Click, POOF!!

[CajunBass]

I took my CVA wolf to the range yesterday, to do a final fine tune of the scope. I'm using two 777 50 gr pellets, behind a 295 powerbelt, with a Winchester 777, 209 primer. The first shot was right where I expected it to hit from my last time at the range, so I made a couple of scope adjustments, and overshot the other way. Corrected again, cleaned the barrel, loaded again and pulled the trigger.

Click....FOOOOOOFFFFFTTTTTT!...almost no sound, a lot of smoke. The fellow at the next station looked over to see what had happened.

I pulled the breach plug and looked through the barrel. Clear, but REALLY dirty. I cleaned it again, taking care to dry the barrel throughly. Next shot went off fine and landed right in the black, as did the next couple. It's shooting right where it's looking now.

I'm guessing that there was a wet place at the breach that I didn't get dried out when I cleaned the first time and the pellets got damp? That sound about right to y'all?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

YEP, welcome to the club. Next is when you load a projectile without powder and/or there's the hangfire, and the rest are for flinters only..., a clatch when shooting at a deer (when the flint strikes the frizzen, but no spark is made or hits the powder so only a loud, deer scaring "clatch" is heard), and the flash-in-the-pan, when again you are aiming at a deer, but this time the flint causes a spark, that hits the powder in the pan..., it flashes, but no BOOOM.

LD

 

[Chawbaccer]

Are you sure you had a ball in it?

 

[CajunBass]

Are you sure you had a ball in it?

You know. Before you asked me, I'd have said 100% that I did. But now that you went and asked, and I think of it, I can't say that 100%. Maybe 90%, but I suppose that it's possible I had forgotten it.

There was no additional hole in the target, but I figured the bullet just cleared the barrel and fell to the ground. I fully expected to have it lodged in the bore and was surprised to see daylight all the way through.

 

[Wolfebyte]

I'm with Chawbaccer on this thought.. I've been there..

powder, wad, get to talking to someone.. cap it and fire.. without the resistance of the projectile, it just kinda goes Foooooshhh.. no recoil, but lots of smoke..


Dirty Barrel is the indicator that would leave me to believe it was all powder and no bullet..

 

[4v50 Gary]

Rocket science to me. I've fired blanks in my percussion guns and there was always a boom! So, when the original question was posted, I didn't have a clue. I know nothing about in-lines and you guys rock.

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Keep usin' 777 pellets or 777 powder and you'll get more pooofs, fizzles, pops ... get yourself some ffg Black Powder. You'll know it's not a substitute.

 

[arcticap]

Are you sure you had a ball in it?

I agree. If there's no projectile [or even a wad] then there's nothing to seal off the bore which is needed to build up pressure.
It nice to hear that the Wolf is shooting well though.

 

[whosyrdaddy]

Rocket science to me. I've fired blanks in my percussion guns and there was always a boom!

Here is a pretty good explanation that I ran across while researching why the "subs" apparently do not work well in cannons. When the author gets to the part that explains vividity, it becomes clear.


http://yarchive.net/explosives/pyrodex.html







.

 

[CajunBass]

The more I've thought about it, the more I'm leaning to the "no bullet" theory. I don't remember specifically not doing it of course, but from what y'all are saying it sounds like that's what happened. (Duhhhh).

Oh well. A waring to PAY ATTENTION DUMMY!

 

[arcticap]

I forgot to load a ball too at least once and then I repeatedly re-capped and kept thinking that it was another misfire. So more than once I put Pyrodex P under the nipple and used a pick thinking that each non-report was another misfire. When I finally stuck my ramrod in the bore I realized that it was empty and that I had never even loaded a ball.
I should have just checked the bore with a marked ramrod from the beginning. But since I share range rods among different guns, it's not properly marked for all of them.
Consider marking yours at least at the lengths that it extends past the crown when empty and loaded so that it can be checked if you lose track during loading and then suddenly realize the possibility.

 

[Chawbaccer]

Somebody needs to make a flow chart of all the steps, and combination of steps, that can be forgotten and the likely consequences. Simple dry-balling isn't for everyone, gotta skip other steps too.