Another strange day at the range, different than the last one!

[oldracer]

This past Thursday I took another of my slug guns to the range as I hadn't shot it in quite a while. Got set up, put my target out to 100 yards and when we went hot I snapped a couple caps and the dust in a concrete slab joint moved well. Loaded up my normal 80 grains of Goex FFG, put a .060 fiber wad on top of the powder then a 540 grain Creedmoor grease groove bullet. When I fired or tried to, nothing? Pulled the nipple and put a slight bit of powder in the fire channel, replaced the nipple and bang, it fired right off but no target hit? The scope had been set for 100 yards so I wiped the barrel, tried again....no fire! Pulled the nipple and put in some powder, bang but no hit? Tried four more times and the SAME thing? So I came home and yesterday pulled out the bore scope and the breach of the barrel looked flat when I knew it was a "patent" breach on the Ron Smith gain twist barrel. Poked at the breach with a ball puller but still could not see the patent breach opening, strange?!

So I pulled off the scope, mounted the barrel in my vise and pulled the breach plug. The barrel was clear but the breach plug had a chunk of lead in it filling the whole patent breach opening. Pulled the piece of lead out and all was clear. Cleaned the threads and applied sealer and replaced the breach plug aligning the marks on the bottom of the barrel and plug. How that got in there I have noooooo idea but I'll try the gun next week and it should shoot okay.
John

[longcruise]

That's weird.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello oldracer,

Is it possible you shaved some lead while shooting & pushed it down while loading?
Not sure how else it could have gotten there, unless you have Gremlins hanging around.

AntiqueSledMan.

[waksupi]

Another reason to dislike a patent breech.

[mooman76]

Have you shot any minies in it? Maybe the skirt?

[oldracer]

The only thing I have shot in it has been a 540 grain Creedmoor grease groove bullet I cast myself. I did do a test to see what the twist rate was but that was before I installed the breech plug or I think it was. Might have done a second one after some time when the first 22 down to 14 twist rate was questioned by several people including the fellow that originally got the barrel. He said he couldn't remember when, where and who made it. Another person who has since passed away said he remembered it was at a match in Washington state and made by Ron Smith as a gain twist/fast twist barrel. So I may have done one with a bullet that I rolled between two rasps to build up the diameter so it catches the grooves as the the bullets I shoot are bore riders. Maybe I need to keep a notebook on the mechanical stuff like I do with shooting info such as sight settings, powder loads, ETC.
John