Dangerous to unload a 209 X 50 through the breech?

[mikemayberry]

Went pig and coyote hunting today and didn't fire a shot.  .50 didn't seem right for the squirrel and the rabbit I saw.  And the two deer I busted on the way out were 30 days out of season.

I'm home tonight with a charged 209 X 50 Encore and chose not to fire it off toempty it.  May go again tomorrow on the holiday or to the range for further sight in.  For the record, cap is out and rifle is safely stowed.

On the drive home, I was just considering whether backing the breech plug out would grind up the 777 pellets and whether the friction would present any discharge danger.  Not saying I would do it or even want to, just wondering if it is taboo.  Haven't pulled out the manual yet to review their warnings on this topic, but would expect that they warn against it.

Thoughts?  Please don't think I am offering this as recommendation since I am not nuts about doing it.

Mike

[Dago1]

I have done it lots-a-times. One may be concerned if you were using an impact wrench. lol  :lol: But still, that's a stretch. The same goes with loading a plastic sabot in the barrel too fast and static electricity. If there were any serious problems of that nature the safety precautions would be engraved on the barrel.

[mikemayberry]

Dago1,

You made me laugh at the thought of the high speed impact wrench generating heat enough to ignite the powder charge.  I see your point.

One more time though, does backing out the threaded breech plug grind up the closest 777 pellet so you have to deal with bits of powder on the treads and an unknown loss of quantity or am I just dreaming up problems?

Mike

[buckenbass]

Mike

I don't use 777 ..I use Pyrodex and do this all the time never any problems with getting the charge out and fouling threads or damaging Pyrodex  I do have to be carefull pushing the sabot out the threads will scrape the ram rod I dont push the sabot out the breach I dont want to get gorillia grease on it .. I also dont have my primmer arm instaled i run with out it with no problems and it makes it easier to remove before i jump in the truck and go home

[toytruck]

I did this at the end of the last season with my .45 Encore using loose triple 7 in fffg.  What a mess! After I got it all cleaned up it was as dirty as if I had shot out the round.  So I am going to shoot out my last load from now on.
With the pellets it might be different, but not with loose powder.

[Bullseye]

I have only done this one time and it was with Pyrodex Pellets.  It is safe as far as I know.  But as one other poster said, the barrel was very dirty and harder to clean than if I just fired it.  I assume the dirty barrel is from firing a couple primers before loading.  Because it was so hard to clean, I just shoot it now, that is more fun anyway if you are going to have to clean the thing.

[mikemayberry]

Well, guys, thanks for your responses and it seems my question wasn't all together crazy.

I just figured it would grind a bit of the pellet into either powder or dust and that would get in the threads and then the mess would be enough to rinse it anyway.  I have cleaned it twice with water through the barrel and the 777 comes out easy enough.  

I actually thought it would go something like this:  extractor is already out, so back out the breech plug slowly and shake the pellets out, then use the ramrod to push the saboted bullet on out through the breech end, getting all the debis into the threads and chamber breakover area.  

Had not yet convinced myself it was worth doing but am excited to learn from your experiences.  I guess there is always the traditional choice of using a bullet puller and straining it out the barrel, then the pellets would be intact but a dollar bullet/sabot ruined.

Still sounds like the best choice is to shoot it, waste the cost of the shot, clean it and call it done.

If anyone else has a better idea, I am all ears!

Thanks again,

Mike

[DJay]

I bought one of the CO2 SAF-T unloaders from Innovations (traditions sells one also) and have used it for years with my T/C Hawken.  When I bought my 209X50 I bought the 209 adapter and have been very pleased with it's performance.  At the end of a long days hunt, pulling myself back to camp all cold and wet knowing that all I had to do was to blow the charge out of the muzzleloader run a patch of what every you run down your barrels and then relax and eat dinner is very nice.  I can't relax knowing that my rifle needs proper attention.  If I fire it I clean it but if I don't have to clean it I take the easy way out.  Believe me it's very slick.  It will blow patched round ball, sabots, conicals or power bels out with authority.   DJay

[pete50]

I have pulled the extractor hicky off my 209x50 and can get right at the breech plug with the action open. I use powerbelts and 2 pyrodex pellets for my hunting loads. I have unloaded by removing the breech plug then dumping the peelets out the unplugged end. Then push the powerbelt out the bottom of the barrel also. Too expensive and time consuming to shoot it out, then have to clean properly every night. I do swab the barrel to remove dirt/debris/moisture afterwards. No problems to date, no fouling noted when not firing. I dont fire the traditional caps each day and have never had a misfire.

[Slug-Gunner]

Although I only have an older Traditions Buckhunter (inline) ML and use ONLY pellets (either Pyrodex or Clearshot), I have ALWAYS unloaded the pellets from the breechplug end. As long as you use enough breechplug lubricant to fully coat the threads, there is virtually NO possibility of creating a spark to ignite the charge when removing the breechplug. Since you're unscrewing the breechplug, the only "grinding" on the end of the pellet is when you first start to remove the breechplug.... after that the gap increases while unscrewing it. Sometimes the pellets drop out when the gun is stood on its butt, at other times I may have to drop the butt on the carpet from a few inches up to dislodge them or drop my 7/16" fiberglass range rod onto the sabot/PowerBelt lightly to dislodge them. They have always been reuseable with NO DAMAGE to them.

I have beveled the edges on one end of the fiberglass range rod so it will fit into the cup end (breech side) of the sabot/PowerBelt and push it back out of the barrel from the breech end towards the muzzle end. It leaves a very light impression of the rifling on the sabot, but I simply realign them when reloading the weapon the next time. I once tried to push it out the breech end of the weapon, but the breechplug threads severely gauled the sides of the sabot and ruined it. Sometimes the sabot hulls (plastic part) can be purchased separately relatively cheap and you could simply replace them if you so desired rather than reuse them like I do.

Since Georgia doesn't consider a muzzle-loader loaded unless the percussion cap is in place or there is powder in the frizzen pan, it is not necessary to unload the weapon on a daily basis. I only do it if it has rained or been excessively "humid".... then I simply discard the pellet by flushing it down the toilet into my septic tank rather than attempt to reuse it. In the 2002 hunting season I never had the opportunity to shoot during ML season and simply unloaded it as described above, ran a damp patch down the bore to remove any traces of pellet residue, a couple of dry patches and relubed the barrel and breechplug area, wiped the gun down with a silicone cloth and stored the ML away until the next range session or ML season.
 :-D  :grin:  :wink:  :roll:

[rpseven]

Now I might be wrong but if you take that breech plug out those pellets should just drop out of the barrel. If they don't bump the barrel a few times and see if they don't. I have done it before.