Ruger 77/50 - Manual (Page 18)

Black powder is extremely sensitive and a
powder charge poured down the barrel after
firing a shot can readily be ignited by an
ember of partially burned powder or glowing
patch fragment in the bore. Pushing a
projectile down onto a powder charge can
“fan” an ember into igniting the powder
charge and firing the rifle.
Always wait one minute before reloading. You
should wipe the bore with a cleaning patch
soaked in solvent between shots.
If a cap fires but the powder charge does not,
the powder may be smoldering and could
ignite at any time. Wait at least one minute
before attempting to recap. Remember that
hot gasses can escape from the nipple if the
powder charge ignites when the bolt is open,
and these gasses can burn you. Keep the rifle
pointed in a safe direction at all times.
Keep your head, face, eyes and hands away
from the muzzle while reloading and always
wear eye and hearing protection. Hold the
ramrod around its sides -- never place your
hand over the end of the ramrod so that it
would injure your hand if the powder charge
goes off (propelling the ramrod out) while
reloading.
DON’T LOAD IN A HURRY
18
!
WARNING – RELOADING
WARNING: REMEMBER THAT EACH TIME A SHOT IS FIRED,
THE SAFETY SELECTOR IS IN THE “FIRE” POSITION.
WHEN YOU OPEN THE BOLT, MOVE THE SAFETY SELECTOR
TO THE “LOAD-UNLOAD” POSITION BEFORE CLOSING THE ACTION.
ONCE THE ACTION IS CLOSED, MOVE THE SAFETY FULLY BACK TO
THE “SAFE” POSITION.
!
Remember - Never lower the striker fully down onto a percussion cap or loaded
rifle! See “Handling Warning”, p 17.
7. RELOADING:
After firing, the striker will remain down. Raise the bolt handle, put the safety
in “load/unload”, and draw the bolt to the rear in a firm, smooth stroke. This
will expose the nipple so you can remove the fired cap fragments. Fragments
clinging to the nipple may be removed with the fingers, and fragments
clinging to the bolt can be dislodged by fully pulling the bolt back smartly
against the bolt stop. To fire subsequent shots, repeat all preceding steps 3 -
6, above. It is not necessary to fire a cap in between shots to clear the nipple,
but you should be sure that the nipple is clear before reloading. A thin wire or
similar tool works well for this.