BH hangfires...hmmmm?

[flint head]

I just came home yesterday from a deer hunt with my pa in-law and my uncle in-law. I left my Triumph in the bed of the truck in a gun case the night before and it got down below freezing. The next day I had a pretty nice 16" buck at 102 yards broadside... I put the cross hairs on his shoulder and pulled the trigger,,, what happened next was hard for me to explain because it happened so fast and was mixed with the emotion of taking a shot at an animal you want to kill... but to simplify things I really don't know what the heck happened!!! I'll admit to being a much better shot on the range then in the field, but that was the weirdest shot that I have taken in a long time... now I'm wondering if a half second hangfire caused me to go haywire during the shot,,, I sure have caught the devil over the last two days for that miss and It would have been the biggest buck killed on our hunt... :cry:

 

[cayuga]

Well that is the one reason I shoot the rifle clear and then clean it, and start with a fresh rifle the next day. Especially if I were shooting BlackHorn 209. While it is a great powder, I just have to wonder if it is going to behave under hunting conditions. Especially where I live in the cold, damp north.

But the decision is up to you. I would have cleared the load. I have had a few hang fires when shooting BlackHorn but only in a rifle I really do not think it was meant to be shot out of.

Its a shame that this had to happen to you with such a fine deer out there.. Then again, would have this happened if you were shooting a different powder also.

 

[frontier gander]

Boy that sucks big time, sorry for the miss.

Thats the flaw with new products, they have paid writers test them out and talk them up and then the common people like us have to find out the hard way that, Hey thats not supposed to happen!

Everyone that has a misfire during hunting season with BH209- I'd email the powder company and let them know that you're not a happy camper.

 

[flint head]

I'm not saying that it wasn't the nut behind the trigger, I've missed plenty... but after reading about the cold weather deal I'm just not sure,,, I do know it was a very strange shot sequence.

 

[sabotloader]

flint head

This is not going to make you feel any better but I shot a buck yesterday with a load that has been in my gun for several weeks and I do break all the rules the gun came in with me to the house and out the next morning. It has not been really cold here freezing in the morning but warming during the day. And -or - but I am shooting T7 - which should be more suseptible than BH

I am not sure of what may have caused your hangfire, and fact i would like to know more about it... If you do not mind... At this point I am not sure that it is the powder, and please notice I am NOT saying that it wasn't.

What model of ML?

Which primer?

Did the gun ever get real damp... rain - snow...??

and the last one - several people have actually had a gun rust when placed in a closed rifle case for a period of several hours. Especially if the case were damp or the gun was damp? They are great for transporting but not sold on them for storing.

Just looking for some clues...

 

[flint head]

I'm with ya Sabot, It could have very well been me... I did not have the smoothest of trigger pulls, but I usally don't when shooting at hide and hair and the old heart pounding... but hey, that's what makes it fun,,, I'll get-um next time!

 

[frontier gander]

Didn't you say the rifle hangfired for half a second?

 

[benamen]

I experienced a hang fire in my Triumph the last time I had it out. Shooting 110gr v of BH, 250 SSTs, Harvester SB sabot & W209 priners. I had already taken one deer earlier in the day and then on my third shot since cleaning the gun, I had a slight hang fire. Just enough time for me to lift my head and change my aim before it went off. That day was a warm day for around here, with me just wearing a hoodie and loading the next round was quite easy. Never had a chance to shoot another round that day so I dropped the charge and made a thorough cleaning of the breach plug. Out next weekend and took three more shots without any hang fires. This time reloading was quite a chore as the temperature was down around the freezing mark. I drew blood this day but it was only my own due to force needed to get those sabots started down the bore.
Personally, I blame the single hang fire I had on not properly cleaning the breach plug. My son has been hunting with me all these times and he has yet to have a hang fire and for what ever reason, his breach plug does not carbon up nearly as much as mine does and he is using the same make of rifle and components as I have been.

 

[flint head]

No, I don't really know what happened... something just didn't seem right when I pulled the trigger,,, just wondering out loud with my fingers if perhaps that could have been the culprit?? :wink: But to quote Jimmy Buffet "hell it could be my fault"... :lol:

 

[flint head]

Bingo Ben! That's exactly what I did... it was like I pulled the trigger and was in the process of lifting my head when the gun went off... I could still see my cross hairs at the top of the deer's back,,, All this went on so fast and after the shot I just sat there and went, what the sh*t just happened... so maybe I'm not crazy after all... 8) but my gun was completely clean.

 

[sabotloader]

flint head

I have not shot a lot of BH, but I have found one fact that seems to be universal for me in all of my inlines...

BH is a progressive burning - so I have found out through trial and error mostly error that I DO need to compact the load. I normally seat the load on the powder with just normal pressure but, I have found for BH that I do need to seat the bullet/sabot FIRMLY on the powder....

 

[flint head]

I seat the dog crap out of it Sabot... I know that's not the problem! You have to understand my philosophy is, crank it down until it strips and then back it off half a turn... :wink:

 

[sabotloader]

flint head

Remember I am just throwing out thoughts... but at this point I am now wondering about the breech plug...

Which gun are you shooting?

 

[MCee67]

I do with my muzzleloaders like I do with my bow. I wait till I see the deer react to the shot before taking the scope, bead or whatever I am looking at/through. Of course there is always the smoke issue with a muzzy, but if you wait to look when you see smoke you are good to go.

 

[hjbuys]

I had my first misfire with BH209 today. I was at the range. Temp in the 60s. It was my 5th shot. Pulled the trigger "thud". I pulled out the primer (CCI mag) which looked like it fired. The bullet made it 3/4 out the barel. I pushed the bullet back down, place a new primer and fired with the gun going off this time (and still hitting my target 200yd down range although ~6 inches low). The breech plug was clean before I started shooting today. I pack my sabot/bullet down tight every time. The powder just didn't ignite much, but enough to push the bullet a little ways down the bore. I have no idea what happened.

 

[frontier gander]

Its possible that a weak primer can be causing some odd ball misfires. I know with all of the 209s ive shot, there have been some that just didnt sound right. Some are high pitched when the rifle goes off, some are low thuds.

 

[Bucker]

hang fire

Kjbuys, did you quit shooting after that hang or low explosion. You did not say whether you kept going? If that was the only shot in atarget session I owuldn't be worried. I would say a bad primer. Funny that you still able to reseat and still hit the target albeit 6" low.

 

[Underclocked]

FH, the Accura wouldn't have done that. :wink:

 

[Corpe Nimrod]

I had the same situation Monday night. Had a nice 9 point stick his nose right into my box then hall off. Got to 170 yards and figured he'd stop which he did, I shouldered him, put my finger on the trigger, and then in the split second before I pulled the trigger I looked right up over the scope to see if I hit him. Totally amateur and I practice a lot (4-5 pounds of powder a year) to prevent this from happening, but everybody misses.
Kicking myself for the mistake but looking at the bright side, you never forget the ones you miss! Not implying anything about anyone else but this was totally my fault!

 

[flint head]

Go ahead Rich and pour salt into my wounds... trust me the razzing didn't stop from my in-laws/out-laws until we got back home.