Word of Caution to Black Powder Hunters

Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
2,190
Likes
1,481
Location
Franklin
Feedback: 1 / 0 / 0
Just a heads up . If you hunt with a Smokepole you might want to reload your black powder rifle once or twice during the BP season. I will tell you what happened to me Yesterday .

I was fighting a cold so i got up later than i normally do 6:30 instead of 5:00. I then went to my stand near my house (i walk).
So i get to my stand get up in it and about 45 minutes later i see a doe walking right towards me, thats when i realize it not a doe but a buck whos dropped his antlers. He's about 40 yds out so i pick up my Thompson Center Omega and pop a shot of at him.

POP is the right term as the primer went pop and the powder went about 5 feet in front of me and kept burning on the ground.
Now the deer is looking right at me as a large cloud of smoke rises from the ground between us.
I reach in my pocket as quietly as i can grab my reloads and proceed to reload my rifle everytime theres a tree between us and he can't see me.
He has now moved 70 yds to my right and is almost to a spot where i wouldn't have a shot , but i get the shot off and take the deer 131lbs dressed.

Best thing i can figure as i never hunter in rain or snow is that condensation from going hot to cold several times got the pyrodex wet . The constant cycle of going from a warm house to really cold weather causes the barrel to sweat . It's the only way it could get wet . I also put tape over the end if the barrel if its raining or wet out .

So reload at least once if you've been through a couple of warm to really cold cycles with your rifle, it almost cost me i deer . Good Luck
 
Its a blast shooting black powder, but as you said their are things to be careful of. Too much Bore butter does that too.

Petroleum oils will also cause that. It is good to run a dry patch or two to before loading.

Re-using primers can also result in that too if they get damp or contaminated. Primers are a one and done for me.


So i get to my stand get up in it and about 45 minutes later i see a doe walking right towards me, thats when i realize it not a doe but a buck whos dropped his antlers. He's about 40 yds out so i pick up my Thompson Center Omega and pop a shot of at him.

It sounds like you wouldn’t have shot the deer if it was a doe.

Bob
 
I had a doe tag but i wasn't going to take another doe .I already took a doe from this area and i don't like to take 2 from the same area.
 
In the hunter safety course I took 2 years ago they spent a lot of time talking about that exact scenario. It doesn’t take much moisture to affect the powder. And not to mention corrode the bore.
 
Just a heads up . If you hunt with a Smokepole you might want to reload your black powder rifle once or twice during the BP season. I will tell you what happened to me Yesterday .

I was fighting a cold so i got up later than i normally do 6:30 instead of 5:00. I then went to my stand near my house (i walk).
So i get to my stand get up in it and about 45 minutes later i see a doe walking right towards me, thats when i realize it not a doe but a buck whos dropped his antlers. He's about 40 yds out so i pick up my Thompson Center Omega and pop a shot of at him.

POP is the right term as the primer went pop and the powder went about 5 feet in front of me and kept burning on the ground.
Now the deer is looking right at me as a large cloud of smoke rises from the ground between us.
I reach in my pocket as quietly as i can grab my reloads and proceed to reload my rifle everytime theres a tree between us and he can't see me.
He has now moved 70 yds to my right and is almost to a spot where i wouldn't have a shot , but i get the shot off and take the deer 131lbs dressed.

Best thing i can figure as i never hunter in rain or snow is that condensation from going hot to cold several times got the pyrodex wet . The constant cycle of going from a warm house to really cold weather causes the barrel to sweat . It's the only way it could get wet . I also put tape over the end if the barrel if its raining or wet out .

So reload at least once if you've been through a couple of warm to really cold cycles with your rifle, it almost cost me i deer . Good Luck
I sooooooo wish you had that on video.... Amazing!
 
I leave mine in the garage or truck. Once it hits cold weather, it never goes back to the house.

The other thing you can do with my cva and the easy unscrew breech plug is to just dump the pellets and push out the bullet and reload
 
Use a small finger comdom or plastic bag with elastics to seal the muzzle. It keeps the rain out. Same for the nipple.
 
I remove the charge and toss it after every hunt. Easy with a modern inline.

Before each hunt I swab the bore to remove any moisture that may have got in there and put in a fresh load.

Rinse and repeat all season. Gun goes boom every time.
 
Use a small finger comdom or plastic bag with elastics to seal the muzzle. It keeps the rain out. Same for the nipple.
Condensation is the problem.....if you take your gun in the house at night. A condom won't stop condensation. I put a fresh load every morning.
 
I am the only one who fires the shot at the end of the day, cleans the breech plug and reloads every day in the woods? Good shot at that distance.
I don't fire the shot......with an in line I just remove it and throw it away and reload every hunt.
 
New at this. I understand condensation getting pellets wet. But, isn't the primer self-contained? Are you guys having trouble with or tossing those also? I thought those were a sealed unit. Will have to look closer.

Quick question: Who uses those tubes for primer/pellets/sabot/bullet? Do those suffer from condensation issues also? I haven't had a lot of time under my belt, a couple days hunting so far, but put the necessary stuff in one of those orange/white prescription pill bottles with locking cap.
 
New at this. I understand condensation getting pellets wet. But, isn't the primer self-contained? Are you guys having trouble with or tossing those also? I thought those were a sealed unit. Will have to look closer.

I toss the primer after each hunt.

Quick question: Who uses those tubes for primer/pellets/sabot/bullet? Do those suffer from condensation issues also? I haven't had a lot of time under my belt, a couple days hunting so far, but put the necessary stuff in one of those orange/white prescription pill bottles with locking cap.

I haven’t had a problem with condensation in the tubes used for reloading the ML. I keep them in a plastic bag though to protect them from perspiration and other outside sources of moisture.

I also haven’t had a problem with condensation in the ML either.

Bob
 
New at this. I understand condensation getting pellets wet. But, isn't the primer self-contained? Are you guys having trouble with or tossing those also? I thought those were a sealed unit. Will have to look closer.

Quick question: Who uses those tubes for primer/pellets/sabot/bullet? Do those suffer from condensation issues also? I haven't had a lot of time under my belt, a couple days hunting so far, but put the necessary stuff in one of those orange/white prescription pill bottles with locking cap.
The good quality tubes keep the moisture out. Plus.....if your powder or pellets gets wet in one of the tubes you'll know it. Pellets turn darker and mushy ......loose powder turns pasty when wet.

I do toss my printers after each hunt.....and as I have already stated.....I start every hunt with a swab of the bore then a fresh load.
 
Putting condoms on my nipples???? The things you learn here. They don't stay - should I try tape or staples?


Good luck today. You'll be firing that load at the end of the day no matter what.
 
Putting condoms on my nipples???? The things you learn here. They don't stay - should I try tape or staples?


Good luck today. You'll be firing that load at the end of the day no matter what.
Have to watch out for the ball pullers, nipple picks, and bore Butte too.
 
I go an entirely different direction. I bought a Savage ML II years ago that was produced to use smokeless powder. No problems of this sort if you use the right powders. Only thing I do is add a muzzle cover in rain. (tape, cap or finger condom). I've loaded in October for early season and not shot it until December for late season. In camp, in truck, out in woods, home for a month, back to camp. Its all good.

One of the many reasons I won't go back to BP substitutes.
 
[QUOTE="Dennis in MA, post: 6542545, member


Good luck today. You'll be firing that load at the end of the day no matter what.
[/QUOTE]

Not me. Today im unscrewing the breech plug letting 2 pellets fall out and pushing out the bullet and reusing it. Ill throw the pellets away.

then ill just swab the bore once or twice with a clean patch and then a patch with bore butter and store the gun without the breech plug. Ill let the plug sit in hoppes 9 for a few days, clean everything with a pipe cleaner then drop it in acetone and blow it out with air. Done
 
After each day's hunt, I take the #11 cap or 209 primer and put it aside for 'range use'... I 'cleared' my ML today...after 7 days / morning hunts and bringing it inside it fired right away...using one of the 'range use' primers... YMMV.
 
Back
Top Bottom