Quote Originally Posted by enfield2band View Post
When you prime the flashpan only cover the flash hole. Use as little powder as possible, its speed up the ignition of the main charge.
If you fill the flashpan to the top the powder has to burn down before reaching the flash hole. it slows down the ignition and wastes powder.
Agree and more: I am not a flint shooter but when I was taught how to do it my mentor (something of an expert on duelling) told me to put a straightened paper clip into the flash hole and prime only up to the base of the flash hole, then remove the paper clip. He told me that this gave faster ignition because the burning powder was not impeded by powder in the flash hole. I was sceptical that this would work at all but it performed faultlessly. The gun I was privileged to be allowed to use (an original Manton no less!) had been breathed on and gave very fast ignition - approaching that of a percussion lock. Kinda spoilt me for lesser guns.