Musket caps and pellets

[lead-1]

Will musket caps ignite pellet charges?
I got an inline for cheap and thought it was OK for pellet charges but it has a #11 nipple, I was going to change the assembly to #209 for 30 bucks and another guy told me to just change the nipple to a musket nipple for 3-4 bucks.
Your opinions please.

[nicholst55]

Musket caps are significantly 'hotter' than standard #11 caps - something like 4 times, IIRC. That said, there has been some concerns that current production CCI musket caps are designated for use by reenactors (and so marked on the package), and only have to make their reduced powder charges go 'bang.' They are supposedly significantly milder than older CCI musket caps.

Dixie Gun Works at least used to sell RWS musket caps; I dunno if they still do. Just looked - they only list RWS #11 caps now.

Will they ignite BP substitute pellets? I dunno; all I shoot is real black.

[Boerrancher]

To answer the question of No. 11 caps igniting Pyrodex pellets, the answer is, "Not reliably enough to use." At one of the local conservation ranges I saw a guy doing this and getting bad hang fires. You have two choices. Replace the nipple or use loose Powder. If you will look at a Pyrodex pellet, you will notice that one end is darker than the other, and the darker end is loaded in first. The darker composition is designed to aid ignition with a 209 primer. Get your pellets turned around and even with a 209 primer they may or may not ignite.

I have an inline, it has been to the range once, and on one extended hunting trip, that was 4 years ago. I do shoot pellets in it with 209 primers, but it hasn't been shoot in 4 years simply because it is not my cup of tea. Many folks enjoy in-lines, and you may as well, but either change your propellant or your nipple. It will save you lots and lots of trouble in the long run.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Tatume]

Back Creek Gun Shop sells musket caps and black powder. They are very nice to deal with. They only have one phone line. Leave a message and the lady will call back shortly.

http://www.blackpowderva.com/

[nicholst55]

If you will look at a Pyrodex pellet, you will notice that one end is darker than the other, and the darker end is loaded in first. The darker composition is designed to aid ignition with a 209 primer. Get your pellets turned around and even with a 209 primer they may or may not ignite.

Best wishes,

Joe

My understanding is that the 'darker end' is real black powder, which is noticeably easier to ignite than Pyrodex.

After my earlier post I ran a search to see who sells RWS musket caps. Guess what? Dixie Gun Works apparently does offer them: http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=3723

[451 Pete]

In my opinion the above comments are all good ones, however, if you are going to use pelletized powder you may want to go to the 209 primers as they are currently cheaper than the muxket caps and are more readily available.

just my thoughts .... Pete

[tomme boy]

The RWS Musket caps will work. But the 209's will work a lot better. And the 209 primers are easier to get depending on where you are. Convertit over and dont look back.

[lead-1]

Yeah I know that the #11's will not ignite the pellets right so I ask about the musket caps. With the input here I will drop that idea and ask a new question.
Are you able to load saboted boolits with black powder or Pyrodex type powders?

[Potsy]

I've shot a Musket Cap nipple on my old BK-92 for years.

I tried Pyrodex Pellets for a couple of years. I'll leave my gun loaded all season unless it gets shot and it warrants a cleaning.

I killed two deer in two years with pellets and had hangfires both times (thank the Lord for a good follow through), not terrible, but a noticable lag.

I went back to black powder and all worries went away.

Yes you can load sabots with Black Powder. 100grn. FF Goex, a Knight Green Sabot, and a 240 grn .44 XTP has killed about 10 or so deer for me. This year I switched to a .45 270-SAA in a Black Sabot and was impressed with the results.

Black Powder is now tougher to get. It has a VERY low flashpoint (I think around 350deg.). Black Powder Substitutes run about double that.

Black Powder has to be stored in a fireproof safe (at the store level) whereas pyrodex can be out on the shelf so folks can flip their cigarette ashes in it, small children can eat it, etc.

Nothing really wrong with pellets or substitutes, just understand they take a lot more fire (209 primer) for ignition.

[451 Pete]

lead - 1

Black powder has a lower ignition temperature than either smokeless or most synthetics and will go off reliably with your #11 percussion cap ignition system. As Potsey mentioned above you may want to check your local ordinence regulation's ( if any, and they vary by locality ) on any storage requirements or if there is a max amount you can have on hand. Saboted bullets can be used with black powder along with soft lead ones that you can cast yourself.

take care ... Pete

[Omnivore]

While you're waiting for your 209 conversion, you can load 4 or 5 grains of FF black (if you have some) as a kicker charge behind the pellet charge. I've done that on a sidelock with a plain old #11 persussion cap and it works fine. That was only because someone gave me some of the pellets. Loose Pyrodex RS would be the next best thing as a kicker charge.

Some states' hunting regs forbid the use of 209 primers, my home state of Washington being one of them, so there are in-lines with #11 nipples for that reason.

[mooman76]

They also make a magnum #11 cap.

[Boerrancher]

I shoot the Magnum #11 caps on my side locks, not because I have to but because that is largely what is available. I must say they seem to be considerably hotter than a standard No 11 cap. I don't know if they are hot enough to ignite a pellet but they have got to be better at it than the standard caps. In my 32 cal the magnum caps will blow out a patch that has been seated nearly all the way to the bottom of the breach, and a standard cap won't hardly move it up the bore. You have lots of options to play with. That is one of the joy's of a muzzle loader is finding that ideal combination that works well every time. Sometimes you find it your first trip to the range, and other times it will take several, but at least if you find you enjoy the muzzle loader, it becomes a labor of love. I think that is one of the reasons for the popularity of an inline with a 209 primer and 2 pellets of pyrodex or Trip 7. It made it easy for those who would not want to put up with the headaches of traditional muzzle loading, a fast way to get a gun up and running for hunting season.

Best wishes,

Joe

[troy_mclure]

As another option, you can buy a conversion from 209 primers to small or large rifle primers. It's way cheaper, and standard primers are easier to come across. And both will ignite pyrodex and 777 pellets reliably(also supposedly buckhorn209 as well.).

[lead-1]

I am still deciding on the #11 and loose powder or the 209 and pellets. I haven't forgot about this thread, I just have too many irons in the fire at the moment.