The Ignition Chain, Part 3: The Uncontrolled Variable
In our previous posts, we defined the flintlock as a machine and outlined a systematic approach to optimizing it.
Post 1: Identified the problem: Lock time is the primary enemy of accuracy.
Post 2: Detailed the mechanical solutions: Tuning the lock (springs, geometry, friction) and the vent (placement, coning) to create a fast, efficient system.
We can now assume we have a "perfected" traditional lock. The springs are balanced, the internal surfaces are polished, the vent is perfectly coned, and our flint is sharp. We have engineered a mechanically consistent machine.
And it will fail.
It will fail because we have ignored the single most volatile component in the system: the priming charge.
The "Open System" Flaw
The fundamental design of a traditional flintlock is an open system. The pan, which holds the FFFFg prime, is exposed to the environment.
This is an uncontrolled variable. As engineers and machinists, we do not tolerate uncontrolled variables.
The enemy is not just rain, which is an obvious "match over" event. The real enemy is humidity.
Black powder is aggressively hygroscopic. Its primary component, potassium nitrate, is a salt that actively draws and absorbs moisture from the atmosphere.
The Physics of Failure
The FFFFg in your pan is not a stable substance. It is in a constant state of change relative to the ambient humidity.
9:00 AM (Dry Air): Your prime is crisp. Ignition is instantaneous.
1:00 PM (Humidity Rises): The powder in your pan has absorbed microscopic amounts of water. This moisture begins to "clump" the powder and dissolve the potassium nitrate.
Result: The deflagration (burn) rate of the prime is now slower.
Worse, this degradation is not uniform. This means your lock time is now a random variable. It might be 80ms on one shot and 110ms on the next. This inconsistency is catastrophic for benchrest shooters and offhand shooters alike. You are no longer shooting the same rifle.
Shooters have used "mitigations" for centuries—a "cow's knee" in the rain, constantly wiping the frizzen, keeping the pan covered until the last second. These are field craft, not engineering solutions. They are an attempt to manage, not solve, the core problem.
Conclusion: The System is the Problem
We can tune the traditional lock to perfection. But we cannot tune the weather.
As long as the priming charge is exposed to the environment, it will never be a consistent component. We are trying to achieve sub-MOA precision with a fuel source that spoils in real-time.
Tuning isn't enough because the design itself is the problem.
To achieve absolute, repeatable ignition, we must eliminate the variable. We must change the design from an "open" to a "closed" system—one that completely isolates the prime from the environment. Only then can we have a truly consistent machine.
Tags: Flintlock, Engineering, Benchrest, Muzzleloader, Ignition