If there is a hangfire, there should be no need to pull the load! From what I understand, a hangfire is when there is a gap between the primer going off and the charge going off. For example, maybe there was just a touch of moisture or lube in the bottom of the barrel or something, and the powder got a little damp and didn't ignite right away. Or there may be a gap between the powder column and the primer, and the complete charge didn't ignite right away.

The only time I would think a person would need to pull a bullet would be if you forgot to put powder downthe bore before the bullet, or if there was already a LARGE amount of moisture in the barrel anyway, which would neutralize the powder in the first place and you would have a mess on your hands!

The best thing I could think of if you have a misfire and you know there is powder in the barrel is to let is set for a few minutes in a safe place. Then remove the nipple and pour a little bit of powder into the firing channel from your flask, and get some packed down in there with a nipple pick, then replace the nipple and try again. You may have a low powered load, but it should be enough to get the bullet out of the bore.

Hope this helps some.

Later,

Marcial