Posted: 10/16/2011 7:58:06 AM EDT
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So this fall will be my first time hunting with a muzzleloader and I have a noob question. I have a CVA Wolf 209 and it says to fire 2 primers to make sure the breech is clear and dry. I get this.
My question is when to do this? Just before loading the gun the morning of the hunt? Night before? Seems like popping a couple primers at oh-dark thirty just before walking into the woods would send every critter I'm after scurrying away most riki-tik. cheers, hd92 |
| It's BS. When you clean the breech plug use a nipple pick (little piece of wire) to clean the hole in the breech plug. Dont forget to put grease on the threads before you screw it back in. Clean the barrel first with some type of black powder solvent when you clean it use a couple of wet patches then a dry patch then a patch with bore butter on it to protect from corosion. You can after having it stored run a dry patch down the barrel to remove excess bore butter but it doesnt make much difference. If by some chance a patch and the rod become stuck in the barrel you can pour a little cleining solvent down the barrel and once the patch is wet it wil come out. So long as you can hold the barrel up and see light through the primer pocket hole in the breech plug you dont need to fire any primers through it. On the range some fire a primer to help dry the barrel but its not needed. |
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Quoted:
It's BS. When you clean the breech plug use a nipple pick (little piece of wire) to clean the hole in the breech plug. Dont forget to put grease on the threads before you screw it back in. Clean the barrel first with some type of black powder solvent when you clean it use a couple of wet patches then a dry patch then a patch with bore butter on it to protect from corosion. You can after having it stored run a dry patch down the barrel to remove excess bore butter but it doesnt make much difference. If by some chance a patch and the rod become stuck in the barrel you can pour a little cleining solvent down the barrel and once the patch is wet it wil come out. So long as you can hold the barrel up and see light through the primer pocket hole in the breech plug you dont need to fire any primers through it. On the range some fire a primer to help dry the barrel but its not needed. Agreed. I never have popped off a cap before loading up for the hunt. I've been at it for 10yrs. Waste of time and money...little though it is. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
It's BS. When you clean the breech plug use a nipple pick (little piece of wire) to clean the hole in the breech plug. Dont forget to put grease on the threads before you screw it back in. Clean the barrel first with some type of black powder solvent when you clean it use a couple of wet patches then a dry patch then a patch with bore butter on it to protect from corosion. You can after having it stored run a dry patch down the barrel to remove excess bore butter but it doesnt make much difference. If by some chance a patch and the rod become stuck in the barrel you can pour a little cleining solvent down the barrel and once the patch is wet it wil come out. So long as you can hold the barrel up and see light through the primer pocket hole in the breech plug you dont need to fire any primers through it. On the range some fire a primer to help dry the barrel but its not needed. Agreed. I never have popped off a cap before loading up for the hunt. I've been at it for 10yrs. Waste of time and money...little though it is. Having seen other hunters guns misfire due to blocked flash hole or powder damp with oil, I will continue my procedure if firing off a couple of caps the night before. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
It's BS. When you clean the breech plug use a nipple pick (little piece of wire) to clean the hole in the breech plug. Dont forget to put grease on the threads before you screw it back in. Clean the barrel first with some type of black powder solvent when you clean it use a couple of wet patches then a dry patch then a patch with bore butter on it to protect from corosion. You can after having it stored run a dry patch down the barrel to remove excess bore butter but it doesnt make much difference. If by some chance a patch and the rod become stuck in the barrel you can pour a little cleining solvent down the barrel and once the patch is wet it wil come out. So long as you can hold the barrel up and see light through the primer pocket hole in the breech plug you dont need to fire any primers through it. On the range some fire a primer to help dry the barrel but its not needed. Agreed. I never have popped off a cap before loading up for the hunt. I've been at it for 10yrs. Waste of time and money...little though it is. Having seen other hunters guns misfire due to blocked flash hole or powder damp with oil, I will continue my procedure if firing off a couple of caps the night before. I clean with hot water. Then dry patch. Hand clean the breach plug or musket cap nipple (using a pick after the grime is cleaned off.) Lube is Bore Butter evenly distributed on a patch and two swipes up and down the barrel. No oil for my Muzzle Loaders. |
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Watch using the bore butter, It will clog up your primer hole, When you push the powder and ball down the barrel it will stack up behind them and turn the powder to mush.
I clean mine with hot water just before getting ready to use it and apply nothing to the barrel for hunting season. After the season, I butter the barrel for storage. The snapping of caps gives a false sense of clean. the cap is going to go off even if the primer hole is completely filled with junk. That being said, I still usually sanp a few off for good measure. Usually at home before I load the gun in the truck. 
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Quoted:
Watch using the bore butter, It will clog up your primer hole, When you push the powder and ball down the barrel it will stack up behind them and turn the powder to mush. I clean mine with hot water just before getting ready to use it and apply nothing to the barrel for hunting season. After the season, I butter the barrel for storage. The snapping of caps gives a false sense of clean. the cap is going to go off even if the primer hole is completely filled with junk. That being said, I still usually sanp a few off for good measure. Usually at home before I load the gun in the truck. Thanks for the tip. In all these years I've never had an issue. I suppose I'm not using too much bore butter in the first place. And in the second, I store the gun without the nipple or breach plugs installed. The two biggest problems I've heard with bore butter are: 1- NOT making sure the barrel is completely dry before applying the butter. This will cause rust spots obviously. 2- Too many folks gobbing the stuff on a patch uneavenly. This aparently causes two problems. A - Leaves too much in the barrel for storage which gumms up nipples and breach plugs. B - Deteriorates accuracy because the barrel isn't uniform the entire length of the barrel. Again. I've never had a problem using it with with my St. Louis Hawken or the Encore 209 X 50 barrel. I remember listening to a bunch of experienced muzzle loaders and they set me up with a proceedure that works. |
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Quoted:
If you do a proper job cleaning it, it is unnecessary. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile This! I have a CVA Wolf. I have never fired off caps and have never had a mis-fire. Muzzleloaders are inherently dirty weapons. If you clean and maintain your weapon like you are supposed to, you will know it is good to go. |
| I pop off 2 caps in the basement before loading and heading out to hunt. It is cheap insurance. I’ve never had a misfire. In GA and MO where I’ve done most of my BP hunting, the rifle is not considered loaded until you put the cap on, so I can drive to the woods with the charge and ball loaded and only need to cap it when I arrive. |
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Right or wrong, this is what I do the night before.
1. Swab the barrel with denatured alcohol. 2. Let sit for 10 minutes. This will let the alcohol evaporate. 3. Pop a cap. Do this with the barrel pointed at a light weight object on the ground. you should see the object move from the blast. 4. Next morning, load up and go hunting. One thing with the bore butter over the load. If you do this you should shoot at the range using the same procedure. Using it while hunting, but not at the range, may change POI from when you sighted in. |
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Moisture, oil, gunk, whatever, I snap a cap before I load up. First, I pick the nipple and flash hole, though.
I've had a misfire cost me before when I didn't snap a cap before loading. On the range, it's just a touch embarrassing. On a deer, well, it's infuriating. |