Manual

sure will flow back through every seam in the action possibly destroying the firearm and

causing injury to the shooter

The propellant charge in a muzzleloader is poured directly into the barrel of the

firearm and then compressed by the projectile in the chamber area. Think about this for

a minute! Lacking the restraints and protection supplied by a modern cartridge case, the

muzzleloading charge rests directly against the steel chamber walls and the face of the

breech plug. The ignition channel is a simple hole leading directly into the chamber.

Certain surfaces of the breech plug are directly exposed to chamber pressure. Judged by

the design standards set for modern firearms, the muzzleloader is extremely primitive. Its

design will not tolerate high pressure.

The following text applies to the use of your Thompson/Center muzzleloader with

Black Powder or Pyrodex charges properly restricted to the loading information shown

in this booklet. It deals with those conditions which singularly or cumulatively can affect

muzzleloading pressures.

For years it has been assumed that it is impossible to overload a firearm using Black

Powder. The theory was that only a certain portion of a heavy Black Powder charge will

burn and that the remaining powder is blown out of the bore in unburned condition. This

thinking led to the belief the pressures created by a Black Powder charge would reach a

certain (undetermined) range and climb no higher.

Our testing indicates that this

theory is completely unfounded. As heavier and heavier charges were loaded our

pressure readings climbed accordingly. At no time was there any indication of a leveling

off of pressure. Unreasonably heavy charges of Black Powder or an approved

Black Powder substitute, such as Pyrodex, can be dangerous. Restrict yourself

to the loads listed in this booklet and start with the lightest load shown for

your particular model and caliber. Bear in mind that the following conditions

can be cumulative. If you load the heaviest charge listed without following

instructions (working slowly upward) then other conditions such as powder

fouling, hard projectiles and improper loading, can carry you well beyond the

maximum safe pressure range of muzzleloading firearms. All propellant powders

(depending upon their design and composition) will function most efficiently within a giv-

en pressure range. Our testing indicates that the Black Powder used in our testing oper-

ated most efficiently at or near the midway point in our loading charts, and recorded the

highest velocity in relation to the lowest pressure. Heavier loading showed marked

increases in pressure and substantially more recoil for only minor gains in

velocity.

Fouling in the bore of a muzzleloader will increase pressure. When shooting a muz-

zleloader, consecutive shots without cleaning will display rapid shot-to-shot increases in

pressure, a variation in velocity and a resultant decrease in accuracy. As Black Powder or

an approved Black Powder substitute, such as Pyrodex

, fouling builds in the bore of your

muzzleloader, loading will become more difficult until it reaches the point where it be-