pellets in a sidelock

Rosie

I was told by a gun dealer I couldn't use the drop in powder pellets in a side lock percussion rifle. Is that true and if so why?

hillbille

you can use them but they are harder to light, in a sidelock you don't get as much fire from the cap as you do in an inline with a shotgun primer. You are just taking a bigger chance of a misfire than with loose powder, you're call but there is no worse feeling than having the gun go pop, instead of bang when you have a deer staring at you.

firstharmonic

Depends on the sidelock. If you look at one of those pellets, the different colored center that is supposed to face the rear of the barrel when loaded is actually old-fashioned black powder- which ignites at temperatures almost 300 degrees F lower than subs such as Pyrodex. So, if the gun is designed to channel the flame from the cap through the center of the breechplug (like Thompson Center sidelocks do) it should work okay. If, however, the setup is a drum and nipple type where the flame shoots into the side of the breech and is not directed towards that black powder center of the pellet but at one side then you might experience problems.

bambambam

The centers are hollow to optimize ignition with a inline rifle.

They will work in a side lock, but it's not as efficent as what it was intended for.

He Dog

Works fine in my TC Hawken. I did change to a musket nipple and caps.