Knight LK-II with a new load

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cayuga

In Remembrance
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A very good friend of mine called a few weeks back and told me that he wanted to ask a huge favor. Of course I told him to ask away. He then explained that he had a large buck that he'd been after and that if he did not get it rifle season, he wanted to keep trying muzzleloader season. But one small problem. While he's shot my muzzleloaders, he's never purchased one. So the favor was to borrow a rifle.

I then questioned him about the conditions he would be shooting, and he explained were on his farm he was hunting (I'd hunted that farm numerous times, even the stand he was going to use) . I told his his shots would be close, but quick, so he needed a short accurate rifle. He agreed.

So I mailed his a Knight LK-II. The Knight has a Simmons 2.5x20mm scope. #11 ignition. And a 22 inch barrel. Its short, easy to swing, accurate, and should fit the bill. I also sent him some .430 240 grain Hornady XTPs and some Green Harvester Sabots. I advised him to get a pound of powder in town and a box of caps and try the thing out first. I told him that the rifle had a sweet load of 85 grain of powder. I sent him instructions on how to clean it, prep it, every thing. Even a spare powder measure he could use, and a short starter.

He called me before muzzleloading season and said he had not got a chance to fire it, but was sure it would be fine. And that he'd bought some Triple Seven powder and CCI magnum caps. I had told him Pyrodex RS but the man at the store assured him that Triple Seven was a better powder.

To shorten this.. he never saw the buck he wanted the entire season. He settled on the last day for a 4 pointer at 30 yards. He said he pulled the trigger and it knocked the buck flat. He'd loaded one bullet the entire season and fired one time. He cleaned the rifle spotless l might add and mailed it back with a nice thank you note. And some items I will not go into.

My friend bragged to me that the scope was set perfect and that where he had put the cross-hairs was where that Hornady hit. He said the internal damage from that little rifle was very very impressive. And it fired perfect.

So instead of putting the rifle back on the shelf.. I took a pound of Triple Seven 2f, I had recently obtained.. and the returned sabots and bullets. Made up a new target and set it at 52 yards (where the prints in the snow are) and then fired.

muzzleloaders001.jpg



I had to admit, that 85 grains of Triple Seven 2f did pretty good. I guess I could understand why he felt the rifle so accurate and lethal. As he bragged that the deer never took a step after he squeezed off the trigger.

In my case all was going fine until shot #8. I had swabbed as usual, loaded as usual, capped it, and squeezed it off. The cap fired but no BOOM.. I thought.. I was sure I had loaded that rifle. Capped it again, and like before the cap fired but NO BOOM.

Of couse by this time you start to doubt yourself, but I was positive I had loaded powder and projectile. The ramrod even indicated it was load. So I got out a trusty guitar string and picked the nipple good. Capped it, and the cap fired but no BOOM. Now I was not so sure, but I capped it again, and the same results.. NO BOOM.

So into the house and called it quits. Besides it was COLD out there. That wind was just raw. But I did have fun shooting to be honest.

Pulled the barrel, pulled the bolt, pulled the nipple, pulled the breech plug, and out fell a lot of powder. Ramrod pushed out a projectile as well. Looked through the breech plug and it was clean as a whistle. Blew through the nipple and could hear air. The only thing I found different was two spent caps stuck in the nose of the bolt. But the caps on the nipple were going off. So why this load did not fire. NO idea.

Its amazing how that little 2.5x20mm scope can help you focus at 50 yards and shoot that well. I mean granted they are not in the same hole.. but minute of deer would have been a dead critter if you know what I mean.

I will have to try this rifle again soon and see if I will fail me again.
 
cayuga,

Just out of curiosity, do you think it could be the Winchester caps? Since the Plug and nipple were open, I would have to guess it is either the cap or the 2F 777 powder. I have not had that happen, but then again I have not used the #11 cap in an inline, just my sidelock. I am planning on leaving my new MK-85 54cal with a cap ignition and picked up some CCI Mag #11 caps for it. I got the Mag version because I saw Sabotloader said he thought they would be better for 777 2F in cold weather, IIRCC. After what you are seeing, Now I am wondering if the 209 would be better for cold weather hunting, or going to Pyro RS.
 
To be honest.. this one really puzzled me. I mean I could have understood if when I pulled the breech plug it was caked over, or the powder came out in clumps.. but that just was not the case. The only thing different was in the nose of the bolt were two spent caps. Could that have done it? I can't say. If the caps on the nipples had failed to fire, yes. But that was not the case.
 
cayuga said:
The only thing different was in the nose of the bolt were two spent caps. .

I wonder if two spent caps are enough to cause the strike on the cap to be less firm, to the degree that the ignition was slower or more "progressive" for lack of a better way to say it. Did the pop of the primers that did not go BOOM sound as strong as your typical clean nipple, first cap of the day pop? :huh?:
 
Yes, the caps sounded fine. And to prove a point I took the same rifle, same everything out today. I had 10 240 grain XTPs left. I fired all 10 shots with no problem. So maybe it was a dab of too much swab solution or something. Just hard to say.
 
got a LK-II as well ive been getting good results with the harvester crush rib and 240gr. semi jacketed hollow points. 3 shots 1 hole but with 100 gr. t7. oh yeah my range was 100yards.
have you ever tried the musket caps.
 
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