Loading anxiety.

Feel free to point and laugh here, but I'm hoping to get some input regarding an issue I have with shooting muzzleloaders.

I've got a bad habit of expecting the worst with things, and i've heard a horror story too many of muskets going off from an ember in the chamber while loading. I usually space my shots out five or so minutes apart but sometimes I wonder if I'm just taking it a little too far.

I know a lot of you folks here have been shooting the things for years without issue, I'm curious as to what your methods are as to load and shoot your muzzleloaders safely.

Been exploding black powder for 40 years. No problems here. After shooting a round...I stack the gun ....blow down the barrel ( sometimes) ....reload.

Smokestack said:

I've got a bad habit of expecting the worst with things, and i've heard a horror story too many of muskets going off from an ember in the chamber while loading. I usually space my shots out five or so minutes apart but sometimes I wonder if I'm just taking it a little too far.

I know a lot of you folks here have been shooting the things for years without issue, I'm curious as to what your methods are as to load and shoot your muzzleloaders safely.

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So the ONLY way that I know that you can set off a muzzle loader from an ember in the barrel and have a problem is when you have been shooting in a speed volley match with muskets. You tear open the cartridge, and it's like your eighth to tenth shot, and you pour the contents of the package down your musket barrel. Before you can invert the cartridge and drop the ball into the muzzle, FOOMP the powder cooks off. It's rare even in those conditions, but I have seen it twice in 40 years.

SO..., if you are using a rifle you really have a tough time getting to that 5th shot without swabbing, so you wouldn't really be part of a speed volley match, and as long as you avoid speed volley matches when shooting your musket, then it's not going to happen to you. As long as you follow the proper safety rules, the most that happens is your finger tips on the right had get singed a bit.

LD

That ember possibility is always in the back of my mind, but, I try to keep it back there. I figure then odds of it happening are pretty low. I try to use the cleanest shooting load I can. For example, with a little load development I can get the same results downrange from my .62 smoothbore using either ffg or fffg powder. But, the fouling os definitely thicker (bulkier?) with the 2f, so I don't use it. Not only is it easier to load the next shot, I figure there is less likelihood of there still being something burning down there.
I actually do the opposite of you, I reload as soon as possible. I figure that right after the shot is when the inside of that barrel is the driest.

Don't load from your horn or flask and you'll be fine..
You are in more danger from other humans and vehicles than your muzzloader.

I shoot shot after shot after shot and have for decades. Keep your fingers clear and pour, leaning the rifle a bit away from your face. If your fingers are clear and it flashes, it's nothing more than a pretty roman candle and you might see spots for a minute. Don't dribble a little and see, because if it does go off, you've got another roman candle in your hand.... it's a bit like walking around worried something is going to fall and hit you in the head.....Charge forward, my good man.

Have been around muzzleloaders since I was a kid in the mid to late 1960s, and honestly have never seen one cook off while loading, but I have seen a lot of other dangerous and silly things. As our British friend suggested, don’t load from your horn or powder flask, plus don’t put your face directly over the bore as you load.

I’d recommend you give up muzzleloaders, maybe firearms in general. More of my friends and family have died in cars then firearms even counting being in the service at war. If you can’t get over worrying about any possible danger you should consult a doctor. I wish you luck.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I've been making sure to keep the rifle pointed at a safe direction, fingers clear, all that kind of stuff. Just worried about getting a faceful of smoke and more. Being a centerfire shooter for most of my life, it's a bit of foreign territory to get used to having the business end of a firearm within my extremities, haha. It's something I should be able to overcome, just needed some input to make sure there isn't some particular step that I may be missing.

Smokestack said:

Thanks for the replies everyone.

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Hey Smoke, in all seriousness, this is all you're missing. A flintlock is 'unloaded' if the frizzen is open and the cock down, and is virtually inert, for all intents and purposes, notwithstanding an ember from a previous shot, as you discuss. So, as far as the 'business end' goes, without a 'primer' in the 'casing' so to speak, it can't go off, so set that aside. We are all cognizant of the possibility of an ember so we hold the muzzle a bit away when we pour the powder. A burn on the fingertips is the worst of your worries. I get those every time I cook......

Also, check out my YouTube channel, I have a playlist of videos focused on new shooters.....ask any questions you like.

Smokestack said:

Just worried about getting a faceful of smoke and more........ It's something I should be able to overcome, just needed some input to make sure there isn't some particular step that I may be missing.

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The basic concept of loading and shooting a muzzleloader is extremely simple and proven over the last couple of centuries, but it seems everyone does it a bit different. Just ask here..... Develop your loading procedure and stick to it. Muscle memory from repeated loading and shooting practice will become your friend. Don’t allow distractions while your are shooting, that’s when the stupid and dangerous stuff happens. Dry balling. Short starting. Double loading. Etc. Develop and practice good habits and the drive to and from the range will become the most treacherous part of your outing.

I've been shooting muzzleloaders for nearly 40 years and have never had or seen a cookoff. I know the possibilty exists but it seems to be extremely rare. As Britsmoothy said, keep your face and fingers away from the muzzle and only load from a powder measure.

I understand your concerns, however. The first time I fired any BP weapon was a CVA Kentucky pistol I made from a kit. I seriously wondered if I was holding a hand gun or a hand grenade. That was a slow, tentative pull of the trigger, I'll tell you. I still have it. That CVA looks rough but it actually is fairly accurate.

Jeff

In all my years of shooting front stuffers, I have only experienced a "cook-off" one time. I was practicing quick reloading for an upcoming competition. Enfield musket, premeasured charge of 44 grains Goex FFFg powder. Not sure how many were fired beforehand. Fired the shot, placed the musket butt on the ground, handled a next speedload, pulled the minie, and dumped the powder down the barrel. It's a most curious sight to see flames erupting from the barrel and going between my fingers. Never did find the plastic tube that held the powder. Nice first degree burns on my right hand.

Smokestack said:

I've got a bad habit of expecting the worst with things, and i've heard a horror story too many of muskets going off from an ember in the chamber while loading.

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There is an easy solution for your anxiety, it's called swabbing between shots.
You'll never see a cannoneer reload without swabbing.

On the note of swabbing. I've seen plenty of different methods on that. From patches to those funny pipe cleaner looking attachements for the range rod. I haven't done swabbing at all so I'm curious what you guys do.

Carbon 6 said:

There is an easy solution for your anxiety, it's called swabbing between shots.
You'll never see a cannoneer reload without swabbing.

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Does your ramrod tip have a fitting to screw a jag into? It it doesn’t you can leave a jag on. Then between shots run a damp patch down the bore, easy peasy.
It just has to be lightly damp so you don’t have to run a dry patch down. I pop one I my mouth chew on it like a bit of gum then use. You can go about ten shots for you need to replace it.
I dose a few things. Puts out an ember if there is one. There is a ‘whoosh’ of air that ensures your touch hole is open, swabs the bore, keeping it east to load and when you done makes it easier to clean.

If you are expecting the worst outcome, you also need to understand the likelihood of that outcome. The modern black powders burn quite cleanly compared to some of the older powders that create a lot of fouling. There will of course be fouling with any black powder, but the amount of powder that would result in an ember in most range situations is extremely rare.

Then we can also address the possibility of an ember in the barrel. As Carbon 6 stated that ember can be eliminated by running a damp a damp patch down the barrel between shots. Firing at the rate of once a minute will also allow the ember to die out, but wiping with a damp patch is a certain way to eliminate embers and to remove fouling from the barrel. You want to remove the fouling to increase accuracy on target. We can argue about how often to wipe between shots, but for best accuracy and elimination of embers wiping between shots is a great performance and safety practice.

The patch must be damp to keep the fouling moist. Dry fouling will grab the patch and jag locking the patch, jag and rod down the barrel. That's another topic to discuss elsewhere, but another one that is eliminated by use of a damp patch.

By the way, be sure to pin the rod tip to your ramrod. If your ram rod is not pinned to the tip, the loss of the tip from the ramrod down the barrel is much more likely than cooking off a round from a burning ember.

tenngun said:

Does your ramrod tip have a fitting to screw a jag into? It it doesn’t you can leave a jag on. Then between shots run a damp patch down the bore, easy peasy.
It just has to be lightly damp so you don’t have to run a dry patch down. I pop one I my mouth chew on it like a bit of gum then use. You can go about ten shots for you need to replace it.
I dose a few things. Puts out an ember if there is one. There is a ‘whoosh’ of air that ensures your touch hole is open, swabs the bore, keeping it east to load and when you done makes it easier to clean.

Click to expand...

Yep my rod has a jag on the end.

Smokestack said:

On the note of swabbing. I've seen plenty of different methods on that. From patches to those funny pipe cleaner looking attachements for the range rod. I haven't done swabbing at all so I'm curious what you guys do.

Click to expand...

All you need is a jag on the end of your ramrod or range rod and a pocket full of cleaning patches. Spit works, but if you squirt a little M.A.P. or alcohol on them once and a while you can keep your barrel nice and clean. M.A.P. being my preference if I'm doing a lot of shooting.

Like Carbon and others have stated...swab between shots and you will be fine.