On page 8 of the Lyman User's Guide that came with my cap lock GPR, under Safety Notes, it states "Caplocks: After firing leave the hammer down over the exploded cap as you reload." THIS IS WRONG, IT IS UNSAFE! An experienced shooter, known as Ohio Joe, who recently passed, told me in no uncertain terms, to never do this. He said it could trap air in the barrel and might prevent the ramrod from fully seating the next load of powder, patch, and ball. This would most likely create a bomb in the barrel. Taking his advice, before reloading, I always strive to put the hammer on half cock and check to be sure no cap fragment is blocking the nipple. One day I forgot to do this and when ramming the patched ball on the powder, the rod had a spongy pumping feel to it. On checking, I pulled the hammer, removed the fired cap, and then was able to fully seat the load. If I had been in a hurry it's possible I wouldn't be writing this now. For me, ml shooting is best done slowly and deliberately. It's no time to be ratchet jawing with your buddies.
