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an odd happening this morning

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Got up early and went out to our shoot site by myself to shoot and zero my new Pedersoli .50 cal lefty. Fired about 13 or 14 shots, spit patch between each shot, and when pushing the prb down the barrel it got about half way down and wouldn't go any further. Tried several times to push it down, wouldn't go. Instead it pushed back about an inch or so. I said to myself, "What the hell is this?" Thought about it for a minute and determined that the nipple was plugged up and wouldn't allow the prb all the way down. Sometimes I have a good idea. I got the nipple pick out and sure enough the hole was plugged solid. Got it cleaned out and put the prb down the barrel like is was supposed to go.

Anyone else ever had this happen? I've not heard any mention of it. Just another oddity with shooting black powder guns.
 
Art, using regular old goef 3fg behind a prb. Nothing special. In retrospect I think that spit patching between every shot was probably pushing residue to the back of the barrel and finally built up enough to block the nipple hole. I hadn't used the nipple pick til it got blocked completely.
 
mushka said:
In retrospect I think that spit patching between every shot was probably pushing residue to the back of the barrel and finally built up enough to block the nipple hole.

I bet you're right on the money.

Try this:

Chuck your jag in a drill and spin it while applying sandpaper to reduce the diameter about .020. You'll know when it's "right" when you find a swab patch just pushes down the bore with little if any resistance.

When it bottoms out, give the rod about half a turn, then pull the rod out. You'll get plenty of resistance as you pull out the rod/patch.

What you've done is allowed the patch to go down past the fouling without disturbing it, wetting it at most. When it binds a little coming back out the patch has bunched up to bore diameter, and withdrawing it pulls all that fouling back up and out of the barrel rather than jamming it down into the breech.

Priceless for every-shot swabbers.
 
BrownBear said:
Try this:

Chuck your jag in a drill and spin it while applying sandpaper to reduce the diameter about .020. You'll know when it's "right" when you find a swab patch just pushes down the bore with little if any resistance.

When it bottoms out, give the rod about half a turn, then pull the rod out. You'll get plenty of resistance as you pull out the rod/patch.

What you've done is allowed the patch to go down past the fouling without disturbing it, wetting it at most. When it binds a little coming back out the patch has bunched up to bore diameter, and withdrawing it pulls all that fouling back up and out of the barrel rather than jamming it down into the breech.

Priceless for every-shot swabbers.
Best thing I ever did for swabbing. I took a long jag and tapered the end up to the first patch grab groove. Words like a charm. I swab immediately after the shot, fast push in, twist and slow stroke out, and can see that telltale puff of smoke coming out of the nipple, so I know it's clear.
 
i've also found that occasionally (especially w/Remington caps) a piece of the detonator paper insert will lodge inside a nipple (I shoot a lot of BP revolvers) especially if the strike isn't perfectly square.
 
I think that spit patching between every shot was probably pushing residue to the back of the barrel

Probably correct. But spit for swabbing between shots is just fine if not too much is used. I used spit for that purpose. But the patch should be made only damp, not slobbery wet.
 
When I shoot a nipple hugger I half cock and blow down the barrel, you can swab between shots instead but be sure to listen for that whoosh of air blowing out. Loading on half cock as you ram down you hear that whoosh too.
 
it pushed back about an inch or so
Your gun had a specific reason to push back, but if one rams the ball fast and does not wait for the air to expel, it can still happen. Every experienced shooter knows that a bullet not firm on the powder is an accident waiting to happen. All my bullet ram home strokes pause at the bottom to make sure it didn't walk back up.
Be safe guys
Flintlocklar :wink:
 
Smokey Plainsman said:
The old timers didn't do this. From all I've gathered they didn't swab between shots, but intead, used a smaller diameter patch/ball combination than we do today.


We have no way of knowing that. Their shooting was done under different conditions calling for different cleaning/loading techniques. If shooting at a mark for sport, I suspect swabbing between shots was done. And, yes, I believe an easier loading ball/patch combo than what we do today was probably the norm.
 
I don't believe in absolutes in human habit. I don't like to put people in boxes. My behavior at the range testing loads is different than hunting or casual shooting. I too use thinner patches.
 
I was having this exact same issue over Christmas with my newly acquired left hand Lyman Great Plains 54 cal rifle.

I blamed it at the time on using factory precut prelubed patches that turns out were lubed in a stainless steel oil.

I think the back pressure issue is more likely and will try loading with the hammer on 1/2 cock or full cock, plus will look into a nipple pick.

I figured that weird oil was causing extreme fouling and didn't even think it might a plugged nipple causing a vacuum type of issue.
 
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