Pre ignition

[Kansas Jake]

I’m not willing to load directly from a flask or horn. I just don’t take the chance. A cook off may be slim but not impossible. Someone even wins the power ball or mega millions sooner or later. I’d rather win one of those.

 

[tenngun]

I wonder during a Civil War battle or the Alamo, (or any BP war previously) when everything was hot and heavy...how many pre-ignitions happened?

Someone will give you a foot of steel in your guts if you don’t get a shot off fast.
You might get a cook off, vs will get killed if you’re too slow. You’re going to take your chances.
Normally I blow down the barrel after a shot, some think that unsafe, but then I run a damp swab down the bore before my next load.
Today we have our simi autos, pumps, lever actions, bolt actions, all that can be loaded faster than a dream.
A ml is, or should be slow.
So many of our toys are for loading fast, but we can’t, not even with the best.
I saw Ted Spring get off twelve second reloads till he emptied his cartridge box, twenty three shots in three minutes and forty five seconds. Not a guy I would want to meet in a fight,
However, the proper theme of ml is take your time. Twenty minutes for five shots, that’s a good day on the range

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I wonder during a Civil War battle or the Alamo, (or any BP war previously) when everything was hot and heavy...how many pre-ignitions happened?

Probably half as many as rammers being shot downrange.

 

[nhmoose]

I have seen it at Fort ty a shooter had it go off and put the ramrod thru his hand. IT SUCKED. I was an EMT from 2 states away from NY. When I arrived, they were trying to pull it from his hand. I stopped them. I bandaged the hand and stopped the bleeding. Then cut the ramrod on both sides with my Scissors and called for help on my cell phone one of the few who had one in the 90's.

He survived and recovered the use of the hand. Trust me it hurt and you do not want it to happen.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I have seen it at Fort ty a shooter had it go off and put the ramrod thru his hand. IT SUCKED. I was an EMT from 2 states away from NY. When I arrived, they were trying to pull it from his hand. I stopped them. I bandaged the hand and stopped the bleeding. Then cut the ramrod on both sides with my Scissors and called for help on my cell phone one of the few who had one in the 90's.

He survived and recovered the use of the hand. Trust me it hurt and you do not want it to happen.

I was a SAR medic for about six years. A number of times Ive seen where people tried to pull an impaled object from the body of the victim. Worse thing you can do, especially if it is in the head/face, bad anywhere really.

 

[user 34300]

I have seen it at Fort ty a shooter had it go off and put the ramrod thru his hand.

Oh my, never put your hand over the end of the ramrod.

 

[Colonial Boy]

I’m sure that I’ve posted this before, it’s not pre ignition but a delayed misfire of over 5 minutes and shows that you can never be over careful.
A re-enacting group who used matchlocks had put on a demo and were marching off the field when one gun went off, unfortunately its owner had had a misfire and didn’t do the right thing, he also put the ramrod in the barrel.
unfortunately when the cook off finally happened the ramrod hit and killed the person in front of him.
No first hand knowledge but read the newspaper reports and the Coroner’’s findings.
Some of the members of my club (at the time) had attended one of this groups events and warned us all to stay clear of them as they didn’t impress with safe handling even with blanks.

 

[M. De Land]

I will start with I always use a separate powder measure to charge the gun, no exceptions. That said, In my 45 yrs shooting smoke poles, I have never seen a charge go off due to an "ember" in the barrel from the last shot. Has anyone had first hand experience with this and if so, what were the particulars?

I've not seen or heard of it either and have been shooting muzzle loaders continuously since my teen years. I did have to change things though when I started shooting bowling ball mortars. When I learned the safe protocols to shoot cannons I learned that the wadding fragments is what causes accidents with embers. It also is the reason they were wet swabbed between shots.

 

[LRB]

In sixty years I haven’t done it or seen it first hand, come to think of it I haven’t known anyone that had it happen.

I have met two people that had it happen. One of which I had invited to shoot on my private range and he showed me the healed hole in his hand where the ball and ramrod went through. He had loaded quickly after a shot and did not swab nor blow down his barrel. He is now a strong advocate for doing either one or the other. He has no feeling in that hand and can red hot coals to light his pipe to amaze people.

I have seen it at Fort ty a shooter had it go off and put the ramrod thru his hand. IT SUCKED. I was an EMT from 2 states away from NY. When I arrived, they were trying to pull it from his hand. I stopped them. I bandaged the hand and stopped the bleeding. Then cut the ramrod on both sides with my Scissors and called for help on my cell phone one of the few who had one in the 90's.

He survived and recovered the use of the hand. Trust me it hurt and you do not want it to happen.

 

[James Dietz]

The only one I have seen was at a reenactment. No ramrod thank goodness. It cooked off as he was pouring in the powder from a paper cartridge. Burns to his hand but nothing too serious.

 

[CuNosecap]

When I first started shooting ML in the 70's, I tried blowing down the barrel a few times. Then I thought that the practice of placing one's mouth over a muzzle violated a critical safety rule (never point gun at something you don't intend to destroy), and have not done it since. And yes I understand the ML is not loaded, but if I recall, all accidental discharges start with an "unloaded" gun.
I put some value in keeping my cerebellum intact!

 

[sturmkatze]

I always blow down the barrel. _I_ load my own gun and I know when it went off. I blow until there’s no more smoke. I don’t go to big shoots. I’m not swabbing between rounds. You do you. I’ll do what has worked for me for over 40 years.

 

[M. De Land]

When I first started shooting ML in the 70's, I tried blowing down the barrel a few times. Then I thought that the practice of placing one's mouth over a muzzle violated a critical safety rule (never point gun at something you don't intend to destroy), and have not done it since. And yes I understand the ML is not loaded, but if I recall, all accidental discharges start with an "unloaded" gun.
I put some value in keeping my cerebellum intact!

Blowing directly down bore after a shot is not allowed at most sanctioned events how ever it can safely be done with a tube so ones head is out of the bore alignment.
I wonder if the practice of using smaller granulation now days has a positive effect on less embers left in a fouled bore.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I wonder if the practice of using smaller granulation now days has a positive effect on less embers left in a fouled bore.

Interesting idea, especially if it were Fg. I can see if we were using powder formulated in the centuries up to and including the 19th century, the consistency (i.e. charcoal not being ground fine enough) would lend to an ember glowing down by the breech.

 

[Paul Kenney]

I can honestly say that I have experienced a "cook-off", that being caused by a hot ember in the breech. I was practicing rapid fire at my R/P club. I fired several shots and started to pour a premeasured FFFg powder charge when the loose powder landed on the ember. I must say it is quite a curious sight seeing flames passing between my fingers. First degree burns on several fingers was the result.
I have seen the same happen to another shooter. Since that shooter was on the firing line, he could not walk off the line during a timed event. He did continue to load and shoot with his burned hand until the time period was over. Both were connected to N-SSA.

This is why we always have the firearm pointed away from the face and body while pouring powder into the barrel.

Good move. That it never happened to you yet does not mean it can't happen. Better to take the time for precautions it's not like you have the enemy charging you. I have never charged from a flask.

 

[Paul Kenney]

Interesting idea, especially if it were Fg. I can see if we were using powder formulated in the centuries up to and including the 19th century, the consistency (i.e. charcoal not being ground fine enough) would lend to an ember glowing down by the breech.

I use 1F for my cannons when I can find it. I use aluminum foil for cartridges and always worm and mop between shots.

 

[Pratt]

wipe the bore between shots. clear your ignition port. prime the pan with 4F. Use a reasonable load for you reason to shoot. Last let the barrel cool if you have been shooting.

 

[tenngun]

When I first started shooting ML in the 70's, I tried blowing down the barrel a few times. Then I thought that the practice of placing one's mouth over a muzzle violated a critical safety rule (never point gun at something you don't intend to destroy), and have not done it since. And yes I understand the ML is not loaded, but if I recall, all accidental discharges start with an "unloaded" gun.
I put some value in keeping my cerebellum intact!

With a flint or percussion on half cock, a jag with a damp patch you will get a similar effect as blowing down the bore, a solid whoosh of air blowing out the vent.

 

[French Colonial]

If I have a gun that I have to wipe between shots in order to shoot it....... I will get rid of the gun.

Started this in the 70's, have never wiped and never will. YMMV.

 

[stevenj4810]

I use 1F for my cannons when I can find it. I use aluminum foil for cartridges and always worm and mop between shots.

My friend who owns two swivel cannons uses aluminum foil wrapped powder charges. He makes everyone swab the bore with the worm and wet sponge each loading procedure.