@@@ SAFETY ALERT--BH209 @@@

[lane]

My son almost Double Loaded his 45cal Disc Elite this morning before our hunt! :x

And here's why.

Tim went to check his rifle to see if it was loaded form his previous hunt last week. He couldn't remember if he had cleared it(Fired it off at the end of his hunt) Instead of dropping the ramrod down, and checking the witness marks, He just blew into the muzzle end, and had good air going out the breech plug nipple, I could hear it as well. Just before he dumped ANOTHER 90g Tube oh BH209 down the barrel, I stopped him and told him to drop the ram rod in, just to make sure.....Was Fully Loaded (Minus The Primer) with powder and 200g Shockwave/with Green sabot :shock:

That just blew our minds, cause NO WAY could all that air get thru a fully loaded Muzzy...Right? So I had him prime and fire that thing off right there in the dark, Went BOOM!

We reloaded, and continued our morning hunt...Wonderfully uneventful

We got home at about 1230 today, and as we said our good-bye's, We hugged each other, and Tim held me a little longer than usual, and thanked me for insisting on double checking the rifle, cause he would have double loaded it for sure if I hadn't been there.

The Lord stepped in, and saved us this time, I know for sure! So PLEASE heed this warning:
Please Be Advised: BH209 Is NOT Air Tight, those little HOLE FILLED grains of powder can let A LOT of air slip past the breech plug nipple. Never Blow into Any Barrel--Always Use the Ram-Rod to check for a Loaded/Unloaded Condition!

Thank You Jesus

 

[frontier gander]

wow thats pretty scary.

But if you blew down the barrel and you could hear air blowing out, that tells me the sabot isnt sealing the bore.

 

[Anonymous]

WHUT??!!...... :shock:

 

[lane]

You got that right! Then I checked mine, same bullet, BUT with a MMP Tan sabot, could still get air to pass, just not as much...must be a better seal :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I sure as hell hope folks won't start blowing down barrels with a full load in it just to see if they have a tight seal. :shock:

Good post Lane, and I'm glad things worked out for your son,,but blowing down ANY bore is beyond foolish. 8)

 

[lane]

Thanks Bat

Just for the record,...I did not teach him to blow down the muzzle :lol:

 

[paia]

Blowing down a barrel is never a way to check if a rifle is loaded--where did that idea come from? I never heard of such a thing :shock:

The only way to do it is drop the ram rod down and check your marks

 

[black powder]

glad that he discovered his mistake ,and nobody got hurt ...he will remember it for ever ...

[1] drop the ramrod down, and check the witness marks

 

[g.g.]

how bout this one...

for years I have been telling folks to mark their ramrods...but neglected to mark mine for no reason other than never thinking about doing it.

well a few weeks back I load my gun and for some reason about 2 hours later when sitting on stand I started thinking...hmmmmmmmm my ramrod sure did look shorter when I loaded.

I had been sitting on stand for a couple of hours!

just in case I took my primer out and sat the rest of the eve.

got back to the cabin and checked...YEP double loaded.

I st for 2 hours with a double loaded gun!!!!! glad I was not doe hunting.

oh yeah I went ahead and marked the rod

 

[Grouse]

You would think the sabot and bullet would keep it air tight. :? I poured water down the barrel of my Disc Elite then poured it out and it fired. That was with 777 a couple years ago. I need to do that test with BH209 real soon. Leaning the gun against a tree in the rain might not be a good idea with BH209. I never had problem with 777 doing that.

 

[Busta]

Them Buckskinners blow down there barrels all the time, but they are always full of hot air anyways. :lol: They say it softens the fouling.

You can never be too safe when it comes to muzzleloaders. One way to check real quick is to remove the bolt/drop the block/break open and point at a light. You can see light through the flash hole if it is not loaded.

I always tag my loaded rifles with a Bore-B-Dry in the 50's. A bright tag with the load information on it never hurts. Just keep it in your gun case while you are hunting, and put it back on the rifle before casing.

Just glad you caught it, and I bet he will never come close to almost making that mistake again.

Merry Christmas!

 

[Anonymous]

That Buckskinner crap got started in Michigan.... :lol:

 

[frontier gander]

i do that with my cva mountain stalker Busta. I pour the powder down the bore and then blow down into the barrel. It does help soften up the fouling and makes the next patched round ball go down easier. After 3 shots without doing it, its a bear to get them down. Now they also say it helps improve accuracy, this i do not know as the rifle shoots amazingly well without blowing down the bore.

 

[Lawdwaz]

After I load my gun, electrical tape goes over the muzzle and stays there until it is shot or unloaded. Not much chance of a double load and it keeps the scuzzy stuff out.

 

[UtahRob]

I forgot if i loaded my gun one time at the range , i was talking to some one and just could not remember . I check with the mark on my ramrod and it was right on the line, so i was good to go . I also reload my gun in bad weather before i go out . if i have a unfired load i remove my breech plug and empty the powder and bullet out the back . I don't trust any powder left in my gun in bad weather for more than a day . Just my luck i would get a no fire on my first big buck or Elk . I am not going to let that happen . So i change it out at camp or home every evening . It a pain but i sure feel better !!