Smokeless Muzzle Loader?

[spitfire_er]

This one was built with the Hankins ignition system. The plug shoulders on the rear. In his instructions he says to tap them and the threads can run long. I reamed my hole to about .200" past where I thought it would end up and ran a spiral bottom tap in to just about the bottom of the hole. You set your headspace with the plug and a module so the shoulder on the rear of the plug sets that. You just turn down the barrel till the plug and module headspace correctly.

I have a 3 phase Harrison M300 and I could tell it was working to push that tap in. That $70 tap cut like butter though and made quick work of it. Perfect threads.

These are class 3 threads, so after firing it several times you don't see much gas travel much past the first couple threads. A little HP grease will seal it more, but not sure its needed.

 

[muleystalker]

I talked to Jeff Hankins several days ago about this, he guided me in the right direction for machining the barrel. I've built a lot of custom rifles, but this will be my first SML. A small learning curve, but I'll be able to turn out a really nice rifle.

Jeff Hankin's HIS ignition system is the Best!

 

[xr650rRider]

Jeff Hankin's video on seal on front vs seal on rear.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Jeff Hankin's video on seal on front vs seal on rear.

I agree with everything he said in that video, even the part about the barrel stretching under pressure. But that should be quantified. That stretch is so tiny that particulates that get by due to expansion would also be so tiny that it would be inconsequential with minimal maintenance. Literally, we may be talking millionths of an inch and tenths at most, but it should be calculable. Everything he said about the threads sealing or not is spot on, of course. Even if the plug only truly seals up at the rear, having a near seal or very minimal clearance at the front end of the plug will meter and keep a lot of crud out of the threads. Stuck breech plugs are common in std mz's due to this and lack of maintenance, and of course the corrosive nature of black powder and their substitutes.

 

[WSnyder]

Stuck breech plugs are common in std mz's due to this and lack of maintenance, and of course the corrosive nature of black powder and their substitutes.

For sure. Remington UML instructions state you do not have to remove the breech plug for regular cleaning. I say they are wrong there. They seat at the front and they most certainly build up thick crud between that seal and the gap to the threads and down on into the threads and get stuck often.

 

[xr650rRider]

Thompson Center Encore muzzleloader breech plugs (seat at front) leak too. Takes healthy dose of anti-sieze to mitigate it.

If you have a seal, either end, then you don't have flow. No flow, no excess crud buildup.
Seat and seal are not same thing.

 

[Rustystud]

I built a Smokeless Muzzle loader using Richard Franklins methodology. It shot flawlessly. I personally shot it over 200 times. Half MOA rifle out to 600 yards. I replaced the breech plug after 250 rounds as a precausion. The gun owner however decided to double load the rifle and it blew up. Luckily he was not hurt. I asked him if he double loaded it. He denied it. I spent big dollars with two independent engineering firms. Their reports on engineering, metalurlgy, we very comprehensive. Both firms stated without a doubt the rifle was double loaded. You can't control what someone puts down their muzzle loader rifle barrel. My customer asked me to build him another Smokeless Muzzle loader. I refused. My son shoots a comercial muzzle loader and it does everything one needs with Blackhorn 209 powder. His muzzle loader shoots 2200 fps. The modern muzzle loader (smokeless) that I built shot a 275 gr bullet at 3,200 fps and a 327grain bullet at 2895 fps. I don't think the deer, elk, bears know the difference.

 

[xr650rRider]

Gun didn't survive a double charge.

 

[FireMedic]

Smokeless muzzleloaders are a lawsuit waiting to happen. When somebody gets killed, they will be coming after the gun builder.

 

[spitfire_er]

A piece of colored electrical tape or even painters tape on the rod will prevent a double charge. Simple.

 

[ppc]

A piece of colored electrical tape or even painters tape on the rod will prevent a double charge. Simple.

I've been shooting muzzleloaders for 40 years. The first thing you learn is to ring your ram rod. You can look at it after you seat the bullet an see if you have it loaded correctly.
Happy shooting!

 

[xr650rRider]

I would imagine Hankins ramrod was marked as he makes it. It still blew up. He’s convinced it was a double charge. Someone else was shooting his personal rifle.