how do you unload your muzzleloader?

[KentuckyMan]

Question 1. How do you unload your muzzleloader without firing it?

Question 2. How do you get things out of your barrel when if a part breaks off inside of your barrel?

Tell me your best tactic to getting stuff out of your rifles. :v

 

[Stumpkiller]

I pull the load with a screw-style ball (or wad) puller.

If a part were to break on a cap gun I back out the nipple, thread in a Zerk fitting and pump grease in, forcing the object out. Then use Kerosene to clean out the grease. Even better would be an air-compressor.

Plan B is to dribble powder in through the ignition channel and blow the obstruction out - but that's not a bright idea depending on what the object is or how long it's been there.

 

[Jason Lewis]

CO2 dischargers are pretty inexpensive and very effective.

 

[crockett]

I tried the worm/screw and it does work however the CO2 dispenser, although not PC, is really so much better that I wouldn't hunt without one.
Question, I normally snap a cap to make sure the nipple is clear but if I don't fire the gun that day- I use the CO2 dispenser. I then still wipe down the bore a little because the fouling from the primer is supposed to be corrosive I THINK. In any event (it's not yet muzzle loader season in my neck of the woods) I think I'll just use the CO2 dispenser to clear out the nipple area if that will work- I'm not sure whether you need the cap to burn off any oil or if I should clean out the area before the day's hunt- rubbing alcohol?
Anyone do anything like this???

 

[GP1951]

I use the C02 kit.

But I was trying to get new cartridges this past weekend and neither Cabelas nor Bass Pro carry the 16 grm. threaded cylinders anymore. Ended up at a bicycle store where they had them(for re-airing bicycle tires after a flat on the raoad) but charged $9.99 for only two cartridges. Like so many things, had to order online.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Unless you put something in the barrel to raise the pressure in the gun, the flame from a percussion cap will NOT be hot enough to burn out most oils. All it does is foul the flashchannel( the small hole in the bolster between the base of the nipple, and the powder chamber.

The components of MODERN percussion caps are not Corrosive. However, they attract moisture, which will rust the flash channel, and bore. Clean the flash channel and bore any time you fire a cap, powder charge or no, and will be letting the gun SET for any length of time.

I recommend flushing the barrel and nipple out with alcohol before leaving home. Then, put a very thin coat of vegetable oil on a cleaning patch, and Lightly lube the bore for transportation. Leave the flash channel, and nipple dry( save for a drop of oil on the threads of the nipple before screwing it into the bolster or drum).

If you will be driving DAYS to get to a hunting place, take the alcohol with you( You should have it on hand for any number of uses, anyway), and do the flushing the nite before you take to the field.

You can use alcohol in a cleaning patch to remove that thin layer of oil from the barrel before loading your powder charge. Give the alcohol time to evaporate, or run a dry patch down the barrel to remove any excess alcohol you may inadvertently put down the barrel. If you use a vegetable oil/wax lube mix, you can leave the thin oil/wax mix in the barrel and just load your powder and PRB. The oil/wax mix lube will keep fouling soft after your shot, to make it easier to wipe out with a spit-dampened cleaning patch. If you are hunting in warm weather, follow any dampened patch with a dry one, or two. Read your cleaning patches. They will tell you how wet, or dry the bore is, as wet residue comes out appearing shiney, or "slick". If the barrel is dry, the residue will appear gray on the cloth patch.

Load your gun in good light, rather than fumble around doing so in the dark. I have hunted with my Mler in temperatures as low as 10 degrees F, and as high as 85 Degrees F. The relative humidity and precipitation makes a huge difference in how you keep the gun dry.

Firing a cap off ONLY allows you to SEE ( by watching a leaf or blade of grass move) that the channel from the nipple to the barrel is unobstructed, and the bore has nothing in it to prevent a flame from traveling its full length, and out the muzzle. A bare ramrod down the barrel answers the second half of that question when it clicks when the metal jags hits the breech. Alcohol pouring out the nipple answers the first half of the question, much better, and without dirtying up the flash channel. :hmm:

 

[hanshi]

If I'm hunting and don't fire the gun I leave it loaded until the next trip out. If I dryball or am not sure of the load, I'll use a range rod and ball puller. Regardless, the gun is then cleaned after being emptied.

 

[BrownBear]

I like the convenience of a CO2 discharger. But about half the time I go to use mine, the CO2 has leaked out and I can't find another.

Soooooo, I'm real acquainted with a screw-type ball puller! :rotf:

In fact I keep a ball puller in the little pouch of tools I keep in my shooting bag. It just seems to me I'm even more likely than on the range to dry ball in the heat of the moment on a hunt.

 

[Goldhunter]

I like the convenience of a CO2 discharger. But about half the time I go to use mine, the CO2 has leaked out and I can't find another.

Soooooo, I'm real acquainted with a screw-type ball puller! :rotf:

In fact I keep a ball puller in the little pouch of tools I keep in my shooting bag. It just seems to me I'm even more likely than on the range to dry ball in the heat of the moment on a hunt.

I think I've used the ball puller more in the last two weeks than the last ten years. :shocked2: :rotf: I always have one in whatever shooting pouch I have with me.

I really like the CO2 dischargers. Except when you don't have replacement cartridges, which leads me back to my previous statement. :grin: It's been a rough two weeks. :shake:

 

[KentuckyMan]

In the case of the lead ball....

Well I was think, in the case of the unloading the load ball, why can't you just throw your barrel in a hot wood fire?

As the barrel got hot the lead would just trickle out at the muzzle.

Oh :shocked2: Of course, most people have gun powder loaded in as well. So I guest while the shooter waits for the lead to pure out, the barrel will discharge, fly out red hot, forcing the shooter to catch it on the forehead, and imagine if that lead were to be hot enough to just melt before shooting out. Then you would have a spray of molten lead all over the place.

Throwing your barrel into a bond fire.... Bad idea.

 

[Little Wattsy]

CO2 dischargers are pretty inexpensive and very effective.

THAT's the medicine!!! :thumbsup:

 

[GP1951]

At the deer camp in East Texas, I would discharge (fire the rifle) at the end of a trip, if I didn't have the C02 cartridge kit along. This requires more of a cleaning job, but not much. It has the added benefit of waking up the rest of the camp (centerfire shooters all) from their afternoon naps! :blah:

 

[ny griz]

:thumbsup: co2 works great,on most problems.Griz

 

[Birddog6]

Question 1. How do you unload your muzzleloader without firing it?

Question 2. How do you get things out of your barrel when if a part breaks off inside of your barrel?

Tell me your best tactic to getting stuff out of your rifles. :v

1: Lube the bore well with a greased patch on a jag, then put a ball puller on it & pull the ball. Then take a breechscraper & clean the powder out, then reswab the bore with the greased patch.

2: In over 35 years of ML'ing, I have only broken off something in a barrel one time. That was a ball puller & for some reason I gave it that last lil Umph :shake: :redface: :idunno: & snapped it off in the ball. So I shot it out with the ball.

Now hve had quite a few brought to me that someone else broke off something in the barrel. Usually a cheapo jag with a brass shank, that IMHO should not even be sold. Or a RR tip that pulled off because it was not pinned thru the wood. :hmm:

That all being said, 9 times out of 10, when I unload a ML, I shoot it out. I need ALL the target practice I can get.... :redface: :haha: :rotf: I always figure I took the time to get it out & mess with it, I should account for the time it takes to clean it as well. What is another 15 minutes...... :idunno:

If it is something you are not comfortable shooting out, the zerk fitting & grease gun works well, especially if you have a service station close with a air operated grease gun. It will pump that sucker out Fast ! :thumbsup: Then take your fitting off, take the range rod with a jag & patch & push that grease right back out the drum where ya injected it, then clean out bore & drum. :thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[Eterry]

Unless it was a wet/rainy day I usually dont unload it, just pull the cap. If I had to unload it I too need the practice and just shoot it.

Once I stuck a ramrod with jag and cleaning patch in the bore, all the way against the breach. I didnt have a range rod and needed one badly that day. I dribbled a little powder under the nipple and shot the ramrod out; luckily it was a fiberglass rod and didnt break.
(dont try this at home kids)

Eterry

 

[Dphar]

Unless it was a wet/rainy day I usually dont unload it, just pull the cap. If I had to unload it I too need the practice and just shoot it.

Once I stuck a ramrod with jag and cleaning patch in the bore, all the way against the breach. I didnt have a range rod and needed one badly that day. I dribbled a little powder under the nipple and shot the ramrod out; luckily it was a fiberglass rod and didnt break.
(dont try this at home kids)

Eterry

Capped then uncapped percussion guns are how accidents occur.
Any residue from the cap on the nipple can cause an AD. It is sensitive to both impact and friction so if the hammer is set on the nipple and it is moved in any direction the gun could fire.
It has happened and was blamed on "static" except tests show static will not ignite BP.

Dan

 

[nkbj]

Will an air compressor work instead of a CO2 cartridge?

 

[Billnpatti]

You can use the old tried and true method of removing your ball with a screw type ball puller on your ramrod or range rod. Actually, this is not my first choice. My first choice would be to use a CO2 device to blow out the ball. My second choice would be to use the high pressure air at a place that services trucks. This would require a special fitting and I don't know if one even exists or can be made. I have never tried it, but I wouldn't think you could get a good enough seal on a zerk fitting to use air to blow out your ball. However, I like the idea of using air because once the stuck ball is out, you don't have the mess that you would if you use a grease fitting and push it out with grease. The grease idea would be a great idea if you don't mind the mess that you would have to clean up. It leaves you with a gun that has a bore filled with grease that you must get out before you can shoot the gun again. Still, this can be a life saver if you have to remove a stuck ball and have no other reasonable option.

If you opt for the screw type puller on your rod, play it safe and add a T handle to your rod so you can hook it over a limb to pull the ball. I do not like the idea of having your buddy pulling on the rod while you pull on the gun. If it happens to go off, well......you can see the danger there. Be safe and put a handle on your range rod so you can hook it in the fork of a tree limb and then just pull back on your rifle until the ball is out. Don't forget to swab your bore with patch lube before trying to pull the ball in this manner

 

[oldfrank]

Will an air compressor work instead of a CO2 cartridge?

Oh yeah! That is what I have been using for years. Like some of the others, if I am going hunting in a few days, I just leave it loaded and uncapped.

When I do want to remove the charge, I put a rag over the nipple and I have a blow gun with a nozzle that will seal it fairly tight. It will blow a PRB out very easily. A conical comes out a little harder but always comes out.
Aim it in a safe direction :wink: I shoot mine into a bucket of rags.

 

[Eterry]

Unless it was a wet/rainy day I usually dont unload it, just pull the cap. If I had to unload it I too need the practice and just shoot it.

Once I stuck a ramrod with jag and cleaning patch in the bore, all the way against the breach. I didnt have a range rod and needed one badly that day. I dribbled a little powder under the nipple and shot the ramrod out; luckily it was a fiberglass rod and didnt break.
(dont try this at home kids)

Eterry

Capped then uncapped percussion guns are how accidents occur.
Any residue from the cap on the nipple can cause an AD. It is sensitive to both impact and friction so if the hammer is set on the nipple and it is moved in any direction the gun could fire.
It has happened and was blamed on "static" except tests show static will not ignite BP.

Dan

I guess anything can happen, the cap could go off from the friction of removing it, but I have removed and replaced caps, even pinched caps to make them fit on undersized nipples for years with no problems. The early CVA rifles had nipples a little small for the #11 caps available, even Turner Kirkland of DGW recommended pinching them to make them stay on. I do recall sometimes when I pinched the cap then removed it there was a ring of yellow compound on the nipple, which I assume is the priming compound. I always just wiped it off the nipple and was done with it. Most times I reused the cap and everything went bang.

I guess my thought has always been if you are going to bring a loaded muzzleloader into camp, a car, or anyplace else it would be safer to pull the cap than to leave it in place. Could it go off while removing the cap? I'm sure it could. Do I think its PROBABLE it would happen, No.

BTW, Dan your not suggesting I leave the cap on the nipple while pulling the ball, are you? Just want to be clear.

My .02

Eterry