An important safety practice

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Ugly Sauce said:
He's heavenly blessed, and worldly wise! I'm pretty sure he meant he could tell if the ram-rod was up too high.
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Things are going great! I’m getting good grades. The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades… where does an obvious old timer like you pick up on music like that!?
 
hawg said:
Sometimes oil gets in the nipple. Not a really big deal if you're just target shooting but it becomes a big deal if you're hunting. Before I load mine for a hunt I fire a blank charge to burn everything out of the bore. I just pour the charge in and light it up. I don't tamp it or bump the butt on the ground or anything. Point it at the sky and pull the trigger.
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I don't like hunting with a fouled rifle, especially on a long camp-out hunt that may last a week or more. Not one to pop caps either. My ritual for loading for a hunt is to clean the rifle within an inch of it's life, then clean it again with alcohol. (no, I don't mean cleaning it again while drinking alcohol)(that comes next) De-natured alcohol. The rubbing stuff has too much water in it. With a cap gun I remove the cone, clean it out with pipe cleaners and alcohol, and run the pipe cleaner through the flash channel. Might even take a walk out to the garage and run some compressed air through it. Let dry for at least an hour, after cleaning with dry patches. That makes for a 100% reliable rifle.

As far as overnight storage in the camper or tent, with a flintlock I wad up some paper towel, jam it against the touch-hole, and lower the cock and flint down on it to hold it tight.. Cap gun, some paper towel between the cone and hammer will keep any moisture out.
 
woodnbow said:
Things are going great! I’m getting good grades. The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades… where does an obvious old timer like you pick up on music like that!?
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Going to college when that song was popular, as a "mature" student, and hanging with the youngsters.!!! Working at the high school later, you wouldn't believe all the teen-culture I picked up on. I can still recite about half the Lady Ga-Ga songs. Dang, I was the biggest kid in the school!
 
Popping caps. ! I just told on another thread, the story of a fellow paint-baller I knew, who was popping a cap while holding a rag over the muzzle before loading his rifle in the house, so as not to annoy his room-mates. Yep, blew his fingers off. And a hole in the roof.
 
On this double-load, or who knows what is in the rifle thing, I think that's a whole other thing. If the rifle has not been out of my possession, I'm not too worried about double loads or smokeless powder. As I don't unload my rifles as soon as season ends, I can certainly forget, loaded or not, but I sure would not load any rifle until I checked it's "status". Why anyone pulls the trigger on a rifle anytime other than intending to fire the rifle is beyond me, but that seems to be the main cause of "accidental" discharges. (no such thing as an "accidental" discharge!!!)
 
Ugly Sauce said:
He's heavenly blessed, and worldly wise!
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In a God watches over babies and fools sort of way.



Ugly Sauce said:
I don't like hunting with a fouled rifle, especially on a long camp-out hunt that may last a week or more. Not one to pop caps either. My ritual for loading for a hunt is to clean the rifle within an inch of it's life, then clean it again with alcohol. (no, I don't mean cleaning it again while drinking alcohol)(that comes next) De-natured alcohol. The rubbing stuff has too much water in it. With a cap gun I remove the cone, clean it out with pipe cleaners and alcohol, and run the pipe cleaner through the flash channel. Might even take a walk out to the garage and run some compressed air through it. Let dry for at least an hour, after cleaning with dry patches. That makes for a 100% reliable rifle.

As far as overnight storage in the camper or tent, with a flintlock I wad up some paper towel, jam it against the touch-hole, and lower the cock and flint down on it to hold it tight.. Cap gun, some paper towel between the cone and hammer will keep any moisture out.
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That's too much work. I don't even clean that good after firing.
 
In muzzleloading there really are not many "standard procedures" or ways of doing things, and plenty of folks are extremely opinionated that their way is the right way.
With many aspects of muzzleloading there are as many opinions as there are folks in the room.
From what type, size, or form of powder to use
lube recipes
to use a wad, card, or buffer
type of nipple
use of a short starter or not
patched ball, minie, solid, etc.
pour from the flask, horn, measure, or other
how to measure the powder
how to cap the gun
how to prep for loading

That said, if anyone is unable to determine if their firearm is loaded, and or what its loaded with, and you're compelled to pop a cap to find out, please do it far away from anyone else.
I personally don't want to play the part of a test dummy any more. I survived my share of self cast roles in my youth and would like to just keep it that way at this point.

I suspect there is more to the OP's story that simply a double load.
 
Black cloud said:
Call me crazy but I don't store any of my black powder guns loaded. I'm strictly a hobby shooter and am not in a situation where I need to depend on them for defense. I use cartridge guns for defense. My hats off to anyone who uses strictly black powder muzzle loaders for defense!
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I often store my black powder rifles or musket loaded during hunting season. My cleaning and loading technique make them 100% reliable for long periods of time (forever?) so to fire them off, or even pull the load would accomplish nothing. Locked in a safe they pose no possible safety risk. And for some odd reason, the wife never plays with my rifles or pistols. ? I often keep my BP pistols loaded, not for defense, but because I have enough to do to prepare for a hunt or hike without loading the pistols. I subject them to the alcohol torture also. Yes, home or going shopping defense, not taking my 1860 with me. !!!! :)
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Popping caps. ! I just told on another thread, the story of a fellow paint-baller I knew, who was popping a cap while holding a rag over the muzzle before loading his rifle in the house, so as not to annoy his room-mates. Yep, blew his fingers off. And a hole in the roof.
Click to expand...

Yep! That’ll do it… I live in the house my grandparents built. If you look closely you can see a .38 caliber bullet hole in the fir boards up near the peak of the ceiling next to the light fixture. I’m told it was from my Uncle Delmars .38-40 Winchester rifle which was unloaded at the time… I’m also told he got quite a hiding from my grandpa and he never did anything so foolish again. Although I kinda doubt that last part.
 
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