CVA Mountain Rifle Misfiring

[fishmusic]

Finally got my CVA mountain rifle lock and trigger behaving so I took it to the range to start working up a load and patch. After four shots I had a misfire.

It's a .50 cal, I was using 55gn fffg (Goex), .490 ball with a .015 pillow ticking patch pre-lubed with Balistol. I was swiping between shots with a dampened patch.

So I put another cap on and the cap goes off but no boom. It wasn't a dry ball. I then took the clean out screw off and there was a perfectly smooth wall of grey crud behind it. I took a vent pick and broke through the wall and replaced the screw. The crud was blocking the nipple (?). Rifle then fired properly.

I only put 10 rounds through but it misfired four more times. One time a replaced cap solved it but the rest of them required me to pick the vent.

Any one else ever seen this?

 

[bubba.50]

I'm no expert roundball shooter but, sounds to me like yer powder is gettin' moisture from somewhere. maybe try a dryer swabbin' patch or maybe run a dry one after it. and fire a cap afterwards.

 

[nhmoose]

Dampened with what??

I use the Friendship mix of 1/3 Murphy's oil soap, 1/3 denatured Alcohol, 1/3 peroxide. Just damp the patch and one dry one. Never had any misfires.

My bore buttons are loose and go down easy and pull the manure out.

If yours don't you are packing the patent breech bottom powder chamber with junk perhaps

I hate caplocks by the way.

 

[BrownBear]

I'd sure start by changing the nipple. More often the nipple is the root of all evil in my misfires.

 

[ohio ramrod]

A common problem with CVA's version of the patent breech is that swabbing between shots pushes fouling down into the breech area. Try stopping your ramrod about an inch from the bottom when swabbing between shots also don't use a very wet patch. Also you might want to reduce the diameter of you cleaning jag to prevent it from pushing the fouling ahead of it. The ideal fit is to allow the patch to slide over the fouling going in, bunch up and pull the fouling out when the rod is withdrawn. :idunno:

 

[Grenadier1758]

Moose has the right idea. You are pushing fouling into the reduced chamber at the breech. You need a slightly dampened patch that is thinner. The jag and patch need to slide over the fouling and then bunch up to pull out the fouling.

Yes, we have all seen similar blockages.

 

[nwtradegun]

use musket caps.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Keep that patent breech clean and DRY. Don't overlube or stick a "darn soaked" patch down. Poke the flash hole through every few shots with a pin. Also, what's your cleaning regimen? Are you applying too much lube to the patent breech or is your protectant soaking to the patent breech? Are you firing a cap before loading the first time to ensure a clean path?

 

[Mean Gene]

I have had the same problem with my CVA, it's embarrassing when this happens at the range and everyone's watching.
It didn't occur to me that I might be pushing fouling down the barrel blocking the ignition, Ive been swabbing between shots too and having misfires. :metoo:

 

[azmntman]

Need two jags. Leave yer cleaning jag in the box or at home. Take second jag and pop in drill, run drill while holding a fine file or better yet a bit of Emory cloth on a sanding board and gently and SLOWLY take a bit off that jag. Keep filing until the jag goes down NO PROBLEMO wnen using a barley dampened patch thats large enough and it will do its magic pullin crud back up the barrel. Per a good friend of mine that I never met this will keep yer bore the same size every shot and NOT push crapola into the breach.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Yeah if it's too moist this will happen I have found personally. I just lick my cleaning patches, I don't shove them in my mouth to saturate them or use some kind of liquid miracle cleaner.

This has worked very well for me though I admit I'm far from an expert BP shooter.

I also use a .30 caliber bronze brush with a patch wrapped over and around the top of it to clean the patent breech of my Lyman GPR. It works nicely. I don't find it necessary to do that when shooting, though, only when cleaning at the end of the day after cleaning the bore etc.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Dampened with what??

I use the Friendship mix of 1/3 Murphy's oil soap, 1/3 denatured Alcohol, 1/3 peroxide. Just damp the patch and one dry one. Never had any misfires.

Above is also what I use...The peroxide can also be substituted with water...
If misfires persist...Actually squirt some down the barrel....

Most misfires occur because the barrel is not clean to begin with...then you push fouling into the breech when you load or clean.....You should have positive air flow through the nipple when cleaning...The same goes for M.A.P. solution.......The last thing is that the nipple hole/orifice may be to small...easily enlarged with a number drill.

A person's natural instinct is to not soak the patches....this is incorrect....

The breech should be devoid of oils when you load.

Humid weather is also a factor for increased fouling.......

And lastly....I'm a firm believer in blowing down the barrel after a shot....and watching smoke come out the nipple hole.


Flushing a toilet is just like cleaning a muzzleloader....They parallel each other nicely...

 

[necchi]

I then took the clean out screw off and there was a perfectly smooth wall of grey crud behind it.

The breech should be devoid of oils when you load.

There's some good info here in this thread from a few people,
A toilet? Nope.
Blowing and wiping? :hmm:

Those spanish breeches can be a bugger, what with the small holes and a right angle.
A tiny bit of storage oils left in that breech is a curse,, it has to be completely clean,, if fouling has started then there are techniques to remove it.
Please PM if interested in a way to do it.

Getting powder down in there is an issue too,, it's a little hole down on the bottom, and it turns 90°,, when you dump the main charge, lift the rifle a bit and slap the stock with your hand down by the breech to get the powder into the fire channel and close to the nipple discharge,,
there's more stuff to help make it simple.

 

[homebrew .357]

Yep , there`s ways and means of all this, I`m no pro, but this is what I do before going to the range I take off barrel that's been oiled, remove breech side screw, place breech end in a small tub of meths and patch on ramrod pumping up and down till I think all the oil is gone, then dry patch, a dry patch in, leave and fire a few caps. I have only had miss fires from not fitting the cap on properly or a dud one. I make my cleaning patches from old sheets, just damp, goes down easy but grabs the crud coming out, or stays down there! :hmm: I now have a corkscrew attachment for my r/rod to get them out.

 

[fishmusic]

WOW. That's quite a regimen. I usually wipe the barrel and breach with denatured alcohol to clean out the oils (I like Barricade) before shooting. Never have had a problem with my GPR using the same method originally posted but the CVA oes this consistently. I suspect that crud is being pushed into the breach.

 

[Trot]

Yah, I've had better luck with the Lyman's than the CVA's. Just have to learn it's eccentricities I suppose.

 

[timothy prouty]

HEY look at the nipple it's might be to deep in the drum you should have about an half of the drum open so the flame can get to the powder

 

[Danny Ross]

Couple of things. One: I learned the hard way one day by using swabbing patches that were to thick and was pushing crud into the flash channel even though they were damp. So don't use swabbing material thicker than t shirt material. Two: To control how wet you get your swabbing patches, use a mister bottle with your swabbing solution. You mentioned gray crud. Do you use the bilge cleaning method when cleaning the barrel? Sticking the breach end in a bucket of water and pumping up and down with rod, jag and patch. If not. "maybe" you are not getting the flash channel and drum clean, and that is where the crud build up is coming from. Just a thought. DANNY

 

[SDSmlf]

Couple of thoughts. First one may have come from Dutch, not sure (would have to check), but it seems to work, at least for me. For swabbing between shots, find a jag diameter and cleaning patch combo that drops down a clean barrel with two dry patches on it under the weight of your range rod. Then use one moistened patch to clean between shots. This combo will drop down barrel. Once at the breech, twist clockwise and pull it out. Grabs all the bad stuff on the way without pushing the crud into the breech area on the way in. As far as moistening the patch, you need to find a way to be consistent with how much you use. My bride gets eyedrops in these cute little plastic bottles with a hole in the nozzle to dispense only a drop at a time. They are perfect for squirting a consistent amount of liquid on to your patch (Windex, MAP, Balistol and H2O or alcohol, H2O alone, etc, your choice). Try different patterns, an X or circular pattern may work best for you. I have a drawer full of these bottles. Consistency will be your friend.

 

[Dr5x]

Wiping between shots is necessary to remove the BP residue that adheres to the bore after each shot./ The problem can occur if you put too much moisture on the wiping patch. I should be damp. not drippy. Any excess moisture will run down into the breech and wet the area where the powder will be going. Wet powder won't burn and you have a misfire

YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW LITTLE MOISTURE YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH.
SENDING A DRY PATCH DOWN THERE TO REMOVE ANY EXCESS MOISTURE PROBABLY WON'T ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM. .IF YOUR RIFLE HAS A PATENTENT BREECH AND QUITE A FEW DO, YOU WILL NEVER GET THE EXCESS WATER OUT OF IT AS IT IS SMALLER AND YOUR JAG CAN'T EMTER IT.


THINK ABOUT IT

DUTCH