Hang-Fires

[Walker Mountain]

I had been around guns for most of my life and witness two hang-fires, first one many years ago as a teenager hunting small game with a friend. While scaring up a cottontail my friend 20 gauges pump fail to fire, just as he was about to eject the shell it went off a good twenty seconds later. My second hang-fires was four years ago and being new to muzzle loading was told “Triple Seven” would work just fine in my smooth-bore flint that hang-fire went about five second. Yesterday was are club trail-walk with ground cover in snow about 30 degrees. We had a season shooter (first time shooting with our club) pop two caps off at a target downrange with his rifle misfiring both times fluster he step back from the firing line resting his gun on his belly while fumbling around in his pouch for a nipple wrench. It was good to see quick reaction from shooters closes to him getting the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. I want to address this problem of misfires and remind are club the safe way to handle it in the club next newsletter but first like to hear others experience and feeling on the matter first. In are club were suppose to use a Co2 discharger to clear a misfire but I still see members putting the ram-rod down the barrel checking for dry ball and I m guilty of it too. Maybe I worried too much about it and shouldn’t compare misfires to Asteroid when they say it not “if” but “when”.
  Free Trapper

[Roger Fisher]

NO you are certainly not worrying too much about it.....

Certainly every rifleman or woman should heed the warning to keep any part of one's body away from a firearm muzzle. Misfire or no.   So, it is our joint responsibility to make all shooters aware of firearm safety in no uncertain terms.

btw I noticed a neat trick recently.  A braided leather cord attached to the shooter's belt and a loop on the far end looped over the rifle barrel with the butt on the ground and the rifle leaning away from the shooters bod.  Both hands available to 'work.  My own habit is to hold the rifle butt on the ground between my knees with the rifle leaning away from me and everyone else.  Actually most of the work is done one handed with the other hand holding the piece with the rifle butt on the ground leaning away.

Good Luck with your safety efforts it's @!*% important.

[Daryl]

The braided cord or thong works well, Roger, especially with rifles having those really high front sight beads, like on some Italian and TC guns.  One of the guys here uses one.  Then, the thong finally broke and the rifle did a face plant in about 14" of snow just after pouring the powder charge in. The snow in the muzzle melted immediately due to the warmth of the barrel (he picked it up by the muzzle). The water/snow fouled the powder charge, making for a length of time before the gun's charge, manifested itself. Oh yeah, nipple also filled with snow/water - water everywhere.

[Walker Mountain]

Thanks Roger, going to make up a few leather cords and give it a try. Be nice to post a picture of someone using one for my newsletter if anyone has one out there. Thanks again. Daryl that the fun of playing in the snow, next Sunday it’s shooting balloon floating down the creek, shoot three in a row you win a ham.
   Free Trapper

[Roger Fisher]

Thanks Roger, going to make up a few leather cords and give it a try. Be nice to post a picture of someone using one for my newsletter if anyone has one out there. Thanks again. Daryl that the fun of playing in the snow, next Sunday it’s shooting balloon floating down the creek, shoot three in a row you win a ham.
   Free Trapper

I'm not saying the thong (on the rifle) is the thing to do, I'm only saying that some guys use it.  I don't, I load with one hand holding the rifle until I need both grubby hands then hold said rifle 'tween' my knees.  In snow and slop I stand the butt (of the rifle of course) on my left boot.

btw that balloon shoot on the water sounds great.  Hopefully with a good backstop or safe background since I suspect a ball could skip off the water if shot at a low angle.  I do believe the Germans (yrs ago) had matches where they would skip shots off a lake into targets on the shore.  Maybe I'm halucinating again on that one.....

[R.W.D.]

Had a hang-fire a couple of years ago after swabbing the barrel between shots.  Should have run another dry patch down the bore.  Anyway after the third or fourth cap the rifle fired as I was bringing it off my shoulder.  This was my wake-up call.  Now I'm always real careful with hang-fires.  All of my hang-fires have occurred while using Pyrodex.  Went back to real black powder and don't have problems.

Ross

[hanshi]

I recommend you make sure the thong is for the RIFLE and not for YOU!  Yuk! 

[Walker Mountain]

[/quote]I'm not saying the thong (on the rifle) is the thing to do, I'm only saying that some guys use it.  I don't, I load with one hand holding the rifle until I need both grubby hands then hold said rifle 'tween' my knees.  In snow and slop I stand the butt (of the rifle of course) on my boot.
[/quote]

Some how I’m able to load with one hand always on the rifle and angle away from my body as my old sailing instructor always said keep it simple but think I’ll play with the Idea just to see how good they work maybe I can sell them.
   Free Trapper

[Roger Fisher]

I recommend you make sure the thong is for the RIFLE and not for YOU!  Yuk! 

Thats why I stressed "On the rifle"

[Daryl]

BTW - Walker - I really didn't need nor want that 'flash' picture of Roger in a thong.  GADS!

[Walker Mountain]

  Sorry! 

[Buckscoshooter]

Yelp, hang fires can be pretty scary. Was hunting some time ago in the big woods in sleet and rain. My hammer hit the frison and all I heard was a sizzle sizzle with a nice 6 pointer in my sights. Lucky for me I listened to my pappy 's words of infinate wisdom and counted to 18 on the ay to 20 and she went off. Oddley the deer was still there after the shot went off as I held the gun just a bit high as I was counting off the hang fire. Needless to say that buck lived for another day as did I.

[imray]

I don't know what the policies are where you shoot are, but here at my place the rules are simple, no matches, liters or smoking anywhere except the lounge area, NO Alcohol drinking of any kind before or during shooting hours, and all miss fires stay in place with the muzzle fixed in the firing position at the target, for a minimum of 60 seconds after the miss fire, before the shooter can bring the rifle to repair position. Always lay a rifle down, then they can't fall, never lean a rifle against anything, it will fall sooner of later, just don't go there,  Alcohol and firearms together is a felony, blackpowder and fire is an accident. muzzle control in a missfire is life saving common sense. Don't shoot with with dangerous individuals, its your life that will be affected not theirs. They are simply idiots, waiting to happen! and this reminds me of a poster on the wall at the autoparts store,   Some people are alive simply because its illegal to kill them... have you ever met one, best wishes, ray

[Candle Snuffer]

Had a hang-fire a couple of years ago after swabbing the barrel between shots.  Should have run another dry patch down the bore.  Anyway after the third or fourth cap the rifle fired as I was bringing it off my shoulder.  This was my wake-up call.  Now I'm always real careful with hang-fires.  All of my hang-fires have occurred while using Pyrodex.  Went back to real black powder and don't have problems.

Ross

Right you are Ross.  Most hang-fires and failure to fire seems as if it comes from the fake powders 99% of the time.  Sure, it can happen with the real stuff - but from my 36+ years of experience shooting these old smoke poles along side many a'folk, it's a rare happing to have a misfire with the real black powder.

I don't know if this is from the fake powders advertising hype, or maybe those using the real stuff seem to embrace their smoke poles with a bit more passion and care in loading and cleaning?

Not saying fake powder is all bad as I know there are a few on here who use it to good effect - but they also put a lot of care into their muzzleloader to head off any malfuntions.

But yes, as a whole - the real black powder is the best!