nor Joseph, and it's quite nice. Not as nice as yours but nice.

I always liked the Leman style rifle. Mine is one I built from a collection of parts that I bought from Green River Rifle Works in about 1975, but it is percussion, in .54 cal., and with a GRRW 7 land and groove 1 1/8" barrel. Heavy gun capable of utilizing heavy charges.

Thanks everybody. Sharps4590, the John Manton pictured is from approx. 1830, rather late in the game with all of his latest details. A friend and I both remarked how light the double barrel was. I cannot remember the exact weight. Here's the inside of the John Manton locks and breech. I think some models of the Joseph Manton locks are a bit different.

Granulation indeed determines use of BP. In fireworks, we use 2FA to gently push heavy shells out of the mortars, much like blasting powder moves earth rather than making a hole in it. At the other end, we use Meal D to dust stars when we want their surface ignited in the shortest time possible without damaging them.

The only thing wrong with a touch hole as big as those is that no one is happy standing beside you on the firing line. The "backwash" from firing a "flinter" with a touch hole that big sprays the shooter beside you with hot cinders, usually in the face or neck. Of course, that's not as much of an issue with shotguns as it is with a rifle, because with a shotgun there is usually no one standing beside you while you're firing anyway.