- Joined
- Oct 2, 2020
- Messages
- 150
- Reaction score
- 124
I am just about done with this rifle! It has been rock solid until last month.
I have had this Traditions Vortek for 9 years, bought new in Sep 2011, to replace my Austin-Halleck.
During practice/hunting season, my normal range routine is to fire 3 rounds and then clean the barrel, leave it dry. I then detail clean the breech plug at the end of the day using the Eezy-Breech cleaning kit, leaving it dry. I have always shot Blackhorn 209 powder and CCI 209M primers.
During all this time, with hundreds of rounds fired, I NEVER had a failure until last month, just one week before heading out of state for an elk hunt. Now I am encountering misfires. The primer pops, is covered in soot (the primer and breech plug face are normally clean), and the powder doesn't ignite. Powder and projectile are not moved in the barrel. I put in a new primer and everything fires fine, with normal accuracy. I was getting about 10% misfires. This misfire can happen with either a newly cleaned breech plug, or after another round or two has been fired.
I thought my powder and/or primers had gone bad, or damp from humidity, so I bought a different lot of BH209 and also changed primers to brand new Federal 209A. (Blackhorn only recommends two magnum primers, CCI 209M and Federal 209A) To complete the entirely new firing setup, on my way out to Utah I also bought a new Traditions breech plug. I performed 4 test fires upon arrival using the brand new breech plug, no issues. Then during the hunt, after the Federal primer pops on a bull elk I put in a new primer and it fired fine. Elk down.
I always fire a full power cold bore/fouling shot, then a main load and then an immediate second load to simulate a hunting follow-up shot. 3 shots then clean the barrel. After the start of the misfires I also started detail cleaning the breech plug after every 3 shots.
The firing pin channel is clean and there are no burrs on the pin. Plus, a primer should either fire completely or it does not.
I talked to Blackhorn and they related they have had no complaints/issues with either lot of powder and advised that the flash hole should be .030 to .032. I believe the Traditions factory breech plug flash hole meets these specifications, as the .028 drill bit for cleaning the flash hole fits easily.
When contacted, Traditions said that if the rifle fires the primer, then the rifle works as designed and “there is nothing at all wrong with the firearm.” They advised the problem is not enough fire getting from the primer to the powder and suggested different brands of powder and primers.
This rifle has taken many animals over the years with not a single misfire until the last month. At this point, I just can't trust it.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I have had this Traditions Vortek for 9 years, bought new in Sep 2011, to replace my Austin-Halleck.
During practice/hunting season, my normal range routine is to fire 3 rounds and then clean the barrel, leave it dry. I then detail clean the breech plug at the end of the day using the Eezy-Breech cleaning kit, leaving it dry. I have always shot Blackhorn 209 powder and CCI 209M primers.
During all this time, with hundreds of rounds fired, I NEVER had a failure until last month, just one week before heading out of state for an elk hunt. Now I am encountering misfires. The primer pops, is covered in soot (the primer and breech plug face are normally clean), and the powder doesn't ignite. Powder and projectile are not moved in the barrel. I put in a new primer and everything fires fine, with normal accuracy. I was getting about 10% misfires. This misfire can happen with either a newly cleaned breech plug, or after another round or two has been fired.
I thought my powder and/or primers had gone bad, or damp from humidity, so I bought a different lot of BH209 and also changed primers to brand new Federal 209A. (Blackhorn only recommends two magnum primers, CCI 209M and Federal 209A) To complete the entirely new firing setup, on my way out to Utah I also bought a new Traditions breech plug. I performed 4 test fires upon arrival using the brand new breech plug, no issues. Then during the hunt, after the Federal primer pops on a bull elk I put in a new primer and it fired fine. Elk down.
I always fire a full power cold bore/fouling shot, then a main load and then an immediate second load to simulate a hunting follow-up shot. 3 shots then clean the barrel. After the start of the misfires I also started detail cleaning the breech plug after every 3 shots.
The firing pin channel is clean and there are no burrs on the pin. Plus, a primer should either fire completely or it does not.
I talked to Blackhorn and they related they have had no complaints/issues with either lot of powder and advised that the flash hole should be .030 to .032. I believe the Traditions factory breech plug flash hole meets these specifications, as the .028 drill bit for cleaning the flash hole fits easily.
When contacted, Traditions said that if the rifle fires the primer, then the rifle works as designed and “there is nothing at all wrong with the firearm.” They advised the problem is not enough fire getting from the primer to the powder and suggested different brands of powder and primers.
This rifle has taken many animals over the years with not a single misfire until the last month. At this point, I just can't trust it.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.