Calvin, thanks for the compliment. Powder: all the research I've seen would indicate they did not use some fine grained priming powder as we do. Whatever powder was used for the load was also the priming powder. I believe the powders used were much finer grained than what is currently used. So, the powder poured down the muzzle was fine enough to jet out the touchole. I shoot a Manton styled late flint pistol (made by Hege in Germany many years ago) with a similar frizzen/touchole arrangement. 3f will jet through to fill the pan. With my American longrifles I usually drill the touchole 5/64", which is pretty large. I can load it with the frizzen closed and enough powder jets through to fill the pan. Examination of many original guns reveals most of them had large toucholes. It has commonly been attributed to erosion but too many of them have not been fired enough to wear the holes. I've chronographed rifles that started with tiny toucholes and incrementally enlarged them. I did not notice any loss of velocity. In fact--and I think this was a quirk--my highest velocity was registered with the largest hole! Go figure.
Trivia: tiny horns we call "priming horns" were probably not made to carry powder but salt!
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