Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

What do you do when...

eastwood44mag
you've dropped a charge down the barrel of your muzzleloader, you've started the bullet down, and it stops short?

These are the circumstances:
1.) You have no water to kill the charge
2.) You have no ball screw
3.) You have no CO2 discharger or anything else to blow out the obstruction

This happened twice tonight, and I wondered what I should do the next time it happens. Thanks.

O Lord,
grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the supreme firepower to make the difference.
0

Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    If your using Black Powder or a substitute that fouls the barrel similar to B P, you have to clean the barrel sufficiently between shots.

    luger_4.jpg
    0
  • perry shooter
    Hello main thing NOT to do is fire gun this is asking for blowup. You dont state if patched round ball or other type of bullet but either too much fouling too big projectal or rusty barrel in spots.
    0
  • eastwood44mag
    Powerbelt bullet.

    What do you do, though, when it gets stuck on the way down. I know pulling the trigger is asking for death, but what else can you do?

    O Lord,
    grant me the Serenity
    to accept the things
    I cannot change
    the courage to change the things I can,
    and the supreme firepower to make the difference.
    0
  • Iroquois Scout
    Take the rifle home,take the barrel out of the stock,remove the breech plug,dump the powder charge and drive the bullet back towards the muzzle with a soft rod that is a slide fit in the bore.
    If the bullet hangs up at about the same place every time,then I think Perry Shooter is right,there is a rusty spot in the bore. If,however,the bullet hangs up at differant places,then I think it is powder fouling and you need to run a damp patch down the bore to remove the fouling followed by a dry patch in order to dry the bore. If this is a patched ball rifle,you may not be useing enough lub on the patch.
    Best of luck
    Scout
    0
  • mazo kid
    What did you do to resolve the first 2 situations? How far down the barrel does the ball hang up? Are you shooting alone? Is the ML a traditional rifle or an in-line? If it's an in-line, then there should be no problem removing the breech plug. Traditional rifles mostly seem to have very SNUG breech plugs and many times are very hard to remove. I would attempt to drive the ball on down the barrel using a mallet and a large diameter ramrod. If the ball continues on down the barrel after a few taps with the hammer, continue to seat the ball and fire it. If not, then proceed as Rufe and Scout have suggested. Clean the bore at the first sign of hard loading. Emery

    "Well done is better than well said"
    Ben Franklin
    0
  • duckhunter
    FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO.

    I WOULD RATHER BE DUCK HUNTING.
    0
  • eastwood44mag
    Inline, about an inch or less in front of the powder charge. New rifle (20-30 rounds only), no rust in barrel. Usually shooting alone.

    Ended up just pulling the breech plug, dumping the charge, and forcing the bullet out the breech, followed by a thorough cleaning.

    Was hoping to avoid this, but seemed I had no other options. Apparently it was the only thing I could do. Thanks for input

    O Lord,
    grant me the Serenity
    to accept the things
    I cannot change
    the courage to change the things I can,
    and the supreme firepower to make the difference.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity