Holiday season misfires

[wolc123]

So far, I have read about one with smokeless powder and two with bh209 powder amoung forum members here. Anyone have any to report with black powder, pyrodex, t7, or white hots ?

On a related note, I can’t understand why anyone would waste a 209 primer clearing the breech plug, on an inline, prior to loading.  Why not just point the muzzle at a light and look for it shining thru the touch hole ?

I have used pyrodex and t7 only in my in-line for the last 20 years and have never had a misfire nor have I ever wasted a primer clearing the breech plug.

Back when I used a sidelock and #11 caps, I would aim it at some leaves and pop one off, prior to loading.  If the leaves moved, then I knew the spark channel was clear.  I still had a misfire and a few hang fires with that.  Never an issue with an inline, where I can see straight thru to the light.
 

 I load my in-line ML at the start of the season(s), and only unload it when shooting at a deer, or by removing the breech plug and pushing the load out at the end of the season(a).  I discard the old  powder, but reuse the bullets & sleeves.  
 

To limit condensation issues, I lock the gun up outside and avoid bringing it in and out of the warm house.  I also use a cut- off neoprene glove finger or electric tape over the muzzle when it’s raining or in wet snow.

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by wolc123

[Jeremy K]

I hate hearing stories of missed opportunity due to misfires.  I haven't had a single issue since ditching pellets.

[suburbanfarmer]

My son had one on with Savage axis 308 on opening day. Guessing the pin on the bolt froze or gummed up. It was a light strike.

[SuperMag]

The last Sunday of the normal late ML season I had a misfire. I shoot a Remington UML which takes a special primer that looks like a pistol cartridge. I had a doe at 10 yards away, perfectly broadside and only the primer went off. I loaded a new primer in without changing the powder because you need a socket set just to get the breech plug out. A half hour later a doe steps out at 147 yards and I dropped her. The misfire must have been a bad primer.

I always keep my muzzleloaders as clean as possible too. I had just had it all apart the night before to make sure everything was clean and clear, so I found it a little odd.


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[wolc123]

1 minute ago, SuperMag said:

The last Sunday of the normal late ML season I had a misfire. I shoot a Remington UML which takes a special primer that looks like a pistol cartridge. I had a doe at 10 yards away, perfectly broadside and only the primer went off. I loaded a new primer in without changing the powder because you need a socket set just to get the breech plug out. A half hour later a doe steps out at 147 yards and I dropped her. The misfire must have been a bad primer.


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What powder do you use ?

[The_Real_TCIII]

On a related note; i have one of these kits on my hawken and its fantastic.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/davide-pedersoli-209-primer-nipple-conversion-kit


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[Robhuntandfish]

i always fire a primer as the only misfire issues ive ever had were from the gun sitting all year and then wouldnt fire off the first primer at the range before season.  This happened to me twice.  I think its from sitting and any left over cleaning solution runs down the barrel over the year.  But since ive done that never had a problem.  It basically burns off or cleans out the area and is good to go.   Well worth one primer to be sure 

[mowin]

46 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

 

On a related note, I can’t understand why anyone would waste a 209 primer clearing the breech plug, on an inline, prior to loading.  Why not just point the muzzle at a light and look for it shining thru the touch hole ?

 

 

With that logic, why waste a shot to see if your still sighted in?  

[suburbanfarmer]

13 minutes ago, mowin said:

With that logic, why waste a shot to see if your still sighted in?  

Totally different , so many  things can throw a shot off..scope bump, loose mounts etc

[wolc123]

14 minutes ago, mowin said:

With that logic, why waste a shot to see if your still sighted in?  

?

[dinorocks]

This didn’t work out too good for my brother yesterday.  He saw 15 deer walking through the woods in a single file (yarding up?) and shot at the last one…sabot hit the deer at 40 yards and bounced off.  Apparently only part of one of the pellets ignited. 

[wolc123]

1 minute ago, dinorocks said:

This didn’t work out too good for my brother yesterday.  He saw 15 deer walking through the woods in a single file (yarding up?) and shot at the last one…sabot hit the deer at 40 yards and bounced off.  Apparently only part of one of the pellets ignited. 

What powder was he using ?

[mowin]

3 minutes ago, suburbanfarmer said:

Totally different , so many  things can throw a shot off..scope bump, loose mounts etc

Oh but it is the same thing.  Waste a 209 primer? Really? If your that cheap, why check zero?

[The_Real_TCIII]

This didn’t work out too good for my brother yesterday.  He saw 15 deer walking through the woods in a single file (yarding up?) and shot at the last one…sabot hit the deer at 40 yards and bounced off.  Apparently only part of one of the pellets ignited. 

Thats crazy! Re-use?


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[suburbanfarmer]

3 minutes ago, mowin said:

Oh but it is the same thing.  Waste a 209 primer? Really? If your that cheap, why check zero?

I get what you are saying now..carry on  

[dinorocks]

I didn’t get a chance to talk to him in detail yet…we will be butchering deer later today and I’ll get more info and pass it on.

[WNYTRPR]

41 minutes ago, dinorocks said:

This didn’t work out too good for my brother yesterday.  He saw 15 deer walking through the woods in a single file (yarding up?) and shot at the last one…sabot hit the deer at 40 yards and bounced off.  Apparently only part of one of the pellets ignited. 

Had that happen last year,but with slight penetration.Using triple 7pellets .

[DirtTime]

Does forgetting your primers at home count? If so that was yesterday morning.

[hueyjazz]

Wow, I thought I was only one that had misfire.  (And I'm still kicking myself on such an easy shot)

Bullet bouncing off.  Now that's a real kick in teeth. 

For the record, I wasted three primers before loading.  But I think my sin was bring in and out of cold and warm resulting in some condensation.  Might have happen anywhere I left it considering how strange weather has been on our peak.

I have to admit, I don't like having a gun somewhat loaded and not in my control.  Locking in truck doesn't do it for me.  However, a short-term sheet metal safe in pole barn might be in my future.  A have a few empty since getting real safes.

[Five Seasons]

triple 7 pellets and 209's and never had an issue that wasn't my fault. I tracked a wounded doe one morning coming out of the woods that the neighbor kid slit its belly open the day before and just "stopped tracking" for some reason. Anyhow I see this blood trail and tracks in the snow and just start following it. I come across a few bed downs and keep tracking through some nasty stuff. Belly crawling and tearing up my gear. I didn't have scope covers on my CVA at this time, which I do now. Anyhow a slow hour in I see a deer stand up at about 50 yards in the brush. I raise the ML and steady against a tree. My scope has snow in it and it's blurry/foggy but clear enough and I somewhat rush the shot but drop her none the less.

I reload anyhow in a hurry as I see her still alive on the ground (later realize I spined her). I still have a lane and pull the trigger. click. pop out the primer, and put a new one in. click. dimples in both primers... wtf? I'm down to my last primer. I take the ramrod out again and push back down the barrel. The bullet and powder move another inch. Steady gun. boom.

This is many years ago and I learned 2 lessons.

1. Cheap scope covers are not just good for your glass, but really good when conditions are bad or if you're moving around in the snow, even if you didn't plan on it.

2. MARK YOUR F'N ROD! The powder and primer were fine, in my haste I just hadn't pushed the load all the way in (haha).

another side note, even though i have a ton left over I buy new powder every 3 to 5 years too even though i store it in a temp/humid controlled safe.  

[First-light]

1 hour ago, dinorocks said:

This didn’t work out too good for my brother yesterday.  He saw 15 deer walking through the woods in a single file (yarding up?) and shot at the last one…sabot hit the deer at 40 yards and bounced off.  Apparently only part of one of the pellets ignited. 

Had the same thing happen years ago. Here come a bunch of doe probably around 15 last deer was a buck. Took aim pulled trigger and it was like a roman candle out of the barrel. Never found the bullet and they all ran off. 

[mowin]

Yrs ago I was putting on a drive, and I see a very nice buck heading to my buddy. Few min later, I hear him shoot.  Unfortunately, he had a hangfire and missed.  He was using a cap and ball Hawkins style ML. Next season he had a inline. 

I personally haven't had a misfire, and hopefully I never will. I'll continue to "waste" a couple primers after cleaning or at the beginning of the season. Cheap insurance. 

[SuperMag]

What powder do you use ?

200 grains of pyrodex pellets with a Hornady SST sabot. Brand new box of powder too, and I store it correctly. I didn’t load the gun until minutes before I went into the woods, so the powder wasn’t sitting in the gun for very long.


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[DirtTime]

Rookie question here. I read a lot about dealing with misfires or non-fires, and one thing that seemed to be huge was if you drop the hammer and the gun doesn't go boom to wait a minute with the ML held in the same shooting position because it may go off a few seconds later.

 

Aren't you supposed to wait a bit when a primer doesn't go off in the shooting position and not try and rush putting in a new primer?

 

[suburbanfarmer]

18 minutes ago, DirtTime said:

Rookie question here. I read a lot about dealing with misfires or non-fires, and one thing that seemed to be huge was if you drop the hammer and the gun doesn't go boom to wait a minute with the ML held in the same shooting position because it may go off a few seconds later.

 

Aren't you supposed to wait a bit when a primer doesn't go off in the shooting position and not try and rush putting in a new primer?

 

That is a rule of thumb with any misfire/non-fire or hang fire. Always wait..safer that ways.