Flintlock Misfires

Took my Dixie Cub .40 cal to range Saturday. Had about 2 misfires where it flashed in the pan but did not ignite the main charge. I only had an hour so split the session with 1/2 hour on the flinter. The first one, I poked the touch hole, charged the pan and went again and it ignited. Second time, poked, re charged twice and no go. I then charged some powder at the touch hole then poked it in some powder into the hole, then cleared the touch hole by poking it, recharged and then it ignited.

I loaded with 50grains of goex FF
I poked into the touch hole with the nipple pick before priming
I primed with goex FFFF.
I was priming to about level with the pan but trying NOT to cover flash hole.
I swabbed between each shot.

I swabbed a couple times before taking it home.
When I got home and pulled the vent liner, I did see some crud on the inside.

My feeling is I pushed crud down when cleaning. Its a .40 bore and I used a .335 diameter jag with a beveled tip that I have JUST for cleaning.

Any suggestions for next step before taking to range again?

Stop cleaning it.
Stop using 2f.
Insert a prick prior to charging.
Sorted

I only poke to clean the TH of deposits after firing and before loading. I let the main charge come up to the TH. Always worked for me.

I would use fff powder. I don't know if it is the right thing to do, but an old timer showed me what he used in his pan charger. He took two wooden spoons and ground the powder finer than fff. I like to peck the back of the to make sure the powder settles in the breech. Just a thought.

Incorrect swabbing will cause hang or misfires.
2ff is way too big for a 40 cal in my opinion. 2ff will create more fouling, drop down to 3fff.

If your gun has a tiny lock it might not like 3fff in the pan. 4 ffff of null B might work better.

Don't forget to prick the vent each time.

I your gun has oil residue in the breech the first time you fire the gun or if your patch lube is unusually messy, your entire shooting session will be plagued with hang and misfires from the carbon build up in the breech. Alcohol or M.A.P. solution is your friend for removing it by swabbing.

Thx,
I do prick before and after charging.
I do have 3F to use.
I have already been using 4F in the pan.

The suggestions that I have for preparing to go to the range are the following:

1. After cleaning the rifle and wiping the bore with a rust inhibiting lubricant, store the gun muzzle down.
2. Before going to the range, wipe the bore with an alcohol soaked patch. The alcohol will pick up the remaining oils at the breech and evaporate before you get to the range.
3. Get some of those little dental flossing brushes and wipe out the touch hole.
4. Use just enough patch lubricant to dampen the patch around the ball or use a dry lubricant patch method.
5. When wiping between shots, use a damp cleaning patch followed by a dry patch and pick the touch hole with one of the flossing brushes.

Use a touch hole pick that is nearly the full size of the touch hole. I made one from heavy brass wire. You want the end flat, not pointed. After loading the barrel run the pick all the way into the hole, crunching through the powder until you hit the opposite side of the barrel. Then prime. If you don't feel the pick crunching the powder, you will know something is not right. When I started doing this I pretty much eliminated flash-in-the-pan.

I load with 3F, run my pick in all the way through the powder charge, prime with 4F and shoot.

When hunting, I load and prime the same, then I push a dab of 4F into the main charge with my pick (NOT leaving powder in the flash hole like a fuse but keeping the flash hole clear)

Result...………


40 cal flintlock doe

HH

Will 3f leak out of an RMC replacement liner for Lyman? I have heard of people that say their flinters prime themselves when using 3f.

Melnic:
Wiping the bore between shots with a slightly damp patch has some merit in terms of consistent barrel condition. However, if your wiping patches are too thick, they will push fouling down into the breech. You would be will advised to check out Dr5x and his accuracy system. He explains how to get the right combination of wiping and shooting patches for reliability and accuracy.

I use ONLY washed unbleached cotton muslin fabric (not permanent press) for wiping. I buy it by the yard and tear it into strips of the correct width so I can cut into little squares. The slightly damp, thin, but very absorbent muslin will slide over the fouling on the way to the breech then bunch up as you withdraw, pulling the fouling out of the bore. I dampen my wiping patches with a very dilute mixture of denatured alcohol and Murphy's Oil Soap (2 OZ each to one quart (US). If this is found to push fouling on the down stroke, reduce your jag diameter slightly. Keep the wiping patches uniformly damp and don't let them dry out on the bench. Always use the same wiping patch material with that jag and you will not have the problems you describe. Uniformity and consistency is a key to success.

Fffg should not leak out the touch hole, unless it’s been drilled out or is worn out.

I’ve never had enough powder leak out that I felt it was sufficient for priming.... even with my drilled out touch hole.

You may have too drill yours out to make the ignition more reliable .

smo said:

Fffg should not leak out the touch hole, unless it’s been drilled out or is worn out.

I’ve never had enough powder leak out that I felt it was sufficient for priming.... even with my drilled out touch hole.

You may have too drill yours out to make the ignition more reliable .

Click to expand...

I bought an RMC liner. Just havent used it yet. The factory THL looks very tiny.

When swabbing between shots I use a jag that is one-caliber smaller than the bore diameter. So for my .54 flintlock I use a spit patch that is around .012 on a .50 caliber jag. The patch comes out dirty but I don't think it is pushing fouling down very much. The patch bunches up on the jag ridges on the way out. For "put away" cleaning I start with the smaller caliber jag and end with the proper caliber jag and tight fitting patch to really get into the grooves and when final coating of rust inhibitor. This practice has eliminated pushing fouling into the patent breach (on my rifles that have one).

I will say that at the range that day, I did NOT feel like the resistance was higher while pulling the jag out. I'll have to measure the cleaning patches, but I know I was using my .336 dia jag.

Even with my small caliber flintlock rifles I never swabbed between shots. Always used 3Fg as main charge and 4Fg in the pan. Once I became comfortable w/that particular firelock and knowing its own ‘personality’ (like a woman, they are ALL different!) for reliable firing, I rarely - if ever - pick a touch hole.

If I do, I go lightly and just enough to make sure the hole is clear and that I feel powder up in (if interior coned) or against the touch hole. In my experience, some are soooooooo aggressive in ‘picking a touch hole’ that they actually push the main charge powder away from it.

I always wipe the frizzen face and flint edge before every shot.

Open the touch hole to 1/16” to start with. I’ve been shooting .40s since the early ‘80s w FFg and no problems including a .40 flint pistol.

I don’t know what type of breech plug you have but if has an anti chamber, aka patent breech, but it could be causing a longer than desirable flash channel. The flash cools quickly with distance. Or crud hasn’t been completely removed from the breech causing a plug or partial plug.

Touch hole is smaller than 1/16" right now. I dropped 10gr of cream of wheat down the barrel then unscrewed the liner.
Here are pics before and after dropping the cream of wheat. Plus the inside of the liner.
I noticed the patches I have been using to clean are so big that they extend past the jag and then the ramrod itself presses the patch up against the lands. I cut one smaller and with it dry it slips in easier and then has a noticeable drag on the way out.

Once I taught myself to swab my bore with dry patches BEFORE heading to the range/woods I notice my mis-fires went down to nil.
I think swabbing between shots is a great way to create mis-fires, not prevent them.