While loading my Renegade this weekend for the finale in Ohio, after I loaded my round ball and patch a friend grabbed the ramrod and slammed it down on the ball several times until the ramrod 'bounced'. He said that was the way to load it right for shooting or hunting.

I had never heard this and all that I have heard here and other forums and was wondering if this was right or okay? I mean, I heard mark the ramrod and make sure it goes all the way down to the powder but never jamming it down like that? I am not a novice at muzzle loading but maybe just a little wet behind the ears yet, but it didn't seem right to me. I was thinking it had to deform the ball or other projectile.

Thanks.

Jeff

You are right....that is wrong. I was told that by my cousin 20+ yrs ago and experienced the bad effects of it firsthand.

Press down and seat load firmly, bouncing can deform your bullet and cause major accuracy issues.

Thanks, confirms what I already thought!

I think your friend watches too many old cowboy shoot em up movies. You see them doing it in those old films. It's hilarious but wrong.

JLmoore1956

I of all people am not a PRB expert not even close... I do a lot of PRB shooting in the spring and early summer shooting the different local Rondy shoots in my area.

I know and I watch of people do exactly what you are describing but it has always bothered me to a certain extent... beating the ball to the bottom with the ram-rod.

A couple of my thoughts were I really did not want the loading jag bouncing off the ball and into the walls of the bore, nor do I want it sliding down the bore as I throw it down the barrel, I know the jag is brass and should not effect the metal of the bore - but non-the-less I can not doe that way. Another area of concern for me is the Crown of the bore... all the time you are bouncing the rod off the ball you are also causing un-due wear on the inside rim of the crown.

With all that said... I really do not know if it is wrong, but I choose to push the load down and firmly seat it on the powder... In the same thought after I pour the powder I do hold the rifle verticle and tap the side of the rifle on the opposite side of the nipple to settle and level the powder, then insert patch and ball. I listen and feel the patch and ball sit and crunch the powder. And finally at that point I do put a firm pressure seat on the patch and ball.

Again - I honestly do not know what is right but that is the way I have taught myself...

Friend or not, he had no business touching your rifle without your permission. If it were me I would have had a few words for him. You use the reference mark on your ramrod only for correct seating depth. Too deep compresses the powder which would affect accuracy and banging the rod down on bullet/ball damages it also affecting accuracy. Not deep enough and you have a potentially dangerous situation where the projectile is not seated over the charge and actually acting as a bore obstruction.
Your friend deserves a good swift kick.

Tell your friend to keep his hands off of your gun. I had a friend of mine say that it's the best way to load a PRB. To show him what all that slamming the ramrod did to the bullet, I loaded my TC Encore with a PRB and seated it with firm preasure, like I do on my sidelock guns. I then pulled the breach plug and pushed the load out of the barrel. I then had him load My Encore his way (slam , slam, slam bang ), I again pulled the breach plug, and pushed the load out. The difference in the 2 round balls was amazing. Mine was still round while his was deformed so much that it wouldn't roll across the work bench. I then asked him which bullet did he think would shoot straighter, after himhawing around for a bit he realized the error of his slamming ways.

I've played around quite a bit with different compression pressures on patched balls and have concluded that the best accuracy is obtained by having the ball just touch the powder with no (or very little compression).

I now seat the first ball very carefully until I feel it just touch the powder, then set the stop collar on the loading rod so all subsequent loads are seated to the same spot. Now this is with GOEX. I have no idea whether the same would be true with other powders. Also, you must remember to re-do the setting if you change powder loads.

I was at the range one day and seen a men with a rubber hummer pounding on a bullet to get it down in the barrel of a ml I stoped and ask if there was anything wrong he said no everythings fine this thing is just all ways been hard to load and his been doing this for 20 years