missfire

[vincent a walker]

Well my first muzzle loader deer walked away unscathed when my Hawken missfired Don't know what went wrong. Six pt broadside shoulder shot at 25 yd and all I herd was snap. No way to get another cap on because he and his girlfriend where looking right at me. Advice please. I use FFG 777 is that the problem?

 

[ohio ramrod]

Triple seven won't effect the cap going snap instead of boom! Was the cap exposed to moisture? Was the cap seated securely on the nipple?, does the hammer and nipple alighn correctly? Does the nipple have a sharp edge or is it flattened? Many reasons for snap instead of boom! :idunno:

 

[Amikee]

I bet you put the cap on the nipple quite a long before the shot and it gathered moisture. Or maybe just glhad a bad cap...?! Never happened to me with caplock. I keep caps handy during hunt, so I can put one shortly before, or just carry on half cock under arm to keep warm.

 

[AWsaddles]

I like to use black powder but I don't think triple seven was the prob. Could be several things or a combo. Was the bore dry when u loaded, could be obstruction in your drum or nipple . I usually clean my rifle with hot water then run several dry patches , then let it air dry for a couple days before I load it. When I shoot percussion I always checked the drum for moisture before I loaded to.

 

[vincent a walker]

The cap actually did fire, but the charge never lit. The caps where in the capper inside a bag for about a month. I had used one of them in the same condition just one week agoe. The nipple is used but I clean it after use so it should have been ok. I don't know if the cap was seated properly but i would guess it was.

To rocover, I removed the nipple to check it and I could see powder, ready to burn, right under it. I ran a pik thru the nipple, put some fresh caps in the capper and went back to hunting. At the end of the day I went to discharge the riffle and again it missfired. I recapped it and this time it went off.

I'm glad to hear about the powder being ok because I like the 777. I charged the riffle the night before and it stayed in the trunk overnight with a tempriture swing from 42 at night to 56 during the day.

I does look like the hammer is not centered very well on the nipple, does that matter?

 

[vincent a walker]

Yea, I have cleaned with hot water. This last time though I used alkahol and followed up with a light patch with bore butter. The rifle then sat for about 6 days before I charged it. I did not fire any caps to clear the hole before charging. Do you usually do that?

 

[trigrcreep]

I always fire 3 caps then charge especially when hunting

 

[AWsaddles]

Yes I would place a cleaning patch or a piece of paper like a post it note on the barrel and snap a cap before loading. If it moves the paper it's clear and if not then something is blocking it . You might try a different nipple or a different brand of caps . I like rws caps. Some nipples allow more spark to reach the drum. Also be careful bringing a cold gun into a warm house or vehicle , it will draw moisture. Good luck, hope it helps.

 

[vincent a walker]

Thanks. I will do that fom now on. And I will always clean with hot water.

My friends all said I should get an inline and shoot those inmentionable projectiles. I don't regret my decision. I just like the way the Hawken looks and I will overcome, but this was a hard lesson. Freezer is empty

 

[George T.]

I have always used black powder. Here is what I do. I cock the rifle and set it so that the nipple or flash hole are clear to run without getting it on the wood. I then put a long squirt of lighter fluid down the barrel. I let it run to a drip and then dry the barrel with a couple of fairly snug cleaning patches. I then give it a few minutes to evaporate. At this point on a precussion firearm I snap at least two caps. I hit the barrel with a dry patch again. On my Flinter I clean out the flash hole with a pipe cleaner and blow down the barrel. Then I hit the barrel with another dry patch. I do this right before loading. So far it has worked well unless it's foggy! Geo. T.

 

[vincent a walker]

Thanks GEO. I guess I'M paying my dues and I sure am learning. I'll never get compacent again.

Have you had missfire in the field? Misery loves company and I could use a story to help me get over it :thumbsup:

 

[AWsaddles]

Welcome aboard! I started hunting and target shooting with a percussion several years ago . I then moved to in line but after one season I felt I was missing the point so went from in line to flint lock and haven't looked back. I love the traditional look and feel of flintlocks and percussion. On my first flint lock deer about 8 years ago I had a doe come out 25 yards and give me not one but three flash in the pans, I didn't get a fourth. O well that is part of the game. I now even use my flintlocks in modern gun and have killed several nice bucks. Let me warn you though, it's addicting soon you will want another, then you'll want to build one or ten then it just gets out of hand :grin: . Stick with it and have fun :wink:

 

[vincent a walker]

Thanks ALW I think I might be hooked already. I dont know if I can go to flintlock. That flash in the pan stuff is what I was trying to avoid with the prec cap. I apreciate your view though, because it shows that hunting and the challenge and beauty of it are the real reward.

I will probably use my ML during general gun this year so my buddy can use my regular gun and I can chalk up my first ML kill. I've got two guys from work interested in hunting now so I'll be helping them get started (and posibly my niebhor as well.

 

[Rogue River]

When I load for hunting I run an alcohol patch and pop a couple caps. Then load the rifle. Then I pull the nipple and dribble a little powder in the channel and put the nipple back in and she lights up every time. I don't know if it was mentioned but I use pipe cleaners to clean the flash channel!

 

[cynthialee]

I was gonna sugest just what he did.

 

[lorren68]

I shoot a T/C Hawken caplock, and I use it for hunting in the North Georgia Mountains. I clean my rifle using hot tap water with a little dish soap. I remove the barrel from the stock and place the breech in a pan of hot tap water with a few drops of soap, I wet my patch in the water and then swap the barrel until I pull water to the muzzle, I then let it sit for a few minutes. I finish swabbing the barrel in he water, then I change over to fresh clean water with no soap and rinse the barrel using a fresh clean patch and fresh hot water. I take the barrel back to my gun room and swab with clean patches until dry, then I take the cleaning jag of my cleaning rod and install a patch worm. I take a clean dry patch and fold it up and place in the muzzle, then push it to the breech face with the rod and twist it around a few times. I then replace the worm with the cleaning jag, and oil with rem oil. I then store my muzzleloader muzzle down in my gun safe. When I am ready to shoot or hunt, I swab with a patch wet with alchohol, then dry patch. I load the rifle without poping caps or putting powder under the nipple. I have left my rifle loaded for a month with time spent in the woods, in my truck, and in my house, The rifle fires the first time the trigger is pulled.

When I first got my rifle I had trouble with the caps going off but not the main charge. I discovered that after I cap the nipple if I lower the hammer down very gently on the cap, and press on the hammer with my thumb the nipple will expand a little and fully seat on the nipple. Sinse i have been doing my cleaning method and capping method, the only time I have had a cap go off without setting off the main charge, was at the range after about 20 shots without swabbing.

 

[Bruce H]

That's a bummer!! I use 777 FFG too and the only times I have had misfires (fortunately) is on the range. The misfires happened once when I accidently bought CCI standard caps once; I always use their magnum caps. The other time is when I had some moisture in the nipple even after popping 3 caps. That hasn't happened since I started storing my rifle muzzle down.

FWIW, I ALWAYS take one shot (half load) to dirty the barrel the day before the season opens. This also ensures that there are no issues, at least at that time.

 

[Rifleman1776]

The best we can do from here is guess. From your description methinks you have a bad nipple. Swap nipples for something like a 'hot shot'. If the caps are fitting and you have powder in the drum it should fire fine.
I don't use perc much anymore but when I hunt I clean completely and make sure there is no oil present. I'll even squire carburetor cleaner into the breech area and swab with a dry patch.
Then I load. When I exit my vehicle to hunt I will prime. Prime, whether powder in a flinter or cap on a perc. will not attract moisture. That is a myth. Crud left from shooting will attract moisture that is why you must start with a clean rifle. Doing as I said, a rifle should fire reliably a century later.
How much loading, shooting practice did you do before the hunt?

 

[robinsroost]

I always snap, at least, two caps before loading. One to make sure the barrel and nipple are clear, (I point the barrel at a leaf or blade of grass, to see if it moves). The second is fired with a dry patch on the ramrod, ran to the chamber. This helps to displace any moisture of residule oil in the chamber. 777 is sometimes hard to light. Try putting about 3 grains of 4F or 3F in first, then the 777, for your hunting load. I simply load 3F in my 50 and 54 cal rifles.....Robin

 

[don hepler]

There is another thing, that I don't think was mentioned. A fired cap can hang up in the hammer, and can even have more than one stuck in the hammer recess. These stuck caps, sometimes can not be seen, and the copper will deaden the blow on the new cap. But the biggest problem that often happens, is that the cap doesn't fit the nipple properly. The cap has to be tight enough to stay on, but not so tight that is not "fully" seated against the nipple face. I have a variety of caps and nipples, so it is important to know the right combination, for realiable ignition.
Other factors have already been mentioned, and are just as important.