Getting too many misfires

Black powder guns seem to work better with black powder but some folks unfortunately have a hard time getting any so they're stuck with the other stuff. As mentioned, use a fast evaporating solvent like acetone or 100% alcohol fuel to slosh the oil out of the nipple area. I lower the hammer on a piece of rubber to seal the nipple and pour some solvent down the barrel and pour it out to take the oil with it. An air compressor is great for blowing out the excess but a patch works too. I load the charge in the dry barrel and then run an oiled patch down and up the barrel to protect the bore.

i never…. never ever use oil on my rifles. I lube it with bear grease when I am done cleaning. Before I load it to hunt i run a dry patch or two down the barrel and listen. If I can hear it breathing as I stroke the patch in and out I know I am good to go.

After cleaning I lube with Ballistol.

So before shooting my caplock;

Patch a couple of times until dry.
Fire off a cap
Try switching to Triple 7 powder if you can get it, I have good luck with it. Didn’t like Pyrodex myself.
Or shoot real BP if you can get it.

My rifle has the patent breech, I clean it out with a .22 cal brush once in awhile during cleaning routine.

Hope this helps.

The Crisco Kid said:

Black powder guns seem to work better with black powder but some folks unfortunately have a hard time getting any so they're stuck with the other stuff. As mentioned, use a fast evaporating solvent like acetone or 100% alcohol fuel to slosh the oil out of the nipple area. I lower the hammer on a piece of rubber to seal the nipple and pour some solvent down the barrel and pour it out to take the oil with it. An air compressor is great for blowing out the excess but a patch works too. I load the charge in the dry barrel and then run an oiled patch down and up the barrel to protect the bore.

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Did I read that right, you load the charge and then oil the barrel?

I couldn’t find the right Treso nipple but I picked up a Hot Shot. Hopefully that helps.

SDHNTR said:

I couldn’t find the right Treso nipple but I picked up a Hot Shot. Hopefully that helps.

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That should help, how bout your powder? What caliber are we talking about?

Gtrubicon said:

That should help, how bout your powder? What caliber are we talking about?

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Well I just now phoned a friend and he has some Pyro P he said I can have, so I’ll try that too.

Of course I’ll work up, but what is the burn rate of P vs RS? If I was shooting 90 gr of RS, where should I expect to end up with P?

It’s a .50 cal.

SDHNTR said:

Well I just now phoned a friend and he has some Pyro P he said I can have, so I’ll try that too.

Of course I’ll work up, but what is the burn rate of P vs RS? If I was shooting 90 gr of RS, where should I expect to end up with P?

It’s a .50 cal.

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Maybe start with 80 gr. of the P and should be close to 90 gr. of the R .

I’d start at 75 and work up if needed. How old is the pyro P and was it stored properly? In my 50 Cva mountain rifle 65 gn of pyro p is where it’s accurate, 32” barrel.

You read it right. The barrel and breach are dry when I load it then I run a lightly oiled patch in the bore. Of course there's a little lube in the bore from the patch. It's a habit I picked up when I hunted in rainy country. It worked for me anyway. Never had a misfire and the bore didn't rust.

Oil, debris free barrel & nipple,,, real black powder & reliable caps. I suggest RWS 1075 caps. If the caps are a little small, you can chuck up that nipple in a drill and spin it in some mild sand paper between thumb & trigger finger. The RWS seem to be hotter than most.
I like the acetone idea; I use denatured alcohol and it does just fine on trace lubes in the breech.

Most all of the above. But I haven't seen any mention of a fouled nipple.
I have had a tiny piece of the cap get lodged inside the nipple. I had to pull out the nipple and run a thin wire through it, from back to front to poke the obstruction out.

Sam squanch said:

Dump the pyrodex. Or get enough real black to use as a priming charge before adding the pyrodex.

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SDHNTR said:

For the second time in a week my Lyman GPR popped the cap but failed to ignite the charge while lined up on a pig. What can I do to get more reliable ignition? Different nipple or cap? I typically leave the charged rifle out in the truck overnight so as not to induce condensation coming out of a warm camper in the morning. Recommendations welcome. Here is my set up:
PRB
90 gr Pyrodex
CCI #11 cap
Stock nipple

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Don’t leave it loaded overnight and use real black powder. Get rid of the pyrodex.

I would just say the first best step is a new nipple. The brake cleaner thing is good too. New nipples tend to solve alot. I use Pyrodex on occasion, NEVER huntng. No black? go Triple 7 3f. Way better ignition etc.

SDHNTR said:

Ok. Do you use musket caps with them too or just standard #11?

Anyone know the thread pitch for a Lyman GPR nipple?

I will also try the acetone.

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I believe that the nipples for a Lyman are 6X.75mm but you can look at Track of the Wolf and others for that information. I always keep a spare for each of my percussion rifles.

I saw a lost shot on an antelope when the hunter had snapped two caps before loading.

Snapping caps before loading seems like a tacit admission that the ignition channel is not clear. I'm very careful of how much oil or preservative I use after cleaning the gun. If I'm going to the range I start out by just loading and shooting. Have never had a failure to fire. If it's a hunt I clear the barrel with denatured alcohol or carb cleaner. Add the cleaner and run a patch rapidly in and out to blow the cleaning agent out. I usually do that the night before but letting it sit for an hour seems to be enough to dry it up.

While pyrodex has a reputation for failure to ignite, I've used it in a pinch without misfires even in TCs which have a notoriously complicated ignition channel.

It's all about managing the gun cleaning and loading regimen.

I do not know the configuration of Lyman breeches but just Saturday I had an issue with a T/C. There is a recess at the bottom of the barrel that will allow carbon to build up. I hit it with a reamer specifically designed after dumping out some crystalized crud I was good to go for the rest of the match. I'd definitely pop some caps before loading and run a pick before a hunt.

SDHNTR said:

For the second time in a week my Lyman GPR popped the cap but failed to ignite the charge while lined up on a pig. What can I do to get more reliable ignition? Different nipple or cap? I typically leave the charged rifle out in the truck overnight so as not to induce condensation coming out of a warm camper in the morning. Recommendations welcome. Here is my set up:
PRB
90 gr Pyrodex
CCI #11 cap
Stock nipple

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Lots of good reply’s for you however there are a couple of things I would suggest implementing along with an oil free barrel. Pull the set screw swim the side and pass a 1/8” diameter drill thru the pass way to ensure that it’s free of carbon buildup and that there’s no burr on the inside impeding the flame path. Shine a light thru the hole and look down the barrel to ensure that you have a clear path thru the patent breech. Lubricate the set screw lightly with grease and reassemble it in the barrel. If there’s any way for you to find some 4F black powder put about 1 or 2 grains down the bottom of the nipple hole just before going hunting and screw the nipple back in. Guaranteed to fire just about any type of synthetic powder and a pound of 4F will last you for the rest of your hunting career at 7000 grains to the pound. I consider my GPR to be the most reliable of all my old fashioned muzzleloaders ( inlines excluded ).
Smoke

I had so much trouble sparking off pyrodex the only thing that worked was I got dynamite blasting caps off my friend works for a blaster on highways and now I have no problems with ignition

I take pipe cleans and run the end of one down the channel to ensure the channel is clear and free of any oil or debris, especially if I have had a misfire. (I rarely do have a misfire, but it does sometimes happen to the best of us.)