A painful lesson to learn

Today I finally got a chance to go to the range and fire my new muzzleloader. Things were going well, I was loading powder, patch and ball, then cap and fire. Simple right? Yes... But you have to worry bout hand placement.
Now im a lefty, and my rifle is obviously for rightys.

So I load my ammo up, half cock and place the cap, the full cock, get grip, line up sight, and squeeze the trigger.
The gun fires, and suddenly my hand burns. Im like "What????" I look at my hand, and the spot just below thum and runs to wrist is a sooty black color.
It only takes a moment to realize that I had my hand underneath the percussion cap when I fired....

Feel free to laugh, I know I did when it happened.

The hammer should be able to hold the flame in the gun. Your nipple may be burnt out or you might be using too stout a powder charge. bottom line is it shouldn't happen. Still as good idea to keep hands clear.

Get a flash cup.

dewnmoutain said:

It only takes a moment to realize that I had my hand underneath the percussion cap when I fired....

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Boy, do I ever know that trick. I have the nasty habit (in muzzleloader terms) of shifting my hand way back under the trigger guard for precise shooting. Leftovers from too many years of match shooting with modern rifles and bracing that elbow against my side.

It's only an issue with drum bolsters rather than snails, but it will gig you every time without a flash guard.

Don't like flash guards? Here's a tip for you: About 99.9% of those I've seen on other people's guns are installed full length right out of the box. They look kind of like a brass dixie cup balanced on top of a gun.

There's no rule saying you can't shorten them, and in fact they work quite well when really short- just enough to deflect the gases and particles sidways rather than down.

Long sleeved shirts work okay too, if you'd rather not use a cup. Just don't play football without a cup. :rotf:

I agree get a new nipple and or get a flash cup. I use the hood of my vehicle for a benchrest some times. I didn't realize it but the first time I did when I got home the hood had a lot of black parks on it. No big and it wiped of easy deal I keep my vehicle waxed but now I throw a blanket on the hood first.

I also have a habit of sometimes bringing my hand close to the trigger guard. What has happened to me more than once is that my finger has gotten pinched between the frizzen tail and the frizzen spring. Don't think it hurts? I've had more than one major blood blister from that habit. Still, I prefer that over a bp tattoo.

All my guns have snails, so I guess I just learned something! Think for this reason, I'll try to stay with snails too.

I'm not laughing, Adam, I am looking at the round black tattoo on my left little finger that I got when I let my hand slide too far back on the stock of a flintlock. My little finger was next to the pan when I fired and the jet of hot gas and burnt powder burned a small hole in my left little finger and filled it with burned powder. It hurt like hell. I like to have my supporting hand well back on the stock and my elbow tucked into my side so now I make sure to turn my hand so that the gun is resting on the heel of my left hand and my fingers are on the left side of the stock. We live and learn. :hatsoff: Since you are a lefty who apparently likes his supporting hand well back on the stock just as I do and you are shooting a right handed gun, you might consider wearing a light leather glove on your supporting hand just to protect it from the flash from the cap. That way you can still use the position that you find most comfortable and avoid the perils to your hand of the flash from the cap. Just a thought. :thumbsup:

Of course, you can always put one of those flash cups on your gun. I, personally, don't like them because they make it hard to put on a cap using one of my cappers. Just another of my free thoughts.......and probably over priced at that.

Billnpatti's experience mirrored mine exactly when I tried that position. I'll try that stance again with either my caplocks or flintlocks, but I now know where NOT to place my left hand. :redface:

Shooting a r/h TC Hawken left handed a little over a year ago, I pulled back the hammer right after firing and had the cap come off and slip inside my wrist-cuff of my shirt. You can still see every place that little sonuva-you-know-what touched me.

Billnpatti said:

I, personally, don't like them because they make it hard to put on a cap using one of my cappers.

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That's not a problem when you shorten them. Wish I had pics, but mine are so short, they don't reach above the wrench indents on the nipples. They look more like a washer with the edge flared upward. My only wish is that I could find them in steel rather than brass. Being brass, they look kind of like a whore's garter on a gun, but they work.

Hey BrownBear, TOTW has iron ones.

Rusty_Nail said:

Hey BrownBear, TOTW has iron ones.

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Going there now. Thanks! :hatsoff:

How would I go about testing whether it is the nipple or too much charge on the cap?

I look at my hand, and the spot just below thum and runs to wrist is a sooty black color.

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I have shot righthanded muzzleloaders including flintlocks left handed all my shooting life and I have never had such a problem, not even close.

I have singed the hair above my fore head, had cap fragments spray my face by an old Jukar but I have never had anything affect my trigger hand. Of course I know how to hold a rifle and I assume you do too, with your thumb around the wrist and a proper hold I cannot see this happening. The gasses do not vent down and to the rear.

Did the hammer blow back to half cock?

Is the drum or snail vented?

Is the clean out screw missing or loose?

Do you notice any soot around the breach or below the lock?

With out further info this could be a serious problem as in a unsafe rifle. Please post a photo of your shooting stance and close ups of the rifle lock area.

With soot on the hands though I think the gun needs to be looked at by a "qualified blackpowder gunsmith".