Missfires on a GRP50 Caploclk

I shot a match today and got about 50% missfires. I would fire 3 to 4 caps and finally get a hangfire. I would clean the nipple and channel and would work fine for a few shots and then missfires again. I am using 50 to 70 grs. 3F black and CCI #11 caps (all I can get). I am using the factory Lyman nipple. I was about ready to look for a tomato patch. :youcrazy:

I went to a hot shot nipple and CCI Mag caps, I haven't had a slowfire or missfire since. Good Luck.

You shouldn't be getting misfires with real black unless the fire channel has an obstruction. Is this a factory new rifle? If so, did you make sure to clean all of the factory grease out of the barrel before shooting it? If not that grease can cause problems. Hot water and patches are not enough to remove that grease, you need a good solvent. I use spray break parts cleaner to get it out. A Hot Shot nipple couldn't hurt and all i use is CCI #11 MAgnum caps on caplocks.

Put some marking black, or lipstick on the top edge of the nipple and lower the hammer down onto it, to mark the face of the hammer where it touches. Then cock the hammer back and see if you are looking at a complete donut, or just an arc. If its the latter, you need to use a dremel tool with a grining bit to remove the high spot- shown by where the marking black, or lipstick is left on the hammer face- until you get a complete donut hole. Then, you do have to remember to use a cleaning patch after each shot to wipe off the nipple before putting the next cap on. If you allow crud and carbon to build up, you will get a nipple that will not allow you to seat a cap all the way down on the nipple, and the next hammer fall will simply seat the cap, but not fire it.

paul

Rebel and Paul have hit on the two most common areas to check. If the rifle is used the nipple may be mushroomed from dry fireing (without a cap on the nipple). Sometimes this happens with a new rifle also if it was a display model and numerous customers have come in and snaped the lock.
Also as Paul mentioned does the cock meet the face of the nipple square. This can be corrected by machineing as Paul suggest, but a simpler and usually less agrevating solution is to install a taller (or shorter) nipple.
Many shooters like the "Hot Shot" nipples and/or magnum caps, and either one can offer some measure of improvement. I personally like RWS caps, but Remmington makes a good reliable cap as well, and either one would be among my first choices.

Toomuch
...........
Shoot Flint

Had the same problem with my GPR, when I looked at hammer face it seemed clean and smooth but that was because carbon and soot had built up uniformly across its face. For no particular reason I scraped the inside of the hammer recess with a small screwdriver and was amazed at the amount of crud that came off. Missfires ended.

The nipple/cap combination I use is Uncle Mike's Hot Shot nipples with Dynamite Nobel caps from Germany. I use rubbing alcohol on the patch to degrease the barrel and bust a couple caps on the nipple while the alcohol swab is against the breech. I haven't had any problems with misfires in years with this combination even in the worst of weather.

I also had the same problem with CCI#11 caps . I never tried the CCI magnum caps , but I haven't heard of any problems with them , so I would guess they would work fine . I use RWS (dynamint nobel) caps or Remington when I can't find RWS caps . The RWS caps are expensive and hard to find around here , but they are the best caps I have ever used .

My wifes Traditions rifle had a real problem with miss fires. As mentioned before, I checked how the hammer was hitting the nipple and found some problem. I adjusted the lock so the hammer hit square, and it was much better. I put a Magnum Spitfire nipple on her rifle, and liked it so much that I switched my Hot Shot nipple for a Spitfire. I find that the Spitfire nipple works better for me than the Hot Shot.

Not to Hi jack the thread, but what is a spit fire nipple? Who sells them and what is the difference in design?
Thanks,
Don

Hi Cooner. The Spitfire Nipples have a coned shaped base if I am not mistaken much like the coneing done on the inside of a flint touch hole sometimes. They work great and I too use those in conjunction with the #11 CCI Magnum Primers and I have had lots of luck. I have my breach area vented though (which acts like a flint in that it cleans the breach out after each shot) which I think makes all the difference in the world when it comes to having missfires.

Got a question for you though. I will send you a PM about it if I can.

rabbit03

One of the big causes of misfires has to do with the method of loading.

If the hammer is left in the fired position or a cap is left on the nipple while ramming the ball down on the powder, the powder will not blow back thru the flash hole to the base of the nipple.
This leaves a big air gap between the powder and the nipple.

If you are not setting the hammer at half cock and making sure the nipple is clear Before ramming the ball, give it a try at your next shoot.

IMO, one of the big reasons people have such good success with some of the aftermarket nipples is a hole is often drilled thru the side of them where the cap rests. This hole in the side vents the flash channel while ramming the ball just like putting the hammer at half cock does. Either results in the powder charge being blown right up to the base of the nipple.

Zonie

Mountain State ,I think it is Cain's now in Williamburgs, W.Va is ones that came out with them,think they are in the links here. I use them, like them. One of the best. Better the Uncle Mikes hot shots. Dilly

Be this a new gun? I had occasion to debreech a factory made gun that would not fire consistently and found a wad of milling waste (steel wool) in the flash channel. Debreeching, of course, is a last resort, but I think the wad of stuff we found would have stayed in that breech for hundreds of frustrating rounds before burning out of the way, and it could have held errant sparks and been dangerous the whole time.

Check for a dryballed load, partually covering the fire channel.

That is Cain's in Williamstown, WV 304-375-4794 or 304-375-7842. I live in Parkersburg which is right down from Cain's. Bought my Hawken from them and they are really nice people to deal with.

Thanks for eveyone's replies. The rifle is about a year old and I have fired about 300 rds thru it. There is not dryballs present and the barrel is clean. The hammer coveres about 80% of the surface of the nipple. The nipple was a new replacement and was wiped clean after each shot so the cap should have seated correctly. I have 700 of the CCI caps left and will try some remingtons as soon as I can find a store that carries them. Thanks again.

I would still grind down the face of the hammer so that you get 100% contact with the primer. I believe you said that you got a misfire about one in five shots. That is about how much contact you have around the arc with the nipple. There is irony in that somewhere.

Well you have probably looked already, but ... I was having missfires after a couple of good shots, and found that I was getting perc caps once fired were jamming into the hooded recess of the hammer face, could not see them but they were there ... blocking and nulling the hammer strike, not allowing a full clean blow against new caps on the nipples, so you mite check it to see they are being cleared out of there after each shot as well. :hmm:

Davy

I haven't had any problems withh CCI stuff, but anything is possible. I was wondering if you pick your nipple. I have friend who was having this problem and he didn't really clean his nipple that well. I picked it and ran a torch tip cleaner through it for him and that problem was solved