Dangerous Muzzleloading Practices

[M-Tecs]

Intersting video from CVA on Dangerous Muzzleloading Practices. They blow up some nice rifles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmsBF6CXs18

[drhall762]

Yep, made some scrap with that one. Part of the confusion for new ML shooters might be the Savage Smokeless Powder ML. I hate to rain on parades but I never thought that was a good idea.

[PTS]

Impressive and sobering at the same time. Agreed drhall as to your smokeless comments. I would have liked to see another test with what I believe is a more common “short-loading” error than the examples they cited of double-loading. That test would be to leave a small air-gap between projectile and powder; even with genuine black powder that would be a dangerous situation. I think they overdid it with using 120 grains of smokeless but they did want to make a point as they did successfully.

[fouronesix]

Actually old news. However, the video was well done if for no other reason than to visually "show" the supply of new muzzleloader shooters who have been influenced and grown up in a quick and easy instant gratification environment by marketing of long range ML hunting, tricked out inlines, "super loads" and at least one manufacturer marketing a "smokeless" ML.

In about 1976 or 77 I knew a local fellow who was loading Bullseye under conicals in an H&R Huntsman muzzleloader. Which at the time was one of the first if not the first commercially available "inline" muzzleloader. I think H&R used the same basic action as they had been using for their inexpensive, common, break open, single shot shotgun. No way could I convince him it was a bad idea. Oh well.

[NSB]

In principle it was a good video. I don't understand though why he used 120 grains of smokeless HS-6. Most of the people who try to use smokeless in their muzzleloader try using something closer to black such as 5744 and a lot less of it. Also, as for the obstruction, he never mentioned using a witness mark on the ramrod at any time on his safety tips. It's a good video but not a great one. He manipulated some things and overlooked a few others. The witness mark is really something I encourage all muzzleloaders to use. If you use one you will not double charge or have an obstruction.....if you USE it.

[swheeler]

Good video, but agree he left a few safety tips out like marking your ramrod. The there is the SAB- BOT-TED, sa-bow

Yes he destroyed some nice rifles but if it saves anyone from getting a face full of metal and wood, is worth it!

[johnson1942]

several shooters over the years told me you cant ring a barrel with pyrdox. well about 15 years ago i had been shooting a 34 inch long .44 barrel on a sidelock. the load was about 80 grains of pyrodox behind a cast lead bullet put down by a starter. i was getting tired and as i was loading a small plane went over me which we dont see very often out in this very rural area. i only put the bullet down a little bit and forgot to seat it. it made a diff sound, didnt blow the barrel apart but their was a deep internal ring where the bullet was. i was lucky. i cut the barrel off to 26 inches and the gun is still a tackdriver. wont make that mistake again. where i used to live a man won a lot of matches with his thompson hawken .45 roundball gun useing smokless powder. no idea what kind. never stayed close to him but it didnt blow up. blackpowder is accurate and fun why push it? i just got a gun from smi, smokeless muzzleloading inc. for my 13 year old son. it lists all kinds of smokless powder you can use in it, we arent. may try a reasonable load of blackhorn 209 but no smokeless. i dont bungee jump either.

[Hanshi]

Over the top? Yes; a bit. Those explosions were lethal. Even a much milder failure can easily kill.

[drhall762]

A big +1 on witness marks. You are so right. That should have been included.

[Boz330]

The there is the SAB- BOT-TED, sa-bow

Having been a Tanker that term has always driven me nuts as well, although, I guided a lot of ML elk hunts and got use to using it. If you didn't nobody knew what you were talking about.

Bob

[Lead Fred]

first off is sa-bow not say-but, darn french words any way.
Second, no one needs 100 plus grains of anything in them flatlander rifles.

I have a 42 inch barrel, and my max load is 75 grains, which grants me 2030fps. <---- thats with a round ball folks, I see NO need for modern bullets in a ML.
All those short barrels, only waste powder.
The Davenport Formula works wonders on how to figure the max load for any barrel.

Muzzleloaders are NOT modern firearms, when folks figure tht out, they will stop blowing themselves up

[John Allen]

It is truly impressive when you see them blow up.

[freebullet]

You mean you can't put in twice the powder a 270 uses? Who would have thought. They used a powder no 1 is very likely to try in 1. Then didn't mention marking the ramrrod. No very helpful , but its always cool to watch people blow up guns I didn't pay for.

[10 ga]

I have 6 smokeless MLs and 7 smokey MLs. I have been shooting for over 55 years and MLs for 50 years. I have seen black powder ML rifles, shotguns and revolvers blow up, I have seen "modern" shotguns, rifles and handguns blow up. I have never seen a rimfire firearm or a properly designed smokeless muzzle loader blow up. A nut, fool or idiot with a gun is just that? If he loads his own stuff or not don't make much difference, he still dangerous!

10 ga

[John Taylor]

I think the video was made to get attention and that's one of the reason for a heavy smokeless load. If it opened anyone eyes to the possibility of what can go wrong if you don't follow instruction it was worth making.Being a gunsmith I have seen my share of damaged guns from improper loading. One time I was range officer and was watching an old timer loading and noticed he only short started the ball. I stopped him just before he pulled the trigger and told him what I had seen and he started to argue. So I asked politely to see him run the ramrod down again. The look on his face when it only went in about 4" was enough, I didn't need to say another word.
I recently saw the results of a light smokeless load in a trapdoor which destroyed a nice rifle.

[fouronesix]

I think the video was made to get attention and that's one of the reason for a heavy smokeless load. If it opened anyone eyes to the possibility of what can go wrong if you don't follow instruction it was worth making.Being a gunsmith I have seen my share of damaged guns from improper loading. One time I was range officer and was watching an old timer loading and noticed he only short started the ball. I stopped him just before he pulled the trigger and told him what I had seen and he started to argue. So I asked politely to see him run the ramrod down again. The look on his face when it only went in about 4" was enough, I didn't need to say another word.
I recently saw the results of a light smokeless load in a trapdoor which destroyed a nice rifle.

Exactly! And not only for BP or muzzleloader shooters. Seeing those ML kabooms was a good reminder for me when loading and shooting modern hi-power centerfire cartridges. Complacency has no place when hopefully containing the potential chemical energy stored in 75 gr+ of smokeless powder going off inches in front of my face.

[M-Tecs]

Years ago I saw the aftermath of pistol powder in an M14 type rifle. It came apart like the ML’s in the video. It was a Federal Ordinance rifle at a high power match. The owner was not injured and wanted to continue with his backup rifle. He believed it was a faulty receiver.

Since parts of the rifle were found a hundred yards away none of the shooter on the line would let him continue. He got very irate and insisted that it was not his reloads.

That was on Saturday. On Sunday he return to the match and admitted he was loading ball powder and when he went to refill the measure he grabbed the same manufactures pistol powder by mistake.

[TCLouis]

M-Tecs

I think this is why some said the Fed Ord receivers were "weak" back when they were on the market.

[BadDaditood]

great illustration of why *only ONE can of powder on your bench at a time* is a good rule