Elric
Well-Known Member
Directions for Handling Pope Muzzle Loading Rifles. -MAYBE- written by Harry M. Pope, as it is the appendix following "POPE RIFLE BARRELS"
Sporting Rifles and Rifle Shooting - John Caswell, 1920 pages 231-234
https://books.google.com/books?id=E...wAFoQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=Pope Muzzle&f=false
Tie your false muzzle to the loading rack. This prevents your shooting it off and also prevents the gun from falling, as it is to be kept on the gun until ready to shoot.
Seat your bullet as soon as possible after firing so the powder dirt will not have time to harden and make it load hard. To seat the bullet stand the gun in the rack so the barrel will be vertical, breech open. Wipe off the muzzle with a bit of waste carefully with the blinder pin in line of sights; push it down gently; keep the muzzle pins clean and occasionally smear them with a bit of bullet grease. Place a bullet on the muzzle with the left hand, with the starter in the right hand, plunger down, place cup of plunger on point of bullet and slide the starter down onto the false muzzle ; hold the starter down tight onto the false muzzle with the left hand and drive the bullet in the length of the starter plunger with ONE BELOW with the ball of the right hand. Strike in line of plunger and do not strike with the palm as it will hurt and make your hand sore. Do not strike several blows as the bullet upsets each time and goes with difficulty. Get the knack of the exact strength required and strike but once. Pull up the plunger with the right hand while still holding the body down with the left so the plunger will not rub in the rifling and wear it. When the plunger is way up hold it there with your thumb and remove the starter from the muzzle, still holding the false muzzle to the barrel; with the knob. Take your ramrod and hold it short with both hands and push hard and straight to start the bullet part way down. Don't drive it—push, then shift your grip to the knob and push it gently clear down to the knob.
Now—LISTEN—Leave your gun in the rack this way, muzzle tied to the rack, muzzle on barrel, rod way down, till you are ready to shoot. The fact that it is so shows you have seated a bullet to place and no injury can come to the barrel. Load shell and then remove the rod slowly to prevent suction; go to the firing point and look into the breech to see the bullet before you insert the shell to shoot.
Cautions
Always see that the rod is in the barrel as described before you shoot. That is a sure preventive of having a bullet seated and another started or of having the bullet only part way down.
If your shell should apparently miss fire, look into the barrel. If the bullet is still in it, go back to the stand and put on your muzzle and put your rod down to place. Sometimes one puts on a primer only which drives the bullet up the barrel and if the bullet was not returned to place the next shot would bulge the barrel.
Don't lose your false muzzle, it cannot be duplicated.
Don't carry the false muzzle on your gun. If it should fall it is liable to injure both it and the barrel. Carry the ramrod in the barrel, then if it falls the wooden knob makes a cushion that prevents injury to the end of the barrel.
One way of injuring a barrel is to shoot a bullet part way down. This usually makes a powder ring. To shoot a bullet from the breech against one only started down ruins the barrel except for rebore to a larger size. Exploding a primer only and driving the bullet part way out to be ringed by the next powder charge, unless pushed back into place. Leaving the rod in place as above prevents all but the last of these.
NEVER insert the loaded shell till at the firing point.
Loads 2 ½ Peters primer, 5 grains weight FFG Semi Smokeless, 19 or 20 grains weight, of Du Pont's Schuetzen smokeless. This leaves the shell nearly full—postal card wad—bullet 1 part tin to 27 parts lead. This is a very accurate load with light recoil. I use it.
Another—Either 2 ½ Peters or No. 8 U.M.C. primer, 3 grains weight of Schuetzen Smokeless or Du Pont's No. 1 Smokeless rifle ; shell nearly filled with FG or FFG Semi Smokeless. Bullet 1 tin to 30 lead—postal card wad.
When through shooting, load a bullet as usual, but push it clear through with the cleaning rod. Wipe thoroughly and dry and grease with Pope's "Leadoff" which is a splendid rust preventer and also a very quick lead remover.
Sporting Rifles and Rifle Shooting - John Caswell, 1920 pages 231-234
https://books.google.com/books?id=E...wAFoQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=Pope Muzzle&f=false
Tie your false muzzle to the loading rack. This prevents your shooting it off and also prevents the gun from falling, as it is to be kept on the gun until ready to shoot.
Seat your bullet as soon as possible after firing so the powder dirt will not have time to harden and make it load hard. To seat the bullet stand the gun in the rack so the barrel will be vertical, breech open. Wipe off the muzzle with a bit of waste carefully with the blinder pin in line of sights; push it down gently; keep the muzzle pins clean and occasionally smear them with a bit of bullet grease. Place a bullet on the muzzle with the left hand, with the starter in the right hand, plunger down, place cup of plunger on point of bullet and slide the starter down onto the false muzzle ; hold the starter down tight onto the false muzzle with the left hand and drive the bullet in the length of the starter plunger with ONE BELOW with the ball of the right hand. Strike in line of plunger and do not strike with the palm as it will hurt and make your hand sore. Do not strike several blows as the bullet upsets each time and goes with difficulty. Get the knack of the exact strength required and strike but once. Pull up the plunger with the right hand while still holding the body down with the left so the plunger will not rub in the rifling and wear it. When the plunger is way up hold it there with your thumb and remove the starter from the muzzle, still holding the false muzzle to the barrel; with the knob. Take your ramrod and hold it short with both hands and push hard and straight to start the bullet part way down. Don't drive it—push, then shift your grip to the knob and push it gently clear down to the knob.
Now—LISTEN—Leave your gun in the rack this way, muzzle tied to the rack, muzzle on barrel, rod way down, till you are ready to shoot. The fact that it is so shows you have seated a bullet to place and no injury can come to the barrel. Load shell and then remove the rod slowly to prevent suction; go to the firing point and look into the breech to see the bullet before you insert the shell to shoot.
Cautions
Always see that the rod is in the barrel as described before you shoot. That is a sure preventive of having a bullet seated and another started or of having the bullet only part way down.
If your shell should apparently miss fire, look into the barrel. If the bullet is still in it, go back to the stand and put on your muzzle and put your rod down to place. Sometimes one puts on a primer only which drives the bullet up the barrel and if the bullet was not returned to place the next shot would bulge the barrel.
Don't lose your false muzzle, it cannot be duplicated.
Don't carry the false muzzle on your gun. If it should fall it is liable to injure both it and the barrel. Carry the ramrod in the barrel, then if it falls the wooden knob makes a cushion that prevents injury to the end of the barrel.
One way of injuring a barrel is to shoot a bullet part way down. This usually makes a powder ring. To shoot a bullet from the breech against one only started down ruins the barrel except for rebore to a larger size. Exploding a primer only and driving the bullet part way out to be ringed by the next powder charge, unless pushed back into place. Leaving the rod in place as above prevents all but the last of these.
NEVER insert the loaded shell till at the firing point.
Loads 2 ½ Peters primer, 5 grains weight FFG Semi Smokeless, 19 or 20 grains weight, of Du Pont's Schuetzen smokeless. This leaves the shell nearly full—postal card wad—bullet 1 part tin to 27 parts lead. This is a very accurate load with light recoil. I use it.
Another—Either 2 ½ Peters or No. 8 U.M.C. primer, 3 grains weight of Schuetzen Smokeless or Du Pont's No. 1 Smokeless rifle ; shell nearly filled with FG or FFG Semi Smokeless. Bullet 1 tin to 30 lead—postal card wad.
When through shooting, load a bullet as usual, but push it clear through with the cleaning rod. Wipe thoroughly and dry and grease with Pope's "Leadoff" which is a splendid rust preventer and also a very quick lead remover.