hawkins .50 cal single shot fires on 3rd try

[ormond tony]

I have a hawkins .50 single shot. I have placed a #11 cap (CCI and rem) and it took 3 hammer hits to fire the cap. I think the hammer needs to move farther back before releasing but why does the cap fire on the 3rd try? Could it be that the hammer does not have enough force and the first 2 times it seats the cap into the nipple a centimeter or 2 farther from the hammer release point? I am going to search youTube for how to adjust the hammer. Thanks for any help.

 

[azmntman]

sounds like cap or nipple size issue. I would try nipple and cap changes before screwing with hammer myself

 

[Grenadier1758]

Have you replaced the nipple? They sometimes get enlarged after a lot of firings or bulged if there has been any dry firing. A small wood block in the main spring if it is flat can add some tension to the spring.

 

[kje54]

I have a hawkins .50 single shot. I have placed a #11 cap (CCI and rem) and it took 3 hammer hits to fire the cap. I think the hammer needs to move farther back before releasing but why does the cap fire on the 3rd try? Could it be that the hammer does not have enough force and the first 2 times it seats the cap into the nipple a centimeter or 2 farther from the hammer release point? I am going to search youTube for how to adjust the hammer. Thanks for any help.

What kind of "powder" are you using?

 

[SDSmlf]

What kind of "powder" are you using?

Kind of ‘powder’ has nothing to do with the OP’s cap not firing. Cap likely not fully seated on the nipple. Could be size relationship between nipple and cap or a damaged nipple.

 

[hunter thompson]

Sometimes that happens to me when i dont push the cap hard enough onto the nipple.Clean the hammer pocket.I could have built up residue thats happened before to me.

 

[Winchester97]

Seems obvious, but a spent cap swelled up and stuck inside the face of hammer will do that. Had it happen on a used TC Hawken that was otherwise clean. It would misfire the first try, then go off the next. I checked it out, and there was an old cap sealed right into the surface of the hammer. Dug it out, problem solved.

 

[Carbon 6]

Worn out nipple, dirty or rusty lock, or lock screw too tight. Check to see that the lock internals aren't hitting the mortise.
Could be a weak main spring but the other things I listed are more likely.

 

[kje54]

Kind of ‘powder’ has nothing to do with the OP’s cap not firing. Cap likely not fully seated on the nipple. Could be size relationship between nipple and cap or a damaged nipple.

Not from what I've read on this forum.......... Apparently some BP substitutes don't work well in traditional muzzleloaders. Though I agree, most likely it's either a bad batch of caps or a nipple problem. Just covering all bases.

 

[Cowboy]

Several things come to mind. Like already mentioned above.
Spent cap stuck up in hammer cup?
Cap not fully seated?
Nipple cone to long? Change out nipple possibly? Don’t think you have a weak main spring problem.

Another thing to check is if the hammer cup is aligned properly? Does it sit centered over the nipple cone? Had a muzzleloader one time that only the lip of the hammer struck the nipple thus creating multiple tries to fire off the cap.

If all mentioned above fails to solve your problem, a pic of the hammer seated on the nipple along with another of the nipple itself would be possibly helpful my friend. Sort of hard to diagnose your problem without muzzleloader in hand?

Good luck.

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Tumbledown]

Not from what I've read on this forum.......... Apparently some BP substitutes don't work well in traditional muzzleloaders. Though I agree, most likely it's either a bad batch of caps or a nipple problem. Just covering all bases.

The powder doesn't matter if the cap isn't going off.

 

[stevenjay1]

Seems obvious, but a spent cap swelled up and stuck inside the face of hammer will do that. Had it happen on a used TC Hawken that was otherwise clean. It would misfire the first try, then go off the next. I checked it out, and there was an old cap sealed right into the surface of the hammer. Dug it out, problem solved.

I have a CVA Mountain Rifle that does the same thing with spent caps styling to the inside of the hammer face. Took me awhile to figure it out. Hence I check for spent stuck caps after every shot. Very reliable after I figured out the problem.

 

[Howard Pippin]

I have a CVA Mountain Rifle that does the same thing with spent caps styling to the inside of the hammer face. Took me awhile to figure it out. Hence I check for spent stuck caps after every shot. Very reliable after I figured out the problem.

I too had the problem of caps Sticking inside the Hammer, I Was Using Remington Magnum Number 11. Switching to just regular caps, solve my problem and the spent one stayed on the nipple. Sounds like a dumb deal, But it worked for me.
Squint

 

[MrMackc]

Back in the 1970s I had a gunshop and sold guns, I bought two CVA Hawken .50 Caliber rifle kits , kept one and sold the other one to my buddie, we started having this problem with both rifles after about 50 shots I contacted CVA and they sent me two new hammer springs, saying that a batch of their springs were weak. We installed the new springs, aligned the hammers, centered over the nipple and never have had a problem with any caps that were available since.

 

[kje54]

The powder doesn't matter if the cap isn't going off.

I went back and reread the OP. I initially must have glanced over it and not "read" it. I was reading that it took three caps not three tries on one cap. My bad.

 

[rafterob]

This issue is just about always a result of the cap fit to the nipple. Either a new nipple that is slightly oversize for the cap, or a used nipple where the top has mushroomed. If a used nipple that has mushroomed you should replace it. If a new or newer nipple then take the nipple out, chuck it in a drill and run it on a flat file to remove some material. Do a little at a time and check with a cap as you go. Cap should go on with a snug fit but you should feel it bottom out.

 

[Carbon 6]

It is important to properly diagnose the problem before making any permanent changes.

 

[flntlokr]

This issue is just about always a result of the cap fit to the nipple. Either a new nipple that is slightly oversize for the cap, or a used nipple where the top has mushroomed. If a used nipple that has mushroomed you should replace it. If a new or newer nipple then take the nipple out, chuck it in a drill and run it on a flat file to remove some material. Do a little at a time and check with a cap as you go. Cap should go on with a snug fit but you should feel it bottom out.
Yup.

 

[mooman76]

It's always good to have extra nipples and they are fairly cheap anyway. Good place to start. You can also chuck the nipple in a drill and take off a little bit of metal.

 

[Teewest]

I would change out the nipple. I had that problem at first on a T/C 54 cal. Hawken I switched to SS nipple and problem solved. I still use the same nipple and use CCI #11 caps and 2F GOEX black power fires every time.
Have a good day.