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Safety Advice

Muzzleloading Forum

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Joined
Sep 23, 2018
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Hey, thak the advice of those that say check a new to you used or antique barrel when they say check for a loaded barrel. I got an antique barrel yesterday and found "5" .36 cal balls in it. Who the h --- loads five balls ?
 
In battle a soldier can lose track of his balls and this can happen. Soldiers need balls for sure but they HAVE to keep track of them or the result could be life changing (or ending, or producing, or....).
 
I recall reading about a guy cutting a tree down and ran into a hollow. Looking in it he saw something so he cut a chunk from one side an found a muzzleloader. And old to boot. It was common place for trappers and such to stash extra rifles in case they found themselves in a fight. They would fire the rifle they were carrying then haul butt to next stash and trade out for fresh loaded rifle. Then on to the next stash heading to safety. This particular rifle when under xray was found with 2 loads. Apparently the person didn't realize it didn't go off or forgot it didn't and when they went back to load their stash loaded a 2nd.
 
Over the years I have found or purchased muzzle loader guns that were loaded. One was a shotgun I inherited from my grandfather. It had been stored in his attic for close to 60 years. Upon cleaning it up I ran a check of the bore, and sure enough it was loaded. Got the wads and shot out, but had a difficult time removing the hard caked powder. Finally a soaking in a bucket of water for a day soften it up enough to flush out.
The other gun was one I purchased through Gunbrokers. It was a 58 cal Investarms Hawkin. I checked the bore as soon as I unwrapped it from the packaging asn realized right away that there might be a load in the barrel. Using a ball puller, I extracted 2, conical slugs and the powder I estimated at 100 grains. I would not have wanted to be on the but end of that gun if the load was fired off. It pays to check all muzzle loaders, especially older ones, cause it was common practice to keep a loaded gun in the corner or some other place convenient.
 
Hey, thak the advice of those that say check a new to you used or antique barrel when they say check for a loaded barrel. I got an antique barrel yesterday and found "5" .36 cal balls in it. Who the h --- loads five balls ?

Loaded for bear I recon.
 
Over the years I have found or purchased muzzle loader guns that were loaded. One was a shotgun I inherited from my grandfather. It had been stored in his attic for close to 60 years. Upon cleaning it up I ran a check of the bore, and sure enough it was loaded. Got the wads and shot out, but had a difficult time removing the hard caked powder. Finally a soaking in a bucket of water for a day soften it up enough to flush out.
The other gun was one I purchased through Gunbrokers. It was a 58 cal Investarms Hawkin. I checked the bore as soon as I unwrapped it from the packaging asn realized right away that there might be a load in the barrel. Using a ball puller, I extracted 2, conical slugs and the powder I estimated at 100 grains. I would not have wanted to be on the but end of that gun if the load was fired off. It pays to check all muzzle loaders, especially older ones, cause it was common practice to keep a loaded gun in the corner or some other place convenient.
Yep! Years ago I had a military musket, forget the model, that needed some work, and the fellow who did the restoration found a ball in it. Nowadays, I'm older and smarter, and would know to check myself. Boy, was I naïve when young!
 
I recall reading about a guy cutting a tree down and ran into a hollow. Looking in it he saw something so he cut a chunk from one side an found a muzzleloader. And old to boot. It was common place for trappers and such to stash extra rifles in case they found themselves in a fight. They would fire the rifle they were carrying then haul butt to next stash and trade out for fresh loaded rifle. Then on to the next stash heading to safety. This particular rifle when under xray was found with 2 loads. Apparently the person didn't realize it didn't go off or forgot it didn't and when they went back to load their stash loaded a 2nd.
Not to doubt anyone, but that sounds like "one of those stories"...never heard of such a practice; what if you had to run in a direction not toward a "stash"...grain of salt there!
 
Over the years I have found or purchased muzzle loader guns that were loaded. One was a shotgun I inherited from my grandfather. It had been stored in his attic for close to 60 years. Upon cleaning it up I ran a check of the bore, and sure enough it was loaded. Got the wads and shot out, but had a difficult time removing the hard caked powder. Finally a soaking in a bucket of water for a day soften it up enough to flush out.
The other gun was one I purchased through Gunbrokers. It was a 58 cal Investarms Hawkin. I checked the bore as soon as I unwrapped it from the packaging asn realized right away that there might be a load in the barrel. Using a ball puller, I extracted 2, conical slugs and the powder I estimated at 100 grains. I would not have wanted to be on the but end of that gun if the load was fired off. It pays to check all muzzle loaders, especially older ones, cause it was common practice to keep a loaded gun in the corner or some other place convenient.
I thought they were poor back then!
 
There was a pirate week found a few years ago, I think it was the Blemi wreck but not sure. On X-ray there was a musket loaded with several ball and buckshot to boot.
In Robinson Caruso Robinson loads his gun with five ball. This was written contemporary to the events of the novel, it may not have been such a bizarre idea.
 
I've heard of people intentionally loading 2 round balls , with 1 charge. 2 patched balls? No way. 2 or more loose fitting balls? Sure, that's a buckshot charge.

Old muzzleloaders can be found loaded, people "back in the day" didn't want to have to load a gun if they needed it, just like today. Put a Tompion in the muzzle and a cap on the nipple , the charge could stay good for years.
 
I've heard of people intentionally loading 2 round balls , with 1 charge. 2 patched balls? No way. 2 or more loose fitting balls? Sure, that's a buckshot charge
Actually loading two patched ball is the old "loaded for bear" load in many places.
Thompson Center, when they first marketed their Hawken rifles, had a section in their manual with loading data for two patched round ball in their .45 caliber Hawken, for the purpose of hunting deer. Seems that either they, or their customers, or both, didn't think a single, patched, .440 round ball was particularly lethal on whitetail. This was discontinued fairly early in the production run for the Hawkens. Either more experienced shooters filled TC in about the .440 round ball, OR the fact that many states with muzzleloader deer seasons prohibit multiple projectiles...or both.


LD
 
When loading two balls, I learned something the hard way. (no I don't subscribe to the two ball thing anymore, and was just "trying it" when young and dumb) If you load the balls one at a time, (patched), the second ball will, or can, compress air, and then migrate back up the barrel. I discovered that by leaving the ramrod in the barrel (on purpose) after the second ball, and then realizing, and seeing, much to my amazement, the ramrod rising back up. !!! Had I withdrawn the ramrod after loading, would not have known.
 
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