ignorant new BP owner

[sailortoo]

I was very fortunate to win a beautiful 2013 flintlock, with powder horns and beaded scabbard. Now mounted in my living room, with a couple of modern rifles. My biggest problem is no background, no training, no BP close friends, and no ffffg to prime it with! The local gun merchants have a couple of BP clerks that have pretty much outfitted me with the basic items to fire the rifle, but NO ffffg BP anywhere in sight. Is it true that the flint locks really need real black powder, not Pyrodex or other substitutes, in order to perform properly? I am not desperate to fire it, but it was built to be used, at least lightly, and I have never had that opportunity in the past - just might be a learning experience. Any comments welcome.
The particulars are skimpy - Pennsylvania/Kentucky type of .50 caliber, flint lock. Only info is that "Bud" built it to commemorate the Santa Fe Trail, with scrimshaw on the powder horns - pretty as a picture (which I don't have just yet).

[iwuzwhatiwuz]

Welcome to the world of Flintlocks! The answer to your first question is "yes", flintlocks must use black powder to function properly. However as long as your frizzen sparks well you can prime with FFFg as well as FFFFg (4F) and since your rifle is a .50 cal FFFg is fine for the main charge as well. 4F IS faster to ignite but the difference is hard to discern, especially to a beginner. Powder Inc has great prices if you cannot locate it locally. Also try Goex's distributor list to see if there's a dealer near you. Have fun!

[desdem12]

Pictures would help identify it of course. How about we start with what they outfitted you with and go from there. As far as the BP or substitute goes it would be better to have the real black powder in a flintlock cause of ignition. Where do you live at? You can order BP but it will have a hazmat fee so it is better to get a group buy together. Not sure if 3f will work for the flash or not as I only have the percussions and inlines. I will say that it is hard to get bp here where I live too but I eventualy found it in way out of the way places and in towns not too far off. Ask around at some of the gunstores and places like that and they may be able to help out some.

[sailortoo]

IWWIW & desdem12 -
As to BP: I do have on hand a pound of Goex ffg. Is this suitable even for the main charge? Pure chance that a friend had it, and no need for it. I had no idea that BP was so difficult to have access to! When I was a kid, my brother and I made our own BP to load into our expended .25 .35 cartridges - home made fuse in the primer hole, neck crimped over, and under a #10 can for effect. We would probably go to jail for that simple fun nowadays.
Even a minimum mail order of 5# mixed fffg & ffffg is outside of any use for me, at least until I am either proficient or bored, and a bit pricey to order more than I would probably use in the rest of my life.
My location is NW New Mexico (Four Corners). Local (withing 100 miles) ammo dealers seem to not be interested in a FEL, except one business that does not carry BP. I will try to pin down some local officionados to share some fffg and ffffg, if there is any such thing locally.
As to pictures, give me a road map to take a stored photo in my computer, and get it into this site. I can't just copy and paste, as in email use. I would appreciate a knowledgeable assessment of the rifle, even what to properly call it.
Outfitting was for the basics for muzzle loaders: box of .490 lead balls, ball starter, bore butter, bore cleaner, brush and glass ramrod (don't want to beat up that pretty wood ramrod), powder measure, ball puller, ball patches and cleaning patches. Also, I was told to properly clean the bore, I would need to dismount the barrel (REALLY?) by drifting mounting pins, then thoroughly scrub the bore with boiling water and soap. Sounds destructive to the wood, drifting pins out every time you need to clean the bore (every time!). I often wonder, now that I have a glimmer of what BP involves, how did the Mountain Men out there trudging through the distant mountains, manage to have adequate powder and shot, and all the extras that keep the system working. My hat is definitely off to them!

[Junk Yard Dog]

.50 ? Yea, .490 ball's, I have primed with Fg on occasion, the trick is to make sure your flint is striking square, and to go easy on the priming powder. You do not fill the pan, you only fill it until the powder touches the bottom of the touch hole. Make sure to tamp the ball down firmly onto the powder charge. Do not dismount the barrel! You remove the lock and scrub it in hot soapy water, set it aside, carve a piece of hardwood so it will act as a plug for the touch hole, you can make another for the muzzle. Fill the barrel with hot soapy water almost to the top, plug it and shake it rapidly for a minute. Pour it out and refill, do in three or four times, then swab it with some patches. for the last, fill the barrel with some water about halfway, tip it to the side so the touch hole is leaning to the ground, pull the plug out of it and let it flush out, you can blow down the barrel a bit to help it along. The heat from the hot water will cook off any water that gets under the wood, and you oil the hell out of it for storage with real oil, not that spray on crap. Use motor oil if you have to, wipe all around the lock area, and of course wipe the lock with oil as well. Keep your flints sharp.

[desdem12]

I think cabelas had goex last time I was there. They should have 3f and 2f. 2f is good for the main charge but wont work good for the primer. 3f or 4f for that. I am sure there is some BP shooters around there. I used to live in cedarcity Utah and while not real close to there it is not too far and there were a ton of BP shooters there. The outfitting sounds good.
For the pics you will need to reduce the size. I use paint to reduce it to 15% and then save as. Then in a post there is the upload in the lower left. Push that button and then browse and then click foto and open and then add the file.

[sailortoo]

Thanks again to both of you - I do believe I need to locate some locals that know what they are doing with BP. I see that some expertise is called for, so as to both treat the rifle properly, and not do unwelcome damage.

[bunkysdad]

You might ask around at the local shooting range or put a note up on the shooting range bulletin board if they have one. You might find a shooter that couldshow you the ropes. How did you get so lucky as to win this great prize?8-)

[neal45]

I've primed successfully my flintlock pistol with 2f on occasion. Don't fill the pan with it though.

[professor9]

Good day everyone. I too am new to Black Powder, having a Lyman Deerstalker in .50. If I may please ask a question along these lines. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but merely add to it.
An elderly gentleman around the corner had a 10-12 year old can of Goex 3F and a can of 4F that he gave me. Brand new, said he never used any of it, still in the steel can. Says they've been in his garage for 10 maybe 12 years maybe more. Can I presume I am safe to use it? Are there any inspections or tests that I can do prior to?
As sailortoo states, powder is tough to find, and since I scored a can of each, I've been studying and preparing.
Thanks guys - just trying to add to the conversation. Prof

[Junk Yard Dog]

Black powder, so long as you keep it dry, is eternal. It will not break down with age like smokeless powder will. Good example is the man in Virginia a few years ago who managed while cleaning it to ignite the fuse on a 150 year old cannon ball and blow himself to bits when the black powder inside it exploded as designed. You are good to go even if that powder was 200 years old.