Muzzleloader

[Bnathanb1982]

I have a .50 caliber muzzleloader that I've been hunting with for a couple years. Well last year I loaded it like usual before I went hunting and proceeded to shoot a doe with it that evening. Well the gun wouldn't fire and still won't to this day. I don't know much about them but I know when I put a cap on the nipple and fire, the cap is firing but it's not igniting the powder. I am guessing the powder got wet somehow. My question is, how do you unload the gun if it won't fire. I've heard something about a bullet puller but I don't really know anything about it. I don't want to take it to a gunsmith and get charged 70 or 80 bucks b/c that's all the gun is worth. Any advice or ideas?

Nathan

[DS7418]

have you replaced the nipple yet??
or tried cleaning it with a small peice of wire??

[dbodkin]

What kind of ML? On mine (Savage) I just remove the bolt and the breech plug with a spanner wrench. Then the powder would just drop out of the barrel. Then all I do is ram the bullet the rest the way out the breech

[weagle]

Assuming it's a sidelock, the 2 ways I know are:

Use a bullet puller, which is just a screw that attaches to the ramrod. You screw it into the lead bullet and pull it out.

The other way is a CO2 unloader. It has a fitting that goes over the nipple and the compressed gas blows the charge and bullet out of the muzzle.

First, I would use a good nipple pick and make sure the nipple is not clogged and try 4 or 5 caps to see if you can get it to fire.

Weagle

[franklinm]

Originally Posted by weagle

Assuming it's a sidelock, the 2 ways I know are:

Use a bullet puller, which is just a screw that attaches to the ramrod. You screw it into the lead bullet and pull it out.

The other way is a CO2 unloader. It has a fitting that goes over the nipple and the compressed gas blows the charge and bullet out of the muzzle.

First, I would use a good nipple pick and make sure the nipple is not clogged and try 4 or 5 caps to see if you can get it to fire.

Weagle

Also you cen remove the Nipple , insure it is open , useing a small wire you can remove some of the power , by picking or bumping the side of the gun , add some fresh power not much just a few grands , put the nipple back in place and fire it . worked for me .

[frankwright]

I agree with the answers already given,assuming it is a sidelock. Blow it out with an air compressor,remove the nipple, trickle in a few grains of powder,screw the nipple back in,aim in a safe direction and fire it. Third is use a ball puller which is just a coarse screw attachment that goes on a ram rod and screws into the lead bullet to pull it out. It will sometimes work but it would be the last thing I would try.

[7Mag Hunter]

Interesting situation.....I assume this is "side lock" gun
Bullet pullers are inexpensive, and a necessary tool to have.....
1--Take the nipple off..and remove nipple plug
2--Ball puller on end of ramrod
3--"screw" ball puller into loaded ball in gun(push hard)
4--pull slowly out...If you lose ball repeat 3
5--Clean barrel as it likely has rust/crud build up..Brush
and mop with soapy water till clean...Hair dryer till dry
and "lightly" lube with Bore Butter till you are ready to
shoot....When ready to shoot again, rush and patches
till very clean....

Clean nipple & plug assy to remove crud/rust an ensure
good path for flame to travel to powder...

Load er up and try again !!!
Hope this helps

7mag hunter

[fishdog]

They are cheap. The ones you buy will fail from time to time. In this case do not panic. Go to home depot and buy a wood dowel. Cut off a sheet metal screw and put it in the end of the dowel pointy end out( you will have to drill a pilot hole) this will give you a longer thread. . Also if you are at home fill the barrel with warm water from the top and from the nipple. After you dump out the water lube the barrel. Pull like heck.

[Arrow Flinger]

Originally Posted by franklinm

Also you cen remove the Nipple , insure it is open , useing a small wire you can remove some of the power , by picking or bumping the side of the gun , add some fresh power not much just a few grands , put the nipple back in place and fire it . worked for me .

This is the way I have done it several times. But if the gun does not fire, keep it in a safe direction for 30 seconds at least since you might get some delay in the firing time.

[duke13]

I bought one of the CO2 thingies a couple years ago when I was having problems unloading my flintlock. They are really great! i've used it a bunch just for unloading after hunts instead of shooting the ball out and having to clean the ML.

[Nicodemus]

Make sure the gun is unprimed. Put your ball-puller on a range rod with a T handle on the other end and screw it into the ball. Pour a good shot of penetratin` oil down the barrel. Tie a strong cord to the T handle. Loop the other end of the cord over the trailer ball on your truck receiver. Leave about 2 feet of slack. Now take the gun, point it at the hitch and jerk the ball out. This might take several hard snatches but it will get the ball out. You can get better leverage this way rather than one man on the gun and one man on the T handle havin` a tug of war and pullin` each other all over 3 acres. After the ball is removed I would check that gun over mighty careful since it has been loaded all this time.