Was out over the weekend with my half scale Napoleon.... some of the local Civil War Re-enactor folk were also at the range. First time that I've ever had an actual proper crew for my gun. One of them mentioned something really neat... neat enough to pass along.
Firing options are basically either by fuse or quickmatch.... both have their share of advantages and disadvantages, especially when it comes to just when the gun will go off. A fuse can take 3 to 10 seconds depending on the length of fuse. Once it is lit there is pretty much no turning back if something unexpected should show up down range.... like some idiot on a dirt bike. A quickmatch fires in the blink of an eye but often pretty well frays the end of the rope in the linstock. One of the Civil War folk mentioned they usually insert a 1/2" to 3/4" long piece of fuse in the end of the quickmatch. Worked real well with my home made Post-It Note quills.
When fired with a linstock it will give a 1 to 1.5 second delay.... enough time to get the linstock away from the vent plume and maybe take 1 to 2 steps away. Of course there is still the possibility of the idiot on the dirt bike.
