Does anyone even do this anymore?

[S.Kenton]

I still do exactly what the OP suggests. Swab out the barrel and bust a couple of caps before I load.

 

[SwampBilly]

I was thinking long guns. It depends on how you look at it as to whether it is a waste. How do you clear the nipples on your six shooters?

I start by a very light coat of storage oil after cleaning. If I think I need to, I twist up some toilet paper and swab each chamber before loading, then just confirm daylight through the nipples. I never snap caps. Goes bang every time

 

[SwampBilly]

so what?

Notice how difficult they are to obtain these last couple years? Why waste em?

 

[PNWtrekker]

Granted I am very new to the game but…. I invited some friends out to a day of shooting. I forgot to cseab my barrels out with alcohol and had clearly over-oiled the bores for storage. 3 of the 4 rifles misfired before I realized what was happening. So now, I bust a cap. Besides I’ve read somewhere that the primer fouling will help with those first round flyers. Reading some of the cleaning regimens on this post, I’m sure it becomes an unnecessary redundancy if certain protocols are met.

 

[watopeka]

Nope no more, the gun that I will use is very clean including the nipple and dried before shooting, I use to do it, but stop after that the interior of the cap plug the nipple hole a few times

 

[Reno]

I will always pop a cap before loading. And I look for a leaf or blade of grass to move. As said before, there is always the chance of oil left in the barrel or channel.
But I shoot more flint than percussion.

 

[ETipp]

Every time I clean my ML's I always snap a cap prior to pouring the powder down the barrel. Even after I use alcohol or some other solvent and my air compressor (if available). I also tap on the lock side of the butt stock every time after pouring powder down the barrel and before seating a projectile. Been doing this for many years and I do not have misfires nor hang fires. Not even now that I live in a very humid state.

 

[Capnball]

You know how they always say to put a cap on the nipple with an unloaded chamber and fire the cap off first to make sure that the ignition channel is clear?

With as precious as caps are here lately.... I take the cylinder out and as long as I can see daylight through the nipples, it's pretty much good to go unless I've got some oil in the cylinder that I need to get out of there first.

I know I'm sure not going to waste six caps every time I want to go bang

Use a torch tip cleaning wire to clear the nipples.

 

[longcruise]

I never have first shot problems.

My cleaning regimen has been the same for years.
1. Seal the nipple, fill the barrel with water and etc it sit for 15 or twenty minutes.
2. Remove the nipple and throw it into the bucket of cleaning water.
3. Pump water in and out of the barrel vigorously until water begins to blow by the patched jag and out the Muzzle. Repeat three times with a fresh patch.
4. Dry the bore with at least three fresh patches.
5. Seal the nipple hole with a finger and pour a it of alcohol down the bore (9% isopropyl or denatured). Slosh it back and forth. The alcohol absorbs the Water and it evaporates with the alcohol. Run a couple patches to blow the alcohol out. Set the barrel aside.
6. retrieve the nipple from the bucket and wipe the outside dry and clean. Put the nozzle of a wd40 can up to the nipple and spray a shot THROUGH the nipple. Then I put the threads of the nipple to my lips and blow through it to clear the wd40 (the squeamish can find some other way to blow air through).
7. Put a small sparing amount of your favorite bore preservative on a patch and run it up and down the bore a few times. NOT a sopping wet amount of oil! DON'T dump or squirt oil down the barrel!
8. Put a tiny bit of anti seize on the nipple threads and install the nipple.

Trying not to pontificate here but if something has consistently worked over the years then it's probably effective.

I have barrels that have been cleaned this way for as many as 40 years. They are in excellent condition and always fire on the first attempt.

 

[azmntman]

Hunting I go even further. I snap a cap, load a squib load of like 25 grains and a PRB and fire into a tree (well away from MY hunting area). Then I have a dirty bore to duplicate practise shots and the 25 gr load drys everything complelety and my first and only shot goes off. Then I clean in the evening and start all over. I pray xtra hard for opening day sucsess as cleaning daily in the field gets a bit tiresome. WONT BE LOSING ANOTHER BUCK TO A CAP SNAP THO

 

[BackDraft]

Notice how difficult they are to obtain these last couple years? Why waste em?

1) caps are beginning to come back in stock. 2) cap kits are available on-line, and have been for the duration of the manufactured cap shortage.

 

[Thingamajiggy]

I shoot mostly flintlock and little percussion so cap supply doesn't really affect me nearly as much as others. When I do, I'll verify gun is empty and bust 1 cap to make sure everything is clear then load and fire like normal.

 

[ppg1949]

I do it occasionally but never prior to loading for a hunt. During big game season it may be loaded for a few weeks. I clear it by sloshing some alcohol up and down then run a patch to blow alcohol through the nipple. Usually do that at least a couple hours before loading.

I don't store them with enough oil protectant to be a problem.

I start by a very light coat of storage oil after cleaning. If I think I need to, I twist up some toilet paper and swab each chamber before loading, then just confirm daylight through the nipples. I never snap caps. Goes bang every time

Thanks

 

[le125verne]

Sometimes, with a light weight oil, there will be light that passes through the oil. It's probably thin enough that the cap will fire through it. Back when caps were only about $0.02 a cap, firing 6 caps was a quick way to clear the nipples and burn out any oil in the cylinder. Now, a wipe with an alcohol or acetone dampened patch followed by a blast of compressed air through the nipple or a nipple pick made from 24 or 22 gauge wire will clear flash hole without wasting percussion caps.

I had to re-read this comment of discussion. Sorry, My Flintlock Rifle does not have a "nipple". Am I missing something here?

 

[Mad L]

How many of you folks who fire the cap do it because you have had failures to fire?

I have to raise my hand...

Normally I always pop a cap, revolver or rifle, but once I did not; I had taken several different arms for others to shoot (first timers). I did Not check the nipples/cylinders on the revolver and it had Not been fired in some time:
First couple fired fine, then Missfire, Missfire....I had to take it back from the shooter.

Was not too bad, just pricked the nipple and all the rest fired, did not have to unload but it was embarrassing.
My conclusion: I had the revolvers heavily lubed as I don't use them much, I prefer my flinters, and I Did Not pop a cap to clear them before loading.

Once all fired I just wiped, reloaded and all was fine the rest of the day.

Now it has been brought up "What about flinters?"; I just run a dry patch down, load and shoot. Never had an issues EXCEPT ONCE: I did not run a dry patch!
Solution: pricked the nip, added a little primer and shot it out. Wipped, loaded and continued shooting.

Bottom line for me: Yes, I pop a cap before the first load.
For me unfortunately I do not have an air compressor to carry out into the field, so I do it to Old School Way with my Old Skool Firearms.

But this thread makes me wonder; so many say the Remove the nipples....I thought from other posts most say "I never, ever, Never, Ever remove nipples or liners because you might bugger up the threads!" ?

(I ALWAYS remove nipples and liners for cleaning, then use grease before replacing, aline the threads Properly as taught in high school Shop Class, and Never over tighten them.....have yet to cross thread one or have one not come out)

 

[Sparkplug]

On my revolver, I just check for light before loading. On my cap locks I use 2 methods. For target shooting, I will pop a cap. I make my own, so that's not an issue. For hunting, I will swab the barrel with a dab of alcohol, then use canned air to make sure it's good and clear. Once loaded for hunting, it normally stays in the shack until it drops one. Then I move to another gun and do the same.

 

[longcruise]

But this thread makes me wonder; so many say the Remove the nipples....I thought from other posts most say "I never, ever, Never, Ever remove nipples or liners because you might bugger up the threads!" ?

Carelessness can result in boogered threads. I always start mine carefully.

My son in law has an 1851 navy that he has shot and cleaned several times without removing the nipples. They were frozen in. Not sure if he ever got them out.

Same thing will happen with a rifle eventually.

 

[Tradbow]

I store my flintlocks and one percussion guns with the barrel down. If for some reason I didn’t clean the oils out of the barrel correctly the oil would run out of the muzzle.

 

[Pratt]

Cmon one cap for an insured ignition is a small price to pay.

 

[SwampBilly]

Cmon one cap for an insured ignition is a small price to pay.

I'm thinking more about revolvers.