coder14

I recently purchased a buckstalker northwestern magnum. I live by Midway USA and it was a return that I got a great deal on. What I did not realize was that the ignition device was a musket cap, not a 209. So it took me months just to get ahold of some RWS 1081 Musket Caps. I started with some 50 grain pyrodex pellets with some traditions sabot bullets the ones with the yellow tips that I had lying around. I used them to sight in the open sights, but used all of them sighting in. I purchased some traditions XTP hunters that used to hunt the remaining few days of muzzleloader season. Then I found a 3-9 scope I had lying around and decided to slap it on. I went to the range. Picked up some harvester sabots which I thought would be nice since I had a ton of .452 bullets for my 45 LC and 454. I loaded a harvester sabot with one pellet of hodgon and a 240 grain .452 hornady flex tip. When I fired I felt no recoil and a fire ball that looked like a tracer went down range and put a golf ball size tear in the target, the bullet looked like it penetrated through the plywood. I imagine that fire ball was a flaming pyrodex pellet. But why and how? What did I do wrong? I pulled the breech and ran a bore snake through, then loaded a XTP hunter with one pellet of pyrodex. The XTP hunter was much more difficult to start and seat, but the harvester sabots advertise that they are 50% less friction so I would expect that. The XTP hunter shot fine, so I continued firing XTPs to zero the scope. But after about 2 rounds I started having delayed ignitions. The cap would pop and a second later the charge would go. Sometimes I could see flaming wads smaller than the first one going ten or fifteen feet with the shot and sputtering out. Do I need to use loose powder? I am not sure how I can fix this, just kinda wish I would have spent the extra money on a rifle with a 209 ignition.

bronko22000

From what you're describing I would assume your pellets are old and contaminated. Get some loose powder. Pyrodex or Triple 7 would be a good choice.

falcon

Make sure the Pyrodex pellet is loaded with the black powder igniter end down.


Could be the pellets are bad.

MountainDevil54

pellets are best used with 209 ignition. Get some loose powder and improve everything, including ignition.

coder14

Thanks guys. The pyrodex pellets were definitely old. I had them and my tradition sabots lying around in a shooting bag for probably 2 years or more. These did not seem to have an ignition side. Both sides of the pellet looked the same. Got some loose pyrodex. Will give it a go when it warms up a bit.

GoexBlackhorn

Keep that loose powder drier than those pellets. The powders must be kept away from humidity or trapped air from a shooting bag.

When I first started with muzzleloading and had little-or-no money, I stored my Pyrodex jug inside a grocery store brown, paper shopping bag, enclosed with some BBQ charcoal briquettes.

My yesteryear was full of improvising ways to keep things around the house working. Some of my ideas were ingenious - some were laughable - some were just plain stupid.

deer655

I would take a musket cap gun for hunting any day of the week. They are so easy to replace if a second shot is needed, at least on my mk85 they are. My brother will wrap his bullets in a paper patch style and uses bh209. I have seen him carry his gun for a day or day and then fire his gun- looked like a roman candle. I am not sure if the paper loosened up or what. Not your issue but it sure was funny to see that gun shoot 10 feet and blow out that flame. I would try a new bottle of triple 7 with those musket caps. I have never had a misfire using this combo.