Are you a muzzleloader kind of person?  You know, the kind that shoots a muzzleloader.  Maybe even shoots muzzleloaders all the time and never (or seldom) shoots anything else.  It really amazes me when I hear the old timers saying “I know I put powder down the barrel before I loaded the ball”.  “I never forget the powder”!

And then there are the new comers to the game.  They admit they have not been shooting muzzleloaders for very long, but they insist they put powder down the barrel before they loaded the bullet.  Always have, always will.

At any rate I just read a forum where the guy is asking for advise on why his rifle did not go BOOM when he popped the cap on his muzzy gun.  He did admit he was cautious and kept his muzzle pointed down range for an extended period of time after the cap popped, as he waited for the hang fire BOOM, that never happened.  Then he went down range and found his bullet about 15 feet in front of his gun.

Maybe his powder was wet or moistened by the gun oil he cleaned his gun with before he went to the range to shoot.  I do not know, but for sure he did not follow common sense tradition of making sure his muzzleloader was ready for powder and ball by clearing the passage with an un-powdered cap or a slight amount of powder and cap to dry the barrel.

We all have to learn sometimes.  Let it not be the lesson learned on the hunt.  There stands a 400 class bull elk only 15 yards away.  Broadside and not a clue you are anywhere in the country.  POP!  Off goes the cap and the bull runs off.  Suddenly you doubt yourself that you even put powder down the barrel when you ran the ball down the barrel back at camp.  Yep!  It does happen to even the old timers.

Bears Butt

Sept. 2011