When I pop a cap to clear the passage i leave a dry, flannel patch on the rod a coupla inches up the barrel. The crud you blow loose is then captured by the soft patch and pulled out instead of just being blown down the barrel only to be pushed back down with the next swab/load. Every little bit helps.
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What did I do wrong with GPR
- Thread starter Sheppsan
- Start date
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Only pop a cleaner to start. I haven’t had serious ignition problems with my .54 caplock GPR.Two caps for every shot ?
When I shoot my percussion rifles and most of them have a chambered or "patent" breech, I start with popping a cap with the muzzle pointing at a blade of grass or something similar that will move, to verify the flash channel, chamber and barrel are clear. Since I wipe with a damp, not wet, patch between shots, I know that I am pushing a bit fouling down the barrel into the chambered breech. About every 5 shots, I use a damp patch similar to the procedure @Billy Boy used to capture that fouling after firing a cap.
As an alternative at the range, you could forego the between shot wiping by dampening your dry patch. The damp patch will push the fouling on top of the powder charge and get blown out when shot. You will be firing quickly enough that the damp patch will not harm the powder charge and you will be wiping fouling from the barrel with each loading.
As an alternative at the range, you could forego the between shot wiping by dampening your dry patch. The damp patch will push the fouling on top of the powder charge and get blown out when shot. You will be firing quickly enough that the damp patch will not harm the powder charge and you will be wiping fouling from the barrel with each loading.
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The fouling was likely caused by your wet swabbing patches.
Wet isn't an issue if you use MAP or alcohol, perhaps the issue is his "moose milk" which I suspect might contain some oil.
oil + powder = gunk
Did someone mention swabbing between shots 
Did someone mention swabbing between shots
I thought I did, I do all the time. A lot of guys run into trouble swabbing because they wait 3,4,5,6,shots before swabbing. then they push all that gunk down the barrel into the breech trying to swab. Then the best fix is a flush clean or pour and dump.
Fouling accumulates and a patch can only remove one shot's worth of fouling.
I used to use a .22 caliber brush and mop to clean out the patent breach on my GPR when I had it
Morgan Gray
32 Cal
I think the cutaway picture posted by 'smo' says it all. I originally tried percussion arms, and left them in disgust due to this issue. If you do not figure a routine way to keep that tortuous channel free of fouling, the gun will evntually stop firing. For me, the answer was to switch to flintlocks exclusively. The vent goes right to the main charge. No issues that cannot be solved with a vent pick. Not trying to convert anyone to flintlock arms, but they are much less aggravation, IMHO.
During my years of shooting percussion guns, I only owned guns that had patent breechs.
The main issue I had with misfires wasn't with the breech becoming fouled.... It was usually unwanted contamination from the spent cap stuck in the nipple or a bad cap.
Caps tend to get stuck in the hammer cup as well which can cause a misfire as well.
I never used a wet type lube however which I feel is the main culprit for fouling the breech area on such guns....
I shot spit patches at the range and lightly oiled Olive Oil patches for hunting.
When swabbing the bore was required I used denatured alcohol.
Humidity plays a big part in the amount of fouling in the breech as well, But alcohol will cure that problem for you.
I always kept a few pipe cleaners and a nipple pick in my bag just in case.
The main issue I had with misfires wasn't with the breech becoming fouled.... It was usually unwanted contamination from the spent cap stuck in the nipple or a bad cap.
Caps tend to get stuck in the hammer cup as well which can cause a misfire as well.
I never used a wet type lube however which I feel is the main culprit for fouling the breech area on such guns....
I shot spit patches at the range and lightly oiled Olive Oil patches for hunting.
When swabbing the bore was required I used denatured alcohol.
Humidity plays a big part in the amount of fouling in the breech as well, But alcohol will cure that problem for you.
I always kept a few pipe cleaners and a nipple pick in my bag just in case.
I grew up in New Mexico air pretty dry even though we had almost daily thunderstorm some where you could see maybe once a week it would hit you.
I was told when I bought my first ml you had to wipe every few shots or it would get too tight to load.
I could go a bunch of shots. Maybe twenty or more. Lived a bit in Wyoming same thing. Was in California in the navy, when I could get to a range same thing.
Moved to the ozarks not so much.
In the west you find water in creeks and lakes. Here just flick a warm towel through the air and squeeze a glass out.
This is where I learned to wipe often.
Paten breeches were invented about 1790. And used on many guns. I Think they are a lot more susceptible to problems, but they been popular a long time and work well for a lot of folks.
I was told when I bought my first ml you had to wipe every few shots or it would get too tight to load.
I could go a bunch of shots. Maybe twenty or more. Lived a bit in Wyoming same thing. Was in California in the navy, when I could get to a range same thing.
Moved to the ozarks not so much.
In the west you find water in creeks and lakes. Here just flick a warm towel through the air and squeeze a glass out.
This is where I learned to wipe often.
Paten breeches were invented about 1790. And used on many guns. I Think they are a lot more susceptible to problems, but they been popular a long time and work well for a lot of folks.
Flinty Scot
40 Cal
If you can find a bristle brush which fits into the patent breech pocket, wrapping a cleaning patch around it - or the next smaller brush, if that's too tight- could be one way to clean the pocket and still retain the patch on the rod.
Enfield1
40 Cal.
Forgive me if this has already been said, but be aware that your percussion GPR has a clean out screw on the side of the lock, just under the nipple. It takes a small allen wrench to remove it. I keep one in a small elk skin pouch along with some other tools in my shooting bag. I think that thIs gives you a straight path to where the charge will rest. When I do a THOROUGH cleaning, I use a damp pipe cleaner in this opening. I can honestly say that I have never had any ignition problems with any brand of #11 cap. Like the others have said, if you have to swab while shooting, pop a cap or two to dry out the fire channel, load up and keep shooting.
Newtire
32 Cal.
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Thanks for that great picture of the patent breech. Almost seems like a water clean/flush may be in order to get all the crud out?
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The brush might not get it all. I bought a flat scraper and ground it to fit the cup in the breach. That gets most of the fouling out. On my GPP, .54 when I had the breech off for fitting I noticed a lot of residual fouling was left behind after cleaning. I also found that less that 22 grains of powder in the breech it was not possible to get the patched round ball down on the powder. The ball hit the front of the breech face.
Most if not all factory made guns with patent breeches their barrels are held in place with wedges making the barrel easy to remove.
Therefore cleaning one shouldn't be an issue, remove the barrel and put the breech in a bucket of your favorite cleaning solution let it soak a little then pump the solution through the bore and breech.
Some people use soap & water, I prefered windshield washer fluid, use whatever works best for you.
Keeping wet fouling out on the range is another issue, usually caused by swabbing with a wet patch.
Alcohol is your Friend.
Therefore cleaning one shouldn't be an issue, remove the barrel and put the breech in a bucket of your favorite cleaning solution let it soak a little then pump the solution through the bore and breech.
Some people use soap & water, I prefered windshield washer fluid, use whatever works best for you.
Keeping wet fouling out on the range is another issue, usually caused by swabbing with a wet patch.
Alcohol is your Friend.
My TC Renegade has a patent breech and I used to struggle with fail-to-fire's (FTF) quite often when swabbing between shots. When swabbing I was pushing fouling down into the patent breech. A cap simply couldn't burn through it after I held the benign fouling in place with some powder compressed with a PRB, I had to pull the nipple and trickle some powder in to get it to go off when it happened.
I made a post here about it and a few different people offered the below information:
There are three answers to this problem, assuming you are using a swab patch that is only damp and not wet.
1. Quit swabbing.
Pour in the next powder charge, don't have your head over the muzzle in case there's a hot ember that makes it torch off, and then load the next PRB. The fouling is scrapped down on top of the powder charge and gets shot out. (I've tried a ton of different combos and still can't get my rifle to stay within a soccer ball for accuracy at 50 yards if I don't swab, so I don't use this method).
2. Pop a cap after swabbing.
Point the muzzle at a blade of grass, leaf, or even a dry patch you threw on the ground and make sure you see it move when the cap goes off. This indicates the flame channel and patent breech are clear. Load as normal. (I've done this here and there, it works fine but I'm frugal and don't like to use two caps every shot).
3. Turn down your jag a bit.
Chuck it in a drill and spin it on a flat file, taper a bit with the front being smaller. Check fit on a fouled barrel as you go. You want your jag/patch combo to go down the barrel smoothly, but then the swab patch bunches up and pulls the fouling back out of the barrel. (My favorite method).
Since turning down my jag I have not had a FTF to date.
I made a post here about it and a few different people offered the below information:
There are three answers to this problem, assuming you are using a swab patch that is only damp and not wet.
1. Quit swabbing.
Pour in the next powder charge, don't have your head over the muzzle in case there's a hot ember that makes it torch off, and then load the next PRB. The fouling is scrapped down on top of the powder charge and gets shot out. (I've tried a ton of different combos and still can't get my rifle to stay within a soccer ball for accuracy at 50 yards if I don't swab, so I don't use this method).
2. Pop a cap after swabbing.
Point the muzzle at a blade of grass, leaf, or even a dry patch you threw on the ground and make sure you see it move when the cap goes off. This indicates the flame channel and patent breech are clear. Load as normal. (I've done this here and there, it works fine but I'm frugal and don't like to use two caps every shot).
3. Turn down your jag a bit.
Chuck it in a drill and spin it on a flat file, taper a bit with the front being smaller. Check fit on a fouled barrel as you go. You want your jag/patch combo to go down the barrel smoothly, but then the swab patch bunches up and pulls the fouling back out of the barrel. (My favorite method).
Since turning down my jag I have not had a FTF to date.
In option #3 about how much do you think you removed from the jag?
