Will Your Muzzleloader Go Boom When It Counts?

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A failure to fire at the moment of truth could be just around the corner.

 

I expect you have already experienced it before or you have a buddy with a tale of woe. You load your muzzleloader with your one and only shot, your one chance to take a big buck and when he finally shows his self…..your gun goes SNAP! All of your hard work and effort is lost at that one moment. It is seldom a situation you can recover from.

 

Many people don’t realize what a hunter goes thru to place his self in the position to drop the hammer on a nice buck. It’s a lot of time, effort and a lot of money. You just can’t afford to let careless loading cost you a shot at a trophy.

 

Primary reasons for a FTF in a Muzzleloaders

• Moisture
• Plugged or Fowled nipple / breech plug
• Solvent or oil residue in barrel or breech plug

Without a doubt, the number one reason for most muzzleloader failure to fire incidents is residual oil or solvent in the bottom of the barrel that contaminates the powder charge. If you are not taking care to properly clean your barrel of all solvent and oil before loading it for the hunt, it is just a matter of time before it catches up to you.

 

It is a surprisingly easy mistake to make. After all, it’s not like you can see what is going on down in the bottom of the barrel. Most guys will just snap a cap or two and consider the barrel cleared but that don’t always get the job done. One of my good Friends who will go unnamed here, missed an opportunity at a nice buck at 30 yards on the opening morning of the Florida muzzleload season this year with a rifle he had borrowed from me…..no fire in the hole!

 

• Just snapping a cap does not always do the job!

I cannot stress enough how critical this step is. If you do not clear the barrel of all solvent and oil there is a good chance that your gun will not fire when you need it most. The best way to guarantee the barrel is clean and dry is to place about 10-15 grains of powder in the barrel and fire a cap. If you see a flame shoot out the end of the barrel you know without a doubt that any and all residue has been burned off.

 

Now you’re ready to load smoke pole for the hunt. I prefer to use the “spit patch method” to load from my newly fowled barrel.

 

After 10-20 shots you should clean the barrel with solvent, dry and start all over again. Burn out the barrel and breech plug with a short charge, spit patch and load her up again.

 

You will know when it is time for this when you notice the bullet getting more difficult to push down the barrel. Remember, the key to consistent shots is a consistent loading procedure and barrel.

 

If you burn out your barrel prior to loading for the hunt as described above you will all but eliminate any failures to fire at the moment of truth.

 

Best of Hunts,
Larry Stephens