Misfires

[morb]

It's a little hard to tell from the pic but what you see here is a hole through the crust. It is hollow under the crust and the flash channel is open underneath it.
here's a pic of it after it's been cleaned.
I took the pics with my phone, so they're not great

 

[redbug9]

Well that is interesting. A crust forming under the nipple. I shoot 777 all the time in my Renegade. I have never seen that happen.

Are you using CCI #11 Magnum or the standard?

I use the Mags. I have had some hang fires but it's a fairly rare occasion.

 

[morb]

I use #11 magnum caps and I used 777 before I found some Goex and never had a problem like this. I thought it was because I wasn't cleaning my rifle good enough but like I said in an earlier post It's cleaner now than it has ever been thanks to all the good advice I've received here.
I guess I should switch back to 777 once I use up this Goex.

 

[ccmountainman]

If you quit using the milk or any oil based solution, on your inbetween swabbing shots,
you shouldn't be getting miss fires.
Currently I see two issues.
the swabbing and the cleanout screw.
If you are competent at doing it. drill and try a easy out. If not let a machine shop do it.
let the screw soak a couple days first.
Very carefully center punch the screw in center.
Drill a small hole, try an easy out, using a hammer to "break" the set as you twist the out.
Using the heat first. Minor heat to just the drum/ snail, will cause the cleanout hole to expand away from the screw helping loosen it.
If this fails next size bigger hole and repeat.
Drill ad tap is your last option.
If you don't get the screw out for future thorough cleaning, you will always have crud in there.
EVERY time you "swab" the barrel between shots, you risk plugging the flash channel with crud and it don't take much.
If you feel you must 'swab" use the alcohol.
But then blow through the nipple to clear the passage and give the alcohol time to evaporate before recharging.
When you reload be sure to tap the rifle sideways to get fresh powder into the channel.

One other thing could be the brand of caps. You may want to try others.
Possibly a hot shot style nipple.
CVA and Lyman do not recommend musket nipples, as they sometimes don't align right with the hammer strike. But people have used them successfully, so it may not hurt to try them.
They have a much larger and hot flash.

 

[Billnpatti]

Based solely on your description of your gun, I'm going to venture a guess as to the source of the problem. I think it is how you are cleaning your rifle after you finish shooting for the day. If you are swabbing your bore with a cleaning agent much as you would clean a modern cartridge gun, that would be your problem. Muzzleloading rifles must be cleaned with soapy water. I prefer to have my water about as hot as you would use to wash your hands. Remove the nipple and if you have a clean out screw, remove it, too. Flush your barrel with the hot soapy water and then rinse with clean water. If you have a clean out screw, clean this area with a pipe cleaner. Also clean the hole in which the nipple goes with a pipe cleaner. Wipe the bore dry with several dry patches and then spray it WD-40 to remove the last of the moisture. Then wipe the bore with several dry patches until all of the WD-40 has been wiped out. Then run a patch with something like Birchwood-Casey's Barricade through the bore to protect it from rust. Clean your nipple with an old tooth brush and make sure to clean the fire channel with a small wire. Flush with clean water and blow dry or rinse with alcohol and let dry. Put a tiny bit of grease on the threads before putting it back in your barrel. Clean the clean out screw with the tooth brush, rinse it and dry it. Put a tiny bit of grease on its threads also.

Before loading again, wipe the bore dry with a couple of dry patches to remove any oil and then snap a cap to be sure that your fire channel is clear. Once you have done this, you are ready to load. Cleanliness is absolutely essential if you want your rifle to fire the first time every time. Follow this procedure and you will have no problems.

Oh, and one other thing, if you are going to shoot substitute powders, you must use magnum caps. The regular caps are not hot enough to reliably ignite substitute powders. They will work...sort of, but you will have misfires. Switch to magnum caps if you happen to be using regular caps.