Plugged Fire Channel

[dankrumholtz]

Does anyone have advice for preventing plugged fire channel in .50 cal. T/C Hawken percussion rifle? Have to pull nipple frequently and prime with powder to get it to fire. Seventy grains real black 2F. Patched roundball lubed with mink oil or Dutch's formula. I swab between shots with damp nearly dry solvent patch. Patent breach is cleaned thoroughly before every outing. Very frustrating!

 

[Buckskin25]

When I clean my TC Hawken, I remove the nipple and run a pipe cleaner thru the hole. I do this several times with a twisting motion. I hope this helps.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Switch to 3fff, swab using Murphy's oil soap, alcohol, and water solution (equal parts)...And enlarge your nipple flash hole one or two number drill sizes...

Changing just one of these may solve your problem....

 

[coloradoclyde]

How "exactly" do you clean your gun? after shooting, before and between shots....?

 

[mooman76]

Are you finding it plugged between shots or just the first shot after cleaning? If you jag is too tight when you swab between shots, it could be pushing your fouling down into the channel. If that's the case turn your jag down smaller on a drill using sand paper. You want it just loose enough that it goes down easy but bunches up on the pull back so it goes over the fouling but pulls it back out.
If first shot, pop a couple caps before you load. It helps clear the channel and burn off residual oil that might be left.

 

[Okie Hog]

After the gun is cleaned and before installing the nipple; clean the fire channel using a bristled pipe cleaner.
http://smokingpipesdepot.com/acatalog/Pipe_Cleaners.html

 

[nightwolf1974]

torch tip cleaner

 

[Grenadier1758]

What I have done with my rifles with patent breeches such as a T/C or CVA Mountain Rifle is to run a jag with a damp patch down to the breech. I then fire a cap to blast the accumulated fouling into the patch. When you remove the jag, the patch will be holding quite a few flakes of fouling. Wipe with a dry patch and your flash channel should be clean.

 

[dankrumholtz]

I also clean thoroughly with pipe cleaner. It is becoming fouled after shooting.

 

[dankrumholtz]

Thanks. Think I'll try the FFF first.
The current nipple hole is already pretty large (probably couple of thousand shots on it). If that doesn't solve problem will change cleaning solution.

 

[dankrumholtz]

I clean rifle by removing nipple and drop breech into container of warm tap water with one drop of Dawn soap. I pump solution in and out ten or twelve times. Pipe cleaner in fire channel.Scrub with nylon bore brush six times. twist small caliber bore brush in patent breech several times. Flush with clean warm water. Dry. Coat inside and outside with
barricade. I also clean nipple with water solution and pipe cleaner. At range I dry patch and snap two caps. Load and shoot.

 

[dankrumholtz]

It is plugged between shots. You may have identified the problem. I wipe with a pretty tight patch jag combo. I will try a smaller jag.

 

[dankrumholtz]

Thanks to each of you who responded. I now have enough information to solve the problem. What a great bunch of Folks!

 

[coloradoclyde]

Here are some possible causes....
1. powder is creating a lot of fouling...
2. too much lube is creating too much fouling...
3. when cleaning between shots, you are pushing fouling down into the flame channel.
4. flash hole on nipple is to small and not creating enough flame to keep the channel open.
5. Patch used to clean between shots is to tight and to dry..
6. you are shooing in a high humidity environment....


If I had to make one guess.... it would be your "cleaning between shots" method. :idunno:

Eliminate the variables one at a time until it disappears, and you have your answer. :grin:

 

[Zonie]

Your, "damp nearly dry solvent patch" is knocking fouling off of the barrel wall and blowing it back into the fire channel as you ram it down the barrel to clean between shots.

If you are using a shooting patch to do this, change to a thin cleaning patch that easily slides down the bore.

Increase the wetness of the patch just slightly and then run it to the bottom of the barrel. Do NOT pump the rod up and down in the bore.

Let it sit for a moment so the fouling can soften and then pull the jagged patch back out of the bore.

I think doing this might solve your problem.

 

[fleener]

I have had this problem in a couple of rifles. To solve it I took a very small stainless steel brush made for a dremel tool, flared out the bristles, attached it to a cleaning rod. Before I used any liquids to clean the rife I would simply run it to the bottom and give it a few twist, this was small enough to get places my jag was not. Tip the rifle upside down, give the butt a whack and see what you get to come out.

Fleener

 

[jethro224]

The one thing that nobody mentioned is to make sure and half-cock the lock and remove the spent cap after shooting. Then leave the lock at half-cock while loading your next shot. This allows air to blow out of the nipple and fresh powder to be blown into the fire channel when ramming the ball down. This can make a BIG difference.

 

[doc mullins]

Along with what Jethro said and I use a nipple pick/torch tip cleaner and I've had no problems

Thanks Doc