Primer went off but that's all

[hueyjazz]

So I retired this year and I finally get to hunt muzzleloader season.

I've owned and fired black powder and alike for many years but have only hunted a weekend here and there due to work.   

I got myself an Optima to replace a much older CVA inline gun I had.  I'm using Blackhorn with proper plug.  I've never used BH but it seems all good and I follow load recommendations.  My one issue has been not being able to locate magnum 209 primers but I do have CCI 209 primers and all the times I fired before in practice with BH or anything else, they never failed.

I was out all the first week and saw very little.  It's been windy and too warm on mountain.  I keep a little condom on end of barrel and bring it to a cool basement at night with primer out so it's ready for next morning.  Day after Christmas I finally see three Doe with one being very large.  I wait for the little do I walk, kill shot; pull trigger and primer goes off, blows condom off but powder doesn't ignite.   

Yes, gun was all clean and I blew three primers before loading.  All good.

 

So few things:

1.  All my practice with Blackhorn was in warmer weather.  Would that matter?  I would think not.

2.  Do I get condensation in barrel from moving from hot to cold for several days?  Should I pull out charge every now and then?  If so, what's too long?

3.  Is this the case where those primers will work most of the time but this was the time they didn't???  (All I wanted for Christmas was magnum primers.  And Santa screwed me)

[Lawdwaz]

It blew the condom off?

Are you SURE it's loaded?

Pull the breech plug and dump out whatever is in there then push the bullet out backwards......

Bullet and no powder?  What does your witness mark tell you?

Edited December 28, 2021 by Lawdwaz

[wolc123]

1 minute ago, Lawdwaz said:

It blew the condom off?

Are you SURE it's loaded?

Pull the breech plug and dump out whatever is in there then push the bullet out backwards......

I thought the same thing.  Something does not add up here.  

[sbuff]

X3

[hueyjazz]

I unscrewed breech in field and dumped powder out.  I do wish I had poured it in my bare hand but I had just let it fall to ground.  But it didn't seem clumped.  Later back at cabin I pushed out bullet and sabot.  No surprise there

I'm anal about checking witness mark before I even enter field daily and I'm positive it was proper load for the witness mark.

But I agree with both of you.  Something isn't right. I just don't know what it is unless they are really serious about needing magnum primers

I've had experience with black powder and Pyrodex but this is my first venture with BH.  I did fire the gun maybe 25 times in the summer without a failure with BH.  It was dead on. 

I made a point of tuning gun scope with a cold barrel as it would be on hunt day.

[Jeremy K]

Is your flame channel clear? I can see through mine. 

[Lawdwaz]

I'm ignorant; is there a magnum primer available? 

Did the powder go bad maybe?

[hueyjazz]

It was and every time I fired a primer before loading,  I saw leaves move on ground.

Edited December 28, 2021 by hueyjazz

[Lawdwaz]

2 minutes ago, Jeremy K said:

Is your flame channel clear? I can see through mine. 

It must be if he blew his condom off.....??

(REALLY, Pygmy has nothing to say?????)

Edited December 28, 2021 by Lawdwaz

[CharlieNY]

Based upon what you relayed and my personal experience it was one of 2 things that occurred. First could be that the powder was compromised through moisture. It doesn't need to be clumped to be compromised. Second it could be the primer was not strong enough to ignite the charge. I have attached a link from the manufacturer for you about misfires with Blackhorn 209 and what to check for. I hope this helps you.      valoroutdoors.com.       https://blackhorn209.com/specs/ignition-guidelines/

[phade]

Moisture probably the culprit but wow, I can't say I have every heard of the primer with a powder/sabot/projectile properly fed like that with the end result. That just seems weird to me. Did anything move forward when you checked the line?

I have 209M primers and have always used them but a regular, non MZ 209 should be fine in a CVA with the BH209 breech.

I leave mine in my garage or truck (yeah, I know) for the most part. 

[phade]

53 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

I'm ignorant; is there a magnum primer available? 

Did the powder go bad maybe?

209M is a magnum primer. CCI is most common brand.

[grampy]

I still don't get how the primer went off, and blew off the rubber at the end of the barrel??

Without displacing the powder, sabot, and bullet???  Weird...............

 

Edited December 28, 2021 by grampy

[phade]

Just now, grampy said:

I still don't get how the primer went off, but blew off the rubber at the end of the barrel??

Without displacing the powder, sabot, and bullet???

The only way I could see that is that it was enough force to work through, but not seat the sabot? Still that just seems so weird.

[hueyjazz]

Sabot and bullet appeared to be moved a bit but not much.  I'm positive it was seated at witness mark before I started that morning.  I did have this load in there since the start of muzzleloader season so moisture could be it.  I don't normally keep a load in so long.

[Greg van Splunder]

Primer off in cool basement is recipe for moisture.  Were you using pellets?  I can only think pellets would let gas escape around them and sabot to push condom off end of barrel..  

[Waterfowler]

Doesn’t seem possible for the primer to go off and get past the powder charge and bullet to blow condom off. 

[jperch]

The primer may have caused the sabot and powder to move and I'm not surprised it blew off the condom, that pressure has to go somewhere.  This brings up an important point.  Under this circumstance (the primer went off but the powder did not ignite) it would not be safe to fire off another primer unless the bullet is reseated to your witness mark.  I believe I have read of accidents that have occurred because of this.