Annoyed

[Scorpmann3518]

First it was my guns accuracy and now it won't even fire. Doesn't make sense. Worked fine 2 weeks ago. I had the nipple off when I cleaned it so i know I didn't get oil in it. Several caps and nothing. Added a few grains under the nipple and a new cap and nothing. Think I'm done for now and will just save up and get a good gun. Just really tired of all the issues that suddenly popped up. Not looking forward to pulling the ball either.
Swear the thing is cursed.

 

[M. De Land]

Dry ball? There's two types of muzzle loader shooters in this world, those who have and those who are going to sooner or later.Cheer up, this too will pass. :wink: MD

 

[kjmillig]

Dry ball? Wet powder? On some guns you can unscrew the breech plug (I can)to get a really good look and clean everything out. On others it's darn near impossible and highly not reccommended to try, but a competent gunsmith should be able to do it.

 

[Richard McCullough]

One other thing to check, is the nipple channel clear of crude? Pull the nipple and turn it up to the light and see, if not clean it, reinstall nipple and go shooting.

 

[Woods Dweller]

I soak my nipple in warm water for a few min, then get a small wire [fishing wire] and run it through the nipple a few times, then blow through the nipple. Hold nipple up to a clear light, you should see right through it. If you can't see clean through the nipple or it looks fuzzy, run the wire through again. Put the nipple back on the gun and fire a few caps. This should do it. As others have said make sure the barrel & powder is dry.

 

[ebiggs1]

What kind of gun is it?
You can dribble a few grains of 4F into the nipple channel after you remove it and reinstall it.
It will shoot the ball out if it was a dry ball.
Get a brand new nipple anyway.

 

[Sperit de bois]

Go back and look at the nipple and any other parts,,careful it is loaded....put the ram rod down the barrel to see if you dry balled when loading.... , assuming and you miss the problem while you are looking at it..

Worked,, now doesn't,,what was done between the two??
Powder was put under the nipple ,,you had removed and replaced,now it will no fire!!!!???
Fire not getting through to the powder!!!!
If you have fire going through the nipple to the powder,,,you have ignition and the rifle will fire.
The rifle is just trying to wear you down,,,,,

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hello Heyoka,
Remember to keep the barrel pointed in a safe direction all the time. Preferably outside the house.
1:Remove the nipple
2:Clean the nipple very well
3:Clean out the nipple channel very well with a paper clip, as deep as you can reach.
4our in some powder, tap the side of the barrel, pour in more powder, tap the side of the barrel. Repeat this process untill you get about 15 grains (weight/volume) of powder in the barrel.
5:Replace clean nipple
6:Make sure the ball is well seated.
7:Cap the rifle, then try it.
You may have loaded into a wet, blocked, or crud filled chamber, blocking the flame from the caps.
Sooner or later we all dryball a muzzleloader, and we have to go through this process.
You won't be the first, or the last.
There are two groups of shooters here, those that this has happened to, and the rest are liars :stir:
Good luck.
Old Ford

 

[majg1234]

yep what Old Ford said ...3 weeks ago my grandson insisted his TC Hawkin wasn't right after checking several things found out he'd dry balled, insisting up until we pulled the ball he'd loaded powder 1st :redface: Check all the things suggested and I'll bet you'll find the reason .these things don't just stop working

 

[cynthialee]

I've dry balled a revolver, :redface: but never a rifle. But then I have years of revolver use under my belt and I have only started shooting BP rifles since this summer. So there is all that.

 

[Scorpmann3518]

There is powder in it. Got that right :haha: Rifle was exceptionally clean this time. Started questioning the nipple last night. Then how would it have gotten blocked when I had removed it to do a major cleaning when I was scrubbing and polishing a rough spot in the bore. Guessing something got in there on my last shot when I had been out shooting. Yes it is seriously wearing me down with one problem after another. Powder was dry as well.
Rate this is going I won't be hunting at all if I want to use the muzzle loader.

It's a T/C Renegade so yeah from what I have sen I won't be removing the breech plug.

 

[buford87]

This may be a silly question but , did you clean the nipple?............watch yer top knot..........

 

[S.Kenton]

If I had to guess, I'd say your nipple is plugged..just remove the nipple and you can peer through the opening to see if ya see daylight. If not grab a needle, paperclip or something along those lines and clean the nipple.

 

[George T.]

As for not loading without powder it should be "I have not done that yet"! No matter what the reason you need to clear everything out and start over. A year ago I bought a UNLOADER that uses CO2 to blow everything out the muzzle. I don't remember what it cost but it was worth every penny. I have loaned it out several times at our matches. It is fast and easy and it cuts the wear down on the nipple threads! I got mine from Dixie!

Good luck! Geo. T.

 

[F.G. Ford]

It has been quite a while since I have had a TC Renegade, however, I believe that they have a patent breech, which means they have a small fire chamber at the back of the barrel.
If so, it is very easy for a bunch of dirt to get jammed in that area, while cleaning.
That will prevent fire from the cap to get to the new loaded charge.
So, like I said before, remove the nipple and fill her up (15 grains ) with powder.
Have a better day!
Old Ford

 

[M. De Land]

Pipe cleaners have worked good for me on these patented breeches after removing the nipple.I also like to take a tooth brush to the nipple threads each time it is removed for cleaning and put a bit of gun oil on the threads to minimize thread wear and prevent rust under neath when reinserted.I also like to line the bore and powder chamber with a bit of Hoppe's after water cleaning as it will raise any moisture left in the breech vent and barrel steel pores and keep them from flash rusting.
I finally wised up and quit using hot water after fighting flash rust for years from the practice. Cold water cleaning,patch drying and anointing with Hoppe's stopped the flash rusting.MD

 

[hanshi]

I use to have a CVA put together from a kit by a friend who gave it to me. It wouldn't fire either. I pulled the nipple and lightly dressed the tip with a fine file so it was perfectly square. It fired fine from there on out. Don't know if this helps.

 

[Mad Professor]

I always mark the ramrod to muzzle after working up a good load for a gun.

Easy to check if the mark lines up (charged) , or the mark is in the bore.

 

[Roguedog]

Hey Partner,
We've all been there and we all know it sucks. What confuses me is the firing, and then not firing. As others have mentioned, completely unload the gun, remove the nipple, and put the barrel in some hot water and plunge that thing. Second, inspect that nipple. Soak it in acetone or some other solvent. Take a pipe cleaner and stick it in the top side of the nipple and wipe it out good. Take a small nipple pick and stick it through the nipple. Maybe even hold the nipple up to a light to make sure you can see some light through there. After all this, if it still don't fire then I'd be mighty confused. I am assuming that your powder is in good condition. Let us know how things progress.

Jeff

 

[Roguedog]

One last thing, be careful not to add any oil inside the bore after cleaning, at least prior to shooting. Sometimes, oil can get down in there and keep the gun from firing correctly.