Muzzleloader hang fire issues

[MUSKY18]

   Last year for I got a muzzle loader for Xmas so this is my first season actually hunting with it.   Used it for the first slug gun season and am having some issues with hang fires.  So a little information.......after talking to other hunters and some research I decided that I was going to shoot loose powder instead of the pellets.   Finally decided and bought Blackhorn 209 powder, and bought Winchester 7 primers.  The gun is a CVA Wolf Magnum, but I am shooting only 100 grains of powder, pushing out Hornady 300 grain bullets.  Since I chose to go with loose powder, I had to buy a different breech plug for the gun with a bigger hole on the end to ensure the powder gets ignited properly.  Mounted a Nikon Buckmaster II 3X9X40 on it and took it out to sight it in.  This was early October.  Did not have a single problem with the gun during sighting it in.  Every shot fired perfect and after about 9 rounds was sighted in.   

First weekend of season rolls around and I hit the woods.  Loaded the gun up with the same load and in the same manner.   Saturday afternoon I had a doe and buck come out 75 yards away.  Took aim on the buck and pulled the trigger.  Primer goes off and takes a split second before the gun fires.  Flinch and completely miss the deer.   Hangfire #1.   Reload the gun and continue to hunt for the rest of the night.  After dark I go out of the woods and decide to shoot the gun again and see if it was a freak accident or if there is a problem.  Shoot the gun and hangfire #2.  Not good.   Get home and start doing some research.  Could be due to the breech plug not being cleaned out.....clean the breech plug.  Also recommended to shoot a couple of primers off to blow any leftover debris out of plug.  Shoot a few primers, all good.  Could be from condensation building up if taking the gun in and out of the cold.  Leave gun in truck to keep at temp.  Back to the woods for day 2.....get a chance a deer, 100 yards, pull the trigger, gun fires perfect.  Deer goes down.  Reload gun in case big buck comes through.  See nothing else.  Get done and want to see if gun will still shoot correctly.  Shoot gun and HANGFIRE #3.  

So my question(s):  could this be the primers?  Do I need to clean the breech plug between every shot?  Is there a better primer out there for loose powder?  Has anyone else had this problem?  Thanks for any help or tips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[huntnfish]

I would start by changing primers. I shoot the Blackhorn 209 also and I'm pretty sure they recommend magnum shotgun primers. I use CCI magnum shotshell primers and have never had an issue. I am pretty sure the muzzleloading primers you see on the shelves with the muzzleloader bullet and supplies are less powerful than a standard 209 shotshell primer. 

 

Edit:

 

i just checked the FAQs on the blackhorn site and it says not to use Winchester triple 7 primers. Run by Fleet and grab some new primers and I bet your issue is gone  

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2017 by huntnfish
Research

[ZachD]

^ what he said the triple 7 are weak

I would run what huntnfish said or federal 209 hot primers

[MUSKY18]

Thanks much Huntnfish and ZachD!!!  Had the wife pick me up some CCI 209 Magnum primers and seems to have fixed the issue.  Went out the other night and put 7 rounds through the ole CVA and didn't have a single hangfire.  I'm ready for the weekend.

[Wanderer]

On 11/13/2017 at 1:08 AM, ZachD said:

^ what he said the triple 7 are weak

I would run what huntnfish said or federal 209 hot primers

Zach, I looked for primers tonight and found the CCI magnums in a 1000 pack or Federal 209As in the 100 pack.  I’m assuming the aren’t the hot primers but bought them anyway cuz I didn’t need 1000 primers.  Are those the ones you’re referring to?

[ZachD]

209A yup I am pretty sure they run hotter than the CCI M

I would guess your issue goes away now

[Wanderer]

OK thanks.  I haven’t had an issue yet.  I just got low on powder and needed primers so I decided to try the Blackhorn 209 now.  I remembered reading this post.

At the C store there were plenty of Triple 7 and Remington 209 primers in the ML supplies @ 9-10 bucks/100.  The shotgun primers were running running low though and I grabbed the last 100 pack.  They’re only 4 bucks/100.  I figured it would be a cheap experiment if nothing else.

[huntnfish]

You will like the Blackhorn powder as long as you are used to using loose powder and not pellets. It burns much cleaner making reloads much easier. I clean my muzzleloader the same way as all my other guns now. Just remember that you don't have to use as many grains of powder with the 209. The max recommended is 120 grains. I shot 100 grains of pyrodex but dropped to 90 with the 209. 

[Wanderer]

Yep, that’s what I’ve heard.  I’ve used loose powder quite a bit before.  My first ML was Hawken kit gun in 50 cal.  True black powder in an actual powder horn.  Patch and ball.  

The only thing I didn’t like about ML season back then is I couldn’t wear the traditional clothes too!