I shot the Boulder Valley woods walk course today with my .54 caplock and I'm really glad I did. I opened a new batch of CCI #11s and half of them were really snug on the nipple. About half my shots required multiple strikes to set off the cap. I even tried changing the nipple (I keep a spare in the cap box) but it was about as bad.
On the last target I hit the cap 4 times and it didn't go off. I replaced it and that one went off.
The rifle is a Cabela's (Investarm) Hawken that was originally a .50. I took a huge doe with it three years ago but even though the shot was good and did a massive amount of damage to both lungs, there was no exit wound and the blood trail was poor. So, last year I bought a replacement barrel in .54 in the hopes that the heavier ball will be more likely to completely pass through the deer and give a better blood trail if it runs.
After I got home I chucked both nipples in my drill and filed them down to accept RWS No.1075+ caps. I want to make sure I'm using known-good caps when I go hunting later this week. It's Pennsylvania's early muzzleloader, antlerless-only season.
My loads today were a .530 home cast ball in a pillow ticking patch lubed with Mr. Flintlock, over 70 grains of 2Fg Goex black powder. My hunting load for the rifle is 80 grains of powder but I wanted to save the steel targets a little wear and tear.
Anyway, even with the cap frustrations I shot an 18/20, one better than the match last weekend in which I took first place. (I shot my Slotter rifle replica in the match, as usual.)
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