Clogged nipple

[woodsnwater]

I'll do that SDSmlf, and install the new nipple and blow a couple caps through it. I'll report back next week. Thanks

 

[Britsmoothy]

Blowing caps will not stop the chemical reaction from taking place.
You did say the condition worsens as shooting commences did you not?

 

[illinois old fart]

Just for info, what is correct hole size between breach and snail, on a 50 cal. Investarms for FFF.

 

[woodsnwater]

Yes Britsmoothy it gets worse with every shot. The crud is so hard that my pick got stuck and I had to pull it out with pliers, but just soaking the nipple in hot water dissolved the blockage.

 

[.36Rooster]

You need to get some stiff pipe cleaners (tradition makes them), wet them with solvent, remove your nipple, and scrub the heck out of your flash channel. Curl them slightly if necessary to get them in the full depth. Use several, and scrub it until you are caught up on your cleaning. From hereafter, incorporate this process into your cleaning regimen every time.

You should be going 25+ shots without misfires, but if that flash channel is dirty, the existing fouling will just provide a surface for your cap fouling to adhere to and result in quick clogs. A pick here and there may be helping you, but you need to get it out of there to begin with. There is really no reason you should ever be getting misfires or having to use a pick. A pick is one of those things you have but should never need to use. Keep it in your bag and forget it's there and don't be caught without it, but you really shouldn't ever expect to need it either if you maintain your gun hygeine.

 

[RanchRoper]

Mine sits in a little cup of TC13 cleaner while I clean the rifle. Then blow it out and put it back on when done. Never any issues.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Yes Britsmoothy it gets worse with every shot. The crud is so hard that my pick got stuck and I had to pull it out with pliers, but just soaking the nipple in hot water dissolved the blockage.

Hot water is all I use to clean my muzzleloaders.

 

[woodsnwater]

I've used pipe cleaners but never after the bore butter. With the patent breech I don't think my jag is getting down to the flash channel anyway. I just dry patch it twice then load. What do y'all use to protect your bore between uses if not some kind of lube or oil? Surely I don't have to clean it twice for every use... before and after shooting.

 

[ZUG]

Sounds to me like your flash channel is a bit rough and holding cap/powder residue. Buy yourself a can of compressed air the type for blowing debris off computer keyboards and blow out your flash hole once in a while and see what happens.

 

[SDSmlf]

I've used pipe cleaners but never after the bore butter. With the patent breech I don't think my jag is getting down to the flash channel anyway. I just dry patch it twice then load. What do y'all use to protect your bore between uses if not some kind of lube or oil? Surely I don't have to clean it twice for every use... before and after shooting.

The fact that you are having issues means something is wrong. Continue to clean, lube and load the same way, and it is unlikely your results will get any better. The reason I suggested starting with a squeaky clean, oil free and dry barrel back in post #19 was to narrow down where the problem could be. If a clean, oil free and dry barrel eliminates your problem, it would mean that the problem is not with the gun, powder, cap or your cleaning process. It would point to what you are doing post cleaning for bore protection…..

There are many products used to protect the bore that do not cause problems. Some have great success with non-petroleum natural products, others swear by the dry film products like Barricade or Eezox. The important thing is not to have grease or oil residue in the breech or fire channel before you load the gun.

 

[stephenprops1]

Be sure to clean your nipple every time you clean your gun. I run pipe cleaners thru it, if possible. I also keep a sewing needle to run thru the nipple to assure it is clear and unobstructed. My needles are smaller than a paper clip.

 

[deerstalkert]

loosen up the patch you swab with, those little .32's only take a small amount of gunk to start packing up.
also try a over powder wad. i use a lubed wad in my .32 flintlock and it has really helped with the touch hole fouling.
with a patented breach you have a built in channel for crud .
try spit patching instead of bore butter for a while and see if it helps. may be something reacting with the pyrodex. i can't start to address that as i only use Black.

 

[woodsnwater]

So I took out the nipple and clean out screw last night and found a little debris back there. Come to find out, the patch over the .22 brush I have been using to clean the patented breech was not reaching the bottom of the breech, It's too tight. I had to use a well worn .22 brush by itself just to get down there. I would have never known that if it didn't have that clean out screw letting me see all the way through.
Now I know what it takes to clean it right but I'm still not sure how to protect it between uses. The back of that breech could probably be reached with a .22 jag or loop with a protectant soaked patch. I have some Ballistol on the way.

 

[smo]

I don’t think so….

I would try a different powder if possible…

pyrodex dries out hard in my experience… but I haven’t shot it since the 80’s so things could have changed..

If you plug the nipple and let the breech area soak with your favorite cleaner, You shouldn’t have any issues.. if the bore /breech is clean when you start shooting..

Please, don’t get a brush stuck in there..

 

[doubleset]

I have a Crockett .32 that I'm still refining in terms of the sights, but otherwise I've had no problems with it. Let me just reinforce some of the other suggestions and maybe embellish a bit:

1. Lose the Bore Butter. I'm not going to go into details here, and there's a lot of controversy. But in a small bore like a .32 I think it may be especially problematic. Likewise, if you're using Wonderlube patches, I'd avoid that. Again, more controversy, but these "lubricants" have a history of various problems for a lot of shooters. Others swear by them.
2. It has a patent breech. This means that the breech is a very narrow section at the bottom of the barrel that's about 1.5" long. Your cleaning rod doesn't go into it. I estimate that the patent breech section is only about .20 caliber. You think you're cleaning it? Probably not. If you want to clean it directly, see the remark above about using a .22 caliber brush. I use a nylon brush for this (I think it's .25 or .30 cal). I won't stick a brass or bronze brush down the barrel, but some people do. If you've managed to pack your patent breech with gunk, then good luck. I did that once and managed to get it out partly with a ball puller (which WILL go into it at least for a bit), and then power flushing. In general, however, I don't have to clean the breech directly because ... see 4. below ...
3. Another thing you can try is this: (a) Pull the barrel off; (b) On the left side of the breech (opposite the nipple/lock) you'll see a slotted screw -- take it out. Now you're looking into your patent breech from the left side; (c) Clean it out with a pipe cleaner and solvent. If you get a lot of gunk, keep cleaning until the pipe cleaner comes out clean; maybe try flushing there with a syringe; (d) Put the screw back in; (e) Put the barrel back in; (f) Be more careful/thorough about cleaning in the future.
4. To clean: Don't know what to tell you. I don't use anything except real black powder. Since I clean by flushing with water/soap, I don't need to clean the patent breech directly. With Pyrodex, I don't know. I've used Pyrodex in other guns, but prefer black powder. I'd expect the Pyrodex to burn cleaner and result in LESS fouling. Make sure you're cleaning your flash channel (down the nipple hole to the breech) with some appropriate solvent and a pipe cleaner. (By the way, I'm getting my pipe cleaners -- ones without bristles -- from Walmart now. Otherwise you can get bristly ones in drug stores, like Walgreen's.)
5. Clean the nipple thoroughly with water and alcohol, using a pipe cleaner. Make sure you can blow through it. By the way, your nipple hole seems way too big to me, if you're describing it accurately. Try a new nipple from Track of the Wolf. Much better than the Traditions nipple that came with it. Just the regular stainless one. It's what I'm using without any problems. I don't ever use a pick on my nipple. No reason to. I do HAVE one, but never use it. That flash hole is really small. To clean the nipple I power flush it with a syringe of alcohol and a little vinyl tube the nipple fits into; and clean from the top with alcohol and pipe cleaner.
6. Yeah, the bores on these guns are TIGHT. I had to turn down the cleaning jag for mine, and I'm thinking of doing that a bit more. I also lapped the barrel to make it a bit smoother, but I don't recommend that if you don't know what you're doing.
7. Why in the world are you using #10 caps? Well, whatever.
8. If still no luck, call Traditions and see what they say.
   ​

This problem is solvable. You just need to approach it methodically. Good luck.

 

[Okie Hog]

I personally would look at the the flash channel, there may be an obstruction that is causing things to get clogged.

^^^^^This.

1. Load the rifle with squeaky clean bore.

2. Trash the bore butter.

3. Remove the nipple and clean the bolster flash channel with a bristled pipe cleaner.

4. After loading the powder lean the rifle lock side down and whack the stock with the hand. This allows powder to enter the bolster flash channel.

 

[Grenadier1758]

All that "seasoning" or as I call it, caked on fouling is clogging your flash channel. I'll jump in with the others and urge you to forego the Bore Butter and use a different method to protect your bore.

 

[Howard Pippin]

I'm new so I have a lot to learn. I have a Traditions Crockett 32, using Pyrodex P FFF with a #10 or 11 cap. My problem is my nipple is getting clogged quick. If I wait 3 shots I have to use the #11 caps just to make it go off without hang firing, and you can't even force the pick through at that point. A standard paperclip will go through the hole when it's clean and from what I've read, that's the right diameter. Is this normal?

A few years ago when I want to start using replacement powders to save my black for my flintlock, I started measuring nipple sizes, using wire bits. Apparently for black powder, the size that came up the oftenest, was, .028. Being concerned that it wouldn't be enough fire to ignite synthetics, I experimented by boring the hole out to .030. Did have a very few misfires so I opened it up to a .031 and that seemed to solve the problem. Then I acquired a used 45 caliber percussion that might have been shot five or six times or less. Upon shooting with a fairly decent charge, the hammer would rebound to the safety position. When I then measured the hole, it was, .039. I was amazed, everything I had read said that that was way oversize, but it worked surprisingly well except for rebounding the hammer. Anyway I bought a new nipple, and after measuring the hole, I boarded out to a .031. Haven't had a chance to shoot, cold weather is the problem, but I will soon. A paperclip is what I use when outshooting, to be certain the next shot will work. But there are different sizes of paperclips, and the small ones like I use are pretty small diameter. I do have some large paperclips that probably wouldn't work. Now I'm going to take a mike and measure those paperclips.
Squint

 

[cynthialee]

I will sound off about the Bore Butter also...
It is only good for larger (.45+) rifles and only good in mild weather. If it is over 95 or under 40 then it is either too goopy or too hard.
Forget about seasoning barrels....they certainly did sell a large amount of that stuff with that spurious claim.

I have some, but I mainly use it to seal revolver chambers. Seems to do well enough for that job.

 

[Howard Pippin]

Well, I just measured a bunch of paperclips, and the one I use measures .031 and I've used it for quite a while. Measuring the other sizes I have, .0325, .036, .0465. that two nipple wrenches I have contain a cap that screws off and they have a small wire inside. One measures .0235 and the other measures .024. The thing I found that was probably most usable, was a small safety pin, and it measured .029.
Squint