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A frustrating day

5K views 48 replies 14 participants last post by  soundguy 
#1 ·
A week or two ago picked up a slightly used Tompkins Center Hawken in 50 cal. Ordered some more needful things from Midway that the LGS didn't have.Then had to wait on weather. Weather acting like April around here, and the range doesn't drain too well. So today gather every thing up and off to the range. Never fired a muzzle loader before but have been ruining my eyes reading the black powder forums. Get set up, put a patched ear plug in the barrel,fire off a cap and the plug was ejected so figured I was good to go. 40 grains of Pyrodex, dry lubed patch, .490 ball. Move away from the bench, put on cap. Shoulder weapon, set the trigger, I'm already for my entry into muzzle loading shooting! Get ready for the recoil...squeeze trigger...pfft. Cap goes off and that's it. Another cap, same result. Do it again. Replace nipple. Still no joy. Pour some moose milk down the bore to kill the powder. Bullet puller onto ramrod. Can't get a good enough bite to pull the bullet out. Razzlefrazzit!!!! Was going to shoot some 9mm with my 1911 too but too annoyed. Back home. Disassemble gun. Barrel into deep sink, fill it up with water. Let it soak for awhile. Back to bullet puller, tapping screw into ball with mallet. Not strong enough to turn it. Vise grips on ramrod for a little rightie tightie. Try to pull bullet out. Again not strong enough. Tap tap tap with the mallet on the pliers, finally started getting the ball out. Patch out, water down the barrel to wash out the powder. Swab out with jag and patch. Out to garage and compressed air. Finally dry and oil with Ballistol in and out. Reassembled. Put patched ear plug into barrel. Cap. Shoot the ear plug across the basement. Next dry day is thursday, keeping my fingers crossed. Will be bringing a mallet and a pair of vise grips along. Really want to lose my muzzle loader virginity!
 
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#35 ·
At 54 caliber, I know! Most of my muzzleloaders are 54. A 500 BPE makes a pretty good sized hole also....:D
 
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#37 ·
All those ol' punkin' rollers are cool and make big holes!! My 20 bore fowler with a PRB ain't bad either.
 
#39 ·
Hawg, how heavy did you have to patch that .690 RB and was it very accurate? I've not worked or played with any RB's bigger than the .600 out of my fowler.
 
#40 ·
They were patched pretty heavy and I think they were .680's. I only had 6 somebody sent me and it's been awhile since I shot them. Accuracy was nil. I could keep both of them on a 100 yard rifle target at 25 yards but probably not much further back than that. Maybe with some load work it would have done better. The dude that sent them wanted me to shoot 100 grains because I was talking about not being recoil sensitive and he didn't think I'd do it but once :D 100 grains of powder behind those big ol balls out of that light as a feather Pedersoli will put a thumpin on ya tho. I'm not recoil sensitive by any means but I felt those. :D
 
#44 ·
Several years ago a friend sent me a 69 cal. Minie ball. Good grief....that thing looked as if it should be fired from something with wheels....weighed about the same too!!!!
 
#47 ·
Here's four of them with a .530 ball in the middle. :D

Me and son buds are going out Sunday to make smoke, he just got a cap n ball 50, I'm taking my 69 , walker, and a couple of those 'made up' long bbl wyat earp, and buffalo guns. I picked up one of each months ago for a song, havnt shot them much , both in .44

I'll set up the spinners for us, I have one with 6 different sized spinners.

Another buddy is bringing couple 1858 44's

Another guy only has a 1851 , but he loves it.

Heck, I might bring my 1873 uberti 357m cattleman, and run some cowboy 38's thru it at the spinners.
 
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