Another lucky deer.

[capt eddie]

I thought I did a good job cleaning the barrel last night. I finished with alchol swab. Then set the gun barrel down next to the heater.This morning another misfire on a 8 pt buck at 50 yards. I removed the cleanout screw and found no powder in the flash chamber? But I was able to retrieve the doe that I shot yesterday evening. I have one more evening to hunt before the season ends. I am not going to clean the gun untilafter I hunt this evening. When I was practicing I never had a misfire. I would run a cloth though after the shot. How while hunting all I am getting is misfire. Now I will say that we have 100% humidity every time I go hunting. Can that make the cap fire, but not enough fire to get to the powder. Remember, no powder is in the fire chamber. Is this normal?

 

[ryoung14]

Whatever your problem is, Pyrodex RS and Bore Butter is not it. I am not familiar with your gun but you need to look further. I suggest you get a bore light and do a through cleaning job. :thumbsup:

Some people have a problem and arbitrarily decide it must be Pyrodex, or whatever, and actually it had nothing to do with the problem. It doesn't help solve your situation when you have drawn the wrong conclusion. :hmm:

^^This! No problems using Pyrodex RS or Bore Butter here for well over a decade.

One thing I do for hunting season, though, is take out the nipple, dribble several granules of powder into the channel beneath the nipple and then screw the nipple back in. I do this the night before opening day after I've cleaned out the preservatives with alcohol, cleaned the flash channel with a pipe cleaner, snapped a few caps and loaded the charge and ball. The extra powder under the nipple serves to amplify the primer flash.

If the gun has been fired during the season, I do all this after a thorough cleaning and drying if I'm planning to hunt the next few days.

You don't want to pack the channel with powder, just enough so it can remain loose. I mostly use Pyro P for this, but RS will work.

For shooting at the range, I don't bother with this and rarely have a problem. However, hunting season is different. There's more invested in terms of time and resources so a belt and suspenders approach is called for.

 

[Rogue River]

What I do the first time I load I remove the nipple and work a small amount into the drum, actually I put in as much as I can and replace the nipple. I do this after I pop a couple of caps and the powder and ball is loaded. Never had a misfire when I've done this! :grin:

Don't take your gun from the cold outside into a warm house for the nite as condensation will happen in the barrel. Leave it in your vehicle or outside bldg. garage. I leave mine in my vehicle in the garage all season!

 

[ebiggs1]

If your gun is working perfectly at the range and not while hunting, you need to figure out what is different. If the gun works properly at the range it will also work while hunting. It does not know the change in venue.

Now I will say that we have 100% humidity every time I go hunting. Can that make the cap fire, but not enough fire to get to the powder.

100% humidity means precipitation is in the air actual rain or fog or some other. Normally humidity does not effect cap guns like it does flint locks. No matter what powder you use, real black or Pyrodex, you must keep it dry! But I am assuming you are aware of that.

 

[tomme boy]

Did you slap the barrel a couple of times before loading the bullet or ball? This will help. One other thing I used to do is drop about 20grs of powder down the barrel and fire this off to foul the barrel. I have 3 ML's that shoot 4" higher on the very first clean bore shot. Once I foul the barrel, they shoot fine.

Plus, it should get rid the problem you are having cleaning it and the first shot misfires.

 

[Rogue River]

Slapping the barrel works but I always pull the nipple the first time just for the hell of it and end up adding more powder, thats just me. Thats just on the first shot after that I just slap the barrel a couple of times. Never tried the fouling shot. Do you run a patch down the barrel as you would between shots or just foul the barrel and load?

 

[M. De Land]

I've used both pyrodex RS and P and found it would not as reliably light in cold weather as would BP. Also found it to be more corrosive to my powder flasks than black powder plus it clumps up when it get some age on it. I won't use it at all in any of my guns any more. Black powder is superior in every way that I can see. MD

 

[tomme boy]

Foul it. Load it. Thats it. I have had the same problems with the RS powder as the OP. I tried everything, new nipple, new caps, new powder. One thing that worked was to go to real Black. It is harder to cleanup and fouls more for me. But it is worth it to know that when I pull the trigger, it goes off. I have lost way too many deer to Pyrodex to ever make me go back to any of the fakes. My main problem with Black is I have to make a 80 mile drive to just go get it. But I buy enough to last me a year so that does not matter.

Oh, be careful of the new Musket caps from CCI. They cut them powerwise in half. Found out the hard way on them also. Now I only use RWS. Have not had any problems with them at all.

 

[capt eddie]

I have only used 20 charges of powder out of a new can of Pyrodex. When I finish that can in practice I will try the BP. I should not have any problems getting any. They make it here in Minden Louisiana. I will try the patch and ball now and see how they group.

 

[tomme boy]

Any pics of the doe? I like pics of dead animals!

 

[capt eddie]

For now a picture of the last doe is on my Facebook eddie jellum. It is public. Two deer in less then 20 shoots. I am hooked. Now I have a new reason to go back to Canada for Black bear. I killed plenty with my Longbow. This ML adds a good bit a sport back into the game.

 

[Jblk]

When you snap the caps after cleaning hold the muzzle close to something like a leaf or small piece of paper.You should see that item move.If you don't you have a plug of some type.Can you remove the barrel by just removing the keys?If so your problem could be in the breachplug.The hole in that plug is smaller that the dia of the barrel.You need to use a small brush to clean that area.When I clean my guns I use hot soapy water and pump it up through the barrel with a rag patch.I hold the barrel up and make sure the water is spraying out of the nipple.I then use a patch with oil after I have dried the barrel.I swab the bore with alcohol, letting it dry for a few minutes and then snap my caps.I doubt seriously if your powder is to blame.I have a bottle of pistol pyro that I have been using over ten years.I had a cap gun that wouldn't discharge on occasion.It would fire ninty % of the time and not fire when you had a deer in the sights.I finally discovered that the hammer was not striking the cap right, even though it appeared to be doing so.I bent the hammer and have never had another problem.

 

[ebiggs1]

You might want to check the phase of the moon and your horoscope while you are snapping, slapping, swabbing and pulling nipples and whatever! :hmm: :idunno:

 

[mdbeck1]

At our last scout shoot we had problems with like this with one of the rifles. It was a T/C and about every 6-7 shots it would pull the no-fire routine. It worked just fine if we pulled the nipple and dropped some powder in.

We finally figured out that the guy loading the ML was NOT slapping the side of the gun when he loaded. You have to do it BEFORE you put the patch and ball in.

After we did that we didn't have hardly any problems.

 

[ChrisHarris]

I shoot a TC .45 Hawken percussion rifle and I don't slap anything. I'm using Goex 3F and CCI caps. I clean it with water and dry it. Then run an oiled patch down the barrel after it's been thoroughly dried.

When it comes time to shoot again, I pop 2 caps and load it. Shoot it. I run a damp patch down after every shot just to make sure there's no embers down there. Then a dry patch. Powder - lubed patch - ball. Stuff it. Cap it. Bang!! Repeat.

Can run that same procedure about 40 shots before my nipple channel clogs. I get one hang fire. Next one won't go off. Remove nipple. Pick crud out of nipple area. Toss 2 or 3 grains of 4F down the nipple hole. Screw the nipple back in. Cap it. Bang!! Works for the rest of the day.

I have not had the energy to shoot 80 shots in a single day and see if that nipple will clog up again after the next 40 shots. :surrender:

 

[FRJ]

I have been reading this post and find it hard to believe that some people go to so much trouble to load a gun. I hardly believe that when our forefathers were fighting indians and such that they went thru all this rigamarole!!!!First off use only real black powder!!!!!)Pyrodex is hard to ignite, hence not used in flintlocks, and VERY corrosive. It will continue to corrode a barrel long after a very good cleaning. Ask me how I know this. I suggest that you clean your barrel like you have never cleaned it before!!! Then clean it again and again. Now check it every day for rust, just run a dry patch down it. You may get lucky and save your barrel. Next use only real black powder and never go back to the pyro!!!! You should find that your gun is even more accurate with holy black and is very easy to clean. Have a great day. FRJ

 

[Adui]

I have to respectfully disagree with you about Pyrodex. I have used it almost exclusively, and while my cleaning regiment is thorough, I have never had to go re oil after a few days. My BP guns have been fired regularly for a couple years, then placed in storage unexpectedly for a year. After recovering them I inspected them and found no corrosion whatsoever in the bore even after a year in storage.

No matter the powder, a proper cleaning is a must. Cant blame pyrodex for any lack of that.

As for the flint lock issues, well I have a cap lock, never had a misfire / hangfire but its not a flinter so cant help there.

 

[mcknight77]

It's just me, but I've been using Pyrodex for years with no problems. When I get to my hunting area I always run a dry patch down the barrel then push the same patch into the barrel about half way and leave it there. Then I fire a cap to see if the flame pushes the patch out. If it doesn't, then there may an obstruction in the flamepath. When the cap shot the patch out I've never had a misfire. I also slap the side of the lock after the powder goes in and before the patch and ball or bullet. I've never had to add powder under the nipple.

 

[S.Kenton]

RIGHT ON about using REAL black powder! :thumbsup:

 

[mdbeck1]

At our last scout shoot we had problems with like this with one of the rifles. It was a T/C and about every 6-7 shots it would pull the no-fire routine. It worked just fine if we pulled the nipple and dropped some powder in.

We finally figured out that the guy loading the ML was NOT slapping the side of the gun when he loaded. You have to do it BEFORE you put the patch and ball in.

After we did that we didn't have hardly any problems.

We were using 50 grains of FF triple 7. I've found at these shoots that it burns the cleanest of the powders. We don't usually have to clean the guns until the end of the day. The last time we had something else (I want to say it was pyrodex but don't remember) we ended up running a cleaning patch down them after every 10-15 shots or they wouldn't ignite.

So I can only speak from my own experience but I will keep using triple 7 at the large events. I will happily consider testing other powders as they become available. If I find a powder that shoots as well and cleans as well as triple 7 I will suggest switching at our events.