Discouraged

[MAN IN BLACK]

I have pulled up on two bucks this season 8 & 6 point both within 50 yards. And both times the only thing that went off was the cap. This is my first year using black powder so maybe you can call it paying my dues, but a inline is looking better by the minute. I don't know what it is that thing is so clean you could use it as a straw.

A friend of mine said to start putting some powder in the hole below the cap, good advice or bad for the gun?

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I had similar problems when I first started hunting with traditional black powder arms. Here are a few suggestions:

1.) Make sure there is no (and I mean NO) trace of oil, WD-40, ect in the barrel. I use several alcohol patches to clean out the oil before shooting my hawken.

2.) do pop a cap or two on the nipple prior to loading the firearm....this helps to remoe any oil that may have migrated into the drum. Take a nipple pick after firing that cap or two and make sure that the channel is clear to the powder.

3.) When loading powder, load it so the drum is to the right, at an angle. This will allow a little powder to trickle into the drum and will help with ignition.

4.) Use a hotter cap.....I started out with CVA caps, and they weren't really 'hot' enough to get the pyrodex to ignite in colder weather. Now I use CCI magnum #11 caps.

Most failure to fires are caused by a contamination of oil on the powder......make sure that you get rid of it prior to loading!

Good luck, and don't be joining that inline crowd just yet......

[Jack]

When I first got my ML, I had to do some experimentation to get it to fire consistently.
I switched the standard nipple to a Hot Shot nipple, and also use the #11 magnum cap from CCI.
I agree with the other advice about removing all oil based substances from the rifle, and popping a few caps before loading.
However, the real secret to reliability with my rifle was simple: pour the pwder charge down the bore with the rifle elevated, then tap the breech area on the opposite side from the lock with the heel of my hand- that seems to shake a few granules of powder into the drum.
If I do that, it fires first time, every time, rain or shine.
BTW, I shoot Pyrodex out of my caplock, which people tell me is hard to ignite ( I didn't know any better), and it still works every time.

[Riposte1]

One of these days when I get time (a lot of fantasies start that way ;-) ), I am going to write down my "adventures" with Muzzle loaders. Naturally I define adventure the same way Mark Twain did; the result of poor preparation.

I guess it was about 15 years ago I was hunting in TN with a Hawken and had the same thing happen. Entirely my fault, I had left the rifle loaded the night before.

Fortunately I had with me a Ruger Old Army revolver and when the deer, who heard the snap but did not run off, turned and walked away I was able to retrieve my Ruger and take a chancy shot on the move a lot further than I should have. It must not have been the deer's lucky day as the bullet somehow connected with its heart though I could not see for all the smoke.

Good thing that first one worked as in the extreme cold my experimental bullets were a lot looser in the chambers and the one to the left of the barrel eased forward a few thousandts of an inch and jammed the cylinder...more adventure with muzzle loaders :-)

Riposte

PS that Hawken now uses a primer conversion. Forgot what it is called, "Spitfire" maybe? Several of my other muzzle loader have been converted to musket caps.

[MAN IN BLACK]

so in regards to oil do i need to quit using bore butter?

[Jack]

Nope, Bore Butter is not oil based.
I've been using it for as long as I've used my ML, with no problems.

[kt]

discouraged, you should not be. i was recently feeling the same, some times you must step back and take things from the proper perspective, for instance i dont like to hear a crossbow shooter talk about there first bow kill being around it, i can tell you it is not the same. loving my t.c. omega i will not b.s. and say it is even near the challenge of me killing with my tc hawken. the omega is good to 200 and always goes bang with accuracy, i bend over backwards for the renegade/hawken rifle to do that. i almost feel in-adequate to send a round ball at a deer with modern day ml bullets. but man when the day comes where it works out right, it will always put a tear in my eye to do it old school.
man in black, hope that is an earnhardt or cash reference, any how, let me tell you the inline is just a single shot centerfire for my last four deer. the satisfaction is not even comparable to that of a flint or capper
kt

[MAN IN BLACK]

Well I was an Big E fan but now I cheer for #20. But to give you a hint my pointer's name is June.

[Adam Helmer]

MAN IN BLACK,

You got good advice so far. When you clean your muzzleloader, how do you store the arm afterwards? I use the hot, soapy water, dry patches, oil patches and then I store my MLs muzzle down on a piece of paper towel.

Lots of people store their MLs butt down and the oil in the barrel slides (migrates) down into the drum and nipple area. After you fire a cap or two, run a dry patch down the bore to pick up any oil blasted out of the nipple and drum, then load and swat the side of the barrel a time or two to settle the powder. I know a few longhunters who "prime the nipple" by putting a few grains of powder into the nipple and then capping. I think, as was said before, the use of a nipple pick will remove any cap residue and ensure the fire channel is clear. Hope this helps.

Adam

[MAN IN BLACK]

I see one problem now. Mine stays upright in a gun safe. Putting it muzzle down makes sense.

[moneychanger]

if your sidelock is made by lyman or cabelas or some toher italian or spanish firm there will be a screw just below or very near the nipplle. this is a cleanout hole and sometimes they tend to plug up. clean out this channel.

another possibility is to pull the nipple and use a pipe cleaner to clean out as much as possible,and while you have tthe nipple off
look thru it to make sure there is nothing blocking the nipple hole.

further, the hot german nipples always went for me,but since i've gone to musket nipples and with one of these your rifle should go bang each time.

finally just in case of a misfire after pointing your gun in a safe direction try pulling your nipple put a small amount of powder in this channel reinstall thenipple and fire.

good luck.

[moneychanger]

i'm back, i've reread the posts or should i say skimmed, and the one thing i didn't notice is how many caps you blow off before
loading? i usually fire off 3 caps, then patch the barrel and
finally reload. just another thought. dan

[MAN IN BLACK]

Thanks for all the help. I see a lot of little things that I wasn't doing simply because of ML ignorance.