How not to unload your muzzleloader . . .

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Prof Young

New member
I hunted with new Buckstalker last Friday. No deer showed up. Didn't know if I would hunt again so left gun loaded sans the primer. Didn't hunt Sat or Sun. Sunday evening figured I unload the gun by taking out the breech plug, pouring out the powder and pushing the sabot out with the ram rod. Got the powder out okay but the sabot was very hard to push out, VERY HARD. Should have taken it over to range and just shot it out. Ah well, live and learn.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
No real experience with muzzle loaders. But I have seen people bringing their loaded guns to range to fire only once to unload. It is an outdoor range by the way.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
But, if you'd done that you'd have to spend half an hour cleaning it. When I shot ML rifles, I learned to love the Hornady low-drag sabots. Easy to push in and out.
 
Or does it really take that long with an inline?
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Maybe a little of an exaggeration but probably not much. Need hot soapy water, then hot clean water, then you have to dry it out. By the time you're ready to put it away, you'll have close to half an hour into it.
 
Been there myself with patched round balls, when something happened that prevented me from firing the ML to unload it.

Two years ago, when I tried pulling the ball and dumping the powder, my range rod tip ("ferrule"?) pulled off the rod.
Getting that back out was a pain but doable. The ball and puller, however, were still stuck.
Eventually, the nipple was capped, and the trigger pulled.
 
My SWAG

Pulling PRB:
In the process of breaking in new M/L instructors, they express a "slight" fear of experiencing a Dry-Ball. We purposely create this point of "Murphy's Law and Dry-Ball a round. Thank God for pure lead as it's very forgiving and the ball is extracted with slight effort, using a screw-jag. ... .. :rolleyes:

SABOTS;
I have to admit that I have never tried "pushing" a Sabot but have extracted a number f them, using the same screw-jag and they actually pull easier than PRB.

Possible problem:
By pushing a Sabot, it's possible that the petals/skirts are working against you. When I pull a Sabot, I'm pulling on the projectile and dragging the Sabot. Kind of like pushing a rope.... :confused:

Be Safe !!!
 
Use a dedicated bp cleaning solvent if it’s taking 1/2 hr. to clean. Swab two or three wet patches, brush a few strokes followed by a wet patch and then dry patches until they come back clean and dry. One more patch wet with Eezox, wipe off the exterior with bp solvent, dry and one pass with Eezox and you’re done. Takes about the same time as cleaning most any other firearm.
 
doyle your using the wrong powder if your having to clean a gun the way you discribe. thats way way over cleaning.
 
doyle your using the wrong powder if your having to clean a gun the way you discribe. thats way way over cleaning.
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Was using 777. At that time Blackhorn wasn't widely available. Since then, I've moved to a state that allows me other options so I just hold on to my 209x50 Encore barrel for when I move away.
 
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