Firing A Cap Before Going Afield

[hbennett]

Percussion hunters,

What are your opinions about firing a cap on an empty chamber prior to going afield for the day, to ensure ignition. I assume this would necessitated a through cleaning at day's end. Otherwise, I would think that after blowing out the charge a quick swab, lube and wipedown of the arm would be all that's necessary at the day's end. Or, do you recommend any other daily cleaning during the hunting season (assuming no shots are fired).

If you don't fire a cap, have you ever experienced ignition problems with that first (and most likely only) shot?

thanks,
hbennett

 

[Greenmtnboy]

I have had a hang fire once and now fire a cap before a hunt or a competition.
I load my rifle and leave it loaded until I kill.
Unless you get a bunch of moisture in and around you rifle you shouldn't have to clear it every evening after you get done hunting.
a shot cap won't foul your rifle enough to justify cleaning your gun everyday
:hatsoff:

 

[rabjr]

Back when I used caplocks, I always snapped a cap before loading followed by sticking a thin wire into the nipple to make sure it was clean. I also removed the nipple and trickled 3F in under it. In 20 years of hunting with caplocks I hunted in all kinds of foul weather and never had one fail to fire when I needed it.

Yep I should have said the same as G man, my guns generally stayed loaded until I got a shot or the weather was just horrible.

 

[bucktales]

I always snap a cap (empty gun of course) at some leaves, clump of grass or snow. Just the way I was taught.
As far as daily cleaning, I'll give my rifle's outside, both wood and metal, a wipedown. I'll leave my charge in if I'm hunting in dry conditions, as long as the gun is kept at a constant temperature.
That means the rifle is not going from cold, into a warm camp for the night and back out to sub-freezing temps in the morning. That's where condensation can be a problem.
If I'm hunting in rain or wet ,heavy snow and I have a doubt, then I'll use a CO2 discharger at the end of the day, clean the rifle and start over again.

 

[Osprey]

I'll snap off two or three sometimes, nipple prick, then load. I'll leave loaded for a few days if the weather is good and I can leave the gun outside at night, but if I have any question I'll shoot it, clean it and start fresh the next day. Would rather spend a few minutes at the cleaning bench than a few hours on the shrink's couch after missing a booner. :rotf:

 

[Kentuckywindage]

i dont. I just pull the nipple to make sure there is powder in the drum and then clear the nipple hole with my pick.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Use rubbing alcohol on a patch, soaked, to run down the barrel to dissolve and remove oils and congealed oil( grease) that might be in the flash channel. Remove the nipple, before doing this, so you don't runt crud into the nipple. I like to run a wire down the nipple before going out just to make sure it is clear, too. The alchohol should dribble out the flash hole under the nipple of the gun is held muzzle UP. Now, dry the barrel with a clean dry patch, and use a pipe cleaner to wipe out any gunk that is in the flash channel.

Then put the nipple in the gun and fire a cap to make sure the alcohol is all removed and evaporated. If it isn't. you will see a blue flame come out the muzzle of the gun when you fire that cap. I run another patch down the barrel to clean out cap debris, and make sure there are no burning embers in the chamber when I dump my powder charge down the barrel.

Then go ahead and load the gun for the day. Wait until you are in the field, and its legal hunting hours before putting a new cap on the nipple. Keep the nipple clean between firings, and you won't have the problem of a nipple failing to seat until you drop the hammer the first time. The gun may fail to fire, or hang fire, and you will miss your shooting opportunity, if this happens.

 

[ronrryan]

It has been a very long while since I shot cap ignition, but it seems to me that at least SOME of the caps were labeled "non-corrosive"--not so? Thus there should be no trouble as far as corrosion in the nipple channels. Good smoke, ron in FL

 

[paulvallandigham]

I don't want burning debris, even from a spent cap, in the barrel when I pour down the powder charge. Its gets more exciting than My heart can stand! I am not concerned about corrosive primers, or percussion caps, these days.

 

[Halftail]

The caps do say "Non-corrosive" on the tin.I never had a problem snappin a couple of caps before loading.Usually I'm just sittin around the night before "Just a chompin at the bit to go" the next morning I'll snap caps,use a pipe cleaner dry patch untill I'm sure everything is dried out.There will be more flintlocking this year so caps won't be needed as much.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I pull the drum screw and run pipe cleaner in-out to ensure a clear flame path and pin the nipple. then load being careful to whack the breech area few times to jar powder grains into drum. instant bang results.

 

[Vaino]

A few years ago, two buddies and I used caplocks during the regular rifle deer season and finally did quite well.On the opening day AM I heard a series of 6 muffled "shots" that sounded something like a .22 and wondered why somebody would hunt squirrels during deer season. Well, it turned out to be one of my buddies who had a wonderful spot but the doggone gun wouldn't fire because of a blocked flash channel. He removed and cleaned the nipple, put a pipe cleaner thru the flash channel, fired a couple of caps, ran a patch down the bore, fired another cap at a leaf, loaded her up and shortly shot a nice buck. Before a hunt I ensure the nipple is tight, snap 3 caps, run a patch down, snap one more cap at a piece of paper,run another patch and then load. Caps are cheap! Used to use WD40 but the stuff gets into all the nooks and crannies and was the cause of a"wet" load for another member of our party.I now use a wax based protector when the rifle sits idle......Fred

 

[Rat Trapper]

I always run a dry patch down the barrel and then pull it out. Turn patch over and run it down and leave it in there while I pop 3 caps. If the patch is burned everything is cleared and ready to load. You do not need to worry about cleaning the rifle if you only popped some caps. I put tape over the muzzle and leather over the nipple and leave the rifle out on the unheated porch during hunting season in a soft case.

 

[roundball]

"...Turn patch over and run it down and leave it in there while I pop 3 caps..."

Just an opinion, but I think you've been lucky.
If you leave a patch in place down at the breech while popping multiple caps, the debris can't exit and you run the risk of some debris staying in the flash channel or patent breech and possibly retarding flame from the very next cap and/or blocking ignition altogether...the very thing you're trying to prevent...personal opinion is there is less risk to pop them on a completely empty bore, watch a leaf or blade of grass move and you know you're clear...just my .02 cents.

 

[Greenmtnboy]

I always run a dry patch down the barrel and then pull it out. Turn patch over and run it down and leave it in there while I pop 3 caps. If the patch is burned everything is cleared and ready to load. You do not need to worry about cleaning the rifle if you only popped some caps. I put tape over the muzzle and leather over the nipple and leave the rifle out on the unheated porch during hunting season in a soft case.

Good idea,
I think I will try that this year before hunting.
:hatsoff:

 

[hbennett]

Thanks everyone for the tips. Looks like I will be snapping caps, running a couple of patches, removing the nipple and cleaning out the flash channel with a pipe cleaner,
cleaning the hole in the nipple, then leaving it loaded until I get a volunteer for the freezer..

 

[Old Charlie]

I just run a patch really loaded with alcohol to clean the oil out. Never had a problem.
Old Charlie

 

[Runner]

I remove the screw and use an alcohol dampened Q-Tip to clean the channel and powder chamber. After allowing things to dry, I hand start the screw back and load the gun. Before I cap it, I use a 2 grain flint primer horn to drop two grains of primer into the channel and put the screw in. Pick the nipple and cap. If you want to get technical, you can use a nocking pliers to fit the cap tightly to the nipple and a touch of wax to seal things.
When I am in a place where popping a few caps makes no difference, I pop caps on the gun the night before. One to see if it will move grass or leaves at the end of the barrel. The second with a piece of paper towel rammed all the way on the rod. If the channel is clear, a round scorched area will appear on the paper towel. Then I clean the channel as I described above.
I hunt with CVA's. I fire them into the unloading stump in the evening and completely clean them before I feed myself. The only time I leave a load in a gun is when I am somewhere that an unloading shot isn't a good option.
You can clean the channel, use a prime, and get by without popping caps at all if you need to. You can remove the screw, clean the channel with a small brass wood screw to remove the old powder, and re-prime during a hunt if the gun needs to be left loaded. If you use a CVA/Jukar/Tradition's type breach, leaving the gun loaded for long periods is not wise without doing this re-prime action. The powder channel is about the size of a 22 bullet, and four threads dead end into the sides of the channel. There is also a groove at the end of the drum that makes a place for oil to collect. You can clean them till the cows come home, but if you put anything liquid down the barrel, it will end up in those threads and in that groove at the end of the drum threads. When you put dry powder in there, the oil begins to wick into it out of those threads and the groove acts as a tank to hold the supply. Storing the guns standing on the muzzle with a dry paper towel patch helps to get some of it out. These guns should never have anything liquid put into the breach area that will not rapidly evaporate back out. I know that sounds crazy, and I used oil and bucket cleaning for years myself. I figured this out recently myself when I removed the drums from several CVA barrels after finding the problem in the first one. They all had the same problem. Lots of oil in the threads, groove, and collected at the end of the drum in the plug. I have yet to find one that did not show the same problem. The powder channel and drum channel need to be cleaned manually and the guns protected with something that will not infliltrate the powder in the channel at the ends of the screw threads. That is if you want the best most dependable gun that they can be. Since this is still pretty new to me also, I have not completely figured how to handle the problem. My hunting guns no longer get anything liquid in them except alcohol and the oil has been removed from breach areas.
Have a beautiful day!

 

[tg]

I used to snap a cap before loading the gun when hunting, don't know if it helped assure ignition but it did wake up the wife and kids in the wee hours of the morning and that was a plus....

 

[caplock28g]

The only time I can remember that I ever had a misfire was last fall hunting Blue Grouse. On that day I failed to snap the caps prior to loading.