How to overcome common blackpowder failings...
HANGFIRE:
Another common complaint shooters have is the unnerving experience of a hangfire. In blackpowder shooting, a hang fire is not a misfire. A hangfire is the result of either a plugged flash hole on either percussion or flintlock that can act as a slow burning fuse or a delay caused by an unattended moisture or fouling buildup in the barrel charge.
(When a hangfire occurs, keep the firearm aimed in a SAFE direction!)
Hangfire means that the trigger has been pulled, but there is a delay in the gun going off, but the gun does go off. To avoid hangfires, whether it is the first shot or the tenth shot, the bore and ignition must first be clean, clear and dry before the powder and projectile are placed in the barrel.
THE DUD
Percussion ignition depends on flame travel through a nipple and a flash channel to the barrel charge. Both the caplock nipple (on the side of the barrel) and the in-line nipple set into the breech of the barrel need to be clean and dry, with a clear passage to the powder charge in the barrel.
Hotter ignitions sources are becoming popular today. Most hunters use the larger musket caps and No. 209 shotgun primers. An in-line capper is a safe and efficient way to install the percussion source of your choice. No matter what percussion ignition you prefer, carry a de-capper to remove stubborn caps. Fired caps split and are generally removed with ease, but a dud cap, that one-in-a-thousand, that has been struck by a hammer, becomes one with the nipple.
I experienced this phenomenon the hard way as I watched a large, 9-point buck walk away as I struggled to reprime my Civil War musket, peeling off dud-cap with cold fingers is not fun. This had never happened to me before in a hunting situation and I was completely unprepared.
Hanging a pick off of your hunting bag with a length of leather will aid in cleaning a plugged nipple in a hurry, you will not have to waste time looking for it.
I also used a leather capper to hold my caps for the next shots, this allowed snow to get into them without my knowledge and that lead to the "DUD" caps.
To prevent this from happening again, I sewn my capper to the underside of my hunting bag's flap...
This has protected them from exposure so far.
HANGFIRE:
Another common complaint shooters have is the unnerving experience of a hangfire. In blackpowder shooting, a hang fire is not a misfire. A hangfire is the result of either a plugged flash hole on either percussion or flintlock that can act as a slow burning fuse or a delay caused by an unattended moisture or fouling buildup in the barrel charge.
(When a hangfire occurs, keep the firearm aimed in a SAFE direction!)
Hangfire means that the trigger has been pulled, but there is a delay in the gun going off, but the gun does go off. To avoid hangfires, whether it is the first shot or the tenth shot, the bore and ignition must first be clean, clear and dry before the powder and projectile are placed in the barrel.
THE DUD
Percussion ignition depends on flame travel through a nipple and a flash channel to the barrel charge. Both the caplock nipple (on the side of the barrel) and the in-line nipple set into the breech of the barrel need to be clean and dry, with a clear passage to the powder charge in the barrel.
Hotter ignitions sources are becoming popular today. Most hunters use the larger musket caps and No. 209 shotgun primers. An in-line capper is a safe and efficient way to install the percussion source of your choice. No matter what percussion ignition you prefer, carry a de-capper to remove stubborn caps. Fired caps split and are generally removed with ease, but a dud cap, that one-in-a-thousand, that has been struck by a hammer, becomes one with the nipple.
I experienced this phenomenon the hard way as I watched a large, 9-point buck walk away as I struggled to reprime my Civil War musket, peeling off dud-cap with cold fingers is not fun. This had never happened to me before in a hunting situation and I was completely unprepared.
Hanging a pick off of your hunting bag with a length of leather will aid in cleaning a plugged nipple in a hurry, you will not have to waste time looking for it.
I also used a leather capper to hold my caps for the next shots, this allowed snow to get into them without my knowledge and that lead to the "DUD" caps.
To prevent this from happening again, I sewn my capper to the underside of my hunting bag's flap...
This has protected them from exposure so far.
