Black Powder Safety: Don't Leave it Charged!

Never leave a Blackpowder rifle loaded or charged!
© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Don't Leave That Powder In Your Rifle

With hunting season in full swing in many parts of the United States, it is a good time to remind everyone about Black Powder safety.

Many years ago I was at my neighborhood gun shop. Knowing my interest in all things firearms related, the proprietor showed me a percussion rifle that was brought in to him.

I gasped when he laid it on the counter. The breechplug's tang was bent, the threaded part of the breech plug aiming straight up. The barrel, what was left of it, was banana peeled forward, with large chunks missing. I asked where the lock was as it was missing, and was told that it had been blown completely off. The trigger guard was still attached, albeit loosely, but the trigger was gone. The wood around the breech was splintered and the top edges scorched.

I immediately surmised that smokless powder was the culprit. Smokless powder develops upwards of 50000 pound per square inch, whereas black powder and its modern equivalents like Goex, Pyrodex, and 777 rarely exceed 20000 PSI.

My gunsmith friend quickly corrected me. The problem was black powder that had been left in the chamber for an extended period of time!

Closer examination of the charge area of the breech revealed extensive pitting, so much so that it actually looked like it would have been an egg shaped cavity before it let loose.

The owner of the percussion rifle said that it had been left loaded throughout the muzzleloader season, and when hunting season was over, he attempted to discharge it. The first two caps did not fire the weapon, but upon touching off the third one, the rifle blew up between his hands! He was fortunate, said the gunsmith, to only suffer some powder burns, and a shallow gash across the top of his hand.

The long and the short of it is,

Do Not Leave
Your Muzzleloader Charged!

Pull the ball at the end of the day, and dispose of the powder safely.

If you buy a used blackpowder firearm, make sure you carefully inspect the chamber area for pitting and possible enlargement. You never know how the owner may have conducted his loading affairs!

Related Posts:
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: Fall Protection Harness Safety


Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained Capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

Muzzleloaders and Black Powder

© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™

Howdy Folks!

I'm still unable to directly access The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles and you my Blogger friends. Seems that there are subversive and insurrectionist elements and all around bad behavior among Bloggers, and as such, the security of the free world and corporate profits are at risk...

None the less, I am still going to post whenever I feel like it, so call me a subversive! Just remember, I can't moderate comments, nor can I comment on your comments.

Today's post is on a an old hobby of mine that has been reignited.

I'm talking about traditional Muzzleloading and Black Powder Shooting.

First off allow me to direct you to a couple of really neat forums. The http://www.americanlongrifles.org/ American Longrifle Forum is the preeminent forum specializing on traditional American muzzleloaders. The mission of AmericanLongrifles.org is to promote, preserve and support the traditional art and craft of building and using the American Longrifle. This includes accouterments and related arms of the period.

None of this inline muzzleloading nonsense here, no sir! If you are looking for real knowledge on the subject this is the place. With experts from around the world, the available knowledge is both broad and deep. Everything from traditional hand tool techniques to the chemistry of traditional finishes is covered. The skill levels range from yours truly's amateurish attempts, to world class museum quality pieces. You will also find lively discussion areas on collecting both fine original arms and impeccable contemporary ones. Hand made accoutrements is another area that is full of remarkable examples of contemporary work as well as the historic. I strongly urge you to visit if you have an interest in traditional Longrifles, black powder shooting, or the history of American firearms of that era.

Next is the http://www.traditionalmuzzleloadingassociation.org/forum/ Traditional Muzzleloading Association. The TMA is dedicated to preserving the rich and fascinating heritage of the traditional muzzleloading firearms of early America. Whether your interest is in rendezvous, re-enactments, historical clothing, camps, trapping, weapons, accoutrements or American history, all historical topics in relation to the muzzleloading firearms prior to 1900 are welcomed.

I have a Chambers New England Fowler waiting at home for me, and you can rest assured that we will be building that together. It's a ten bore of course, none of that 12 bore sissy stuff for me! Anyway, I need a light smoothbore for fooling around out back in the woods.

Now you all know me, and I now have a line on 4 bore barrels, so you can expect a special operations black powder big bore hog hunting rifle from me in the future. Nothing says "Lay down and Die!" like a quarter pound of lead in the boiler room. That's 1750 grains by the way! I can tell you we are going to have us a lot of fun with that!

I've got a few posts lined up for you all my friends, but they will be sans pictures, due to IT's intransigence, but like everything else in this world, things change at the drop of a hat. So for all I know we might be back on line before you or I know it! Keep the faith, and know that I'm thinking about all of you.

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch"Skull Mountain" Sperwan Ghar, Panjwai District, Afghanistan
Standing Ready when the Wolves Growl at the Door...
ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

The Range Reviews: Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn

© 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

The Range Reviews

Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn

After watching me struggle, cuss, and hack my way through two powder horn projects, niether of which is really complete, and fill up my little corner of the living room with sawdust and horn detritus, my wife went and ordered  Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn by Scott and Cathy Sibley.

I am eagerly anticipating going home next year and reading my new gift! In the mean time, I have to ensconse myself at my desk here in Afghanistan, and be satisfied to look at scans my wife has been sending me.

I was immediately taken by the clear photos and detailed instructions that made it easy to understand what and how to do any number different steps in the creation of an art quality powder horn. And not just one type mind you, but several different types.

The authors, Scott and Cathy Sibley are well known powder horn makers and scrimshaw artists. I Googled them up and found a variety of references to their work, especially at Contemporary Makers. Contemporary Makers is a blog that covers the contemporary artists in period gun work, including accouterments; well worth the visit!

Scott is both a retired soldier, and a retired teacher. Cathy is retired school administrator. They got started making powder horns and quill-work while teaching school in the outer most reaches of Alaska.

I have been diligently working on a powderhorn for one of my friends, and I am very anxious to complete it on my next R&R. I have already picked up quite a few hints and new ideas from the excellent explanations in the book. The clear and well posed pictures make it easy to understand, and the Sibley's skill is obvious. The photography deseves a mention of its own; the quality and clarity is superb!

The book is divided into 21 chapters. It starts off in logical fashion with "Tools and Materials," followed by "Selecting a Horn." Thereafter it explains how you should set up your work area, (Believe me, nothing like mine!) and then starts from the begining in a logical and step by step horn making manner. The photography complements the descriptions very well, and options are presented for different time periods or styles

 Just to be clear, I don't work in any recognized style, period, or era. Shoot, until I started reading about 17th and 18th century blackpowder stuff, I didn't even realize there were different eras! Now I know better...





The scrimshawing section of the book is very well illustrated and explained. My next attempt at scratching away on a powder horn should be more successful than not! Selecting the proper tools for your project and clear, step-by-step directions are given. Something I appreciated was the scrimshaw patterns at the back of the book. It gives you some idea of where you might want to go with your scrimshaw.

The last two chapters have examples of original horns, followed by horns made by Contemporary Makers. It is an excellent reference to guide you to those styles and eras I mentioned earlier!




I have found powder horn making to be a rewarding combination of crafts. Not only are you working with horn, but you will pick out and work with wood, and possibly do some metal shaping should the mood strike you, to complete your horn.There are techniques discussed for using dyes or stains, many types of carving are covered, along with filing and shaping tools. The end result of the mess you are going to make, is a beautiful powder horn for your collection that will merit both artistic and practical praise.

For those of you looking for an entertaining and productive pasttime, maybe an activity to take your mind off of something, working with your hands to make a powder horn will be very rewarding. You will find  Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn is an incredible reference for the budding horn maker. I would recommend it without reservation!


Recreating the 18th Century Powder Horn

Softcover, $19.95

91 pages, 11" x 8-1/2"

ISBN 0-9765797-0-7

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...


Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.