Hi, folks. I'm new to the Forum, and I'm just now getting back into muzzleloading after a 3-year hiatus. I'm interested in your insights/suggestions in relation to the following email excerpt I sent to Don at Western Powders this morning:
"I purchased a six-pack of Blackhorn measuring vials at Bass Pro and used those to measure out 90 volume test loads. However, on my scales, which I took care to calibrate with a test weight, those loads consistently weighed 70 grains, rather than 63, as mentioned in your email below. This 5 to 7 grain difference held true for 100, 110 and 120 volume loads (although I only fired 90 vol.). Can you think of a reason for this difference?
Using a brand new breech plug in my CVA Kodiak 209 Magnum .45 caliber muzzleloader, with CCI primers, I fired 8 test shots. On four of those shots, there was no perceptible delay between the primer and the powder firing: it was just like a rifle going off. However, on the other four shots, there was a noticeable – and somewhat startling – delay between the primer firing and the powder firing. I suppose the delay was somewhere around ½ second, but it seemed longer. This, of course, caused me to flinch, so most of those shots were flyers. Also, on all of the shots there were noticeable sparks and smoke emitted between the breech and the trigger mechanism. Again, I wonder if these conditions are normal. I don’t remember this happening with other primer/power combinations I have used, although it has been about three years since I last shot the gun.
On the plus side, I was delighted by how clean the barrel looked after 8 shots."
"I purchased a six-pack of Blackhorn measuring vials at Bass Pro and used those to measure out 90 volume test loads. However, on my scales, which I took care to calibrate with a test weight, those loads consistently weighed 70 grains, rather than 63, as mentioned in your email below. This 5 to 7 grain difference held true for 100, 110 and 120 volume loads (although I only fired 90 vol.). Can you think of a reason for this difference?
Using a brand new breech plug in my CVA Kodiak 209 Magnum .45 caliber muzzleloader, with CCI primers, I fired 8 test shots. On four of those shots, there was no perceptible delay between the primer and the powder firing: it was just like a rifle going off. However, on the other four shots, there was a noticeable – and somewhat startling – delay between the primer firing and the powder firing. I suppose the delay was somewhere around ½ second, but it seemed longer. This, of course, caused me to flinch, so most of those shots were flyers. Also, on all of the shots there were noticeable sparks and smoke emitted between the breech and the trigger mechanism. Again, I wonder if these conditions are normal. I don’t remember this happening with other primer/power combinations I have used, although it has been about three years since I last shot the gun.
On the plus side, I was delighted by how clean the barrel looked after 8 shots."
