Manual

19
extreme pressure 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. The ignition port in a cap lock
or flint lock is a simple hole leading directly into the chamber. Certain surfaces
of the breech and nipple 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 muzzle-
loader with Black Powder or Pyrodex charges properly restricted to the load-
ing information shown in this booklet. It deals with those conditions which sin-
gularly 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 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 up-
ward) 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 given
pressure range. Our testing indicates that the Black Powder used in our test-
ing operated 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 shoot-
ing a muzzleloader, 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 fouling builds in the bor
e of your muzzleloader
,
loading will become mor
e difficult until it reaches the point where it becomes
impossible to pr
operly seat the pr
ojectile.
Different types of lubricants used in cleaning, or in conjunction with lub-
ing patched round balls and conical projectiles will produce different degrees