Respect for .50 blackpowder

Old hickory

Well, this afternoon instead of doing 10 things that needed doing, I took my .50 caliber Hawken to the range. I hadn't shot it for 3 years, but it has been well taken care of. I snapped a cap and all seemed well so I dumped 75 grains of Pyrodex down the muzzle, rammed a .490 patched ball home and capped it. I took careful aim at a 8x8 piece of plywood -, imaging that it was a grizzly and squeezed. The cap went off and that was all! I checked the nipple and discovered that my first cap had left a fragment of metal over the hole! I cleared that and put the next 9 shots into the target. Of course had it been 1850 the grizzly would be feasting on my carcass. You gotta respect those old dudes who relied on these up till self-contained cartridge time. I went home and spent more time cleaning it than I did shooting it. I think I had fun.

COONASS

That thread brought up some old memories......Last year I killed a nice 6 pt right behind the house........When my buddy came over to see it..........he said it was the same one he "snapped" a cap at the day before......yes a miss fire.............We had hunted the day before, together and when I picked him up he told me that he saw nothing......lie lie lie...............He came clean when he saw him dead on my bike..........

coonass

We Live in a World of Give And Take, But A Lot Of People Won't Give What it Takes.

allen griggs

Yeah, imagine a Cheyenne is charging you with a tomahawk and at 100 yards you pull the trigger and the misfire happens.

"Not as deep as a well, or as wide as a church door, but it is enough."

robsguns

Yep, times sure have changed. If you were an Indian with todays bows, against a muzzle loader, you'd have an extremely huge advantage. I'd go against anyone armed with a muzzle loader with my compound bow. I can probably get off at least 5 well aimed shots before even the fastest muzzle loader shooter could get off 2. That would even give me time to move. I hardly use my muzzle loader these days, the bow is so much more certain out to 50 yds. I know there are people who will say other wise, but I'm talking about cap and ball, not the in lines. The percussion cap is a funny thing sometimes, especially if you have a weak main spring, I need to change mine, it doesnt like anything other than CCI caps. We wont even talk about flint locks. My hats off to the muzzle loader shooters.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

gskyhawk

Ryan: try using a Musket cap,, just change the rifles nipple to one for muskets caps lot hotter fire , more like using a 209pr. I've done it on my t/c hawkens and a inline and easier to handle with fat fingers



Edited by - gskyhawk on 06/09/2002 19:52:20

robsguns

gskyhawk,
Huh, thanks, why didnt I think of that? I have musket caps for my old Harper's Ferry, but I didnt think of changing the nipple on my .54. I think I'll just try that. Thanks bud.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

salzo

"snap a cap?" You guys sound like a bunch of dilitantes.
Real muzzleloaders use flintlocks.

"The powers delegated by the proposed constitution to the federal governmentare few and defined, and will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace negotiation, and foreign commerce"
-James Madison

gskyhawk

Ryan: your welcome