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This idea is not too popular amongst some folks. But I had this same problem with a CVA or two and a Traditions in the past. I know, a little different breech design. I took the nipples out and used a drill bit just above the size of the existing hole and drilled the nipples out. Never had another problem with these guns. I think in these instances the replacement nipples I had purchased weren't properly drilled.

Edit: I was referring to drilling out the tiny hole in the bottom of the nipple, not the larger opening in the top...
 
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I never hunt with a wet patch type lube, hunting season the one or two times a year that I load with a wonder lube type patch, load the rifle, put a masking tape dot over the bore to seal it ( it rains here in the PNW) and the gun stays loaded until I harvest or the season ends and I always keep it stored in the truck or garage if I'm home for a bit, no need to heat the gun and take the chance of producing moisture in the barrel from the heat exchange, your mileage may vary.
 
SeaBee133 said:
.54 GPR yet again failed to fire. Clean and dry bore. Nylon brush through the fire channel. Popped a couple caps, paper moved.
90gr Swiss 3F, fresh CCI #11 Magnum cap (went off fine), t-shirt patch with T/C T-17 blue goo lube, .530 round ball. Tapped the stock to get powder into the channel.
Cap fired like it should. Not so much as a hang fire. Cost me a nice eating sized feral sow that was going to be given to a family that actually needs the meat.
And yet, the ROA that has been loaded and untouched for (where did the time go) 3-4 years? Went off like it had been loaded this afternoon.
Going to try again next week, have to work F/Sa/Su. Had to vent…
Click to expand...
Why are you using a Tee shirt patch???

Why Blue Goo lube???

.530 RB, .018 quality ticking, 90 grains 3F Swiss and TOTW Mink Oil lube will serve you well in a .54 GPR. The proper nipple is key.

Patching material means everything. Even with ticking, poor quality will produce poor results. Just went through this last month. Ordered some new ticking from October Country and problem solved. Same thickness. The cheap ticking weave was not holding up. Retrieved patches proved it. New ticking fired patches looks like I could reuse them and accuracy went back to very good. Also, with ticking and TOTW Mink Oil it will not make one bit of difference if the lube is heavy.
 
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jdw276 said:
Not if it does not go off.......
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It can’t go off if certain lubes has saturated into poor quality patching material causing the powder charge to not ignite. That will not happen with high quality ticking of the proper thickness and a high quality, proven lube.
 
ETipp said:
It can’t go off if certain lubes has saturated into poor quality patching material causing the powder charge to not ignite. That will not happen with high quality ticking of the proper thickness and a high quality, proven lube.
Click to expand...
90 grains is a column of powder 3" tall and compressed? Takes more lube than patch to contaminate that much powder I would think. Patch and lube go in after the powder I hear. To soak through to the point of the base of the powder column to have so much a cap will not ignite it? And the amount of time necessary to do that is 15 minutes or more after loading?

But what do I know. My ignition problems seem to always been a result of a clogged fire channel.
 
jdw276 said:
90 grains is a column of powder 3" tall and compressed? Takes more lube than patch to contaminate that much powder I would think. Patch and lube go in after the powder I hear. To soak through to the point of the base of the powder column to have so much a cap will not ignite it? And the amount of time necessary to do that is 15 minutes or more after loading?

But what do I know. My ignition problems seem to always been a result of a clogged fire channel.
Click to expand...
It very well could be an obstruction in the flash channel. But a saturated powder charge could still be it, depending on the patch material and an inferior lube. Perhaps I missed it but where did the OP state the misfire was 15 minutes after loading?

I find it interesting that the only ML’s I’ve owned since 1981 have all had patent breeches. I never have nor had the first problem with any of them to this day. Clean them properly and load them with proven, quality components and there shouldn’t be any problems.
 
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This rifle does have a hooked breech correct ? Pop the wedge out & stick the end in a bucket of warm soapy water. Less the nipple, & start cleaning the bore as the soapy water draws in & out it will clean the bore & breech. Dry it squirt brake cleaner or electric contact spray to drive any water out of area. Put on muzzle let it drain for 15 minutes & treat it for rust prevention.
 
Try snapping a cap after wiping.
I do a damp patch, then dry, then snap a cap, then load.
Bang - no issues.
IMG_2460.jpeg
 
ETipp said:
It very well could be an obstruction in the flash channel. But a saturated powder charge could still be it, depending on the patch material and an inferior lube. Perhaps I missed it but where did the OP state the misfire was 15 minutes after loading?

I find it interesting that the only ML’s I’ve owned since 1981 have all had patent breeches. I never have nor had the first problem with any of them to this day. Clean them properly and load them with proven, quality components and there shouldn’t be any problems.
Click to expand...
Popped 2 magnum caps, both moved a sheet of paper on a string 6” from the muzzle. Flash channel is clear.
Going to try the TC .50 next week. Same powder, same patch, same lube, .490 swaged ball. Same cap tin so caliber is the only variable.
 
ETipp said:
Why are you using a Tee shirt patch???

Why Blue Goo lube???

.530 RB, .018 quality ticking, 90 grains 3F Swiss and TOTW Mink Oil lube will serve you well in a .54 GPR. The proper nipple is key.

Patching material means everything. Even with ticking, poor quality will produce poor results. Just went through this last month. Ordered some new ticking from October Country and problem solved. Same thickness. The cheap ticking weave was not holding up. Retrieved patches proved it. New ticking fired patches looks like I could reuse them and accuracy went back to very good. Also, with ticking and TOTW Mink Oil it will not make one bit of difference if the lube is heavy.
Click to expand...
T17 (blue goo)is a paste patch lube that smells like toothpaste and lanolin. Stable in our normal summer/fall temps.
Tee shirt patch is minute of 3# coffee can at 80 yards. Good enough for the woods I’m currently hunting for feral hogs. They are normally not here, Hurricane Helene out riders messed up their traditional habitat.
 
Beaverman2 said:
I never hunt with a wet patch type lube, hunting season the one or two times a year that I load with a wonder lube type patch, load the rifle, put a masking tape dot over the bore to seal it ( it rains here in the PNW) and the gun stays loaded until I harvest or the season ends and I always keep it stored in the truck or garage if I'm home for a bit, no need to heat the gun and take the chance of producing moisture in the barrel from the heat exchange, your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...
Grew up in the wet side shadow of Mt Rainier. Right outside Ft Lewis.
 
rp77469 said:
I learned the hard way a few decades back I needed to have the drum rotated so the powder flowed down into it when tapping. Make sure you don't have a clinker partly blocking the path. That is one the reasons my last cleaning step is a shot of 100 PSI compressed air before replacing the nipple. Good luck. Let us know when you figure it out!

You are awfully close to DGW. Somebody there should be of help.
Click to expand...
Haven’t been there in years. They never had what I was looking for. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
SeaBee133 said:
T17 (blue goo)is a paste patch lube that smells like toothpaste and lanolin. Stable in our normal summer/fall temps.
Tee shirt patch is minute of 3# coffee can at 80 yards. Good enough for the woods I’m currently hunting for feral hogs. They are normally not here, Hurricane Helene out riders messed up their traditional habitat.
Click to expand...
Whatever, bud.

MOA matters not if the rifle doesn’t fire. This is a process of elimination. You have been given good input from several of us on here, yet you refuse to change from using inferior components rather than use tried and proven components.

Assuming the nipple is the proper application for the ML, It’s darn near a certainty the ML either has an obstruction somewhere that **sometimes** happens after you load (for whatever reason) or it’s the inferior components that you are using.

One way to help eliminate this conundrum is to pull the nipple after pouring powder down the bore and leaning the rifle over on the lock side and tap on the side of the stock. See if there is powder in the flash channel every time. If there is a partial obstruction in there, perhaps sometimes the powder the spark cannot reach the powder charge.

Also, using a coffee can is a poor target to use anytime, especially when diagnosing a problem.

I’m outta of this one. You can lead a horse to water…….
 
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its pretty simple, the problem is right at the breach area, although the lube sounds strange and so does using a Tee-shirt for patching. i don't think the powder can be contaminated enough to make it not go off. the flame is not getting to the powder, or the flame is not hot enough to set it off, maybe the caps are alive enough to pop but not enough to set off the charge. and that is it. i would first make sure the nipple hole is clear, and i would make sure the path for the flame is clear. if these things are correct it has to go off.
 
olskool said:
its pretty simple, the problem is right at the breach area, although the lube sounds strange and so does using a Tee-shirt for patching. i don't think the powder can be contaminated enough to make it not go off. the flame is not getting to the powder, or the flame is not hot enough to set it off, maybe the caps are alive enough to pop but not enough to set off the charge. and that is it. i would first make sure the nipple hole is clear, and i would make sure the path for the flame is clear. if these things are correct it has to go off.
Click to expand...
Yep, not much else to it. But it sure can be frustrating. I was using those reenactor cci musket caps because I could find em. Had to prime the nipple everytime to get enough flame to the main charge. Could have been partial blockage on the channel also but man frustrating. Went back to good cleaning and regular caps and goes off every time......lefty cva 50 cal hawken.
 
Just a thought, try a .30 caliber nylon brush. Your 9mm one might be to big. A shot of break cleaner on a patch when using it should clean that patent breach out pretty good.
 

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