I guess I got to daydreaming today and dry balled my rifle. Crud! But luckily the .069" touch hole was big enough to get my 3f powder in, with the help of the vent pick. After poking it for a while I was able to fire the ball out. Sometimes you get saved from your own mistakes...
There are those that have and those that will, guilty here! I myself have noticed after six decades of observation a lot of orifices open up and or become relaxed after a high cyclic rate. I am praying I outlast my air/particle separator.
There are two types of muzzleloaders, those who have dry balled and those who are going to.
Isn't that the truth!
And just because I did doesn't mean I won't again!
Wayne the Shrink
There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!
Been there done that!Originally Posted by Nobade
Soldiers that carried flintlocks used to drill out the touch hole, so that when they poured powder down the muzzle, they could tap the butt on the ground and powder would fill the pan. It made reloading a lot faster. I have one of those guns and have repaired it to original size. I still managed to force some powder in when I dry balled it.
.
Still knocking on wood, here - muzzleloading hunting since 1967 w/o a dry ball (so far).
Now I lay me down to sleep
A gun beside me is what I keep
If I awake, and you're inside
The coroner's van is your next ride
You're in good company! Done it myself & fixed myself.
Sneaking a bit of powder in is a lot simpler than using a ball screw.
The only to getting older is that you can claim such an incident on a "Senior Moment"!
And trust me, the "dry balling club" is a large, old and honorable Fraternity! Once you so it, you are a "Life Member"! LOL Welcome Brother!
Lucky for me,
I have not joined the "Dry Ball Fraternity "
YET.
But I have helped many Fraternity members with their membership.
Both Percussion and Flinters.
I too agree that the larger flash hole on a flinters makes things easier.
Another bonus to the shot out enlarged flash hole is ignition speed. Heard tell this effects velocity but when it comes to a great reliability on ignition … I will sacrifice a bit of speed.
The larger hole also … as you have discovered … allows grains of powder more easily to get dribbled into a dry balled breech.
As to dry balling, I went till three years ago with no dry ball. Then one day , no matter how many flash’s in the pan … my fouler would not ignite. Finally trickled some 4F into the flash hole and walla, spit the dry balled ball out of the durn thing. Marveled at the amount of shooting I’ve done since 1972 or so with no dry balled load.
Well it took me awhile to join the “club” but now that I am a member, I have taken up for lost time in both the flinters and cappers.
I agree with the premis that if not already … stick with the shooting and eventually you too will become a member.
Yep, not my first time or my last I suspect. Usually I can blame it on talking to somebody but this time I was the only one there. Getting old, that's it.
Nobade - that's exactly how I joined the club . . . yammering back and forth with other shooters. I've been shooting muzzleloaders since early 1960s. Never did it while shooting N-SSA due to the nature of the cardboard (early years) and plastic tube preloaded rounds - pull Mine, pour charge, insert Mini and ram home.
I used to shoot with a round ball club - usually 6 to 8 guys would show up. A lot of fun but everybody got ribbed, especially when it was your turn to shoot. I has a Southern style flintlock in .36 that I had just finished from scratch - hadn't shot it yet so took it to the monthly shoot. The first time I went to load it there were four other guys at the loading bench, and all of them were giving me grief and we all were laughing. Sure enough, my mind was on that and I ended up dry balling. As soon as I pushed on the ramrod I realized what I had done - TOO LATE! Then the guys really poured it on! Hey . . . sooner or later it's bound to happen. Did the same thing one time while squirrel hunting with a .36 under hammer I have. Got in the woods on a beautiful sunny day and the tree rats were out. I was watching one up in a big red oak tree and concentrating on that instead of paying attention to what I should have been.
One saving grace is the fact our ancestors started the day ball Fraternity and many of us are just "newer members".
It occurred to me that there should be tangible proof of membership. Went to the shop and made this prototype. Feel free to copy.
Okay, so now we are making medals? There should be levels if this is indeed the case, Gold, Silver, Bronze. Gold if you clear yourself, Bronze if it takes a buddy, Silver if you take it to somebody!
Love it! Thanks for the first smile and chuckle for the day!
I bought a CO2 Discharger years ago and quickly undid a dry ball faster than this took to type.
Adam
If you short start a slug or round ball, and it won't go on down to seat, a slide hammer will get it out.
LOL.
Still knocking on wood, here - muzzleloading hunting since 1967 w/o a dry ball (so far
I had not had one in over 40 years. Then it finally happened to me. Combined with a rod shot down range.
I had use a screw jag to try to pull the bullet. Didn't work. Then I fiddled around and pulled the nipple. I worked a pick in there and opened up the channel as much as I could and put some powder in there. Had to 'grind' (carefully) some 2F to pour in there. Fired it off. Rod went down range with the ball. Must have gotten more powder in there than I thought cause I never found the rod.
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote