Primers

[gesthuntn]

Are the #11 primers corrosive? I was thinking about firing a couple before loading my rifle to burn any oil out of the fire channel. I know not to fire a fouling shot but didn't know about the primers.

 

[Carbon 6]

They are non-corrosive, but if they burn away the oil, you lose your antirust protection.

I hate to waste good caps, I just swab the bore with alcohol and flush a little out the nipple before loading.

 

[hanshi]

What Carbon 6 said!

 

[Kansas Jake]

If you run across and use some of the old primers, they may be corrosive. I still have a stash of old CVAs from the late 70s in plastic "tins" and I think they are if I remember correctly. Gesthuntn, it is a good question though. I usually fire a cap before loading a rifle and may leave it loaded for a week or two. I've not notice issues with new caps. Carbon6 and hanshi have the best answer.

 

[mooman76]

Am I missing something? I here this question quite a bit. The powder you shoot is corrosive so what does it matter? Noncorrosive would of coarse be desirable but when all is said and done, you still end up having to clean the entire gun when you are finished.

 

[bisleyjohn]

I always 'cap off' before shooting. I don't want any oil in the nipple to hold back ignition. As moonman says, no more corrosive - if at all -than your powder and the hot flame it produces.

 

[Carbon 6]

If you run across and use some of the old primers, they may be corrosive. I still have a stash of old CVAs from the late 70s in plastic "tins" and I think they are if I remember correctly.

You are correct, the old CVA caps sure seemed like they were corrosive, I still have some left, as caps go, they sucked all the way round.

 

[Carbon 6]

Am I missing something? I here this question quite a bit. The powder you shoot is corrosive so what does it matter? Noncorrosive would of coarse be desirable but when all is said and done, you still end up having to clean the entire gun when you are finished.

It stems from a lack of understanding and familiarity with one's own weapon. The "once a year" or casual shooter is at a disadvantage in such matters.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Am I missing something? I here this question quite a bit. The powder you shoot is corrosive so what does it matter? Noncorrosive would of coarse be desirable but when all is said and done, you still end up having to clean the entire gun when you are finished.

@mooman76, you are missing something. The powder is NOT corrosive. The fouling left after the powder burns is corrosive due to the change of the compounds into salts.

 

[Carbon 6]

 

[mooman76]

@mooman76, you are missing something. The powder is NOT corrosive. The fouling left after the powder burns is corrosive due to the change of the compounds into salts.

Yes I am aware of that. But when you pop the caps you are intending to fire so either way the corrosion is there. Unless you just got a hankering to pop some caps.

 

[Howard Pippin]

I was told when I first started with a muzzleloader to always pop a cap before loading the first load. Did that for years, went to a flintlock for quite a while, then bought a new featherweight percussion and thought, why am I popping this cap? I know I took the nipple out the last time I cleaned and really cleaned the nipple channel with alcohol and air hose, and I store my rifle barrel down, so I quit. So far, I've never had a miss firer on the first shot. The club I belong to is about 10 – 12 other shooters and they all pop a cap. From what I've read on here, I do wish they would point their rifles downrange rather than at the cement floor because sometimes rifles are loaded. I'm going to casually mention this to the president of the club.
Squint

 

[Sam squanch]

The old caps were very corrosive,more than the black powder itself. How many original guns have we seen with pitting around the nipple?

 

[AZbpBurner]

I ALWAYS insist on only non-corrosive flints to use in all my rifles

 

[rafterob]

My thought on the OP's question is that maybe the intention is loading for a hunting trip ahead of time?
Certainly popping a cap prior to loading the first time at a range session is pretty common.

 

[bisleyjohn]

I was told when I first started with a muzzleloader to always pop a cap before loading the first load. Did that for years, went to a flintlock for quite a while, then bought a new featherweight percussion and thought, why am I popping this cap? I know I took the nipple out the last time I cleaned and really cleaned the nipple channel with alcohol and air hose, and I store my rifle barrel down, so I quit. So far, I've never had a miss firer on the first shot. The club I belong to is about 10 – 12 other shooters and they all pop a cap. From what I've read on here, I do wish they would point their rifles downrange rather than at the cement floor because sometimes rifles are loaded. I'm going to casually mention this to the president of the club.
Squint

Shooting the floor is a disciplinary matter where I come from.

Anyone who says ‘I didn’t know it was loaded’ is a #@ fool and I think shouldn’t have access to firearms.

 

[Mark Herman]

Popping a cap has little to do with how well you cleaned your rifle. If you oiled the barrel some oil may have migrated to the flash channel. I swab with an alcohol patch and pop 2 caps before loading. Cleans out any oil that may be there to contaminate your powder charge.

 

[toytruck]

Popping a cap has little to do with how well you cleaned your rifle. If you oiled the barrel some oil may have migrated to the flash channel. I swab with an alcohol patch and pop 2 caps before loading. Cleans out any oil that may be there to contaminate your powder charge.

I do the same and want a sharp "crack" when the cap goes off. If not then another cap will usually do it.

 

[Carbon 6]

Popping a cap has little to do with how well you cleaned your rifle. If you oiled the barrel some oil may have migrated to the flash channel. I swab with an alcohol patch and pop 2 caps before loading. Cleans out any oil that may be there to contaminate your powder charge.

It is important to clean your gun before you shoot/load. One has no idea what has crawled or fallen in there, not to mention the oil factor.
For decades I popped caps to clear everything out but would still encounter problems on occasion. Then I discovered alcohol wasn't just for drinking. I've never had a problem since.
I clean and flush the flame channel with alcohol or M.A.P. before shooting. Works great, no problems.

 

[BullRunBear]

Even if the percussion caps are corrosive, the corrosion doesn't happen that fast. Clean the gun right after the shooting session and there shouldn't be a problem.

BTW, I always pull the nipple(s) and clean them and the threads separately. I keep pipe cleaners handy to fit inside the nipples. Never a problem in decades.

Jeff