Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Front end loader and smokeless powder.

Just curious, anyone else using smokeless in their .50 cal. Encores?

BR, unless TC has come out with a new 209/50 encore model they are only meant for FFG BP or Pyrodex/Eqivalents...not smokeless!! I have heard many rumors of guys using smokeless in ML's and blowing them up(other than the Savage 10).

The only way that I know of that this could be done safely is to have a barrel fitted and installed by this outfit here . They use Douglass barrels. Really don't know anything more about them.

Bunnyrunner



Your new T/C ML rifle manual foribids the use of smokeless powders in their frontstuffers. For your own protection & safety, I have copied your post & might fax it plus your email address to T/C Inc tomorrow morning. I believe that will null & void your remaining lifetime transferable warranty. Hopefully, doing so will stop you from engaging in this practice -- therefore maybe even save you an ambulance trip to a nearby hospital closest to your shooting range or hunting grounds after your barrel or action ruptures from excess bore pressures.



Bunnyrunner.... your disregard for your own safety & the safety of other nearby shooters indicates you need to seek <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

Triple7: That was a rather blunt and rude reply!!!!!!!!!!
Wish I had done it FIRST.
bunny fella. Common man. Get serious. You outa your mind?
Using smokeless in a front loader NOT designed for it is absolutley going to cause a problem for you and ayone NEAR you!
Or maybe you were just kidding us? You WERE kidding right?
Please tell us you aren't THAT ignorant.
If you are that ignorant then READ your manual and stay here and ask lots and lots of questions then FOLLOW good and well meant advice.
PLEASE????

Actualy, I don`t own a muzzle loader, but posted that for someone who was thinking about it. He did contact TC, and they told him it was a no-no. He does have a load that it is being used, but maybe it`s used in a rebarreled gun.

Bunnyrunner



There is no one rebarreling ML barrels for smokeless powder use & selling them/giving them away to the public. No one in their right backyard gunsmith mind will take that kind of liability. Serious injuries have occured in the past two years messing with that powder inside ML bores. Tell your friend that his dare-devil tactics with smokeless should stop -- if not then only be conducted WHEN ALONE.... nowhere near another person.



Also.... mention to him that when he decides to mess with it again - to please have a nearby cell-phone with a hot-key prgrammed into it that signals 911. Both poster Jeager 106 and I have seen enough internet photos of what happens to the bodies of those that have been unsuccessful trying smokeless in their MLs.

Triple7 is dead on the money as usual.
Front loaders DESIGNED for smokeless have come unglued with aweful results.
And listen bunnyrunner. Do you AND us a big favor and get yourself a nice front end loader and begin enjoying a wonderful sport.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Everyone here will be quite glad to help you get started and avoid the mistakes we've all made.
I wish the internet was this full of information and available 25 years ago!
You just gotta get involved in this sport.
I'm guessing from your handle that you hunt rabbits???
Try it with a 12 ga. muzzle loader. It's a TON of fun.
I'll never forget my first bunny bagged with 80 grains of 2fg and an oz. of 6's from my T/C New Englander.
Anyone can shoot rabbits with a modern shotgun, but with a single shot front stuffer you get ONE shot and the reload takes enough time for your clothes to go out of style. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Using black powder for rabbits gives new meaning to 'smoked bunny'.
You'd be surprised how easily you can taylor loads with a muzzle loading shotgun and they are soooooooooo cheap to shoot.
You will learn to make ONE shot count!

A story here about this very thing.
When I was a lad of about 13-14, we came into possesion of an old 50 cal muzzle loader. Not knowing anything about anything, let alone powers etc, we stole shotgun shels from my dads gun cabinet and took them apart to get the powder. We found an old sinker mold that would cast just the right dia sinker, and stuffed the thing with shotgiun powder, and sinker. Nothing happened for a month or so, then one night, we decided that tif one shotgun shell worth of powder was good, two would be better. A neighbor wanted to shoot the thing real bad, so me and the other neighbor kid loaded it up with two shells worth of powder, stuffed some newspaper down on top of the powder, then poured the shot from both shells down the barrel followed by more newspaper to keep it all in.

Since my buddy was so brave, he volunteered to shoot it 1st before the other neighbor kid. He touched it off and the barrel peeled back like a banana, and the breech came apart. My buddy had shrap metal all through his face, I got a load of shot in the side of my face and arm. Luckily we did not lose our eyes. The other neighbor's dad was a dentist , and we sat in his basment as he picked the metal and shot out of us without benifit of any pain medication. Both our fathers allowed that since we thought we were so tough, we could get it done that way.

We were a long way fro many hospital, and back in those days , you only mad ethe trip if you were dying, and folks usually died before they got there.

After 4-6 weeks of healing, we both got the tar beat out of us.

It was over 40 years before I touched a muzzle loader again.

If it hadn't been so serious, we probably acted a lot and looked a lot like Pat Mc Manus and Retch Sweeny in one of Pat's book.