Huntsman misfires???

[Vaughn Winslett]

 My Huntsman misfire almost every time. It is clean and dry every time. I use triple seven pellets and Winchester triple seven 209 primers. This problem has cost me several deer , and a huge buck last week. Im about ready to throw it in the creek. If it fires it has a delay like a flintlock. Sometimes it will not even fire. Thanks.

[carbineman]

My Huntsman misfire almost every time. It is clean and dry every time. I use triple seven pelletsPellets could be the problem as they are harder to ignite from what I've heard. My buddy says they are even designed to be loaded in an end specific way. Also older pellets not stored in a dry envioroment could have taken on moisture and become hard to light. and Winchester triple seven 209 primers. If you are having problems switch primers as well. Federal 209A primers are suggested as a hotter flame for hard to ignite situations. I use them with Blackhorn 209 for all my shooting. In cold weather they seem to be the ticket as well.This problem has cost me several deer , and a huge buck last week. Im about ready to throw it in the creek. If it fires it has a delay like a flintlock. Sometimes it will not even fire. Thanks. The flashole in your breech plug could be clogged with hard to see obstructions or by products of past ignitions. A torch tip cleaner with some good solvent will clean it up if necessary. I'm not saying this is causing your problems but it could. Also you could be getting light primer hits causing misfires. Check the indentation on a spent primer.

[Busta]

The Huntsman/Sidekick breech plug was designed for shooting loose powder, it will shoot Pyrodex Pellets much more reliable than Triple Se7en Pellets as the Pyrodex pellets have some real black powder bonded to one end of the pellets to aid in ignition. 777 Pellets are not reliable with the standard breech plug with primer carriers, and do not have this black powder bonded to the end like Pyrodex Pellets.

You will need to shoot another powder other than 777 Pellets or get a different breech plug that will shoot the pellets reliable. The primer carriers leak heat and pressure, both needed for instant ignition, especially hard to ignite powders such as 777 pellets or BH209.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune while hunting. Get rid of the 777 Pellets and get some good loose powder, or get a good breech plug that will shoot 777 Pellets and BH209 with any primer you want to use.

[walmpus]

That is lousy to hear. I have never had any problems shooting 777 pellets, pyrodex pellets, or BH209 with the factory breech plug or the new improved breech plug.

I have a sneaky hunch you may have some bad primers. I know several people who have had alot of bad 777 primers. I have even had a few over the years. You take your gun, in a safe area of course, to a low light area like the garage and snap 4 or 5 primers and you should be able to see sparks come out of the end of your barrel. If so, this tells you that plenty of fire is getting to your powder. If So the problem is most likely with your powder. I personally just went back to regular winchester 209 primers because they are cheap, easy to find, plenty hot and totally dependable. Federal 209A primers are the hottest you can get for sure. So you can try popping a few of those to see if you get plenty of spark out of your barrel. If your getting plenty of spark out of your barrel then you know it really cant be but 3 other things: 1) Breech plug   2)Powder   3)Weak or bad firing pin

By the way, just for the record I have loaded 777 pellets the wrong way down my barrel and never had a problem with them going off. I have even used some 777 pellets that were really damp.....let them dry out and never had a problem with them. Not sure if this even helps but with muzzleloading it can only be 4 things: Primer, breech plug, powder, or firing pin...........just use the simple process of elimination. I just know that 777 pellets have a past reputation for having problems. I would start there........change to a hotter primer and clean up your breech plug. Start simple and you might just luck out and fix your problem the easy way.

wcb

[Busta]

....................By the way, just for the record I have loaded 777 pellets the wrong way down my barrel and never had a problem with them going off. I have even used some 777 pellets that were really damp.....let them dry out and never had a problem with them. .........................

777 pellets do not have a right or wrong way to load them, sure you don't mean Pyrodex pellets?

You must be very lucky, or live in a perfect climate, if you can get 777 Pellets  and BH209to ignite 100% with the primer carriers? I have a Huntsman and 2 Sidekicks, not reliable in them.

I could get them to ignite with a brand new primer carrier sometimes, but one that was used a couple times would not reliably light it without hang fires or misfires. Just to much of a chance to take for hunting, at least for me.

[bubba]

If your getting plenty of spark out of your barrel then you know it really cant be but 3 other things: 1) Breech plug   2)Powder   3)Weak or bad firing pin

I am just thinking if you are getting plenty of spark, how could it be the firing pin or breech plug? I would think they have to be performing well to get the spark. Adding powder wil not make then not work well.  Either use loose powder with the original system or switch to the alternative ignition system and leave the worries behind. 

[walmpus]

Hey Busta,

Good grief I should took time to read my post......what an editing nightmare! Thats what I get for being in a hurry to get to deer camp 

That wasnt a very clear post. Poor guy is probably more confused now! The 777 pellets and pyrodex pellets I have shot with no problem with the factory plug and the new improved plug. Even with the pyrodex pellets loaded the wrong way they have shot like a champ. BH209 has been really great as well.....no problems with it even trying 777 primers, although I use regular winchester 209 primers to hunt with.

I have tried/experimented with alot of weird stuff at the range. I just like to know what I have and what will work 100% of the time when I am in woods. Even this week with all the rain and snow we have had here in ohio I didnt have a problem using BH209 and W209 and a buddy of mine shoots a rossi .50 with 777 pellets and primers and he had trouble with good spark and only getting 1 of his 2 pellets to ignite in the cold wet conditions. He changed to a hotter primer and his problem was solved. I dont know if its just me or what but I always see problems with 777 primers.

All I really meant to post was that I figured the guy had a clogged breech plug or some bad primers most likely as I know 777 has been known to have some bad ones. I quit shooting 777 primers because they were just sooooo dirty in my gun. Why couldnt I have just posted that?! Either way I hope he got his problem fixed. Sorry for the confusion! Maybe I should change my user name to proof read LOL

wcb

[OldH&R156er]

Another problem could be a mistake that I have seen a lot of guys make.
After hunting all day out in the cold, they bring the gun home and into a warm house, first they put the gun into their vehicle with the heat turned on high without the gun in a gun case, this will cause the metal to start sweating and foul the fuel if you will, and the next outing you will hear them cussing because the powder wouldn't fire.
If you plan on leaving a charge of powder in your gun and take it back into the field say the next day or something, its best to put the gun into a gun case and if nothing else, put it on the back floor or in the case of a car, in the trunk or rear hatch and wrap it in a blanket or something, farthest from the cars heater, and leave it in the car where it can stay cold to keep the metal from sweating!
One other thing, before loading your first load, snap a couple caps through the breech in case there is any left over oil that could be soaked up by the powder

I am using an old Huntsman .45cal from 1972 with a standard #11 cap, I use 777 FFg powder with CCI #11 Magnum caps and have yet to have a problem with ignition!

Ken.

P.S
Please disregard all of this if you already take these precautions, I sometimes tend to ramble on about things that most hunters with BP guns already know.
I think I tend to revert back to when I was teaching my kids about hunting and get carried away! 

[walmpus]

OldMr,

You make an excellent point about bringing a cold gun into a warm enviroment. Way back when I was a newbee to muzzleloading that is exactly what I did and paid dearly for it the next day. My gun did indeed "sweat" and the next moring it was near zero outside and my gun froze up solid. I think I was the only thing hot outside that morning when my chance to fill a deer tag came around .......I bet you coulda fried an egg on my forehead! When I hunt with my muzzleloader it stays outside the entire time. When I done hunting I just put it out in the barn or in my car wrapped up and hidden from sight. That takes care of this problem for sure. And I like it because it also keeps my scope from fogging over as well. Glad you brought up that point.

wcb