Had my first cook-off this weekend.

[Maillemaker]

I was shooting team musket.

I had decided this skirmish to put a bunch of patches in a metal cap tin and soak them with Ballistol and water, so that I had ready-patches for cleaning to speed the cleaning process. Normally I lay a patch on the bench and give it a couple of squirts with a spray bottle.

The patches end up quite saturated so more cleaner than usual went down the barrel.

When I snapped caps, I made sure to snap 4 caps to be sure the fire channel was clear.

Still, on my first shot, it was a very subdued "woosh", and my bullet went very low, and burning debris / smoke trails poured out onto the grass in front of us. I poured in powder for a second shot, and as I was dumping my plastic tube into my belt cup POOF it cooked off in the barrel. As usual I set the butt of the gun on my boot and I could feel the recoil in my foot. The report was much sharper than I expected (I have heard cookoffs on the line in smoothbores before and it is much more of a woosh than a crack.

I suspect that my cleaning solution was still in the barrel and fouled the charge from the first shot, and there was smoldering charge still in the breech when I dumped the second charge in. Since my hands were nowhere near the muzzle I was completely unharmed by the cookoff but I was definitely rattled for the next few shots! :) Definitely makes you nervous when ramming bullets home.

So, 4 years in and that's the story of my first cook-off.

Steve

[Mike McDaniel]

Since my hands were nowhere near the muzzle I was completely unharmed by the cookoff....
Good! Cookoffs happen. Safe procedures are our defense.

[Eggman]

I was definitely rattled for the next few shots!

How can we tell the difference between rattled and not rattled?

[Maillemaker]

How can we tell the difference between rattled and not rattled?

When the guy beside me takes down his row of pigeons before me like Mike did, I'm rattled. At least, that's what I'll say. :)

Steve

[John Holland]

This is an example of a very rarely seen slow "cook-off", aka "preemie". Most loading procedure premature ignitions are much faster, and usually happen as the powder is still being dumped/poured into the bore. That is why it is of the utmost importance to follow the rules governing the loading procedure by never having any part of your hand over the muzzle as you are dumping the charge into the barrel.

At a skirmish a few years ago I happened to be the Safety Officer for one of the musket team events. During the event I politely cautioned an individual about cupping his hand over the muzzle as he poured the powder. His response was hostile at best, telling me in no uncertain terms that he wasn't putting his hand over the muzzle. It was only 2 shots later that he had the worst preemie I have ever seen in 50+ years of skirmishing. I went over to him immediately to see how he was. When he saw me, he just put his head down and turned away. Because his hand was cupped over the muzzle, the palm of his hand caught the entire blast. The plastic tube was melted down to 1/2 its size, and the palm of his hand looked like raw meat, with the yet unburned powder grains resembling a liberal dose of black pepper all through it.

[P.Altland]

His response was hostile at best, telling me in no uncertain terms that he wasn't putting his hand over the muzzle.

Nothing says "I was wrong" like a black powder tattoo.


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[Maillemaker]

Oh, and I know the subject of Crisco and cook-offs comes up quite a bit - I was using SPG lube and a Moose Wilkinson bullet. I don't think either of those things had anything to do with it, though. I suspect a damp barrel fouled the first charge causing it to only partially go off and leave smoldering stuff in the breech.

Steve