9 Important Safety Rules Of Black Powder Shooting

If shooting with black powder these are 9 important safety rules that shooters should follow (kindly supplied by Pedersoli).

1. Never shoot anything else from your gun than factory made black powder.
2. Never load your black powder gun directly from your flask.
3. Know your target. Know what's behind your target before pulling the trigger.
4. If you have a misfire, wait 30 seconds and start to remove the ball after this time passed.
5. The proper way of removing a dead charge: put the hammer in half cock, remove the cap (open the frizzen and remove the priming powder), push water on the charge from a hypo through the nipple (or touch hole). Start to pull the ball only after the powder charge is soaked.
6. Wipe or blow in your bore after each shot to kill possible sparks in the breech.
7. Hold the grip of the ramrod in your fist, don't push it down with your palm. This will save your hand if you have a spark in the breech and the charge goes off.
8. Treat your gun always as it is loaded. Never point your barrel to anybody, always turn it into a safe direction unless you see your desired target.
9. Use your common sense. Cool down before shooting. It's a time for relaxation not of rush.