# Still safe to fire?



## 1roofmusky (May 20, 2008)

:! Last year my buddy and I were sighting in our muzzleloaders prior to the opener. He has a cva kodiac and I have an omega. We would take turns shooting while the other watched the paper with bino's. On his 4th shot, the earth trembled and I almost lost my balance from the shockwave! He was almost knocked over by the recoil. He said he thought he may have put 4-5 pyrodex pellets in on accident! Is this gun still safe to hunt with?


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

i would take it in and have it checked,something may be cracked and waiting for another shot to show up!


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## 1roofmusky (May 20, 2008)

would the gun need to be x-rayed?


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## WalleyeGuy (Apr 9, 2004)

it will be fine to shoot.
Make sure it is clean and tame the load down to 50 grains for first shot.
Work your way up to hunting loads


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## Rednek (Nov 6, 2006)

The best thing you can do to eliminate the possibility of double loading or overcharging with any muzzleloader is the continual use of a witness mark of your ramrod. Please verify the seating depth of your powder / saboted bullet combination prior to each shot with a mark on your ramrod.

Please stay tuned for a real life story about overcharging and extremely high chamber pressures.


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## Rednek (Nov 6, 2006)

Please excuse the length and bandwidth of this post but if I can educate one person, it's worth it.

I would disable that muzzle loader and hang it on the wall.

35 years ago I began shooting trap at age 10. At age 12, I starting shooting registered ATA targets. At 14 our family was traveling to 5 state shoots and the Grand American each year and shooting tens of thousands of rounds each year. That's when Dad told me I had to start reloading my own shells because he couldn't keep up. He had the press all setup and all I had to do was run the components through the reloader.

One Fall Saturday, I decided to go squirrel hunting and wanted to use Dad's single shot 20 ga. Lefever shotgun (His first shotgun as a youngster), why I didn't use my 12 ga. 1100 I do not know, but we didn't have any loaded 20 ga. shells. No problem, I'll just reload them.

Dad didn't have a 20 ga. reloader so I used our 12 ga. reloader. Proceeded as normal through the several stages of the reloader and at the powder stage I said to myself, Self, I'm squirrel hunting and need a litlle more powder than the normal 12 ga. trap load so I manually added some more powder. How much? I don't know. Stuffed a 20ga. wad in and proceeded to the shot station where 1 1/8 oz of shot wasn't enough for squirrel hunting, so I added some more. How much? I don't know. I loaded 10 rounds and headed outside to go hunting.

As I stepped outside, a flock of blackbirds were flying over so I decided to bust one of them to test my new "magnum" loads. I smoked the blackbird and my shoulder. I had a hard time opening the action of Dad's 20 ga. and the pressure had split the entire base of the brass and the case wouldn't eject. I got a ramrod to knock out the case but just punched the bottom of the case out of the chamber and the rest of the shell remained. I had to take a pair of needlenose pliers to pull the spent case out of the chamber. Not the first inclination of over pressure has entered my 15 year old brain.

Now I'm headed to the woods and as I pass our clay target trap I decide to shoot a clay target. Load the trap, release the bird and smoke the target and end up on my butt holding the stock and receiver in one hand and the forearm in the other. As I lay there on the ground, I look up and see the barrel faliing from the sky.

The Good Lord was sure watching over me that day as I was not hurt. I couldn't say that for Dad's 20ga. I had blew it clear apart.

Now I have to wait for Dad to get home and that was a long wait. I just knew what was going to be in store for me and I deserved every bit of what he would dish out.

Dad arrived and Mom showed him his gun and told him what had happened and he came to my room and hugged me first then proceeded on the lecture. I think Dad knew that no beating could even come close to the fear that I had already been through.

My punishment was to read every reloading manual Dad had in the house from cover to cover and fully understand what reloading was all about.

I now know what chamber pressure is all about and Dad's 20 ga. is hanging over my reloading bench as a constant reminder to me, my kids, and anyone that come by and listens to my story.

My guess is that the first shot stressed the chamber and the second one blew it apart.


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## kruggiesr (Mar 19, 2008)

It should be fine, The Omega is a good Gun and built well, there is alot of metal on the barrel and breaching. To be safe, I would check it for any cracks, excessive loose parts (more than normal), buldging of the Barrel, ect.. . If you have a Gander Mountain store close by, They have a Gunsmith there that would probably check it over for ya.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

1roofmusky said:


> :! He has a cva kodiac



Have someone qualified look at it to be sure and safe.


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## WalleyeGuy (Apr 9, 2004)

Rednek,, you learned a valvueable lesson with that 20 gauge reload.
Never excide recomended weights of powders and shot. Always check your powder charge weights as you are reloading. I reload 7-8 shells then recheck the weights with a scale.
You are lucky guy when that shotgun blew apart on you.
I am reloading steel shot now and even with following the guide lines I have a shell every now and then screw up and seperate at the base or blow the primer out or something.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

Rednek, thats crazy:C


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## 1roofmusky (May 20, 2008)

*******-
I can't believe you are still here to tell the story! WOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!


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