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I've got a 54 New Englander and had the same problem. Oil had gotten into the patent breach. Alcohol and a 3/8 brush( approximately) in the breach and removing the nipple and scrubbing with pipe cleaner finally got it out. So don't over oil and clean that breach!🤔
 
I've always swabbed with the rifle flat on the bench, lock up. I use a quality bore brush with water or T/C 13 solvent and run the brush a few times. Then a damp patch, followed by dry patches. I've never had a problem.
 
I’ve found that most misfires result from a dirty chamber from PRIOR storage, oiling and cleaning. I’m ocd before I fire that first shot. I pull the nipple and blast everything with either rubbing alcohol or brake/carb cleaner. Hold the rifle so it runs out of the nipple without getting on the stock. Dry everything out as well as possible. Give everything time to evaporate and put the nipple back in. Make sure the cap seats fully down on the nipple. Nipples all vary in size. If the nipple is too fat chuck it in a drill and use sandpaper to thin it down a little at a time until the caps seat fully. Use real BP and you should never have an issue unless your swabbing pushes gunk back down into the breach.
 
I’ve found that most misfires result from a dirty chamber from PRIOR storage, oiling and cleaning. I’m ocd before I fire that first shot. I pull the nipple and blast everything with either rubbing alcohol or brake/carb cleaner. Hold the rifle so it runs out of the nipple without getting on the stock. Dry everything out as well as possible. Give everything time to evaporate and put the nipple back in. Make sure the cap seats fully down on the nipple. Nipples all vary in size. If the nipple is too fat chuck it in a drill and use sandpaper to thin it down a little at a time until the caps seat fully. Use real BP and you should never have an issue unless your swabbing pushes gunk back down into the breach.
I concur.
 
I’m planning on hunting with it next weekend, so I’ll probably put 3-4 caps through it, making sure there’s plenty of air displacement before I load it. Hopefully that will suffice.
I'm going to join in with all the others that recommend a thorough cleaning with rubbing alcohol in the breech followed by a sub caliber jag or small (22 caliber) brush with an alcohol-soaked wipe to clean the breech. Follow that with an alcohol dampened pipe cleaner from the nipple seat into the chambered breech. This cleaning will only take a few minutes. The firing of the caps may open up a clogged breech to some extent, but if you are going hunting, you will increase your shot reliability by a thorough cleaning of the chambered breech and the flash channel. When you have confidence that your rifle will fire when you need it to fire, you can expect to have greater hunting success.
 
If I swab I pour enough soapy water down the barrel till it runs out the nipple then quickly run a snug patch down to put pressure on it so it shoots out the nipple. Then snug dry patch to pump air through it till dry.
Rarely swab. Mine likes a .010 patch and about every 3-5 shots I'll use a .015 to help push the crud on top of the powder. I also use a wax/veggie oil lube and I believe the wax helps to soften the crud and easier to clean.
I've been able to fire 20/25 accurate shots without any dedicated swabbing routine.
 
You might need to check the diameter of your cleaning rod. If your rod patch combo is too tight you end up pushing the fouling down rather than pulling it out.
 
You might need to check the diameter of your cleaning rod. If your rod patch combo is too tight you end up pushing the fouling down rather than pulling it out.
This is not something I've considered before. But it does make sense. Learn something new every day. Though a fine line between too tight, too loose, and the patch falling of the jag.
 
This is not something I've considered before. But it does make sense. Learn something new every day. Though a fine line between too tight, too loose, and the patch falling of the jag.
If you think patch is to thin use a slightly larger one. The extra cloth will bunch around the jag on the pull
 
I swab every shot and have had this problem with my TC too. The patch and jag combo is too thick, so it is pushing fouling down into the patent breech and blocking the flame channel.

Most just pop a cap after swabbing, while pointing the barrel at a leaf or dry patch they've put on the ground. Patch or leaf should move, indicating the flame channel is clear.

Another method was mentioned above, pour in powder charge and seat a wad or similar on it, then swab.

My favorite is to get the jag and cleaning patch fit correct. I read about it on here. Chuck jag into a cordless drill and turn it down by holding it on a flat file. You want the jag/patch combo to go down the bore smoothly, but then the patch bunches when you reverse directions and it pulls the fouling out of the barrel. Works like a charm, I do not even pop a cap after swabbing anymore, I don't need to. I don't have fail-to-fire's anymore and so far I haven't lost a patch of the jag either.
I did buy another .54 cal jag to leave "normal" sized, so I get a tighter fit when doing a full cleaning.

I use a 2" size cleaning swab, my .54 jag had to be turned down until it was about the size of a .52 cal jag. I believe you could just buy a .52 cal jag solely for swabbing and it would work just fine.
 

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