A Day at the Range. Sometimes Epic...Sometimes Not

[Tsalagidave]

Friends, I have been a shooter now for 36 years. I have fired everything from Squad Automatic Rifles to every type of  black powder gun there is.  …and still… There are those knuckle-headed moments where I ought to have known better but was undone by one of the little mistakes in life. I wrote this article more as an encouraging reminder to slow down and enjoy your trigger time.  Count on misfires and malfunctions but take these as part of the growing experience and know that just when you feel like crowning yourself as the most experienced guy on the firing line, look up, cause’ humility’s coming.

PS. I know most of you are already old hands at this but I wanted this to be up here as a reference for any of the new guys joining the club.

A Day at the Range, How Paying Attention matters if this is Your First shot or 36th Year as a Shooter.

By Dave Rodgers

Some days at the shooting range are the subjects of bragging for years to come... then there are days where every gun-gremlin on earth visits your shooting bench.  Last weekend, I had the latter.

A friend of mine just bought his first black powder cap & ball, an Italian 1860 Army. He asked if I wanted to come along on its maiden voyage to the shooting range.  Since we were doing an “old-timey” theme, I brought my Colt Black Powder Series Navy six, with a 5- shot pocket model, and a couple of custom American Long Rifles.  After getting my wife and daughter situated in the stall next to me with a marlin lever action and a semi-automatic .22, we got down to business.

It started with a pan flash of my .45 American rifle. The hammer hit the frizzen, sparks flew, primer smoked….and nothing more.  I just had a splendid, text-book hang fire...wait…make that a misfire.  I kept the rifle at the shoulder anticipating the delayed shot that never came.  As I waited, I spent the down-time watching my friend from the corner of my eye as he was learning all about the wonderful world of Italian black powder revolvers fresh out of the box.  

That Uberti sure had a clean action with all that cosmoline in it.  After tearing it down and giving it a proper cleaning, that nice, sweet, crisp action now ran rough-shod like a ransom note. I told him beforehand "it's an Italian BP gun-thing".  "Best thing is to put about 60-rounds through it today and clean it thoroughly while reciting every profane word known to the languages of man and beast...then she'll cycle smooth as a Hong Kong wristwatch."  This may not sound great but its a helluva lot  better than the rough action like a zipper on a pair of Sears & Roebuck Toughskins that it had before. (A gunsmith’s finishing touches being preferred, of course but that's another article.)

I re-primed and misfired again. I rolled my eyes while shaking my head, and invoked a Saint or two to do something with this rifle that I really didn't mean.  This time, I doused the pan, soaked the charge and pulled the ball...and discovered the most rookie mistake I ever made.  Never attempt to clean 5-muzzle loaders at once or you also can leave a dry patch at the bottom of your breech without properly checking the vent. (Must have double-bagged it and one fell off.)  This explained the misfires and yes, these things only happen in front of your snickering range buddies.

I fixed the problem, then laid it aside and  hammered out a few rounds through the .50 Pennsylvania Rifle since the .45 and I were no longer on speaking terms that day. As I turned to check my friend, he was in the final preparations of  loading, swearing and priming his first volley.   When ready, he gripped that blued beauty with the same look of wonder that Ralphie had shouldering his Red Ryder on Christmas Day. My friend's childlike wonder gave way to his business face as he then proceeded with "civilizing" his silhouette target. His 1860 thumped out the first 2-rounds without a hitch.  I started loading my navy when I heard his shot number 3 go "Fffuuutttt" like a truck driver after a bad plate of nachos. At about 3/100th's of a second, my thoughts were still on "Guns don't go Fffuuutttt...", then my eyes widened and I screamed a cease fire...not in the composed shooting instructor way but in an R-rated Martin Scorsese film kinda' way.

Fortunately, it worked and all eyes were on my friend's constipated revolver. Shot 3 "squibbed" meaning the bullet lodged mid-barrel and the next shot would have turned that new 1860 Army into a hand-held IED.  Fortunately, my friend was suspicious and had enough knowledge from years on other firearms that something terrible was about to happen.  A sharp hit from behind  with a brass rod ejected the round and the day wound up better than it began.  My friend and I shot some pretty good strings.  I learned that my wife and daughter have a preference for head and groin shots on silhouette targets (good to know) and the peach cobbler at Flo's Diner at Chino airport afterward was the best I ever tasted. (Don't tell Grandma.)

Tech Tip of the Day...Dealing with squib-fires on percussion cap revolvers.

My Friend and I realized that he was using some heavily greased cylinder wads with an underpowered 25g load in his .44.  The hot day had liquefied the grease in the wads and they quickly fouled the powder so that not more than 10g of it actually ignited. When the ball was rammed, it literally wrung out the grease directly into the charge soaking most of it. The un-burnt powder I pulled from the cylinder was like baked clay.  There was just enough power to dislodge the .457 bullet and stick it mid barrel. A second squib shot would have had enough pressure to walnut the barrel. A full powder charge would have turned the pistol into a bomb.

I know experienced shooters who swear by the greased wads they use. These shooters are knowledgeable and have my respect, but I do offer another option here just for the sake of discussion.  I occasionally use greased wads myself but never in hot weather.  I also never grease the tubes as so many 20th - 21st century shooters do. My experience is that the grease acts as a dust magnet to airborne particles which is bad for the rifling and potentially hazardous as well.  On hot days, it makes a nasty mess in any case. It's worth mentioning that in some cases, it also increases fouling as opposed to theoretically cleaning the barrel.  Lastly, too much grease turns your loaded firearm in to a slippery, greased pig, which I find to be very unsafe.

My alternate solution is to add an extra 5-10g of FFFg to your load if using a greasy patch in anticipation of fouling. Typically, I use a light oiled patch and round ball or a dry wad with conical ball over powder with a drop of oil running down the cone into the groove.  Also, don't use under powered loads...ever.  On the flip-side don't max out on the powder load either.  It's a waste of fuel and can shorten the lifespan of your barrel.

*Note: Know the difference between a Misfire hang-fire and a squib.  Hang fire is when your pan flashes or cap pops but the propellant did not seem to ignite...yet.  You could have a slow burn of powder in your vent that will not reach the charge until seconds later. If your gun never discharges, its a misfire; if the firing is delayed, it's a hang fire. A general safety rule is to keep your gun aimed down-range for about 30-60 seconds before re-priming and trying again. If it has been longer and there is smoke slowly coming from the vent, douse the priming point from your water bottle; wait 30-seconds; then douse your charge. Wait about 30-more seconds for saturation and then pull the ball.  A squib is when the propellant charge burned but not sufficient enough to clear the bullet from the barrel. The burn on a rifle/musket will be apparent as the best patched ball does not give a perfect seal and some smoke will escape the muzzle. In a revolver, some smoke will escape the cylinder but typically nothing will exit the muzzle.  With a revolver, remove the cylinder and use a brass rod (preferably) to push the round out through the muzzle's business end. For a musket/rifle, soak the round, stand 30-sec, and pull the ball.

If ever you have a squib fire, you'll know it if you pay attention.  If your powder burns in the cylinder but not out the barrel or if it makes a funny sound like a high-pitched whoopie cushion, you likely have had a squib.  Just remember to stay calm, don't shoot again, give it the hangfire time then tear down the gun and knock the round out in the same direction it would have shot.  Hope this helps and if you liked the article, my name is Dave Rodgers, If not,  my last name's really Pelosi.

-Dave