Muzzle loader/ammo question ?

[antharper]

Ok , so I’ve always shot the Hornady sst ammo with the plastic junk as hillbilly calls it ? . Decided to try the TC maxi hunters just because of so many recommendations . Put a new scope on my muzzle loader and sighted it in with some of the Hornady ammo just to keep from wasting the maxi hunters .
Then I cleaned my gun /optima pro , loaded it up with the maxi hunters and it was almost like I had a misfire , I could literally see the bullet . Thought maybe my powder was bad . Loaded it again and boom , shot fine . Repeated this several times and on every clean barrel I seemed to get a misfire . Dirty barrel shoots good . Are these bullets to lose in my barrel ? I’ve went back to the plastic junk and I’m ready , just curious if anyone had ever had a similar issue . Thanks

 

[wildcats]

I use the maxi hunters in my TC Hawkins but use "plastic junk" in my inline.
Never had an issue like you describe out of my Hawkins. What about powder, loose or pellets?

 

[RamblinWreck88]

Only thing I can figure is something to do with cleaning leaving behind moisture or maybe clogging the ignition hole in the breech plug?

 

[kmckinnie]

Did u pack the bullet with the ramrod.
U push it it. Then hit the bullet by lightly pick the rod up then kind of drop it back in with a little force. Your hand is not on the rod as u drop with a little force. When the rod bounces back up your bullet is packed. Butt on ground barrel up when doing this.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Sounds like your "over cleaning" if that's a term. The most I do while shooting like that between shots is run a spit patch down the barrel, turn it over and souse it one more time. That shouldn't leave any obstruction or moisture in your nipple hole. I have a Omega Z5 and it requires a couple busted caps or fouling shots to be most accurate from a cold barrel. If your rifle shoots sabots good...don't fix what's not broken. Everybody likes what shoots best in their rifle, that's just normal. There are pro's and con's to both type of projectiles.

Something I learned years ago from Chuck Hawks rifle page is that muzzle loader manufactures are very loose with their specs. Meaning the inside diameter of a CVA 50 cal, or a Traditions 50. cal, or a Thompson 50. cal and most others will vary greatly. The most consistent one was made by Knight rifles and I'm thinking their out of business. The trick is to "mic" the inside diameter of your rifle and select the closest bullet diameter to match. That is what makes a ML either easy or hard to load. Sabots are smaller than bore diameter and that makes them easier to load, the plastic sleeve engages the rifling to make up the difference just like a patch with a round ball does. I strongly encourage anyone to check out the Muzzle Loading pages on Chuck Hawks site....there is a plethora of information and testing of bullets there.

 

[JustUs4All]

It sounds to me like @kmckinnie is on top of this one.
If you have done a lot of sabot shooting before there will be a bit of plastic residue left in the barrel caused by the heat from the charge. That residue can make you believe that you have seated the bullet to the proper depth. If the bullet is not seated firmly onto the powder there will be a slight hang fire effect and the velocity of the projectile will be greatly reduced.

It is a good idea to mark your ramrod at the muzzle on a properly seated load. With this mark you can not only avoid this problem but check for either an unloaded or a double loaded rifle.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Never had any issues like that with them myself. As they said, you may have a slightly oversized bore. I have a .54 that I had to go to .526 balls, because you couldn’t hardly get a .530 down the barrel, even with a thin patch.

 

[kmckinnie]

It sounds to me like @kmckinnie is on top of this one.
If you have done a lot of sabot shooting before there will be a bit of plastic residue left in the barrel caused by the heat from the charge. That residue can make you believe that you have seated the bullet to the proper depth. If the bullet is not seated firmly onto the powder there will be a slight hang fire effect and the velocity of the projectile will be greatly reduced.

It is a good idea to mark your ramrod at the muzzle on a properly seated load. With this mark you can not only avoid this problem but check for either an unloaded or a double loaded rifle.

I like the ram rod mark. I forget the simple things. ?
Great add !

 

[The Original Rooster]

Agree with all the above but I'll mention one other thing. Allow a warm gun taken from the house to cool down to outside temperature and then swab it out to remove any condensation before you load it. It happened to me so I know it's possible and not uncommon.
Here's my original post when it happened and what could have happened.
https://forum.gon.com/threads/avoided-a-potentially-dangerous-situation-today.954692/

 

[kmckinnie]

I keep my rifle on the dash with the defrost on. Once to the field. Fire a couple primers thru it. Point the barrel to the ground and watch it blow up dirt or debris on the ground. Then load and go hunting.

 

[fishfryer]

Never had any issues like that with them myself. As they said, you may have a slightly oversized bore. I have a .54 that I had to go to .526 balls, because you couldn’t hardly get a .530 down the barrel, even with a thin patch.

I’ve been plenty aggravated trying to push too big a ball down the barrel. You should be able to start a roundball almost with your thumb pressure. Some folks are convinced that it has to be so tight that you need a hammer to run it home. You might get a better result if you’re competing in shooting match with a very tight ball and patch combination.

 

[antharper]

Did u pack the bullet with the ramrod.
U push it it. Then hit the bullet by lightly pick the rod up then kind of drop it back in with a little force. Your hand is not on the rod as u drop with a little force. When the rod bounces back up your bullet is packed. Butt on ground barrel up when doing this.

Thanks and yes I’ve always done that . And my ramrod is flush with end of barrel when loaded . Also every time I clean I take nipple out and clean it also . It’s something to do with the different bullet . I was just curious if anyone else had seen this . I cleaned it extra good today twice and with the sabots the first shot does right . I’ll just continue to shoot them and be happy .

 

[antharper]

I use the maxi hunters in my TC Hawkins but use "plastic junk" in my inline.
Never had an issue like you describe out of my Hawkins. What about powder, loose or pellets?

Thanks, I’m using pellets

 

[antharper]

Only thing I can figure is something to do with cleaning leaving behind moisture or maybe clogging the ignition hole in the breech plug?

Thanks , no moisture and every time I clean I take nipple out and clean it also

 

[antharper]

Sounds like your "over cleaning" if that's a term. The most I do while shooting like that between shots is run a spit patch down the barrel, turn it over and souse it one more time. That shouldn't leave any obstruction or moisture in your nipple hole. I have a Omega Z5 and it requires a couple busted caps or fouling shots to be most accurate from a cold barrel. If your rifle shoots sabots good...don't fix what's not broken. Everybody likes what shoots best in their rifle, that's just normal. There are pro's and con's to both type of projectiles.

Something I learned years ago from Chuck Hawks rifle page is that muzzle loader manufactures are very loose with their specs. Meaning the inside diameter of a CVA 50 cal, or a Traditions 50. cal, or a Thompson 50. cal and most others will vary greatly. The most consistent one was made by Knight rifles and I'm thinking their out of business. The trick is to "mic" the inside diameter of your rifle and select the closest bullet diameter to match. That is what makes a ML either easy or hard to load. Sabots are smaller than bore diameter and that makes them easier to load, the plastic sleeve engages the rifling to make up the difference just like a patch with a round ball does. I strongly encourage anyone to check out the Muzzle Loading pages on Chuck Hawks site....there is a plethora of information and testing of bullets there.

Thanks and I’ll check that out

 

[F.A.R.R.]

When you load the 1st maxi on the clean barrel can you feel any difference in resistance between loading that one and loading one on a fouled barrel?

 

[JustUs4All]

I have never used pellets. Do they have an up and down side?

 

[kmckinnie]

I have never used pellets. Do they have an up and down side?

Yes. Dark side down. Lite color difference

 

[antharper]

When you load the 1st maxi on the clean barrel can you feel any difference in resistance between loading that one and loading one on a fouled barrel?

Yes, the first one goes a lot easier ! I think the powder is burning around the bullet if that makes sense . I know it’s about half as loud as the second shot .

 

[antharper]

I have never used pellets. Do they have an up and down side?

Never noticed and I’ve been shooting them in this same gun for close to 20 years I guess . But I bet it hasn’t been shot 75 times . Usually a couple before season and a couple at deer if I’m lucky .