Check that load

Well just to share a reminder that we have to be ever vigilant as we handle our weapons ...
I took my low serial numbered Parker Hale 1861 Enfield Muskatoon to the range to clear the load from my last hunt ..(expected to go again but kidney stone nixed that)
Anyway I wanted to clear the load as well as tune back in to it getting ready for the up coming primitive weapons deer season ...
Target in place and I thankfully remembered to run the rod down the bore knowing .578 sized/lubed mini ball bullet is at best "thumb tight" ..
Imagine my intake of breath when the rod stopped 9 inches from the seated mark

Just saying ...Merry CHRISTmas to all only
Bear

Let's hear the rest of the story! Was it the ball moved forward or something else?

The Crisco Kid said:

Let's hear the rest of the story! Was it the ball moved forward or something else?

Click to expand...

The Mini ball had moved down the barrel towards the muzzle that far ..
Other factors to add are I store muzzleloaders muzzle down .. also when hunting in rain I carry muzzle down and under a poncho .. (which I had done)
But I think what everyone shooting greased mini balls fitted bullet to bore for accuracy do not have the friction/tightness say a patched ball would have ..so it tells me to change the bullet to bore in some way to get a reliable hunting load that does not require the ram rod test before shooting!!!

Bear

Yikes, I get scared this might happen with with conicals. Once they're pat the muzzle the slip right down. Now I think I need to test and hold it upside down and shake it a bunch.

Brokenbear said:

Well just to share a reminder that we have to be ever vigilant as we handle our weapons ...
I took my low serial numbered Parker Hale 1861 Enfield Muskatoon to the range to clear the load from my last hunt ..(expected to go again but kidney stone nixed that)
Anyway I wanted to clear the load as well as tune back in to it getting ready for the up coming primitive weapons deer season ...
Target in place and I thankfully remembered to run the rod down the bore knowing .578 sized/lubed mini ball bullet is at best "thumb tight" ..
Imagine my intake of breath when the rod stopped 9 inches from the seated mark

Just saying ...Merry CHRISTmas to all only
Bear

Click to expand...

Brokenbear said:

The Mini ball had moved down the barrel towards the muzzle that far ..
Other factors to add are I store muzzleloaders muzzle down .. also when hunting in rain I carry muzzle down and under a poncho .. (which I had done)
But I think what everyone shooting greased mini balls fitted bullet to bore for accuracy do not have the friction/tightness say a patched ball would have ..so it tells me to change the bullet to bore in some way to get a reliable hunting load that does not require the ram rod test before shooting!!!

Bear

Click to expand...

Similar experiences here. One has to be careful. I have one faster twist Investarm 50 caliber gun (actually a Cabelas’ branded gun) that you can actually hear the greased conical move and clunk in the bore, particularly in warmer weather. Most likely the bore is slightly larger towards the breech, but never got a response from Investarm or Cabelas after contacting them…. Ultimately found a properly sized paperpatch conical would stay on the powder even after repeatedly dropping the gun muzzle down in a rubber pad. I have found other solutions, but paperpatching was the simplest, other than a patched roundball which may not perform well out of some fast twist bores.

Personally, if using a conical in a hunting situation I have gone to a paperpatching just for my own peace of mind, though I know others will disagree and that is fine with me.

Same thing happened to a friend of mine with a TC .54 Renegade. We came out of the woods at near dark from deer hunting. I fired my .50. He then fired his .54. Heckuva bang and flash with a big recoil. He turned and looked at me with an astonished look. When it went off it blew the hammer back to half cock. We figured that when he climbed up in his tree stand he carried it up by sling with the muzzle down. He was using a minnie ball and it must have slid partway back toward the muzzle when the rifle was turned muzzle down. It is a testament to how well Thompson Center rifles are built as it did nothing to the rifle. He always checked to make sure the round was seated after that.

It pays to be a thinking man you never know what you may get into otherwise.
I just bought a group of Dixon and Hawksley powder flasks and got them two days ago.
I figured it would be a good idea to check them for powder sure nuf' turned one over and opened the spout, and out came 2F powder, and this was shipped USPS.

andy52 said:

It pays to be a thinking man you never know what you may get into otherwise.
I just bought a group of Dixon and Hawksley powder flasks and got them two days ago.
I figured it would be a good idea to check them for powder sure nuf' turned one over and opened the spout, and out came 2F powder, and this was shipped USPS.

Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me last year. Bought a powder horn and possibles bag off Ebay. When I got it the powder horn was heavy. It was full to the top with 2f powder and it was shipped USPS. Near a pound of powder.

Great post and reminder. I will implement that into my ritual before heading into the woods. I've never checked the load TBH. My hunting PRB load is a pretty tight fit, I don't expect it to move or have I had anything weird when shooting it to clear. But either way I'll check from now on. I suspect the Conicals might move as they are a looser fit..

Hey SDSmlf ..you likely have the right idea of a paper patch but I don't have enough time to develop that right now but for the future reference

What paper ..what glue ..still sized and lubed bullet ..are you trying to have enough paper to stay with the bullet or just start it and hold it against the charge ..

My current load clover leafs at 50 yrds and is a 3 ring Lyman 577-213 510gr hollow base Mini (it casts to about .581 and sized to .578 and 50/50 olive oil/beeswax winter and 25/75 summer) in front of 80gr FFF T7 with a 3/8ths felt and a greased 1/4" wonder wad between the powder and the wad ..this load is sized to where it takes two thumbs to start it and get the nose even with the end of the muzzle ...

Thanks
Bear

For those who use “Minnie” balls while hunting, have you ever considered ramming a thin card wad (like an over shot wad) down over the Minnie to keep it in place while carrying muzzle-down? A thin card wad can keep a 1 ounce or heavier shot load in place against recoil in a double-barrel shotgun so it should be up to the job holding lighter Minnies.

Thoughts?

Just a side note to this: Hornady packages their .50 caliber PA Conicals in a very sticky lube and I believe it's for exactly this reason. Some members have complained about this lube because of this stickiness etc., and removed it. I do not. Although it seems like it would be very messy, it leaves little to no residue on your fingers or anywhere else. I have checked them numerous times while hunting and never found them to move at all. They also shoot quite accurately and kill well, as is. Fouling is no different than normal for my rifles. They are a hollow base, skirted bullet and the lube causes no loading difficulties for me. Set with a short starter and they slide on down. Those choosing to remove the lube should find a replacement that keeps their load in place. Just doing so, without trying them as is, because it is something 'new fangled', seems a bit hard headed to me. But, to each his own. If Track or Ox Yoke sold this lube in bulk, it would be the rage. Those jacketed people are rookies though.
For hunting, I load them over a small cotton ball capped with a .50 cal card. Made for a 1/66 twist but they do fine in a 1/48.
SW